PHOTO GALLERYA career .333 hitter with 63 runs batted in in three seasons with New Haven baseball, Wayne Rogalski started at shortstop for two teams that advanced to the NCAA Division II College World Series. The Chargers reached the NCAA postseason in each of Rogalski’s three campaigns at New Haven before being selected by the Houston Astros in the 12th Round of the 1985 MLB Draft.
Rogalski made an immediate impact as a freshman in the spring of 1983, hitting .321 with eight doubles, two triples, a home run and 24 runs batted in. He took the field in all 27 games as a rookie, helping lead New Haven to a 21-6 record and the final game of the NCAA Northeast Regional. Primarily a second baseman in his first season, Rogalski would move to shortstop as fellow New Haven Hall of Famer Jim Ferguson took over at second base to form one of the strongest middle infield duos in program history.
The 1984 season saw the Chargers return to the NCAA Division II College World Series with a record of 22-7. Rogalski drove in 12 runs in that season for Head Coach Frank “Porky” Vieira, including a home run in a win over Lowell at the Northeast Regional. The Chargers went on to win an elimination game over Columbus State at the World Series before falling to the eventual national champion, Cal Northridge.
Rogalski’s best statistical season came in 1985, posting a .408 batting average with 11 doubles, three triples and six home runs. To date, the shortstop stands among the single-season leaders at New Haven with a .700 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage in his final year with the Chargers. Rogalski’s bat and glove helped to lead the Blue and Gold to another NCAA Northeast Regional crown and trip to the College World Series. 1985’s trip to Montgomery, Alabama saw the Chargers will two elimination games – defeating SIU Edwardsville and Valdosta State – to conclude spring in third place in all of Division II.
Following the 1985 season, Rogalski was one of five Chargers to ink a professional contract after being selected in the 12th Round of MLB Draft by the Houston Astros. Rogalski rose as high as Single-A Asheville in the Astros’ organization, hitting 11 home runs with 53 RBI for the Tourists in the 1986 season. In total, he logged 545 professional at-bats, smacking 34 doubles, 16 home runs and 95 RBI, and also pitched three innings in his two-year career in the Houston minor league system.
