(Editor’s Note: Branden is a 2017 graduate of Kings Park HS. Today he announced he has committed to LIU Post. His fastball sits in the low-to-mid 80s.)
By Branden Falco
My baseball career has been a bumpy flight.
When I started playing baseball at 8-years-old, pitching was my first love. When I was 13, I started feeling tingling down my arm when I threw. I went to an orthopedic surgeon Dr. Scott Alpert and he sent me for an MRI. It came back showing a swollen rotator cuff and my labrum was very loose. After hearing that, the beginning of my freshman year I began training with Xceleration sports training. When I went there for my evaluation, the manager, Steve Wilk, stated that if I want to pitch in college, I need to shut it down until 11th grade and just play a position.
This was tough news for me knowing I couldn’t pitch for a couple years.
The fall of my junior year is when I started getting back into pitching– throwing a few bullpens a week. I’ve played basketball all of high school. Coming off a really strong sophomore season, I knew that I would be a huge contributor to the team going into my junior year.
I told my coach that I’m not playing anymore to focus on baseball.
“No problem, the door is always open,” he said.
With basketball season around the corner I knew I’d miss it a lot, so I went back to coach and told him I would be playing.
Our first league game, we were home against Bellport. In the first two minutes of the game I scored eight points–probably the best start to a game I’ve ever had.
The crowd was chanting my name. Little did I know it was all about to end.
I was on a 2 vs 1 fast break and I went up for a layup and came down awkwardly on my knee. I felt like I would be okay and wanted to stay in the game. I was forced to leave the game.
Two days later I got an MRI. I had been walking on it and I thought I’d be fine for my next game. When I received the MRI results, it showed I tore my ACL which would force me to not only miss the remainder of the basketball season but also the baseball season. This was the most crushing news I’ve ever heard.
The first thing that came to my mind was how am I going to play college baseball knowing I’m missing my entire recruiting season?
No coaches knew me–I have no videos or stats on my pitching. I was extremely depressed the first few weeks. Many people reached out to me and stated how bad they felt for me. After thinking about it, I felt I could use a “why not me” mantra as motivation for a major comeback.
Mike Trout photographed for BodyArmor sports drink by Monte Isom
I got cleared August 1 and began pitching lessons with Bobby DeMichael. My first few outings did not go well. No coaches knew me and I had no offers. My fall season ended, and still no offers.
After the season, LIU Post pitching coach JP Lipovac asked me if I would have any interest in playing at LIU Post. I was more than thrilled. He told me to come to their camp so Head Coach Mike Gaffney could see me.
I am very blessed to be able to receive a roster spot at LIU Post. One of my other offers after the Blue Chip Prospect showcase was Misericordia University. This was a very tough and stressful decision on where I wanted to go, especially knowing I would be playing for great programs and great coaches either way. LIU Post was a school I always wanted to play at and I am so excited to be continuing my baseball career at LIU Post. I’m blessed to end this process with a smooth landing. Everyone asked me why I played basketball, but this was the greatest thing that’s happened to me after knowing I can overcome challenges. I don’t regret my decision on playing basketball one bit, and if I could go back and change it, I wouldn’t.
