Longtime area baseball coach Adrian Abrahamowicz dies of cancer

A passion for the game, a competitive spirit and a contagious laugher, Adrian Abrahamowicz was the steady hand that led Oberlin College baseball for the last 12 seasons. Abrahamowicz died Sunday after a lengthy battle with cancer, a disease which was a catalyst to his retirement after the 2022 season. He spent 18 years with Oberlin, the first six as an assistant, and has coached in various capacities throughout Lorain County. He is survived by his wife, Teresa, daughter, Taylor, and son, Andrew. Dovin and Reber Jones Funeral and Cremation Center in Amherst will hold visitation hours Saturday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. "The baseball field was Adrian's classroom," said Natalie Winkelfoos, associate vice president for athletics advancement and Delta Lodge director of athletics and physical education. "He made his impact between those lines. That's what you hope for coaches, that they're teaching and impacting. You didn't have to worry about the baseball program under his leadership. The kids liked him and he brought a lot of wonderful kids to this institution. Without him, we wouldn't have some of the current student athletes that we had or some of the alumni we have out there in the world creating good. "He will be missed by a lot of people. His reach is probably further than you and I can even recognize." Abrahamowicz has been a fixture within Lorain County baseball for decades. Prior to joining Oberlin, he coached high school baseball at Lorain Catholic, Elyria Catholic, Avon Lake and Columbia. He became Oberlin's coach in 2011 and led the Yeomen to their only three appearances in the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament (2013, '15 and '17). He guided the program to school-best totals in overall wins (23) and conference wins (12) during the 2017 season. He was named NCAC coach of the year in 2013 and led Oberlin to its only NCAC tournament championship in 2015, which also was the program's only trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Hiram coach Phil Brua was there for most of Oberlin's success. The Avon alum played for Abrahamowicz from 2008-11 and then coached alongside him at Oberlin from 2013-15. Through it all, he developed a strong relationship with Abrahamowicz, citing him as one of his core mentors. "We talked on the phone for an hour a day probably six or seven days a week going back to when I was in college," Brua said. "A lot of times it was about baseball, a lot of times it was about everything else. He made a huge impact on me and I know he did for a lot of people. I can't even begin to tell you how many people have reached out to me to check in and see how I'm doing. Everyone knew the relationship he and I had. "It's definitely impactful to see the effect and connection he had with so many people. Whether they were really good baseball players that got big time scholarship money or just guys who loved being around the game, he treated everybody the same. I think he above anyone that I've ever seen treat everybody the same and cared about them all the same." Abrahamowicz also coached with the Lake Erie Warhawks, a program he founded in 2014 and in 2021 merged with T3 Elite to become the T3 Warhawks. According to T3, the Warhawks program has placed more than 275 players into college under Abrahamowicz's guidance. He was most recently the director of its 16U-18U teams, as well as its college placement coordinator. Multiple area organizations will pay tribute to Abrahamowicz. T3 said it will wear Abrahamowicz's number, 22, on its jersey sleeves going forward. Amherst said it has renamed its Amherst Summer Classic baseball tournament the Adrian Abrahamowicz Summer Classic to honor all he did for the area's youth. "I practiced a lot with Adrian," said Marques Inman, a former Elyria standout who played for West Virginia. "Andrew and I grew up playing together and playing against each other in high school. My family and his family grew close together. Adrian and my dad talked all the time, Andrew and I practiced together all the time. We were always talking about baseball. "He's a great coach, but he's an even better guy. He'd take the shirt off his back and give it to you if you needed it. I don't think I've ever seen him upset one time, whether someone messed up in practice or anything. I've seen his face turn red a couple times, but I don't think he ever yelled at a person. He was really laid back and just a really good person. He never pushed too hard, he let you figure things out and after you understood where he was coming from he'd interject his two cents. It was a really laid back coaching style, that's why everyone gravitates toward him." Contact Chris Sweeney at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on Twitter.