Baldwin grad Kozarian’s bat leading way at Slippery Rock
Jon Kozarian was off to a scorching start before COVID-19 pumped the brakes on Slippery Rock’s season earlier this month. On April 6, the Baldwin grad strung together one of the best doubleheaders of his career — going 5 for 7 with 2 home runs, 6 RBIs and 2 runs scored in a 2-0 sweep over Gannon. The impressive day at the plate pushed Kozarian’s batting average (.565) and slugging percentage (1.048) to fifth best in the NCAA.
Since then, however, the junior infielder hasn’t seen the field. Slippery Rock (14-5, 5-3) was forced to postpone its past eight games due to health and safety protocols stemming from positive COVID-19 cases within the program. After a threeweek hiatus, Kozarian and the Rock are set to resume play Friday against Pitt-Johnstown, and in a season of extreme uncertainty, just being healthy enough to field a team is enough to celebrate.
“The last few weeks have been rough, but we’re just excited to get back out there and start playing again,” said Kozarian. “We were in a good place before [the break], so we’re just looking to keep it going.”
Kozarian, who leads the Rock in all major batting categories, is in his fourth year with the program. After redshirting his freshman year, he became one of four Rock players to start all 43 games in 2019 — hitting .260 with 19 RBIs and 13 multi-hit games as the starting second baseman. Slippery Rock only played 10 games in 2020 before the pandemic canceled its season, but even in the tight span, Kozarian was a double-machine. Six of his 14 total hits were two-baggers as he ended the shortened season with three RBIs and nine runs scored.
Now, with 19 games of this season to use a barometer, Kozarian’s year-by-year progression is evident.
“I’ve just really committed to the weight room and to establishing the right mindset and approach at the plate,” he said. “It’s been an ongoing process.”
The work is paying off, but Kozarian’s talent has always been there. Prior to Slippery Rock, he was a standout at Baldwin, where he ended his career as a three-time all-section honoree and one of the most consistent hitters in the WPIAL. His high school roots haven’t gone away, either. In addition to being one of 18 WPIAL products on the Slippery Rock roster, he’s always seemingly playing against a former competitor on the other side of the diamond — a unique element that often isn’t possible in the college baseball ranks.
“The PSAC [Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference] is filled with WPIAL guys,” said Kozarian. “You’re familiar with a lot of players because you either played with or against them in high school or travel [baseball]. You’re catching up with guys after the game. You just constantly know who you’re up against, so it’s a fun environment.”
A majority of Slippery Rock’s 14 wins came during non-conference play, so the team still has some ground to make up in order to position itself for a favorable seed in the PSAC postseason tournament. If all goes well, the Rock will field 14 games against Pitt-Johnstown, Mercyhurst, IUP and Seton Hill before the PSAC playoffs begin May 12. At 5-3 in league play and fourth in the PSAC West standings, Slippery Rock has a tight margin for error upon returning from its month off from baseball. A slow start would be unaffordable, especially with four crucial games against PSAC-leader Seton Hill (15-1, 7-1) on the horizon.
“We know what’s at stake,” said Kozarian. “I think we have the team and the talent to make it to regionals. We just need to lock in and stay consistent.”