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| Photo Credit: Vinny Messana |
Winning the Suffolk County Class AA title is a culmination of hours upon hours of hard work and sacrifice coming together that should result in a feeling of elation. Same can be said, plus an even greater sense of satisfaction, for winning the Long Island Championship.
Why, then, was 2015 not everything it was supposed to be for Brandon Morse and his championship-winning teammates?
Our season was one of the biggest emotional roller coasters I’ve ever been on. We lost one of our best team dads and a brother all within the few weeks of playoffs. It was devastating on each and every one of us. We went out with the mentality that we no longer had to win for us but win for both Nick and Walter. Every game in the locker room Travis Bruinsma would always play the song “See You Again” which was about family because that’s what we were, we weren’t just a team. That in itself was one of the most memorable things. We all felt invincible after the LIC and after we lost the game in states we knew that was our fault. We were the best team in that tournament but I wouldn’t have rather playing with any other guys.
Morse was a force in the middle of the Connetquot lineup. He was a major reason they slugged their way through League I and right through the gauntlet of games they played during the playoffs. His signature moment was hitting a grand slam in the first round of the playoffs against Marist-bound Brandon Bonomo of Half Hollow Hills East.
After that emotional roller coaster of the Suffolk County playoffs and personal trauma that coincided with it, Morse has been able to take a step back from the high-octane baseball and simply enjoy it for what it is.
“This summer has been one of the most memorable summers yet, partially due to the fact that I had no pressure on me at all, I just got to play baseball,” he said. It felt so good finishing my high school career knowing that I did something special at Connetquot,” he added.
There was some pre-season chatter that Morse could be a target for many MLB teams in the draft this season. That did not come to fruition, but he is not perturbed and actually he prefers it this way.
“Even if I did get drafted this year I said that there was a good chance that I wasn’t going to take it because I feel like I can mature and develop more in college then go in a higher round than I would have went in 2015. With that said, I am confident that 2018 will be the year and every day from now to then I just have to keep proving myself worthy of a pick,” he added,
Morse’s focus now shifts to his collegiate career at Adelphi. The Panthers are coming off a 20-21 season this year but recruited a tremendous class and are poised to return to their 2011 form–which included winning the Northeast-10 conference and getting within one inning of reaching the Division-II World Series.
The biggest adjustment, he noted, will be adjusting to the wood bats of the NE-10. It is one of the few conferences in the nation that has adopted the rule.
“Many player’s averages and power go down from metal to wood but I want mine to stay up and get better. I’ve been taking hours of batting practice and tee work per week and it has definitely helped,” he said.
While Adelphi has had a bevy of players drafted, most of which have been pitchers. Here’s a breakdown of the most recent ones.
2014: Cliff Brantley, OF (Round 19, Pick 564 Toronto Blue Jays)
2013: Dillon McNamara, P (Round 27, Pick 824 New York Yankees)
2011: Rob Nixon, P (Round 46, Pick 1388 Cleveland Indians)
2010: Keith Couch, P (Round 13, Pick 413 Boston Red Sox)
2008: Bobby Lanigan, P (Round 3, Pick 92 Minnestoa Twins)
The bottom line is that players with Morse’s skill set–power and speed–tend to succeed. Stay tuned to follow Morse’s journey to the big leagues.
