Steve Mrowka - 1986 Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks

1986 Alaska Goldpanners
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4/4/8: Baseball Head Coach Steve Mrowka Earns 100th Win at GW Earlier this season, on Mar. 1, Mrowka also tallied his 500th career victory, with a 9-8 win against Yale. The North Carolina ('87) graduate is now 507-324-3 in his career, this being his 15th year overall.

Steve Mrowka (pronounced "MROW-kah") is in his fourth year as head coach at George Washington University. He enters 2008 just four wins shy of career victory No. 500, and only 11 wins short of No. 100 at GW.

Last year, Mrowka's third as the GW skipper, was an tumultuous one, as the Colonials finished with a 23-31-1 overall record, and 14-13 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, missing the playoffs by just one half game. They ended the year with a season-best six-game win streak and produced two All-Conference players in Charlie Kruer and Michael Parker, the latter of which was also named to the Louisville Slugger All-American Third-Team and eventually was drafted and signed by the New York Mets.

In 2006, the Colonials struggled to a 25-34 overall record, and just 13-12 in the A-10. However, they managed to win four of their final six league games and qualified as the sixth seed in the post-season tournament, and it was there that they excelled. They became the first No. 6 seed in A-10 Championship history to win three games, all of which were elimination games for GW, and fell just one game short of reaching the final. Their third victory was a 6-5, 17-inning thriller over No. 1 seed Rhode Island, the longest game ever played in the 27-year history of the tournament.

Under Mrowka's tutelage, GW produced an All-Conference First Team pitcher in RHP Derrik Lutz, who was also voted the MVP of the team. The Cincinnati Reds later drafted Lutz in the 19th round.

In his first season as GW's skipper and a Division I head coach, Mrowka led the Colonials to the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship Game, the A-10 West Division Title and a conference best 41-win season. Overall, GW posted a 41-19 mark and went 17-7 in the A-10. His team led the conference in home runs (73) and slugging percentage (.473), and stood second in runs (375), hits (594) and ERA (4.01).

Under Mrowka's direction in 2005, GW's program produced its first A-10 Player of the Year (Brad Rosenblat), saw three players earn first-team all-conference honors and all seven seniors graduate and sign contracts with professional teams.

Mrowka came to GW in August 2004 after 11 years as head coach at Georgia College & State University, an NCAA Division II program located in Milledgeville, GA. At GC&SU, Mrowka posted a 407-231-2 career record (.638 winning percentage). He guided the Bobcats to the NCAA Division II tournament five times (1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002).

He took over the Georgia College baseball program in October 1993 after serving the previous three years as an assistant under head coach John Kurtz. After only one season as head coach, he moved into second place, behind Kurtz, in career coaching victories at GC&SU.

As the interim head baseball coach in 1994, Mrowka's team finished with a 40-18-1 (.686) record and ended the season 14th in the Division II baseball poll. That season marked the first time in eight years that GC&SU had reached the 40-win plateau. Also, it was the first time the program had been ranked in the NCAA Division II Top 20 at season's end. Mrowka was unanimously selected as the 1994 Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year.

Mrowka's Bobcats won the 1995 NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional tournament and advanced to the NCAA Division II College World Series in Montgomery, AL, where the team posted a record of 3-1. The loss came in the NCAA II national championship game where the team lost to Florida Southern. His 1995 team finished the season ranked second in NCAA II baseball with an overall record of 49-19-1 (.717). As a result, Mrowka was selected as the 1995 South Atlantic "Region Coach of the Year," and the Atlanta Dugout Club "Coach of the Year."

In 1996, GC&SU fought through some injuries and battled to a 35-23 record and finished the season ranked 30th in the nation. In 1997, Mrowka brought his team back to national recognition and the NCAA Division II Regional tournament before falling to Kennesaw State in the championship round. The team finished with a 41-24 record and No. 7 national ranking. After a 1-8 start, Mrowka's team rallied to win 40 of its last 56 games.

Mrowka brought another first to GC&SU when the Bobcats earned a No. 1 national ranking for the first time in school history early in the 1998 season. The Bobcats finished the year with a 31-26 record. The Bobcats also were nationally ranked most of the 1999 season and ended the year ranked No. 30 with a 34-21 overall record.

In 2000, the Bobcats returned to the NCAA Regional tournament and fell to North Florida in the championship game. GC&SU was 39-20 and was ranked every week during the season, finishing with a No. 6 final ranking. In 2001, the Bobcats made another trip to the NCAA Regional and finished with a No. 10 national ranking after posting a 41-18 record.

The 2002 Bobcats advanced to the NCAA tournament for the third straight year and finished with a 36-18 overall record and No. 14 ranking. GC&SU started the season 15-0 and was ranked No. 1 for two straight weeks. In 2003, GC&SU went 29-22 and was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation. The 2004 Bobcats were 32-22 and were ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation.

Mrowka attended Bates College in Lewiston, ME, where he was a varsity letterman in football, ice hockey, and baseball. He transferred a year later to Polk Community College in Winter Haven, FL, where he earned an associates degree and was an all-state shortstop. Following junior college, Mrowka enrolled at the University of North Carolina where he was a two-year starter in the Tar Heel's infield and earned a bachelor's degree in physical education. After playing in the prestigious Cape Cod and Alaska Baseball Leagues, he was a ninth-round draft choice of the Boston Red Sox in 1985. Mrowka was in spring training with the Houston Astros when an elbow injury ended his baseball career.

Mrowka spent two years at the University of Georgia where he earned a M.Ed. in sport management. In the summer of 1992, he managed the Waynesboro (VA) Generals of the Valley Baseball League into the league playoffs and finished the season in third place. Over the next six summers, he managed the Hyannis Mets of the Cape Cod Baseball League (where he was an all-star outfielder in 1985). In the summer of 1993, his team finished the season with a 25-19 record, the most victories in the league. During his summer coaching stints, he has recruited and coached eight first-round and two second-round Major League draft selections. Two of his players, Pat Burrell (Miami) and Kris Benson (Clemson), were the overall number one draft choices in their respective drafts.

Mrowka married the former Jennifer Bracewell from Dublin, GA, in September of 1998. They are the parents of daughters Maggie (8), and Caleigh (5) and Lauren (4 months).