Rutgers’ Majewski continues to shine in Cape Cod League

Staff Writer

By tim morris

Val Majewski had two summer jobs. By day, he was working in a butcher shop in Falmouth, Mass., in Cape Cod, spending most of his time in the freezer cutting meats.

In the evening, he was playing right field for the Falmouth Commodores in the Cape Cod League, the most prestigious collegiate summer league in the country, with a list of who’s who in major league baseball, including the likes of Carlton Fisk and David Cone having played there. The league provides the day jobs for the players (generally 9 a.m.-1 p.m.)

"It was a lot of fun and a great experience," Majewski said of his summer baseball experience. "You have guys who are really competitive, who look forward to playing and want to improve.

"I’m glad that I had the opportunity," he added. "The league is a showcase for the top prospects. Major league scouts are at all the games. I got to play every day with the best players in the country. It was amazing."

Majewski was certainly at home in such great company. The Freehold Township High School graduate, who will be a junior at Rutgers University in the fall, earned his invitation to the Cape Cod League after a break-out season with the Scarlet Knights. The left-handed swinging Majewski was one of the reasons the Knights won a school-record 42 games (42-17) and were just one game away from playing for an NCAA Regional Championship.

The right fielder batted .378, led the team in runs (63), home runs (eight), doubles (24) and was co-leader in triples (three) and was second in RBI (54) and hits (85). His 24 doubles tied the single-season school record first set by Dave Maciniak in 1998. Majewski hammered four of his doubles at the NCAA Regional in Nebraska where he was named to the 2001 Lincoln Regional All-Tournament Team.

The Cape Cod League provides players the opportunity to see what it is like to play every single day, and for the hitters, it’s exposure to wooden bats. Yes, the college season is long with a schedule sometimes staked with double-headers, but the Cape Cod League is an everyday grind where players arrive at the ball park between 4-4:30 p.m., take batting and infield practice before a 7:30 game that could go until 10-10:30 p.m. That’s almost an eight-hour day in addition to their day job.

"You are on your feet from your arrival at the park, and doing it day after day can catch up to you," Majewski said. "There are times when you have to push yourself through it. But you’re playing baseball. It can’t get any better than that."

Playing every day was fine with Majewski. He was the Cal Ripken of the Commodores, playing every inning of every game this summer.

"I liked playing every day," he remarked. "I went there to learn and become a better hitter and player. Physically I felt fine. I worked out every other day in the gym with weights."

The biggest adjustment for the college players in Cape Cod was the change from the metal bats used in college to wood.

"Using wood every day was tough to get used to, but after a while you get the hang of it," added the All-Big East player. "The big difference is that you have to make sure you get a good pitch to hit and make a good swing. With a metal bat you can get away with hitting the ball off the handle. You can get a base hit with metal, but with wood, the bat will shatter."

Part of Majewski’s learning process was picking the brains of his coaches, teammates and other players in the league to learn any little tips here and there that he could pick up and use.

The lessons came in handy because the Rutgers star was subjected night-in and night-out to a caliber of pitching that he hadn’t seen before.

"The overall quality of the pitching is great," he explained. "The pitchers throw with more velocity, but you also see more sliders and change-ups.

"Every guy you face is an ace," the former Patriot star added. "They really know how to hit their spots because they know that at this level you can’t make a mistake."

At Rutgers, head coach Fred Hill’s approach to hitting is rather basic, and it has helped Majewski deal with the ups and downs that accompany a hitter during a season.

"My coaches at Rutgers try to keep hitting as simple as possible," said Majewski. "See the ball, hit the ball, they say. The more you think, the more frustrated you become, and the more complicated you make things.

"The idea is to get a good hitter’s count and look for your pitch," he added. "If you have two strikes, you look to put the ball in play. In situations with runners on and less than two outs, you’re looking to move the runners over. When the count is in your favor, you’re looking for a pitch you can hit hard and drive."

The time for working on the swing, Majewski pointed out, is saved for practice when batters can spend time in the cage working on the mechanics. However, in a game, it’s see the ball, hit the ball, and nothing else.

Majewski, an All-State star at Freehold Township where he batted more than .500 his senior year, is surprised at how quickly he has enjoyed success. Just two years removed from high school, he is a bona fide college star and was good enough to be selected to play in the Cape Cod League. However, the Rutgers junior also knows that his success isn’t a fluke.

"It’s how much you really want it," the former Patriot star explained. "I’ve worked pretty hard to get here.

"I’m more mature, and I’ve learned a lot," he added. "From all the lifting, I feel a lot better. I’m stronger, and I’m swinging the bat quicker."

That is good news for Rutgers, which had a taste of success in the NCAA and would like to take that next step in 2002 and make the College World Series.

"I had such a great time in Nebraska," he said. "It was a great experience for us. We came so close to winning. We played together as a team so well. I’m looking forward to next season."