RCSJ Cumberland Dukes Split Opening Day Doubleheader at Rockingham to Begin 2026 Season

The Rowan College of South Jersey–Cumberland Dukes split an Opening Day doubleheader at Rockingham Community College to begin the 2026 baseball season, a mixed but promising start for a program that reached the NJCAA Division 3 World Series Final Four just one year ago.

Head coach Joey Gorman, now in his third season at the helm, brings back a roster loaded with returning talent. Last season's Dukes dominated Region XIX, ran off 20 wins in 21 games at one stretch, and traveled to Johnson City, Tennessee, for the Division 3 World Series, where they reached the Final Four before their run ended.

Three of those players earned national recognition for their efforts. Tyler Bunting, the team's designated hitter, was named an NJCAA All-American second team. Pitcher Joey Kuttz earned third-team All-American honors. Outfielder Ty Powell took home the Gold Glove Award. All three are part of a 2026 roster described as aiming to build on the previous year's success.

The split at Rockingham provided no scores or box score details in early reports, but the result placed the Dukes immediately in the middle of a demanding early-season stretch. Three games against Atlantic Cape Community College follow in quick succession, with a single game scheduled for March 13 and a doubleheader on March 14. A three-game series against Delaware Technical Community College, including a doubleheader, rounds out the week before what figures to be one of the most anticipated dates on the calendar: the March 18 matchup against RCSJ-Gloucester.

That rivalry game carries particular weight in Region XIX, where the two Rowan College of South Jersey campuses compete directly for conference standing and regional pride. With Gorman's program now established as a legitimate national contender and a core of award-winning players returning, how the Dukes navigate this compressed early schedule will set the tone for whether 2026 becomes another deep postseason run.