The first in a series of articles featuring the Monroe Community College baseball team which will open play in the NJCAA D2 World Series later this week in Enid, Oklahoma.
By PAUL GOTHAM
ENID, OK. — Justin Bunting can’t remember ever playing first base in competitive baseball. Not in high school nor at the modified level for Greece Athena. He never manned first during travel ball nor little league.
T-ball. Maybe T-ball. He’s just not sure.
Bunting, though, debuted at first on April 10th for Monroe Community College. It was the second game of a doubleheader. Less than 30 minutes after the Tribunes fell 3-2 to Onondaga Community College, coach Dave Brust posted the Tribs lineup with “3” (the numeric representation provided on a lineup card indicating the field position a player will occupy) appearing next to Bunting’s name.
The Tribs won that game, 2-1.
Twelve days later with MCC mired in a four-game losing streak which dropped them to 12-18 on the season, Bunting returned to first. The Tribs won again 14-9.
An All-County shortstop in high school, Bunting had made 15 starts at third base earlier this season, one other start at second and two in right field. On April 22nd he was a first baseman and has been since then.
“In the fall, I started to tinker with him at first base,” Brust noted. “I always thought he had good hands. We had some other infielders who gave us a little more range, a little bit more arm strength. But I still saw Justin as a winner.
“Your first baseman handles the ball the third most on the team behind the pitcher and the catcher. I really felt like he was going to give us what we needed.”
What the Tribunes needed were wins. That’s all they’ve done with Bunting at first. The Tribunes have rattled off 18 straight victories – the longest such in program history since a 20-game streak in 2005 and 11 shy of a program high 29 in 1989.
In their first 30 games, MCC committed 67 errors (2.23 per contest). With Bunting at first, the Tribs have committed 17 fielding miscues over the last 18 games. His fielding percentage is a peerless 1.000 in 134 chances.
“He’s very relaxing for our pitchers,” Brust added. “He’s clean with his glove. He handles picks to first base easily. All those middle infield instincts were there at first base, and then he gave us leadership too. That’s really helpful.”
Throws off line or in the dirt or turf have become routine plays now with Bunting on the bag.
“He scoops everything,” Tribune starting shortstop Cas Sobaszek said. “He knocks everything down. He does his job over there. He’s always been a good all-around player. He’s really helped the squad throughout the year.”
In 28 innings of play earlier this week during the East District Championship, Monroe committed just three miscues.
Bunting’s left-side instincts came into play during the eighth inning of Monday’s championship clincher. With two outs and the game tied at two, UConn-Avery Point’s (UCAP) Justin Keating hit a cue shot off the end of his bat.
With the fleet-footed Keating running the base path, Tribune third baseman Sam Loew was forced to charge the ball, make a bare hand play and deliver a low sidearm toss across the infield. The throw forced Bunting up the line and into a subsequent collision. The ball bounded into foul territory. Keating took off for second.
In what can only be described as a quirky play at best, protests that first base had not been touched caused Keating to try and return to first. Monroe’s catcher Andrew Czubaj retrieved the ball and from the seat of his pants made the throw to an alert Bunting who had spun around made the play from his knees.
Instead of the go-ahead run in scoring position, Monroe escaped the threat. Bunting was in the middle of the play. Two innings later, the Tribs walked off with the championship.
“It was just a good athletic play,” Brust said. “That showed his instincts. He probably should have moved up the line to make the play, but he was alert enough to stay with it.”
Along with taking over at first, Bunting moved to the top of the Tribune batting order.
“When we were reconfiguring the lineup, we thought he would provide us with more offense,” Brust explained. “He gets on base a ton, and he draws out a lot of pitches. He’s super patient and he can handle the bat. He’s a winner. That’s the type of guy I like to have start a baseball game. There’s our guy.”
Ironically, Bunting followed in the footsteps of former Athena Trojan teammate Johnny Ricotta who played third base in high school and made the move to first at MCC. Ricotta manned first on the 2016 Monroe World Series team and earned All-American honors as a sophomore. Ricotta now plays first base at Ball State.
“He texted me surprised,” Bunting said of the message he received from Ricotta. “‘You’re batting leadoff and playing first base?’ I was like yup.
“A lot of people texted me saying they couldn’t believe I’m playing first base.”
They’re not surprised any more.
Monroe (30-18) opens the 2018 NJCAA D2 World Series on Saturday against Brunswick (29-22) of Region 10. A 5 PM EST first pitch is scheduled David Allen Memorial Park.
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