After three years at the helm, Rich Rowe is out as head varsity baseball coach at Moon Area High School.
Rowe, whose team compiled a 6-12 record during the 2025 season, submitted a resignation letter that the Moon Area School District Board of Education accepted Monday, June 30.
Rowe said he decided to resign after a conversation with high school athletic director Alan Alcalde, who told him the district board wanted to repost the head coaching position.
“He said I was welcome to reapply, but that the board wanted to make sure they had absolutely the best candidate for the job, which I understand,” Rowe said.
However, Rowe said that when he asked Alcalde what his chances were of getting rehired, Rowe got the impression those chances weren’t good. After taking some time to think about things and talking with his assistant coaches, he said he thought it would be in everyone’s best interests that he resign and not reapply for the job.
“I didn’t want the community to be divided – I didn’t want the kids to be conflicted or the parents to be conflicted with me being there,” he said. “I just realized that for whatever reasons, I wasn’t the appropriate person for the job.
“I try to hold the higher ideals of sports in mind. When you lose a game, you give the opponent the respect they deserve for beating you. You keep your dignity.”
Rowe characterized his relationship with Alcalde as a good one. “I’m sure there were things he didn’t agree with and some things I wish I could have had more of a hand in, like facilities access for the fields and maybe a little more input on the schedule, which I think would have helped us,” he said. “But there were never any harsh words between us.”
Both Alcalde and district Superintendent Jason D’Alesio said they could not comment on personnel matters. Alcalde said the district would follow its standard procedures for replacing Rowe.
“We will work diligently to have the position filled in a timely manner,” Alcalde said in an email.
Rowe said he was a bit apprehensive to speak publicly about the situation but added that in his mind, there’s a larger lesson to be learned – “and everyone can choose to use whatever lesson they hope to get out of it. Hopefully it helps other coaches, players, assistant coaches who aspire to be head coaches, booster programs – everyone involved with any interscholastic baseball program.”
Rowe said he learned after submitting his resignation letter that a survey had been circulated among his players, and he believes the results of that survey prompted the board to decide to reopen his position.
“That really hurt to know that some of the kids had lost their confidence in me,” he said. “Once that happens, you can’t force-feed yourself on people.”
Rowe said he was disappointed in his final season at Moon but added that there were some extenuating circumstances that played a part in that 6-12 mark.
“I’m not making excuses, but it was a poor weather year, and the field conditions made it difficult for us to get some regular work,” he said. “We had a young team that I thought would be ready for a little more success than I was able to give them, but I was really looking forward to next year. We had developed a lot of players this year in hopes that next year would be a really good year for Moon baseball.”
Rowe, whose roots are in northern and central Beaver County, served as an assistant coach at Beaver Falls and Blackhawk and then coached the Beaver Falls varsity team from 2014 to 2022 before taking the Moon job.
“By all accounts, I had heard it was a great school district,” he said, when asked why he left Beaver Falls for Moon. “They have a lot to offer and the parents are very supportive of their kids. I looked at it as a great opportunity for me to be around a large number of players, which is becoming more and more of a problem for smaller districts. It’s hard enough to get a practice together (at some smaller schools) let alone summer or fall seasons. That was a welcome change.”
In his first year at Moon, the Tigers went 8-12, followed by a 9-8 season that included a first-round WPIAL Tournament loss to Penn-Trafford. He said this season’s 6-12 mark was a major disappointment to him.
“I had higher expectations for myself and my team,” he said.
Rowe said he was hoping to be back for what he called a “redemption tour” in 2026. “But it didn’t work out,” he said.
Rowe, who turns 59 in August, said he plans to spend time with his family next spring. “I owe my wife a lot for letting me do this for years,” he said.
Rowe also said he didn’t get to watch his son play as much as he would have liked, due to his own coaching responsibilities. Now, his son is an assistant coach at Allegheny College, and Rowe plans to take in his share of Gators games next season.
Even though Rowe admitted he doesn’t identify with his players the way he did when he was coaching in his late 20s or 30s, he said “there’s still a lot of passion for the game left in me.”
“I’m sure I’ll find a field of baseball players who need coached at some point,” he said. “I’ll be there if they need me.”
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