BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer
MONMOUTH ATHLETICS Freehold Township native Brad Brach has emerged as the ace of the Monmouth baseball team this year, not to mention one of the NEC’s top performers. Monmouth University coach Dean Ehehalt liked the look of his 2006 Hawks from the start.
“I thought we’d be right in the hunt, and so far we’ve done everything we have to do,” he said. “I thought athleticism and speed would be our strengths.”
The Hawks have lived up to Ehehalt’s expectations. Through the first 44 games of the season, they were 27-17 overall and in first place in the Northeast Conference with a 14-4 record.
While the Hawks have been a high-scoring team (289 runs in 44 games and a team batting average of .308), it has been the team’s pitching that has turned into a strength and made them contenders for the NEC Tournament that begins later this month. The team’s earned run average is 3.21
“Pitching was a question mark at the start of the season,” noted Ehehalt.
It isn’t anymore as Brad Brach, the former Freehold Township star, has become the team’s ace, and one of the best in the NEC. The sophomore has the stats to back it. He’s 6-2 with an ERA of 2.03. He’s completed five of his 11 starts and has authored two shutouts. In 75.1 innings of work, the right-hander has 75 strikeouts.
“Brad has pitched very well,” said Ehehalt. “He goes out there and gives his best effort each time.”
Joe Cummings (Toms River East), is 6-3 with a 2.87 ERA in 11 starts, and he has three shutouts.
With 12 wins between them, Brach and Cummings are the conference’s best one-two punch at the top of the rotation.
Spot starters Matt Coulson (Freehold Borough) and Matt Marc-Aurele (Wayne Valley) complete the starting rotation and are having fine years themselves. They are 5-3 and 4-2, respectively.
Kevin Schneider (Lawrence) is the Hawks’ closer. He’s pitching to a 3.12 ERA, has two saves and is 2-3. He has fanned 27 in 26 innings. Ehehalt can use Schneider, who leads the team in appearances with 19, for one inning, or stretch him out for more than three outs. He can also pitched on consecutive days, which will be important in the tournament.
Justin Esposito (Middletown North) has also been very effective out of the pen with a 1.37 ERA. He’s 1-2 and has one save.
All of Monmouth’s hurlers have one thing in common – they throw strikes and don’t walk batters. They have walked 91 batters, while opponents have issued 142 free passes to the Hawks.
The pitching success, Ehehalt said, goes hand-in-hand with the team’s fine defense and productive offense. The pitchers are able to relax, especially the starters, he pointed out, because they know they are going to get run support.
They also know that the Hawks will make plays behind them.
Center fielder Pat Sullivan (Christian Brothers Academy) runs down everything in the outfield.
“He’s an exceptional center fielder,” noted Ehehalt.
When shortstop Kyle Higgins was lost to injury the first weekend of the season, the Hawks had to tinker with the defense. Eventually, second baseman Nick Massari settled into the position and the defense has been as strong as ever.
Massari, a senior from Hamilton West, is having what Ehehalt describes as a “career year.” He’s batting .417 and slugging at .679 He has 51 RBIs, 14 doubles, three triples and eight home runs among his 70 hits. He’s scored 47 runs and is 19-for-20 in stolen bases.
The Hawks have been using their speed to take the extra base and create runs when they have to. Kyle Messineo (Cedar Grove) has been the team’s busiest base stealer with 28 swipes in 31 attempts. In all, the team has 81 stolen bases.
Nick Niederhaus, Hunterdon Central (.408), Mike Hussa, Seton Hall Prep (.349 31 RBIs), Sullivan (.349, 38 RBIs, 37 runs) and Messineo (.300, 13 doubles, 47 RBIs) are all also having big seasons and are responsible for the team’s out-scoring opponents by more than 100 runs (279-148).
It was during the team’s annual trip to Florida to start the season back in February that Ehehalt saw the team’s offensive potential.
“We really did some positive things [in Florida],” said Ehehalt. “The players were relaxed and I liked the way we were swinging the bats.”
The bats didn’t cool off as the Hawks went north.
Shortly after their return from Florida, the Hawks went on a tear, winning 22 of 23
games, including 12 straight and moving to the top of the Northeast Conference standings.
“During that stretch we were a big-inning team,” Ehehalt said. “It was pretty fun to watch. We could do no wrong.”
Although the Hawks have had a lot of big innings, it hasn’t come as a result of Dr. Longball.
The team has just 24 home runs, but still has more extra-base hits than its opponents by a wide margin (117-68). The Hawks have been great at stringing their hits together, scoring runs in bunches.
But because of their overall team speed, they are not one dimensional. When the bats aren’t hot, they can manufacture runs.
Monmouth closes out the regular season at Wagner Saturday and Sunday. The NEC Tournament, which will be played at GPU Energy Park in Lakewood (home to the Lakewood Blue Claws of the South Atlantic League) is set for May 25-28.
The Hawks have been to the finals six times since 1998, and Ehehalt knows the key is remaining in the winner’s bracket.
“Brad and Joe give us a great shot going into the tournament of staying in the winner’s bracket in the first two games,” he said.