Facing a Scary Diagnosis, Brennan Strovink Re-Invents Himself

(Photo Credit: Marison Topinio)

by Vinny Messana

If there’s an adjective to properly describe the level of commitment that Brennan Strovink has towards the game of baseball, I haven’t heard it yet.

It would’ve been understandable if he would’ve walked away from the game of baseball after fracturing the L5 Vertebrae in his spine–for the first time–prior to his senior year at Rocky Point HS; a serious injury that required surgery immediately when doctors feared the worst for him.

For Brennan, that wasn’t a consideration even when he described the pain as “fire running down my legs”.

He did, unfortunately, have no choice but to miss the wrestling season. He was ranked No. 2 in the state pre-season, but he knew that it was not possible to be ready in time.

He was cleared to begin practicing just in time for baseball season. Boy, did he make the most of it.

Brennan led Long Island in home runs, drove in 27 runs and hit .490 for Head Coach Andrew Aschettino–whom he stated is “such a high-level coach” .

“My best memory of that year was thinking ‘how lucky am I?’ I get to play for my father, who was the assistant coach, with my brother and Frankie Moscatiello, my best friend,” he said. He noted that being surrounded with three of his favorite people was a huge reason for his success that season.

He parlayed that into a scholarship to play at Lamar University in Texas. Things were looking up and he was ready to perform on the grand stage of Div-I baseball.

Two weeks before the season, lightning struck twice.

“I woke up in pain hunched over and I said ‘oh man, this is not good,” he said. After notifying his coach, they went to get an MRI to see what was going on.

It was revealed that he had suffered the same injury again.

The doctors and back specialists all recommended that he quit playing baseball.

“You should give up’, they all told me. I was devastated. Baseball was my dream–it was my life,” he said.

He used his medical redshirt and chose to withdraw from Lamar while he figured out what he wanted to do moving forward.

After enrolling at Suffolk Community College, he was talking with his grandpa, who is an avid golfer.

“He was reading an article about a golfer that had the same injury and decided to hit lefty, and he suggested I do the same,” he said.

Now, bear in mind that Brennan is a left-handed hitter that never batted righty in a game. Surely, it would be an impossible task to not just learn how to hit right-handed but to perform at a high-enough level to play in college.

By this point, you can probably guess that Brennan took the advice and started working on his righty swing.

Feeling no pain, and with the help of his brother Kyle (senior at Rocky Point), uncle Keith Osik and his father, he went to work.

This was in September 2015, when colleges are not only in session, but teams know who their impact players are going to be.

“I just kept improving and improving as a righty,” he said.

Around that time, he was noticed by the Head Coach of Hudson Valley Community College, Alex Jurczynski, who had recognized him from high school and was following his progress.

“He was great about it,” he said in regards to Coach Jurczynski adapting to his right-handed swing.

Fortunately, the school plays in a conference which doesn’t begin until March 25, giving him plenty of time to get comfortable with his swing and prepare for the season. They will play a 33-game schedule, meaning four double headers per week.

“It’s going to be a grind,” he said. In addition to being a big bat in their lineup, he will also play first base. He noted the back issue has no bearing on his fielding.

After the season, he will travel to Gaffney, S.C.to play Div-II baseball for Limestone College, a well-respected program.

It has been an incredible journey for Strovink who has been faced with a scary medical diagnosis not once but twice. He has been to three colleges and has had to re-invent himself from the opposite side of the plate. It’s not nearly over yet. He has not even played a game in college yet, but he has a lot to be thankful for.

In addition to his strong commitment to his Catholic faith, he is really trying to make his family proud.

“There’s so many people who have helped me along the way,” he said.

Next time you’re faced with adversity, just remember what Brennan Strovink went through just to play college baseball.