Susquehanna University Athletics

Denny Bowers prepares for his 22nd season as head coach of the Susquehanna baseball program entering the 2026-27 academic year. He has established the River Hawks as one of the top teams in the Landmark Conference, capturing four Landmark titles in 2014, 2016, 2019, and 2023 with two 30-win seasons. A 2001 alumnus of Susquehanna and two-sport athlete in baseball and football, Bowers served as the assistant baseball coach from 2001-05 before becoming head coach in the summer of 2005. He also serves as one of the strength and conditioning coaches. 

Bowers, a native of Westminster, Md., was a four-year starter at SU from 1997 through 2000 as a pitcher and outfielder. He was named All-Commonwealth Conference in 1998 after hitting .435 with three home runs and 25 runs batted in, and ranks fourth in program history with a .373 batting average in 94 games. Bowers also went 8-6 with 74 strikeouts in 105.2 innings. A standout defensive lineman on the football team as well, Bowers was a two-time All-South selection by Don Hansen’s Football Gazette and was a two-time first-team MAC Commonwealth League selection and the 1999 MAC Defensive Lineman of the Year.

• All-time winningest coach in SU baseball history
• 401-414-2 record as the head coach at Susquehanna
• 4 Landmark Conference championships in 2014, 2016, 2019, and 2023
• NCAA Regional Appearances in 2014, 2016, 2019, and 2023, including a regional championship game appearance in the latter
• Achieved first career NCAA Tournament win over Keystone (5-3) in 2014
• Landmark regular season champions in 2009, 2016 and 2019
• Eight seasons with 20 or more wins
• Chalked up a record 33 wins in 2016, adding 30 in 2014
• Finished 2016 ranked No. 15 in the D3baseball.com National Poll
• NCAA Tournament record of 9-8

• Led program to school record 33 wins in 2016
• Top three win seasons (2014, 2016, 2017) had Bowers at the helm
• Captured first Landmark Conference title in 2014
• Advanced to first ever NCAA Regional Championship game in 2023 after winning fourth Landmark title

• Landmark Conference Coaching Staff of the Year (4): 2014, 2016, 2019, 2026
• Landmark Conference Players of the Year (2): 2009: John Lunardi; 2016: Justin Cassinelli
• Landmark Conference Pitcher of the Year (2): 2009: John Lunardi; 2014: Casey Hood
• Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year (5): 2010: Nick Ferlise; 2014: Taylor Luckenbill; 2017: Bobby Grigas; 2019: Ryan Monroy; 2021: Teagan Duffie
• Landmark Conference First Team (31): 2008: John Lunardi (SP), Don Kirkland (C), John Lunardi (OF), Chris Price (DH); 2009: John Lunardi (OF/SP); 2010: Justin Portzline (2B); 2011: Dan Wing (3B), Ethan Rieker (OF); 2012: Ethan Rieker (OF); 2014: Taylor Luckenbill (OF), Casey Hood (SP), Matt Smith (RP); 2015: Zach Leone (C); 2016: Liam Conboy (RP), Zach Leone (C), Justin Cassinelli (OF), Matt Cassinelli (DH); 2017: Bobby Grigas (SP), Cory Fallon (DH); 2018: Will Carey (RP); 2019: Bobby Grigas (RP), Peter Yarem (C), Steve Lorenz (OF), Alex Burman (DH); 2021: Peter Yarem (C), Anthony Dombrowski (2B); 2022: Dillan Weikel (SP), Kris Morrow (2B); Sean McCulloch (OF); 2023: Tony Rossi (3B); 2024: Tony Rossi (3B), Sean McCulloch (OF)
• Landmark Conference Second Team (36): 2008: Tyler Reichard (OF); 2009: Justin Portzline (2B), Kurt Yannelli (3B), Tyler Reichard (OF), Jordan Thomas (RP); 2010: Chris Price (C), Ken Yayama (OF), Don Kirkland (OF), Nick Ferlise (DH), Ben Leonard (RP); 2011: Geoff Hunter (SS), Nick Ferlise (DH), Matt Smith (RP); 2012: Ty Raubenstine (OF); 2013: Spencer Hotaling (SP); 2014: Dylan Glassmire (2B), Nick Kennedy (SS), Bryan Palsi (3B), Ty Raubenstine (OF), Luc Kocher (SP); 2015: Bryan Palsi (3B); 2016: John Cooley (SP); Bryan Palsi (3B), Taylor Luckenbill (OF); 2017: Zach Leone (C), Cole Luzins (SS), Taylor Luckenbill (OF); 2018: Bobby Grigas (SP), Cole Luzins (1B), Nick Berger (OF); 2019: Ryan Monroy (SP), Anthony Dombrowski (2B); 2021: Teagan Duffie (SP), Chris Corrado (3B); 2022: JP Yore (DH); 2023: Sean McCullough (OF), Dillan Weikel (SP), Dylan Heyduk (2B); 2024: Vincent Mariella (RP)
• Landmark Conference Honorable Mention (5): 2024: Ryan Redmond (SP), Michael Mancuso (C), Griffin Shenman (2B), Michael Biuso (SS), Dylan Heyduk (OF)
• ABCA/Rawlings All-American (2): 2016: Justin Cassinelli (OF, 1st Team), Zach Leone (C, 2nd Team); Tony Rossi (3B, Fourth Team)
• ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Position Player of the Year (1): 2016: Justin Cassinelli
• ABCA/Rawlings All-Region (11): 2014: Casey Hood (P, 1st Team), Bryan Palsi (3B, 2nd Team); 2016: Zach Leone (C, 1st Team), Justin Cassinelli (OF, 1st Team), Matt Cassinelli (OF, 2nd Team); 2017: Cory Fallon (1B, 1st Team), Zach Leone (C, 2nd Team); 2018: Cole Luzins (1B, 1st Team); 2019: Steve Lorenz (OF, 3rd Team); 2022: Dillan Weikel (SP, 2nd Team), Kris Morrow (2B, 3rd Team); 2023: Tony Rossi (3B); 2024: Tony Rossi (3B)
• D3baseball.com All-American (2): 2016: Justin Cassinelli (OF, 2nd Team), Zach Leone (C, 3rd Team)
• D3baseball.com All-Region (7): 2014: Casey Hood (SP, 2nd Team), Matt Smith (RP, 2nd Team); 2016: Zach Leone (C, 1st Team), Justin Cassinelli (OF, 1st Team), Bryan Palsi (3B, 2nd Team), Liam Conboy (RP, 3rd Team); 2017: Cory Fallon (DH, 1st Team); 2024: Tony Rossi (3B)
• D3baseball.com Preseason All-American (1): 2017: Zach Leone (C, 2nd Team)
• Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth First Team (3): 2007: Rob Fox (RP), John Lunardi (OF), Tyler Reichard (OF)
• Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Second Team (2): 2006: Brian Ahearn (DH); 2007: Tyler Reichard (DH)
• Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Rookie of the Year (1): 2007: Tyler Reichard
• CoSIDA Academic All-District (1): 2020: Alex Berman

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  Assistant Coach, Baseball, Susquehanna University, (2000-2005)
• Equipment Manager, Susquehanna University, (2010-2012)
• Head Strength & Conditioning Coach, Susquehanna University, (2012-2017)
• Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach, Susquehanna University, (2017-Pres.)

• 2001 graduate of Susquehanna University
• Susquehanna University Sports Hall of Fame Inductee, 2009
• All-MAC Commonwealth First Team, 1998, Baseball
• All-MAC Commonwealth First Team, 1998 & 1999, Football
• All-MAC Commonwealth Defensive Lineman of the Year, 1999
• Resides in Watsontown, PA
• Lives with wife, Amy, has two children Elle and Jackson