BSP’s Petrowski named head coach at Rowan College at Burlington

HAMILTON >> It has been quite the summer for Mike Petrowski and his Broad Street Park Post 313 baseball team.

Besides winning the club’s second New Jersey American Legion championship (first in 43 years) by defeating Whitehouse Post 284, 6-4, on Kyle Harrington’s walk-off grand slam in the title game July 27 in Ewing, Broad Street Park advanced to the Mid-Atlantic Regional in Purcellville, Va., where it won its first two games (the second, 4-3, over Virginia state champ Vienna Post 180 on another Harrington walkoff homer, this time a threerun shot) and reached the winner’s bracket final.

From there, Post 313 lost a 2-1 nailbiter to eventual Legion World Series champion Delaware Post 1 of Wilmington before getting eliminated by host Leesburg, Va. Post 34, 9-2, to finish 28-10 on the season Aug. 11.

But the excitement did not end there.

“As soon as we won the state title, (Thunder Chief Operating Officer & General

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Manager) Jeff (Hurley) reached out to us and said they wanted to recognize the team at a game the way they did Hopewell Post 339 last year (when it won the state and the Mid-Atlantic Region to advance to the World Series),” Petrowski said.

That acknowledgement will take place Friday between 6 and 6:30 p.m. on Samuel J. Plumeri, Sr. Field in Trenton’s Arm & Hammer Park before the Thunder begin their season-ending, four-game series with the Reading Fightin’ Phils.

But that was not all for Petrowski.

While trying to get his team championship rings and set up a season-ending banquet, the Steinert High and Rider University graduate learned that he has been named the next head baseball coach at Rowan College at Burlington County.

“It’s been pretty busy,” Petrowski said after learning of his new position Wednesday.

RCBC, which is a JUCO Division II team like Mercer County Community College, has a 20 scholarship allotment for its recruits, which is the good news for the school’s new skipper, as well as the fact that Petrowski plans to continue managing BSP.

However, he is not allowed to recruit any Post 313 players or have any of his future players play for his summer team.

Just like the mission Broad St. Park accomplished this summer, Petrowski will make it all work.

The Broad St. Park Post 313 American Legion team that won the New Jersey state title will be honored by the Thunder on Friday at Arm & Hammer Park. (John Blaine/ For The Trentonian)