Champion rookies take first steps in pro ball
by Melissa Chodan
June 29, 2007 - Appalachian League (ApL)
Burlington Sock Puppets
Days after reaching the pinnacle of college baseball, Joe Augustine and Danny Zeffiro found themselves starting over again.
The Kean University right-handers led their school to its first Division-III College World Series championship, and before the news could sink in, the pair signed minor league contracts and reported to their respective rookie ball leagues.
"After winning the World Series you never really get off that cloud," said Zeffiro, a four-year starter from Old Bridge, New Jersey. "I was floating on that cloud for a few weeks. The draft comes and goes, then things start to go into effect... I took everything slow and in stride."
Augustine's phone rang first, and on June 9 he signed a contract with the Kansas City Royals and reported to the Burlington Royals in North Carolina to play in the Appalachian League.
"Everyone wants to play pro baseball since little league," said Augustine, a four-year starter from Highland Park, New Jersey. "Looking back at little league, thousands started and I'm like the only one left still playing.... I'm sure after this season it will really hit me that I got to play pro baseball. That's what all the hours in the weight room and conditioning is for... to get to the next level."
Four days later, Zeffiro followed suit and signed with the Cincinnati Reds and reported to the Billings Mustangs of the Pioneer League in Montana.
"You always want to be a professional ball player, you want to come out here and see how far you can go with it," Zeffiro said. "At this stage, it's just a privilege to get this opportunity and keep climbing the mountains and see how far you can go. I'm looking forward to getting back on the hill."
For Augustine and Zeffiro, the challenge and work required to compete at a high level is nothing the two are not familiar with. Both pitchers routinely threw against nationally ranked competition in and out of the New Jersey Athletic Conference and thrived.
Augustine was named First-Team All-American this season after finishing 9-2 with a 2.21 ERA in 97 innings. He struck out 103, while walking just 18.
Zeffiro picked up Third-Team All-American honors after picking up second-team honors in his sophomore season. The 21-year-old went 9-1 with a 1.66 ERA in 92 innings, striking out 67 and walking 18.
Arguably, their most memorable victories came in the first two games of the World Series.
Zeffiro got the ball in game one against Cortland State and came out on the winning end of a 12-inning affair. The ace pitched his seventh complete game of the season and held competition to no earned runs in his last 24 innings on the mound. He struck out nine and allowed an unearned run on four hits as Kean won 4-1.
"In any tournament one game is as big as the next," Zeffiro said. "Getting game one under our belts made us a little bit looser and made us feel like we belong there. It was kind of a comfort feeling I don't know if everyone was as nervous as I was, but the aspect of the game it was Kean's first appearance in the World Series and I was nervous. Talking to some of the other guys, they were as nervous as I was. Winning that game took some pressure off and we ran with it. We were just playing ball like we were in March."
Augustine was matched up against Chapman, which he suffered a lost to in the beginning of the season. But with his signature pinpoint control on his fastball and slider, Augustine was unfazed. He allowed one earned run on six hits in the 3-1 victory while striking out 11 in his sixth complete game of the season.
"The first win with Danny was probably the best performances I've seen. Going 12 innings takes a lot," Augistine said. "I was just trying to go up there and follow Danny's performance with another good performance."
The Kean rotation followed with two more solid pitching performances in the school's first World Series appearance to claim the trophy.
"When we won (Mid-Atlantic) regionals, I was on the bottom of the pile," Zeffiro said. "When we won the World Series, I made sure I was on top of the pile."
But for seniors at a Division III school, professional opportunities are few and far between, and as quickly as they were overwhelmed with the joy of a national championship, the bittersweet reality soon followed.
"When we won I was sitting in the stands for a while looking at the field trying to realize what we just did," Zeffiro said. "Augustine came to sit by me. For some of the seniors it would be their last game and it was my last college game and possibly my last game. That was going through my head."
With many of their other teammates still celebrating and receiving honors from the state's senate and assembly, Augustine and Zeffiro were adjusting to life in the minor leagues.
Supervised workouts, baseball as a career and pitching to wood bats become the daily routines they have had to adjust to.
Augustine is focusing on arm strength and developing his curveball while laying off his slider.
"You can't make a mistake," Augustine said. "Hits I gave up were just mistakes I made. I've been hitting my spots. My curve ball has been working pretty well. You just have to get ahead and stay ahead."
The big change for Zeffiro, besides wearing collared shirts to and from the ballpark, has been entering a game, knowing he will not finish it.
"The biggest thing they emphasize is taking it easy," Zeffiro said. "They want us to stay healthy for next season. They don't want us to pitch over a certain amount of innings. That's something different for me. I come form an organization that when I get on the mound in the first, I'm staying on for nine."
Appalachian League Stories from June 29, 2007
- Braves Spread Hits Around In Elizabethton's First Loss - Danville Otterbots
- Champion rookies take first steps in pro ball - OSC Original by Melissa Chodan
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
