By Warren Rappleyea
After a relatively slow start, Ocean Township High School’s shortstop Brian Kochenash became a nearly unstoppable force at the plate in helping the Spartans to a 22-9 overall record and a trip to the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group III finals.
After 13 game, Kochenash was hitting .256. Then he caught fire. He ended the year with a .510 batting average to go with a team-leading 28 RBIs. Kochenash also legged out five triples, had eight doubles and scored 26 times.
“I’ve never experienced a hot streak like that before, so I really wasn’t used to it,” Kochenash said. “It was just amazing. I was hitting everything well, and I just felt great and full of confidence at the plate.”
One of his most memorable offensive games came against Allentown High School in the sectional quarterfinals. Kochenash went 2-for-3 and drove in the game-winning run, as he set the school record for hits with 49 — he eventually ended with 52 hits. He followed that up with a pair of triples in Ocean Township’s 6-0 semifinals victory over Brick Township High School.
The Spartans’ hopes of making a run in the state tournament did not look bright when they found themselves trailing Neptune High School, 2-0, in the seventh inning of a first-round matchup. That’s when Kochenash, who prior to this season was known more for his fancy glove work, made the defensive play of the year.
Kochenash stretched out fully to grab a line drive off the bat of Neptune’s leadoff hitter to snuff out a potential rally and help pave the way for Ocean Township’s come-from-behind, 3-2 win. Kochenash drove in a run with a fielder’s choice, and a throwing error on the play also enabled the tying run to score.
“This was a special year with a great group of kids,” Ocean Township coach Cip Apicelli said. “Everyone contributed, but Brian just seemed to be there when we needed it. Just about every time something big happened for our team, he was somehow a part of it.”
Kochenash also did his part as a relief pitcher when called upon, notching a pair of wins and two saves for the Spartans. He would stroll across the diamond to the mound and eight warm-up pitches later be ready to go — usually in pressure situations with runners on base.
“You always want to have your best year as a senior, but this season really exceeded my expectations,” Kochenash said. “It was great to go out on a run playing with guys I’ve been with my entire life.”
Kochenash began his varsity career as a freshman when Apicelli inserted the youngster into the lineup for defensive purposes on a team that ended up 13-12. As a sophomore, Kochenash hit .279 and helped Ocean Township to a 19-9 mark. In 2015, he batted .275, as the Spartans went 16-10.
“It was intimidating to play varsity as a freshman,” he said. “I was a young kid and I really didn’t hit that well. I got better as a sophomore and by junior year, I knew how things worked at the varsity level. The coach had confidence in me. I think a big part of our success is that we have three young coaches (Apicelli and assistants Mike Pembleton and Marc Hyndsman) who know how to push us. They don’t have a lot of rules, but they’re always teaching us and when they want us to do something, they expect us to do it.”
Kochenash credited his dad, John, for instilling a love of baseball at an early age and for teaching him the fundamentals of the game and encouraging him to improve. He also noted that his mom, Pat, and his three older sisters have been his biggest fans.
“All five of them were incredible for this entire journey,” he said. “They were always supportive and they were always there when I needed them most. They all taught me so many things that I’ll take with me to college and beyond that I couldn’t be more thankful for all they’ve done.”
Kochenash’s steady play in the field attracted some college attention and his monster 2016 campaign brought even more, but he opted to attend Penn State University to study computer science and engineering. As he settles into college life, Kochenash said he may try out for Penn State’s club team.
“I’m going to miss playing particularly after this year when a bunch of us who’ve been playing together for so long were able to have such a great season,” he said. “So I’m probably going to try and play for the club team.”
