JASON ROWE

WHEELING — Growing up in Wheeling, baseball was life for Jason Rowe.

He played ball for Wheeling Park and Wheeling Post 1, before taking his talents to West Liberty.

Since then, Rowe continued to follow the game he loves as a coach, assisting some of the greatest coaches in the Ohio Valley.

Now, it’s his turn.

Rowe has been named the new head baseball coach at Wheeling Central, taking over the reins from Bo McConnaughy.

It will be the first time Rowe has held the position of head coach but he is excited for the chance to forge his own path at a school with a rich baseball history.

“This is an awesome opportunity,” Rowe said. “I’ve always wanted to be a head coach. I grew up here in Wheeling my whole life. I lived in Warwood and it’s great to represent Wheeling Central.

“It’s a family oriented school and it’s awesome to be a part of that. I’m excited about the opportunity to go forward with the tradition at Wheeling Central. It’s an unbelieveable honor.”

In route to accepting his first head coaching job, Rowe spent time as an assistant at Wheeling Park from 2001-2008 and also coached at West Liberty, before joining the Central staff for the 2017-2018 campaigns.

Central has earned a spot in the state tournament four years in a row but have not walked away with the ultimate prize. During his two years on the staff, Rowe was an assistant under Bo McConnaughy for two of those deep postseason runs and has gotten to know the players on the roster very well.

“I was there for two of those seasons but we want to get past it,” Rowe said. “We want to bring it home to Wheeling Central.

“I was the JV coach in 2017 at Central and a lot of these seniors were freshmen then. I coached a lot of them and I know their capabilities to play baseball.”

Rowe will bring a team-first philosophy to the dugout every day — an approach he believes can help the Maroon Knights capture their first state title since 2011.

“Our main goal is to win a championship,” Rowe said. “We have a lot of returning starters back and we want to bring a positive atmosphere to the team. We want to instill confidence in the kids and teach them to be confident in themselves and have a team oriented focus.”

Athletic director Donnie Murray has high hopes for the future of Wheeling Central baseball and believes Rowe was the right man for the job.

“We are very excited to bring Jason on staff as one of the head coaches in our athletic program,” Murray said. “He brings a lot of knowledge and excitement to the game, which undoubtedly will develop our student-athletes into better players and young men.”

Rowe has not only coached alongside McConnaughy, but has also spent time in the dugout with valley greats such as Chad Stout, Steve Wojcik and Ken Campanizzi.

“Bo is my mentor,” Rowe said. “He coached me at West Liberty and I coached with him. It was awesome to be a part of that.

“I’ve coached with Bo, Chad Stout at Wheeling Park, Steve Wojcik and Ken Campanizzi. It’s like the dream team of coaches.”

Rowe has yet to assemble a coaching staff of his own but it is in the works and he has already brought back a name familiar to the program.

“Ron Zavolta will be back,” Rowe said. “He’s been a part of Wheeling Central baseball for a long time. He was there with Jamey Conlin. The kids love him.”

Before taking the job, Rowe sat down with his family to discuss the decision. They were all in. Sort of.

“My family was very supportive,” Rowe said. “I took last year off from coaching high school to coach my 7-year old daughter’s softball team. She was the hardest to get to approve it because she liked having me as her coach but they were all very supportive.”

Rowe’s family includes his wife Kelly, children Maggie, Mason, Brooke and Wyatt and stepdaughter Helena Auber.