Red Storm Sports News

The first installment of a weekly series on RedStormSports.com, The Captain's Corner will feature insights from each of the St. John's baseball team's three senior co-captains - second baseman Sam DeLuca, outfielder Chris Joachim and catcher Brendan Monaghan. Monaghan gives his thoughts on the team's expectations, early season schedule and the demands of a college catcher.

We're a week away from starting the season, how excited is the team for the first trip to Texas?

Brendan Monaghan: The team has been working really hard in fall and winter practices. Now that the season is so close, everyone is really anxious to get out there and show everyone who we are and what we can do.

What kinds of adjustments as a student and an athlete do you have to make for the heavy travel to start the year?

BM: The travel schedule is a lot of fun as a player because you get to see so many parts of the country, and being on the trips really brings the team together. It definitely gets tough at times to balance to school work with baseball, but working with the professors and getting our assignments done when they are due keeps us on the professors' good sides.

The coaches in the BIG EAST announced what their expectations are for the 2007 season by picking St. John's to win the league title. What kinds of goals and expectations do you have for the team?

BM: Every year the top goals for the team are to win the BIG EAST regular season and tournament titles. Along with those two, we always strive to win 40 games and reach the NCAA Tournament. We have a lot of veteran players on the team who have been to the NCAA Tournament or BIG EAST Tournament, and that experience should help us throughout the year and into the postseason.

How much fun is it for you to catch the kind of staff the team has back in 2007?

BM: I have never been a part of a team that has so many quality arms before. Personally, it is so much fun to catch all of the guys on the staff because they are all legitimate pitchers, but they all have different strengths and approaches. It keeps me on top of my game and it’s a lot of fun to work with them.

With a more extensive leadership and defensive role, how do you approach each game and find a balance between offense and defense?

BM: Being a catcher, I like to consider myself the leader of the defense. I’m behind the plate and I can see the whole field and help position some of the players and make a lot of the calls. For me, calling pitches, handling the staff, and controlling the other teams running game are top priorities. After that, any offense that I can provide is just an extra quality that I can bring to the team. Our lineup is so deep and powerful that I don’t think any one person feels they will have to carry the team offensively. On any given day, a new guy in the lineup could be the key contributor. 

Coming off a season in which you hit over .350 but also missed some time with a knee injury, what were your focuses in the offseason?

BM: My main focus was making sure that I was fully healthy going into summer ball and coming back for fall practice.  During the offseason I tried to get my body in shape and ready for a full season so I can be as productive and strong as possible. I had a pretty good season last year, but I did miss some games and I still feel I have a lot to prove.

 What was it like for you to listen to a sure Hall of Famer like Roger Clemens at the team's winter banquet last week?

BM: It was such a great experience to have Roger Clemens come and speak to us. Everything that he said the whole team really took to heart.  Most of the things he was telling us we’ve heard before from our coaches, which goes to show how great our coaches are, although hearing it from a guy like Roger Clemens really makes everything stick in our minds even more.

Having been a part of the program for four years, in what ways do you feel like you've grown the most?

BM: My four years on the team has been an experience I’ll never forget.  My knowledge of the game has grown so much and I am happy to have been here to see St. John's climb back to an elite program again. The relationships that we have developed will last a lifetime and it will be bittersweet when I finally have to leave St. John’s.