Hall of Fame
A four-year letterwinner for the Lions in baseball, C.J. Rockhill helped rewrite the baseball record book during his career while roaming the outfield. He starred for the Lions from 1985 until 1988 and finished with a .365 career batting average on 235 hits with 77 stolen bases. He struck out just 19 times in 716 career plate appearances, while starting 157 of 164 games played.
As a freshman, he batted .344 in 41 starts, while adding 56 hits. He had 48 singles and struck out just six times in 163 at-bats, good enough for a 27.2 rating. He added seven doubles, and a triple for 23 RBI’s and scored 34 runs. Among his honors from the season was a selection to the 1985 NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team for his play.
He turned up his play as a sophomore in 1986 as he once again started 41 games. This time he batted .389 with 167 at bats and 65 hits. He scored with 44 runs and drove in 21 others. He connected for 61 singles and was a picked off just twice on 34 stolen base ties. His 32 stolen bases was a single-season record that stood until 2006.
During his junior season, he helped the team attain their third straight NCAA Division III South Regional tournament appearance after compiling a 25-17 record. He batted .367 for the year after starting 39 of 40 games played in right field. He drove in 26 runs while connecting for 61 hits, including 46 singles and nine doubles. He finished the season with an impressive toughest to strikeout ratio of 29.4 (147-5). He earned his second selection to the NCAA Regional All-Tournament team.
As a senior, he served as a team captain and would establish the Lions’ career hit and stolen base records by year’s end. He broke the career hit record in the Lions’ late-season doubleheader with NJAC foe William Paterson. He surpassed the mark of Ken Nelson (219) in the first game. In the nightcap with the Pioneers, Rockhill stroked a three-run homerun, the first of his career as the Lions beat WPU, 9-8. By the time his career had wrapped, Rockhill had collect 235 hits. That mark would stand for nearly 20 years before being broken in 2007 by Blake Bullis (238). He added 77 career stolen bases as well, a record that stood until 2009. His 643 career at-bats were also a Lion career superlative that stood until the 2007 season.
His senior season was capped by a selection to the 1988 NJAC All-Star First Team and was named to the All-State College Division Team as well. He was also placed on the 1988 NCAA Division III All-South Second Team for his play and played in the 1998 NJ State Senior All-Star Game in Yankee Stadium.
Rockhill’s athletic talent has not been limited to the baseball diamond as he won the 1989 Mercer County James Cryan Tennis Tournament. He has also helped with teaching others, having served as the player-manager for the 1988 Mercer County Unlimited Baseball League, helping lead his team to the championship title.
A former insurance broker for nearly a decade, Rockhill left the profession and returned to school, earning his Master’s degree in education from Towson University. He is now a fifth grade teacher at the Gunpowder Elementary School in Maryland. He has been actively involved with writing the math curriculum for the Baltimore County Schools in 2002 and has been very involved in his community with spring cleanup efforts. He remains extremely active with TCNJ’s baseball alumni and continues to participate in the student-athlete-alumni network as a professional mentor.
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