By Jim Hague
Simply put, Connor Clare was born to play baseball.
As a youngster, Clare would spend countless hours with his father, Gary Sr. and his older brother, Gary Jr. learning the proper way to play the game.
“My Dad threw me right in with my brother,” Clare said of his older sibling who played college baseball at Drew University. “I did a lot of baseball work with them. My brother sacrificed a lot to play with me. I looked forward to playing college baseball for a long time. I always loved playing baseball.”
Clare decided to stay close to his home in Rutherford by attending Rutgers University-Newark.
Clare got to see his fair share of playing time as a freshman and sophomore, but he slumped badly last year, hitting just .208. He knew that the 2019 season was a make-or-break campaign for him.
“I knew that this was going to be a big year for me,” Clare said. “I really wanted to leave my mark this year, so I made sure I worked extra hard to get better.”
It meant doing drill work in 95-degree heat in the August sun while everyone else was enjoying summer fun.
“I was really confident in myself and my ability.” Clare said. “I had to prove without a shadow of a doubt that I could do the job. I really wanted to make an impact on the team, so I took it upon myself to improve. I had to put in the extra work to get better.”
There was another factor that Clare had to worry about – the new head coach.
In the offseason, Kevin Kelley was hired to take over the Scarlet Raiders baseball program.
Kelley didn’t have any preconceived notions about Clare, so the coach went into his first meeting knowing nothing about the incumbent first baseman.
“When I first saw him swing the bat, I thought he was a decent hitter,” Kelley said of Clare.
But Kelley watched Clare hit on a regular basis and his opinion improved with every swing.
“What I saw was a player who never expands the zone,” Kelley said. “He’s a very smart hitter. He’s a disciplined hitter. He goes after what the pitcher gives him. He’s not going to miss a fastball. And he’s bought into our philosophy about hitting. He’s learned to become patient.”
Clare also called upon the services of his best friend Kevin Tamsula to help him in the weight room.
“We’ve been lifting weights together,” Clare said. “He’s with me all the time. We lift for a couple of hours, then we go hit. As much free time we have, we’re always working. It’s been a lot of work, but I think it’s paying off.”
That’s for sure, because Clare is one of the top hitters in the Scarlet Raider lineup this season.
He’s become a fixture at first base and he’s third on the team in hitting with a .328 batting average. Clare has also hit two homers, one triple, and six doubles, and delivered 21 RBI, good for fourth on the squad.
Kelley likes what Clare brings to the Scarlet Raider lineup.
“I think he’s seeing better pitches to hit, for sure.” Kelley said. “I think he’s also more patient in the box. He doesn’t have to swing at the first pitch he sees. What I’ve learned over the years is that the first team to get to the opposing bullpen usually wins. You don’t have to be afraid to hit with two strikes.”
Kelley also likes Clare’s demeanor.
“He’s a very coachable kid,” Kelley said. “He’s very quiet. He never gets too high or too low. He’s confident, yet humble. I think he leads more by example than he does with his mouth.”
Clare agrees with his coach about being confident.
“I think I’m confident in myself and my ability, but I’m not cocky,” Clare said. “I think I pushed myself hard, but I’m also surrounded by great people. I knew that I put in the hard work, so I wasn’t too worried about getting a chance to play. I knew my hard work would translate into playing time. I think I also just sort of grew into my body. I could tell the difference, just maturing physically. I’m not that surprised about how well I’ve done. It’s how I expected myself to play. I’m just really confident in my ability. I really expect perfection in myself.”
Clare is majoring in supply chain management and is well on his way to earning his degree.
“I knew that Rutgers is a great business school and I would fit in well,” Clare said. “I knew that the NJAC is a great baseball league, maybe the best (NCAA) Division III league in the country. I was determined to make it all work.”
Clare said that he will look to secure an internship in his field over the summer.
“It’s a really big field with a lot of opportunities,” Clare said.
In the meantime, he’s just concentrating on trying to get the Scarlet Raiders as far as they can go in the NJAC Championship Tournament after a huge 6-4 win over top-seeded Rowan University yesterday that saw Clare contribute a run and RBI.
Needless to say, Kelley is glad he has a fixture now at first base for the remainder of this season, and the next one.
“I think what separates Connor from the rest is his work ethic,” Kelley said. “He’s taken that extra step to become a good ballplayer. I can’t say a bad thing about the kid. If I had about 33 more like him, I’d be fine. He just goes about business the right away. He sprints out on to the field and runs every fly ball out to second base. He’s just a great kid with great character and integrity. He’s the kind of kid that can turn a program around.”
And that’s exactly what a new head coach needs to have.
