By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
For any college baseball player, having your team qualify for a spot in the NCAA tournament is a top goal every season.
This past season, three Montgomery High graduates were able to realize that goal as their teams won their league tournaments and advanced to the NCAA tournament. Gavin Holloway’s St. John’s team qualified out of the Big East Conference, while Greg Kocinski and Matt Rubayo were both part of the Marist team that won the MAAC title.
“It was the first time I was there playing great team like Vanderbilt and (UNC-Greensboro),” said Hollowell, a pitcher for the Red Storm. “It was a great atmosphere to be around. There were packed stands for all the games. We started off with 3-1 lead over Vandy and then they got to our starter and put up an eight spot.”
Playing in the Clemson Regional, the Red Storm dropped a 13-4 decision to Vanderbilt before being eliminated from the tournament with a 3-1 loss to UNC-Greensboro. Hollowell did not pitch in either game of the tournament, but he did have a solid season for a Red Storm team that finished 42-13.
A freshman, Hollowell was 2-1 with a 1.65 earned run average in 19 games, all in relief. He dinished with three saves, pitching 32 2/3 innings and finishing with 37 strikeouts and just 14 walks.
“I was really happy with the season,” said Hollowell, who is playing this summer in the New England College Baseball League. “The season finished well. I didn’t give up too many runs. I was mainly pitching in middle relief and I would fill the closer role every once in while. That was my role coming here out of high school. Now I am up here for the summer and I am starting. So we’ll see what happens.”
Kocinski, a redshirt junior, started all 55 games this season for Marist, while Rubayo played off the bench as a freshman for the Red Foxes. Marist was 32-23on the season, losing to host Florida, 10-6, and Bethune-Cookman, 4-2, in the Florida Regional after winning the MAAC championship.
“It was an incredible experience,” said Kocinski, who batted 264 with two homes runs and 42 runs batted in, which was second on the team. “I like to think of it like March Madness in basketball. It’s the same concept for baseball. Only 64 teams go and we were lucky to be one of them. Being down in Florida with so many top prospects, playing on that field and with their fans it was a great atmosphere. We gave them a great game. It was 7-6 in the eighth and we had a chance to win. I thought we played well. We had nothing to be ashamed of.”
While Kocinski started every game for Marist, Rubayo spent his freshman season coming off the bench. He did make four starts and finished with a .158 batting average with four runs batted in.
The run through the MAAC tournament and appearance in the NCAA tournament were both experiences that will never be forgotten.
“It was incredible,” Rubayo said. “We were the two seed in the MAAC but I would say we were the favorite because we had beaten every team in the regular season series. There were a lot of good teams in the tournament. And then in the regional it was a great experience.”
Kocinski’s career at Marist started slowly as he played in just four games as a freshman and 17 off the bench as a sophomore. He became a starter last season but saw his year cut short by injury. This year he started from the opener and played in every game.
“I was a role player up until last year and then I got hurt,” Kocinski said. “This was my first full year playing and it was a lot of fun to ride the waves of a full season and be a part of every game and feel like I had a part in it every game. It was what I was expecting going to college.”
Because of his injury as a junior, Kocinski will have one more year to play with the Red Foxes.
“My freshman year I didn’t see much time,” said Kocinski, who is playing this summer in the Futures League in Massachusetts. “My sophomore year I was a role player and then my junior year I got a chance and ran with it. This year I was lucky to have the opportunity to play every day. You get rewarded for the work you put in and that was something Coach (Pete) Mueller instilled in us in high school.
“The cool thing this year is we went to Mississippi State early in the season and that prepared us for the regional atmosphere. They get 10,000 fans a game. We went down there and actually won a game. So that experience really prepared for us for Florida.”
Rubayo’s career may follow a similar path to Kocinski. He was a bench player as a freshman and hopes to see his role expand in the future.
“My teammates and coaches were awesome,” said Rubayo, who is playing this summer in the Hamptons League. “I just want to get back and contribute. I had four starts. Three were early because of an injury and one was a spot start. I think I learned a lot from the older guys and coaches about how to do it. I could always count on them.
“Our goal is always to win the MAAC and that was what we did. So we got what we wanted. We have a lot of guys coming back. None of us were happy with just being there, It was great to be there but you always want to win.”
The 2017 season was a successful one for all three MHS grads, who all shared the common thought that playing for the Cougars and the coaching staff led by head coach Pete Mueller helped get them prepared for the college level.
“Coach Mueller gets us prepared at the high school level,” Kocinski said. “We play competitive baseball against good competition. We have a good tradition. We won 20 games my senior year. When Rubayo was a senior they won 20 games and the county tournament.”
Added Hollowell: “The coaching at Montgomery was great. Everything they did was perfect and they prepared us so well for college. We all keep in touch when we get to college. We text all through the year and snapchat. We’re connected through social media. They are all my brothers and I still check up on them.”
