SLIPPERY ROCK — Success has never been synonymous with the Slippery Rock baseball program.

Until now.

The Rockets completed an improbable run to the District 10 Class AAA title on Monday with a 7-6 win over Warren in nine innings.

Coming into the season, the program had never won a playoff game, never mind a district crown.

Now that Slippery Rock owns some hardware, the Rockets hope to give their tradition a makeover.

A strong senior class led the turnaround, but a trio of freshmen proved to be vital pieces to the championship puzzle.

Although the seniors are destined for graduation after the state playoffs, the young talent provides optimism the Rockets won't be a one-year wonder.

“I like what I see out of the young guys,” said second-year Slippery Rock coach Nathan McCollough. “The seniors are showing them the way right now and it's going to help. Winning now, they're not going to want to go back to losing. They tasted the winning and they're going to want more of it.”

The senior group of Cody Stephenson, Mitch Robinson, Levi Leonberg and Taylor Buhler were all starters in the D-10 championship. Stephenson pitched all nine innings and delivered a walk-off RBI double to ignite the Slippery Rock celebration.

However, Stephenson's heroics would not have been possible without the contributions of freshmen Josh Bowser, Ryan Lauster and Jackson Kerchis.

Kerchis belted a two-RBI double in the second inning. Lauster drove in two with a crucial triple in the fifth, before Bowser set the stage for extra innings with a game-tying RBI single.

“They did it all year,” said Stephenson of the freshmen. “The sky is the limit. I'll come watch and cheer them on (next season). It's going to be exciting.”

Bowser, Lauster and Kerchis credited the senior quartet for helping the team maintain a positive attitude during an inconsistent first half of the season.

“Their leadership has been great throughout the entire year,” said Bowser. “You can't ask for anything better.”

“Great leadership by all of them,” Lauster agreed. “Even when they don't have a good game, they're all picking us up.”

“They keep it light in practice,” noted Kerchis. “They keep it loose.”

When spring arrived, the freshmen were unsure of playing time and how many wins could be claimed. But as time passed, jobs were earned and the team's upside was evident.

“As we got to know everybody and got used to everything, we knew we'd have a big role,” said Lauster, the starting second baseman.

“I thought I had it in me,” said Kerchis, who earned the job at first base. “From the start, I knew we had the potential to get here.”

Bowser, a catcher, perhaps faced the biggest challenge in adjusting to handling varsity pitching.

“It was a little nerve-racking at first, but once I settled in, it's the same game,” he said. “I've played it all my life, so it's been pretty easy.”

Bowser never endured the losing seasons of Slippery Rock past, but he was well aware of the subpar history.

Breaking through for a championship quickly repaired the reputation.

“I've heard a lot of bad things about the baseball team, just the way it's been treated around the school,” Bowser explained. “Now, it's pretty cool to see everybody come together and rally around baseball.”

McCollough hopes the trend will continue behind the strength of his freshmen trio and fellow starters sophomore Travis Lauster and junior Joe Barnhart.

“Every year, it should just get better and better and better,” said the coach. “In the past? 'Oh, Slippery Rock, that's an easy win.' I think we should be one of those programs that people don't really want to play. … Hopefully, that's what we become.”