Stockton University Athletics

Updated 8/25/26

Rich Gawlak is in his eighth year as the head coach at Stockton. In his first head coaching position, he has 110 victories. Gawlak took the helm of the Stockton program in December 2019 after 11 years as an assistant coach at fellow NJAC institution The College of New Jersey.  

Last season, Gawlak guided the Ospreys to 12 victories and reached the 100-win mark with a 15-6 triumph over Pitt-Greensburg on March 10, 2026. Stockton collected 19 victories in 2025 for its third consecutive season at .500 or better.

In 2024, Stockton earned 22 victories, one off the school record, for the second consecutive season. Stockton won the NJAC regular season title for the first time in school history. Gawlak and his assistants were voted NJAC Coaching Staff of the Year for their efforts.

Gawlak steered the Ospreys to a 22-20 record in 2023 for the team’s highest win total since 2013. Stockton qualified for the NJAC Tournament for the first time since 2013 (excluding 2020-21 COVID years). Gawlak helmed the Ospreys to a 16-23-1 record in 2022 while facing a tough schedule that included six teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

In 2021, Stockton played an abbreviated slate due to COVID, recording 11 wins, highlighted by three against ranked opponents. In his first season, Gawlak had the Ospreys off to an 8-3 start before the remainder of the 2020 campaign was canceled due to COVID. 

Gawlak specialized in coaching catchers and hitters and also served as third base coach at TCNJ, where he helped the Lions to a 279-173 record, five NCAA Tournament berths and three NJAC championships in 11 seasons as an assistant coach.

Gawlak also worked with college players as head coach of the Ocean Gulls of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League as well as stints as the head coach and general manager of the Freehold Clippers of the Atlantic Baseball Confederation Collegiate League between 2013-17. He also coached teams from the Dave Gallagher Baseball Academy from 2005-11.
 
Gawlak played two seasons apiece at Mercer County Community College (2005-06) and The College of New Jersey (2007-08). He earned All-Region XIX Second Team honors for Mercer in 2005. A catcher, Gawlak was a 2008 ABCA/Rawlings Mid-Atlantic Region Gold Glove selection after posting a .989 fielding percentage and leading the NJAC in runners caught stealing.  He also batted .335 with a team-high 49 RBI that tied for sixth in the NJAC.
 
Gawlak graduated from TCNJ with a degree in Health & Exercise Science. and later earned his master’s degree in Coaching & Athletic Administration from Concordia University (Calif.) in 2018.