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Former Zip helps Black Bears defeat Scrappers
By Steve Ruman
NILES
Just a few short months ago, the thought of playing profession baseball in Northeast Ohio in front of family and friends was nothing but a dream for J.T. Brubaker.
And for Brubaker, the thought of saying that he played for a now-defunct college baseball program was a nightmare he never envisioned.
Yet Brubaker saw both visions come to light in recent weeks.
On June 9, Brubaker was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the sixth round of the MLB draft. He had just completed his junior season at the University of Akron. With the Zips this past spring, Brubaker struck out 72 batters over 89.1 innings. He finished with a 5-4 record, but he led the team in strikeouts (72) and starts (15).
Brubaker was assigned to the Pirates’ Class-A short-season squad, and has spent the summer with the West Virginia Black Bears.
On Saturday, Brubaker — a native of New Carlisle — played in front of a large gathering of family, friends and ex-teammates. He was the starting pitcher for the Black Bears, who downed the Mahoning Valley Scrappers 3-1 in front of 4,421 fans at Eastwood Field.
Brubaker worked four innings, surrendering one run on two hits.
Trailing 1-0, the Black Bears tied the game in the sixth on a balk that scored a run — the third time this week a Scrappers pitcher balked in a run. The Bears then scored two runs in the seventh on RBI base hits by David Andriese and Erik Forgione.
“Very surreal, very hard to believe in so many ways,” Brubaker said about his quick transition from the collegiate to the professional level. “It’s crazy how things worked out.
“First I get drafted by the Pirates, then I’m assigned to a league which is somewhat close to home. Then [Saturday], here I am pitching in a familiar place and in front of familiar faces.”
While at Akron, Brubaker’s teams played several games at Eastwood Field against Youngstown State.
“It’s crazy to think that now here I am, here again and playing at the next level,” Brubaker said.
Brubaker has started 12 games for the Black Bears. He owns a 4-4 record with a 3.25 ERA.
“It’s been everything I’ve expected,” Brubaker said of his professional experience. “There are highs, there are lows. It’s definitely a learning experience, but I feel as though I am progressing at a nice pace.”
While long days and longer bus rides may take its toll on some players, Brubaker is savoring every aspect of the minor leagues.
“Some players get bothered by the long road trips, I love them,” Brubaker said. “It gives you a chance to relax, it gives the team a chance to bond. The everyday grind, I love it, because I love the game.”
One month after Brubaker left Akron to turn pro, the university announced it was immediately dissolving the Zips baseball program as part of an overall $40 million cost-saving measure. The decision caught Brubaker and many of his teammates off-guard.
“There were rumors every year, always something about how they would make cutbacks somewhere, there was always something floating around,” Brubaker said. “We heard the rumors againt this year but thought it was a bluff. When the president did cut baseball, it came as a total shock to everyone.”
“The baseball community in Akron was and still is very upset.”
Brubaker explained that he understood that the university president was forced to make tough decisions, but he felt that the way in which the decision was made could have been handled better.”