Stockton University Athletics

Updated 8/21/25

Rich Gawlak is in his seventh year as the head coach at Stockton. In his first head coaching position, he has a 98-91-1 record (.518 winning percentage). 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 19 victories and the team’s 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.

In 2023, Gawlak steered the Ospreys to a 22-20 record that was the team’s highest win total since 2013. Stockton qualified for the NJAC Tournament by finishing in the top six of the league standings 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 made a successful debut by earning his first career win with a 5-2 victory over Penn College on February 22, 2020.

Gawlak specialized in coaching catchers and hitters and also served as third base coach at TCNJ. He helped the Lions to a 279-173 record in 11 seasons on the staff. TCNJ earned five NCAA Tournament berths (2009, 16-19) and won three NJAC championships (2009, 17, 19) with Gawlak 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 throwing out 16 of 51 attempted base stealers. Gawlak led the NJAC in runners caught stealing that year and also batted .335 with a team-high 49 RBI (tied-6th in 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.