BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI
Staff Writer
When the Marsch family moved from Brick to Boca Raton, Fla., last summer, son Jordan had to make a tough decision to join them and attend a college there or to stay in New Jersey.
Marsch decided to follow in the footsteps of his former Brick Township baseball players Nick Mullins and Rob Hine, and go to Brookdale Community College, which had just advanced to the Division II junior college national championships. Hine is the starting shortstop for Seton Hall University these days.
Although he has hardly picked up his glove as the team’s designated hitter after a stellar high school career as a shortstop and outfielder, Marsch could not be much happier with his decision. Brookdale last Sunday earned a second straight trip to the national championships in Millington, Tenn.
“For me, personally, it’s great,” said Marsch, who also celebrated his birthday on Sunday along with Mother’s Day with a phone call to his mom. He is residing with his grandmother in the Lake Riviera section of Brick. “All I heard about this season was how great it was going there last year. I heard about how they had a good time, how it was a great experience and accomplishment.”
Mullins should know. He was behind the plate as he has been all season and on last year’s team. He started a ninth-inning rally Sunday in the 3-0 Eastern Section championship game victory over Orange County Community College (N.Y.) when he drilled a double down the left field line off a changeup and scored to make it 2-0.
“It feels just as good as last year,” said Mullins of reaching the national championships. “Maybe it’s a little better because this year we worked hard and last year we breezed through the season.”
The team leaves next Thursday for its third trip in eight years to the national finals, and hopes for better fortunes than last year when it was eliminated in two games.
“Last year, I understand they were complacent about being there and then they were disappointed [in getting eliminated],” said Marsch. “This year, we have high hopes of doing well.”
A big part of that confidence, says Marsch, “is experience. The sophomores know how it’s done, and this year, with their experience in it, they know what to expect. And they’re helping the freshmen out with their experiences.”
Mullins says that he and the rest of the players “need to stay intense for nine innings and with a purpose. I knew we had the talent [to reach the national finals] but there’s also hard work. But with our athleticism, we are where we should be.”
With three championships in hand, including the Garden State Athletic Conference and Region XIX, Brookdale now can shoot for the big one and break the 40-win mark as last year’s team did. Brookdale is 38-8.
“It just feels good to be part of a championship team,” said Marsch, who played on Brick Township teams that won the Ocean County championship in his junior year and reached the NJSIAA Central Jersey section championships that season, before falling short of qualifying for the postseason in his senior season last spring. “We had some tough ones in high school but I have not been on a team with as much talent.”
But it wasn’t that easy at the outset for Marsch, who had to adjust to the much faster college game, and for his teammates.
“We have a lot of good athletes and get along but we lacked it early when we didn’t have the chemistry like last year. But as time went along, we got together. I think we really got together in the regions.
“In the beginning, we had pitching, then the defense [came along] and then hitting, and we got all of it in the region. Everything came together, which we had not been doing during the year,” said Marsch.
It carried over to the district when Brookdale CC rolled in its opener over the University of Connecticut-Avery Point, 15-2, and then beat Orange CC, 6-1, before meeting Orange in the finals. Like Brookdale, Orange has played its best ball at the end of its 22-23 season after a slow start.
As for Marsch, his hitting struggled early and he settled in at the No. 7 spot in the batting order.
“The execution is a lot better [than high school],” said Marsch of playing in the keenly competitive Brookdale program. “Once I realized I was not going to get an outfield spot, I made the DH my spot. The coach wanted me there because he was having some trouble with that spot early in the season.”
Marsch responded with clutch hitting rather than a high batting average. He drove in the game-winning run against Delaware State with a triple in the last inning. Marsch feels he adapted pretty well to the high-powered college game.
“I had to adjust the mental part of my game,” said Marsch. “I made mistakes early and I realized I had to focus [more] on the game. Last year, I relied on my talent; now, I realize it’s the mental part.”
Marsch realized that point while watching Mullins, who is taking his talents to the University of Pittsburgh this fall.
“He’s awesome. Having a good catcher is a big part of the team,” said Marsch. “He’s the best catcher I’ve played with. He knows the game and all the mental aspects, on and off the field, in keeping the guys together and staying on top of what they’re doing off the field.”
Marsch also has kept on top of his role on the team, and his role as a student in a season he’ll always remember.