By Warren Rappleyea
Two South Brunswick High School baseball players, Brandon Siroki and Sean Nally, will continue their careers at the junior college level this fall.
Both were key components of a Vikings team that went from 7-17 in 2015 to 20-10 this past spring and made its way all the way to the finals of the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group IV tournament. Siroki will continue his career at Mercer County Community College, while Nally will take the field at Middlesex County College.
“It’s good to see that both of them are going to continue playing,” South Brunswick coach C. J. Hendricks said. “They’re both hard-working players with a lot of potential.”
Siroki did a little bit of everything for the Vikings. He went 8-1 on the mound with a 1.70 ERA. In 49.1 innings, the right-hander struck out 45 opposing hitters. Highlights included a six-inning stint against Freehold High School in the opening round of the state tournament, where Siroki allowed just two runs on five hits. He also out-dueled North Brunswick Township High School ace Eric Reardon for a 3-1 victory in the semifinals.
“Brandon was our team MVP,” Hendricks said. “The maturation he showed this year was tremendous. He’s always up. On game days, he’s so excited he’s practically dancing in the hallways. He really gets everyone revved up. I’m proud of all he did for us.”
At the plate, Siroki hit .361 with eight doubles and drove in a team-leading 27 RBIs out of the cleanup spot in the Vikings’ batting order. He also scored 16 runs and did a solid job in the outfield.
“I really just had to put the ball in play because there were always runners on base when I came up,” Siroki said. “I felt more pressure last season, when I was usually batting in the middle of order and we were not putting up enough runs.”
Despite his success at the plate, Siroki’s future is on the mound at Mercer. He relies on two- and four-seam fastballs, a biting curve and a circle changeup, and he has been working to develop a cutter and a sinker.
Siroki drew interest from several colleges, but he opted to attend Mercer and stay close to home, at least for now.
“I’ve been at the gym pretty much every day this summer, and I’ve been working with a pitching coach every other day,” he said. “[Mercer wants] me to pitch, and I want to be ready. We have 20 games this fall. It’s one of the best junior college programs in the country, and I’m hoping it will help me go further in baseball.”
Nally, who played shortstop for South Brunswick, is likely to play the same position and possibly some second base at Middlesex. A co-captain for the Vikings, Nally hit .319 with 15 RBIs and scored 23 runs.
One of Nally’s brightest moments came when he turned his diving stop of a groundball up the middle into a game-ending double play to help preserve a 4-2 win over Old Bridge High School. Nally teamed with second baseman Ryan Moran to give South Brunswick a strong defense up the middle.
“Sean is a quiet leader — he just shows up, does all the little things and plays hard,” Hendricks said. “Even when he’s not having a great day, Sean will find some way to contribute and finds ways to help us win.”
Like Siroki, Nally had some interest from colleges. Although a strong student, he decided to stay local for the time being before choosing a four-year school.
“I’m looking forward to playing in the fall and getting to know my teammates,” he said. “I want to show the coaches what I can do and, hopefully, earn a starting spot. I consider myself a smart player, whether it’s on the bases, making the right choice in the field or just getting the bat on the ball.”
Nally, who also played basketball for South Brunswick, said he was glad to end his high school career with a strong tournament run.
“It was a good feeling because it was something we were able to do as a team,” he said.
