Rider University Baseball Head Coach
Barry Davis has announced the hiring of Mike Petrowski '09 as the new Bronc pitching coach in July of 2019.
Upon Mike's arrival at Rider, Davis said of Petrowski, "I feel Mike is an excellent fit for us as we are starting over in a sense. I am confident Mike will adapt quickly to this role, having been a pitcher at this level and in this league. He has had the opportunity to build a philosophy on how he wants to oversee a pitching staff. He is motivated and excited to get to work. It is a good hire for us."
In 2022, the Broncs finished fifth in the MAAC with a 5.76 ERA, with Cal Stalzer leading the MAAC with eight saves. As a team, the Broncs set a program record with 432 strikeouts. Both Stalzer and Joe Papeo were named to the MAAC All-Tournament Team.
After being picked 8th preseason in 2021, Rider won its first MAAC tournament championship since 2010. With Mike's leadership, the pitching staff improved immensely. The staff's earned run average (ERA) was ranked 71st in the country, nearly two runs better(4.54) than the two previous staff ERA's.
Mike was also instrumental in acquiring talent as he assisted in recruiting 2021 All-MAAC Tournament selections, Sean McGeehan, Cal Stalzer, and the tournament's most valuable player, Jordan Erbe, as well as Frank Doelling, one of Rider's top weekend starters. Under Mike's guidance, left-handed pitcher Pete Soporowski, a graduate student, was a second-team All-MAAC selection.
The year did not end for Mike as he led the Trenton Thunder's summer draft league's pitching staff to unprecedented success, with 11 pitchers signing with Major League affiliated organizations and another four signing with independent organizations. Under Mike's leadership, Trenton posted a league-best 4.27 ERA. The team was also successful in winning the first-ever league title.
In 2020, his first season, cut short by the coronavirus, the pitching staff made great strides. A sweep of Charleston Southern and wins at East Tennessee State, Lafayette, and James Madison appeared to set the landscape for a successful season on the mound.
Before returning to Rider, Petrowski spent the 2019 campaign serving as the head baseball coach at Rowan College at Burlington County. He guided the team to the Region 19 tournament for the first time in three years as he helped the team's ERA drop from 4.76 to 2.86, leading all Division II Junior Colleges.
Before serving as RCBC's head coach, Petrowski served as the pitching/assistant coach at both Hamilton West and Nottingham High schools were in both instances, helped lead teams to sectional titles within three years, including Nottingham earning their first-ever sectional crown. Petrowski was also the pitching coach for Trenton Generals of the ABCL collegiate league and won the league title in his only year in 2014.
Mike is in a unique class of his own as a member of two MAAC championship teams, one as a player in 2008 and a coach in 2021. He currently resides in Ewing, NJ, with Kelly Petrowski and their son, Caden.
