Jersey Blues rolling along on baseball diamond
BCC is 17-1 and ranked fourth in the country
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Above, Brookdale’s EricLevee displays an unorthodox sliding style during the Jersey Blues’ 1-0 win over Lackawanna on Saturday in Lincroft. At left, Brookdale freshman Nick Mullins is congratulated by first baseman Jon Marzella after scoring the game’s only run.

When Johnny Johnson said, “everything is going well” with the Brookdale Community College (BCC) baseball team, it was an understatement.

Everything is going extremely well for the Blues, who as of last week, had won 16 straight games and were 17-1 overall.

“We getting great sophomore leadership,” said the BCC head coach. “They’re willing us to wins.”

Johnson expected his Jersey Blues to have an outstanding season, based on what the team did last year and the large number of returning sophomores. However, 17-1 is beyond his even wildest expectations.

Like any baseball team with a prolonged winning streak, the Blues have been excelling in every aspect of the game.

“In Florida, we just blasted the ball,” Johnson said. “When we got to the cold weather, our bats went cold, but our pitching has carried us. Our top five starters have been giving us quality starts every time.”

One of those top five is the season’s biggest surprise, Matt Coulson, the sophomore right-hander from Freehold Borough. He’s 5-0 with a paltry earned run average (ERA) of 0.65.

“He’s been lights out for us,” Johnson said. “He’s our most improved player. He’s made himself a legitimate pitcher because of his work ethic. Matt worked hard on his mechanics in the off-season. He’s only walked two batters in 33 innings.”

Bill Lawson (5-0, 1.35 ERA) a freshman from Panhandle, Fla., and another frosh, Kevin Rickert (3-0, 3.71) from Toms River, along with Coulson, have been at the top of the BCC starting rotation.

To go along with the outstanding starting pitching, the Blues’ bullpen has been slamming the door shut on opponents. Sophomore Julio Guaty, one of the best closers in the country last year, was expected to be the man closing games out, but he suffered a thumb injury when the team was in Florida last month.

While he has been on the sidelines, the Blues have not missed a beat. Justin Esposito started the season as the setup man and slid rather comfortably into the role of closer with the absence of Guaty. The freshman from Middletown has had four saves.

The Blues are very deep on the mound and Johnson hasn’t hesitated to use all his arms.

“We have a lot of freshmen on the team, and they’re not used to going nine innings,” Johnson said. “We look for them [the starters] to give us five to seven innings every game.”

Offensively, the Blues only lead the nation in hitting. Their .437 team average would make the 1927 Yankees or the Big Red Machine envious. Catcher John Romano picked up where he left off last year, smacking the ball all over the field. In Florida, he was an unheard of 32-of-48 with 13 doubles. Since the Blues came back to the North, his average has dipped ever so slightly. The sophomore from Staten Island, N.Y., is batting .607 with 27 RBIs and 20 runs scored. He has hit three home runs.

Dave Lorber (Freehold Township), who had a big season last year too, is batting .500 this spring with 15 runs scored and nine RBIs.

Among the other Blues blasting the ball have been third baseman Jon Marzella (Morristown), batting .443 with 23 RBIs, 17 runs scored and three home runs; shortstop Robbie Hine, .367, 12 RBIs and 13 runs scored; catcher Nick Mullins (Brick), .421, 16 RBIs and 10 runs scored; and Damian Walcott (Freehold Borough), batting .350 with 11 runs scored.

The Blues have a very balanced offense. They hit teams with the big inning or can scratch for runs using their speed. Walcott is one of the most effective at using his speed.

Brookdale’s speed has helped them win several close games this year. It’s reassuring for them to know that when they aren’t swinging the bats well, they can still find ways to win.

Brookdale is 7-0 in the Garden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) and the same in Region XIX play. The Blues are home today against Salem in both a GSAC and Region game. First pitch is 3:30 p.m. in Lincroft. The Blues are also home on Friday (3:30 p.m.) against Gloucester and again on Sunday, hosting Montgomery, Md., in a double-header that starts at high noon.

Brookdale is hosting this year’s Division II Region XIX tournament May 6-8. The Blues would like nothing better than to take full advantage of their home-field edge and win the Region crown for the second time in three years.

The Region XIX winners will play at the Region XXI champion for the right to advance to the National Junior College Athletic Association National Championships in Millington, Tenn., at the USA Baseball Complex, May 28-June 3.