Ex-Riverbat Bosnik reflects on his career
Photo courtesy of St. Bonaventure Athletics
By Paul Gotham
Jesse Bosnik may have retired from professional baseball, but the Brockport Riverbats alum still has a competitive fire. After three years in the minor leagues, the St. Mary’s, PA native decided to move on to the next phase of his life. For now that includes playing Division II basketball at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Looking back Bosnik understands what he gained from his experience in the New York Collegiate Baseball League.
Bosnik came to the NYCBL looking for experience, and he got it. He led the Riverbats in hitting (.333), runs scored (32), hits (52), home runs (2) and RBI (28).
Having started all 53 games of his freshman season at St. Bonaventure University, Bosnik hit .259 for the Atlantic 10 school. He scored 37 runs, drove in 30 and rapped 12 doubles.
“My freshman year at Bonaventure I struggled,” Bosnik said recently by phone. “I hadn’t played enough baseball against good competition. I didn’t have enough repetitions. I had the skills. I had the talent… The NYCBL basically gave me more reps on top of what I got in college.”
Bosnik and Jake Dennstedt’s Riverbats reached the playoffs where they swept through the Western Division before defeating Glens Falls two games to one in the 2008 NYCBL championship. Bosnik went 2-4 with a home run in Brockport’s 5-0 win in game one of the title series.
Click here to see the 2014 NYCBL schedule.
“The NYCBL was my coming-out party,” Bosnik noted. “You can take all the BPs in the world at 70 miles per hour. But until you get... Read more...
