Go ahead, take a look around. You’re looking at history after all.
Check out the players red in the face from screaming at the top of their lungs, the dirt and grass stains clinging to everyone’s white pants from the celebratory dogpile and smiles of relief from a coaching staff that has waited for this moment.
This winning moment.
The Quinnipiac University baseball team did what they have never done before, and that is claim the title of MAAC Champions. This team photo is a representation of 33 players and four coaches that was strong enough to go undefeated in the conference tournament and earn themselves a spot on college baseball’s biggest stage.
You know that saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words?” It’s true.
This is only a single photo, but it tells a hell of a story.
The Quinnipiac Bobcats were not supposed to make it this far. After being picked to finish at No. 4 in the MAAC’s preseason poll it was up to them to exceed expectations and show everyone what they’re made of. The scrimmages and out-of-conference games came and went and soon it was time to face off against fellow MAAC opponents and get to work.
It took until the 7th game for Quinnipiac to get a loss. After that, they never lost more than two games in a row. The last game of the regular season was against Manhattan, and a win would give the Bobcats a share of the 2019 MAAC Regular Season Championship.
They won 18-3.
It was the first regular-season title since joining the MAAC and third at the Division I level. Their 17 conference wins are the most in team history and would be heading into the Tournament with the No 2. Seed.
Fast forward to Sunday, May 26 at 12:00 PM. Quinnipiac defeated No. 3 Fairfield and No. 5 Manhattan to punch their ticket to the championship game. The Stags also climbed back up in the losers bracket and the rematch was set.
And it was a nail-biter until the very end.
The score went back and forth for most of the game and after 9 innings pass, the score is 5-5. Extra innings will determine the winner of the MAAC Championship.
10th inning: no score.
11th inning: no score.
12th inning: no score.
Finally, in the 13th inning, a run comes home and the word “Quinnipiac” gets taped onto the banner.
This championship wasn’t possible without every single player on this team. Whether they saw the field or not, they all pushed each other to their limits so that this moment could happen.
Let me tell you about some of these guys.
Right in the middle of the team photo is senior centerfielder Brian Moskey. In the championship game, Moskey reached base six times and had his name in the box score with a home run, double and three walks. He gave the Bobcats a huge start with a leadoff home run off the first pitch of the day.
He tightly holds the trophy in one hand while raising a fist with the other. He has waited four years for this feeling, and that was heightened when he was named the MAAC Tournament Most Valuable Player.
What does he do now?
He graduated and is now learning how to be a pilot in his spare time.
Next up is Colin Donnelly. Known for walking out to the mound with Fergie’s “London Bridge” blasting through the speakers, he earned a spot on the All-Tournament team after recording the longest relief appearance of the season and his career. He pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings and in his last seven appearances, lowered his ERA from 6.12 to 3.86.
Donnelly described this moment as “Exhausting, but rewarding.”
He will return for the 2021 season as a graduate student due to the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling his senior season.
Now, picture yourself on this team for a moment. You are standing on third base ready to go at any moment because you are the winning run. Or, imagine you’re in the batter’s box with the opportunity to hoist the trophy with a single swing.
That was the reality for junior Evan Vulgamore and senior Kevin Huscher.
Vulgamore made himself known early in his college career at Quinnipiac and spent all three seasons at third base. His name came up occasionally in talks of the MLB draft and he was the one to cross the plate and put a bow on the MAAC Tournament.
Huscher on the other hand had a very different experience. After seasons at Gateway Community College and Massasoit Community College, he found his way to Hamden where he soon became the starting shortstop.
Vulgamore walked in the bottom of the 13th and slowly made his way around the diamond until he was one sprint away. The bases were loaded for Huscher but that didn’t matter because he only needed to get one runner in.
Well, Huscher didn’t have to do much. A wild pitch would score Vulgamore and that’s all she wrote. The senior said farewell to baseball while Vulgamore is doing the same as Donnelly this season.
I can’t forget about John Delaney.
A former student-athlete at Quinnipiac, the head coach made his fifth season his best. The team saw its best record in years, a regular-season championship and a MAAC Championship. Players he recruited went on to get drafted in the MLB, have their names on the All-MAAC Selections list and he even got Coach of the Year under his belt.
Other players described this picture as cathartic, electric, fulfilling and magical. Those are powerful words to compare to a photograph
Guess what happened next?
Quinnipiac Baseball packed its bags and flew down to North Carolina for the Greenville Regional of the NCAA Tournament. Their stay didn’t last too long, but they did defeat No. 10 East Carolina University to earn their first NCAA win in program history.
That win was monumental for the team, the MAAC, Quinnipiac University and all the underdogs in college sports.
But that would not have been possible without the growth and success that happened on that minor league baseball field in Staten Island, New York.
Take a look at that picture one more time. Do you see it now?
It would be easy to quickly glance at how happy everyone looks and move on. But it is so much more than that.
It’s no longer just a group of guys huddled in front of a camera to celebrate winning a college championship.
It’s the blood, sweat and tears of joy behind every pair of eyes and what they stand for.
It’s the players who didn’t see the field but pushed their teammates to be their best both physically and mentally
It’s the seniors who finally got to experience the feeling that made them want to play in the first place.
It’s the coaches whose families get to watch them finally reach that goal they have worked for all these years and continue to work towards every single season.
It’s beating the odds.
It’s Quinnipiac Baseball.
Comments