Rowan is Named Second Team All-West Region by D3baseball.com

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- Senior outfielder Mitch Rowan (Sr., LF, Cotati, CA/Rancho Cotate HS) from Willamette University has been selected Second Team All-West Region by D3baseball.com. A total of 42 players were chosen for All-West Region honors, evenly split between the First Team, Second Team and Third Team.

It was the second time Rowan has received All-West Region honors. He was named First Team All-West Region in 2010. He earned First Team All-Northwest Conference honors in 2010 and was Second Team All-NWC in 2012.

Rowan led the Bearcats this spring with a .342 average, a .719 slugging percentage and a .503 on-base percentage. In addition, he topped Willamette with 22 extra-base hits as he blasted 10 homers, one triple and 11 doubles. He ranked first on the squad with 40 RBIs, 34 runs scored, 36 walks and three sacrifice flies.

In the Northwest Conference statistical rankings, he was first in walks, second in home runs and slugging percentage, and third in RBIs. At the national level, he ranked 5th in NCAA Division III in walks per game (36 in 35 games, 1.03 avg.), 11th in home runs per game (10, 0.29 avg.), 19th in slugging percentage, 44th in on-base percentage and 45th in RBIs per game (40, 1.14 avg.).

During his Willamette career, Rowan achieved a .356 career batting average, including a career-high of .403 in 2010. He recorded 144 hits in 404 at bats, while scoring 103 runs and contributing 123 RBIs.

He finished his career ranked fourth all-time at WU in batting average and was third in home runs (27), fifth in RBIs and tied for seventh in doubles (32). He was 26 of 28 on stolen base attempts, including 10 for 10 in 2012. He earned 167 putouts and three assists on defense.

Rowan graduated on May 13 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Exercise Science. This summer, he will play for the Willmar Stingers (Minn.) of the Northwoods League, where he ranked ninth in the entire league in 2011 with a .333 average.

He has signed with the University of San Francisco to play NCAA Division I baseball next season. He will be using the year of eligibility he received from a medical hardship waiver after he missed all but seven games at Willamette in 2010 due to a broken hand.

This spring, Willamette finished the season with a 14-23 record, including 9-14 in the NWC (6th place). The Bearcats ranked second in the nation in NCAA Division III with 35 home runs in 37 games played for an average of 0.95 home runs per game. The Bearcats ranked 14th in the nation with 190 walks. Willamette averaged 6.73 runs per game.