By Warren Rappleyea
Growing up in North Brunswick, Eric Reardon has long been a fan of Rutgers University sports teams. This fall, he will take the field for the Scarlet Knights’ baseball team.
Reardon was a three-year starter for the Raiders, who drew attention both for his pitching skills and his powerful bat. The lefty will have an opportunity to do both — at least initially — at Rutgers.
“I’m lucky to be a two-way player,” Reardon said. “That will increase my chances at Rutgers. It’s a good problem to have, although when I have a bad day on the mound it makes me think I should just hit and play the field. Then when I go 0-for-3 at the plate, I think maybe I should just pitch.”
The good news for Reardon is that neither of those things happen very often. He joined North Brunswick Township High School’s varsity team as a sophomore for the 2014 campaign and made an immediate impact, as the Raiders went on to win 12 games. At the plate, Reardon batted .419 and drove home 26 runs. He also went 3-3 on the mound in eight appearances.
As a junior, Reardon had a monster year and firmly established himself as a team leader. With a 5-2 record, a 1.63 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 38 innings, he established himself as one of the top hurlers in the Greater Middlesex Conference. He was an offensive juggernaut, whacking seven homers, seven doubles and batting .406 with 25 RBIs.
“Any time we needed a big hit or a big play, Eric came through,” North Brunswick coach Ryan Lillis said. “He just seemed to do everything and he just went about his business, always encouraging his teammates, always doing the little things. As good as he is as a player, he’s an even better leader.”
When asked about his skills, Reardon deflected the question by noting that baseball is a team game.
“My goal is to be the best teammate I can be — that’s how you win games,” he said. “If I’m having a tough day, someone is going to pick me up. When someone else is having a tough day, I want to do the same for them. I just enjoy playing the game and being on the field with my team.”
Reardon’s accomplishments at North Brunswick and his play for the Middlesex-based Full Count travel program began attracting attention. Following his junior season, Reardon, who once served as a bat boy for the Scarlet Knights, committed to Rutgers, despite interest from several other schools.
“Living in the area and rooting for Rutgers my entire life made it an easy decision,” said Reardon, whose mom, Meg, is a Rutgers graduate. “It really was the only place for me.”
As a senior leader on a very young team last spring, Reardon’s team-first attitude was tested — and he passed with flying colors.
“It became obvious in the preseason that opposing teams were going to pitch around Eric,” Lillis said. “He just showed tremendous discipline. He laid off the bad pitches, took his walks and was just a great example to his teammates. Eric is mature beyond is years. Rutgers is fortunate to get a player like him.”
Reardon ended the season with a .523 on-base percentage, slightly higher than 2015. He also managed to bat .339 and drive home 10 runs. On the hill, Reardon was 5-4 with a 2.19 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 60.1 innings of work.
“My mind set was to do whatever I could to help the team,” Reardon said. “Last year, I drove in a lot of runs. This season, I was getting on and other guys were driving me in. I had confidence in them.”
Although the Raiders struggled at times, that confidence paid off when the team came on in the postseason — winning a pair of games in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group IV tournament. North Brunswick upset top-seeded East Brunswick High School in the opening round, 2-0, as Reardon went the distance. The Raiders also upended Marlboro High School before being eliminated by South Brunswick Hgih School in the semifinals.
Reardon credited his dad, John, who he called a baseball guy, with helping him develop by hitting countless grounders, pitching batting practice and working on pitching technique. A member of North Brunswick’s basketball team, Reardon said playing hoops enabled him to keep his passion for baseball.
“At one point, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play baseball or basketball,” he said. “Once I knew it would be baseball, I still played basketball. Having a few months away from baseball made we want to play that much more.”
Reardon also noted that he has had excellent coaches throughout his career, from youth baseball through Full Count and at North Brunswick.
“I learned from all of them,” he said.