Second baseman Tyler Cannon has easily been one of the Rowan baseball team’s best players since joining the squad in 2022, even holding the school record for doubles after hitting 31 in 2023, but many don’t know the path that Cannon went on to get where he’s at currently.
Cannon grew up in Clayton, NJ, and baseball has always been a big part of his family.
“My dad played baseball in high school and growing up, baseball was my main sport,” Cannon said. “I also played football, soccer, and street hockey, but baseball has always been my priority all year round.”
Since it was a big part of his family, Cannon’s love for the game all started at a young age.
“I started baseball when I was three years old and I was immediately hooked,” Cannon said. “I fell in love with the game and it’s been a part of my life ever since.”
During his time at Gloucester Catholic High School, his team made three state championship appearances and won two of them. Cannon credits his time at Gloucester Catholic for his success in college.
“I met a bunch of great people during my time at Gloucester Catholic and they really prepared me for college by setting up traditions and values that I can use on and off the field,” Cannon said.
Despite all the team’s success, Cannon calls himself a “late bloomer” when it comes to how long it took for his game to really develop.
“I always had some talent, but until about my junior year, I was the smallest one on the field and was always overlooked,” Cannon said. “It really pieced together towards the end of my high school career and picked up from there.”
Cannon’s college career didn’t start at Rowan, however. His first choice was Iona College in New York City, where he played two shortened seasons in 2020 and 2021.
Iona had a different level of success that Cannon wasn’t used to compared to Gloucester Catholic. In the two seasons Cannon played, the team would only win a total of six games combined.
After the 2021 season, Cannon decided to take his baseball career somewhere else and he couldn’t turn down Rowan University.
“I was super attracted to the success they had here and I wanted to get back to winning, that’s what ultimately drove me here,” Cannon said.
Former Rowan pitcher Jason O’Neill is one of Cannon’s best friends and someone that he’s known for years. That played a big part in helping Cannon with his transition to Rowan.
“I was hanging out with him almost every day during the pandemic, and I told him about my interest in Rowan,” Cannon said. “He threw some good words to the coaching staff and they got in contact with me. He was really one of the main connectors for me coming here.”
Cannon now enters his third season with the Profs, and his second season as team captain after he helped lead the team to back-to-back regional championships. It’s no surprise that with all the winning, Cannon feels no added pressure in looking to end his final season with another championship.
“At the end of the day, you’re playing a game, and a game is supposed to be for fun,” Cannon said. “I’ll go out there and be myself and ultimately be the best leader I can possibly be on the field.”
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