From Lion to Lyon
Lincoln’s Marques advanced to D-III World Series
LINCOLN – Trevor Marques admitted being quite nervous as he stood on the mound at Peoples Bank Park in York, Penn. on May 22.
Just a freshman for the Wheaton College baseball squad, the 2016 Lincoln High product was about to start his first playoff game, which just happened to be against Shenandoah University of Virginia in the Lyons’ second tilt of the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament.
“Considering it was my freshman year, I never would’ve imagined we’d go so far.” – Lincoln’s Trevor Marques
“It was a late game, starting at about 10:30 (p.m.), and I was thinking beforehand, ‘How am I going to last?’” he stated. “I just figured I was going to try to do everything I could to keep (opponents) off the bases.”
That pep talk, known only to himself, proved providential, as he whirled a spectacular four-hitter with four walks and nine whiffs in the Lyons’ 6-0 triumph over the Hornets.
Wheaton, which already had edged Elizabethtown (N.J.), went on to secure a 6-1 win over Johns Hopkins, then dropped a 5-4 decision to Shenandoah to force a winner-take-all title tilt against the same Hornets.
The Lyons won that, 1-0, to secure a bid to the NCAA D-III World Series in Appleton, Wis.
Marques and Co. didn’t fare as well at Fox Cities Stadium, home of the minor-league Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, losing games to eventual national champion Cal Lutheran (4-2), then the neighboring University of Massachusetts-Boston (3-2).
He nevertheless said he was thrilled with the experience.
“Considering it was my freshman year, I never would’ve imagined we’d go so far,” stated Marques, who in the Series opener lasted five full frames, yielding five hits, two runs (one earned) and four passes while fanning seven. “Being in that scenario, seeing all the people in the stadium going ballistic, it was surreal.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better year,” he added. “Of course, we wanted to win the national championship, but it was an incredible first year. Being in a spot like that is something I’ll never forget.”
Nowadays, Marques is serving as a first baseman/designated hitter for the Upper Deck Post 86/14 American Legion team, the reason being he wanted to rest his golden right arm for the state Legion playoffs later this summer. He also indicated, however, he has achieved the rest he wanted, and is now ready to play the role of ace for UD.
“I’ve been relieving for Upper Deck, throwing an inning here and there, because I wanted to take some time off the hill after the (collegiate) season,” he said. “I’m prepared to start now, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Prior to representing Wheaton this past spring and the previous fall, Marques was one of many keys to Upper Deck’s impressive run to the American Legion World Series in Shelby, N.C. last August. It not only captured its second consecutive state title, but also sailed to the Northeast Regional crown in Bristol, Conn.
UD finished fifth nationally, so success is something in which Marques has become quite accustomed.
It nevertheless has been a long, painful, tedious road Marques has traveled over the past 12-plus months.
The talented all-division and All-State selection for the Lions had suffered a shoulder injury early last summer, so he couldn’t serve as a starter.
“During the fall, after I got to Wheaton, I played ‘Fall Ball’ but didn’t pitch,” he explained. “My shoulder felt numb and tired. I talked to my (Wheaton) manager, Eric Podbelski, and pitching coach, Frank Holbrook, and they put me on a throwing program. I did some hitting, and a lot of running, but that was about it.”
Slowly but surely, his shoulder/arm began to feel stronger, more healthy.
“Early in the season, they used me as a closer, and – as time went on – I began to see more innings in relief,” he stated. “Toward the second half of the season, they began prepping me for a starting role. I learned a lot about caring for my arm, like what you need to do leading up to a start.
“I was on a program where you incorporate running, or conditioning, with bullpen and flat-ground sessions. Say I’d start one day, and the next day I’d some light throwing and a lot of running. In fact, you run every single day between starts. I’d also do some long-toss one day, then a bullpen session the next, then a flat-ground.
“I’d work on my location and mechanics. I did a flat-ground the day before; I was told we as pitchers do that because you can get more tired throwing off a mound. A flat-ground is a lighter workout, so you feel stronger.
“I also learned a lot about command – hitting your spots and working the zones. There are a lot more details in college pitching; the coaches have charts on opposing batters from past games, or from seasons prior.”
Marques started five games and finished with a 3-2 record and a terrific 2.89 ERA. In 43.2 frames, he yielded 22 walks and fanned 53. In addition, he mustered one save in nine relief appearances.
The Lyons rolled to a 12-5 regularseason mark in the New England Women’s & Men’s Athletic Conference, and – following the two defeats in World Series action – closed at 27-17. They failed to win the NEWMAC Tournament title, losing to Babson in the semifinals, but did earn a berth in the NCAA regional due to their strength of schedule.
Marques mentioned he never thought he’d have the same kind of experience his first campaign at Wheaton that he had a week or two before his first class. As stated, Upper Deck reigned in the R.I and Northeast Regional events, and manufactured a phenomenal 40-6 record.
He did so under the guidance of UD skipper Steve Reynolds Jr. and a loaded coaching staff, including pitching coach Jay Rainville, who was drafted and played minor-league ball for the Minnesota Twins organization.
Reynolds Jr. and his staff chose to resign after the 2016 summer, for the most part to spend more time with their young and growing families. Ex-Collette Vacations/Riverside Post 10 manager Jim Mello and able assistants Matt Allard and Mike Murphy took over the helm this Legion season at Reynolds Jr.’s request.
“I don’t have the luxury of really comparing Trevor and his improvement from last summer, but I can say I saw him as a spectator of sorts in two high school games his senior year at Lincoln,” offered Mello, who’s a pitching coach for St. Raphael Academy veteran mentor Tom Sorrentine. “I remember one game, it was a cold, nasty day, but he must have hit the mid-80s (in mph), as usual.
“I remember him coming out to play first base, and I’d shoot the breeze with him,” he added. “When you come across guys with an extraordinary amount of talent, you want to pick their brain, see what makes them tick. I will say this, with him playing for Lincoln and me coaching Saints, he’s still a really easy kid to root for.
“The sky’s the limit for him. It’s only been five weeks with me being at Upper Deck, but he’s got all of his work in. He makes time to do all the things he needs to – bullpens, flat-ground, etc. He’s always running. I know he wanted to be starting a couple of weeks ago, but we told him, ‘Not so fast. You tell us when you’re feeling 100 percent.
“In Legion ball, we’re going to give a kid a lot of freedom, especially if he’s playing college. We want him to tell us because it’s not worth playing him in the long term. I mean, I’d rather lose than have a kid get hurt, especially when we know we’re going to need him in the playoffs. It doesn’t matter what position, but it matters more in pitching.”
Mello, though, indicated Marques will draw his first start of the UD campaign much sooner than later.
“He’s got so much experience,” he said. “That allows us to put Trevor in any position in any game, and we know it’s not going to be too big for him. He’s experienced a whole lot at a very high level, so we have faith in him, and he has a lot of confidence himself.
“It allows us all to breathe a lot easier. I have to say he’s a remarkable kid, a pleasure to be around and someone who knows the game – from every angle. With him, we should have a terrific playoff run.”