It proved to be destiny in a 2025 season that presented all kinds of challenges for the Roadrunner Baseball team.
The Runners have now accomplished their season goal of a three-peat championship run, rolling past Century College (MN) by a 16-1 score in the NJCAA World Series Division III title game at Falcon Park in Auburn, NY Wednesday night! The championship was the 10th overall in Division III in the illustrious history of the sport at RCSJ Gloucester.
And the verdict simply came down to this -- the champion RCSJ squad wielded imposing bats and displayed great pitching!
In a 9-run first inning, slugger Nick Slogik cleared the bases with a three-run triple to center field for a quick 3-0 lead.
Gabriel Reyes followed with an RBI double to right field, making it 4-0 -- and you knew right then that the Runners were not to be stopped.
Centerfielder Matt Brunner finished with three hits while teammates RJ Mustaro and Gabriel Reyes contributed with two hits and two RBIs each apiece while Slogik and Luca Reyes knocked in three runs apiece!
And the pitching was solid as well. Winning pitcher Bryson Kirby scattered 6 hits and struck out 14 in seven impressive innings. Zach Stichweh finished it with two innings of scoreless relief,
And to think that just under two weeks ago, the Runners were defeated by Brookdale CC in the Region 19 championship game -- and it appeared there might be a crack in the dynasty.
But that thought did not sit well with Coach Rob Valli and players such as Nick Slogik, Joe Maier, RJ Mustaro, Luca Reyes, Gabriel Reyes and Matt Brunner, all of whom responded by unleashing an offensive assault on opponents throughout the tournament.
Sophomore RJ Mustaro was selected tournament MVP while Slogik was named Offensive Player of the Tournament. Several other players earned All-Tournament honors.
"We were very confident -- Bryson (Kirby) was pitching and he was great, plus we never had a doubt that we were the best team," said Slogik. "I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, including that loss in the Region championship. We knew once we cranked up our hitting, we would have some offensive explosions."
Indeed, in their 4-0 run to their third straight national title, the Runners outscored opponents by a commanding 48-5 count!
Said Luca Reyes: "It was crazy they way we were hitting -- that was our best set of games by far this year, and it really built up our confidence," said Luca.
To view the final box score, click here:
https://www.njcaa.org/sports/bsb/2024-25/boxscores/20250528_16d9.xml
National Semifinal
Roadrunners 10, Century 0
May 26, 2025
Nick Slogik belted a walk-off grand slam HR while Landon Edwards hurled six shutout innings, scattering 2 hits and striking out 5, lifting No. 2 seed Roadrunner Baseball to a 10-0 win over No. 8 Century College Monday night in an NJCAA Division III World Series national semifinal in Auburn, NY.
The victory moves the Runners into the DIII national championship round starting Wednesday night at 7 pm against an opponent to be determined. One win gives the Runners their third straight national crown!
The Runners have won all three games they have played, and hope to wrap up a threepeat of a national crown Wednesday night.
Against a hot Century College team, RCSJ built an immediate 5-0 lead after one inning thanks to some timely hitting by RJ Mustaro and Kyle McSorley, who finished the game with three RBIs. By the time Slogik stepped to the plate in the sixth inning, the Runners had a 6-0 lead and the bases loaded. Slogik then saw a breaking ball cut over the heart of the plate -- and he didn't miss, launching a grand slam that scored four runs and ended the affair!
"I knew if I didn't get a big hit, then Joey (Maier) behind me would probably end it," Slogik commented. "I had a great visual on it and luckily got the barrel of the bat on the ball."
But this is not over yet. The Runners must wait to learn who their championship round opponent will be thanks to a series of games to be played Tuesday.
"We're going to sit back as a team and watch all of the games on Tuesday -- and then get our focus on the final games," said Slogik. "Everyone will be ready!"
Click to View Boxscore
https://www.njcaa.org/sports/bsb/2024-25/boxscores/20250526_9kwb.xml
National Semifinal Preview
The stage is all set -- No. 2 seed Roadrunner Baseball meets red-hot No. 8 Century College tonight at 6:30 pm in an NJCAA DIII World Series national semifinal in Auburn, NY.
The Runners have won their first two games in this 2025 series, 10-2 over No. 7 Oakton and 12-2 over No. 8 Surry CC. Century, advanced meanwhile, advanced easily through their first and second-round games, winning 4-1 over No. 1 seed SUNY Niagara rolling past No. 5 Dallas College-Richland, 8-1.
Coach Rob Valli's RCSJ squad, the two-time defending Division III national champions, have returned to their typical dominant form in this tournament after a tough defeat to Brookdale in the Region 19 championship finals.
The RCSJ hitting machine is back in high gear with Nick Slogik and Joe Maier blasting home runs in the win over Oakton, while RJ Mustaro and Matt Brunner combined for 5 hits and 7 RBIs Lead the offensive assault against Surry CC
On the mound, Roadrunner pitchers have performed well. In their opener, Zach Stichweh and Zack Wallace combined for the win while staff ace Carson McGill earned the victory over Surry CC with five solid innings.
And the players have taken a relaxed approach to this series, as noted by slugger Nick Slogik after the win over Oakton.
"Hey, this is the World Series, and everyone has a great team just like what we saw today against Oakton," he said. "It was good to see our hitters respond the way we did."
The winner of this contest earns a spot in the championship finals and will be just one victory away from clinching the DIII national crown. The Runners hope to be in this position once again as they are seeking a third straight title.
Check results live at:
https://www.njcaa.org/sports/bsb/2024-25/div3/national_championship/National_Championship_Results
The Runners have won their first two games in this 2025 series, 10-2 over No. 7 Oakton and 12-2 over No. 8 Surry CC. Century, advanced meanwhile, advanced easily through their first and second-round games, winning 4-1 over No. 1 seed SUNY Niagara rolling past No. 5 Dallas College-Richland, 8-1.
Coach Rob Valli's RCSJ squad, the two-time defending Division III national champions, have returned to their typical dominant form in this tournament after a tough defeat to Brookdale in the Region 19 championship finals.
The RCSJ hitting machine is back in high gear with Nick Slogik and Joe Maier blasting home runs in the win over Oakton, while RJ Mustaro and Matt Brunner combined for 5 hits and 7 RBIs Lead the offensive assault against Surry CC
On the mound, Roadrunner pitchers have performed well. In their opener, Zach Stichweh and Zack Wallace combined for the win while staff ace Carson McGill earned the victory over Surry CC with five solid innings.
And the players have taken a relaxed approach to this series, as noted by slugger Nick Slogik after the win over Oakton.
"Hey, this is the World Series, and everyone has a great team just like what we saw today against Oakton," he said. "It was good to see our hitters respond the way we did."
The winner of this contest earns a spot in the championship finals and will be just one victory away from clinching the DIII national crown. The Runners hope to be in this position once again as they are seeking a third straight title.
Check results live at:
https://www.njcaa.org/sports/bsb/2024-25/div3/national_championship/National_Championship_Results
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Game 2 Win Recap Over Surry CC
Game 1 Win Over Oakton
After suffering a heart-breaking setback in the Region finals only the week before, the Roadrunner Baseball team appears to be back on track.
That was crystal clear Saturday afternoon when the No. 2 seed RCSJ squad -- the two-time defending Division III national champions -- opened the 2025 NJCAA World Series in Auburn, NY by topping No. 7 Oakton, 10-2. The win set up a showdown in round two vs. No. 6 Surry Community College in a second-round game Sunday at 4 pm.
Give plenty of credit to the entire team, but for now let's single out sluggers Nick Slogik and Joe Maier. The pair played a huge role in revitalizing the offense, which was slowed down by Brookdale pitchers in the Region 19 tournament at Rutgers-Camden.
Not this time. Maier cracked a three-run home run and Slogik added a two-run blast to infuse the potent Roadrunner offense, which raced out to a 3-0 early lead before settling the matter with a wave of runs in the mid and late innings. Zach Stichweh and Zack Wallace combined to allow just 3 hits while striking out 11 to stabilize the pitching effort.
"With guys like Stich and Wallace on the mound, we knew we were in good shape," said Maier afterwards. "That made it a lot easier for the hitters to relax and do our jobs at the plate."
Slogik noted the team's confidence took a big step forward vs. Oakton in the opening game of this 2025 series.
"Hey, this is the World Series, and everyone has a great team just like what we saw today against Oakton," he said. "It was good to see our hitters respond the way we did."
Slogik and Maier are also well aware that Coach Rob Valli's team is attempting to win a third straight Division III National Championship -- but they have tossed this goal to the side for now. The road has been tough so far as the Runners fell to GSAC rival Brookdale in the Region 19 championship tournament. Valli's team then needed an at-large invitation to compete in the tournament.
Said Maier: "We're well aware that anyone can bring you down at anytime -- we saw that with Brookdale. So it's up to us to get the job done and play at a high level."
Said Slogik: "Like I said, we're here -- and we need to focus on each team one game at a time. Right now we're just concerned about playing a great team in Surry on Sunday."
NJCAA Division III World Series
May 24-29, 2025
Auburn, NY
Results
Saturday, May 24, 2025
#6 Surry 10, # 3 Brookdale 2
#2 RCSJ Gloucester 10, #7 Oakton 2
#8 Century 4, #1 SUNY Niagara 1
#4 Dallas Richland 12, #5 Northern Esssex 2
Sunday, May 25, 2025
#3 Brookdale 3, #7 Oakton 1
#1 SUNY Niagara 9, #5 Northern Essex 0
#2 RCSJ Gloucester 12, #6 Surry 2
#8 Century 8, #4 Dallas Richland 1
Monday, May 26, 2025
#1 SUNY Niagara 16, #6 Surry 14
#4 Dallas Richland vs. #3 Brookdale
National Semifinal
#2 RCSJ Gloucester 10 vs #8 Century 0
Tuesdau, May 27, 2025
#4 Dallas Richland, 8, #1 SUNY Niagara 6 (11 innings)
National Semifinal
# 8 Century 3, #4 Dallas Richland 2 (11 innings)
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Championship Final
# 2 RCSJ Gloucester 16, #8 Century 1