Alana Sueskind

Monday Alumni Update: Tommy McCarthy

8/31/2020 10:37:00 AM

By: Barry Beal

Every Monday, TCNJ Athletics will check in with an alum from one of its programs. Today, it's 2019 graduate Tommy McCarthy, a baseball alum. Tommy, a native of Allentown, N.J., majored in communications and minored in management.

In a paragraph or two, talk about what you've done since you've left TCNJ:

Since I left TCNJ, I have done everything that I can to be involved in sports and in baseball, especially. Right after graduation, I accepted a job as an assistant baseball coach at Rider University. I spent the summer recruiting and working camps as a coach and also started taking Graduate School classes online but still had the desire to play baseball in some capacity. When I was doing homework one day last year I got a call from a Professional Independent League team in Gary, Ind., called the Gary SouthShore RailCats, and I was fortunate enough to sign a contract with them to pursue my dream of playing professional baseball. Once I signed that contract, my attention turned solely to preparing for the 2020 season. Due to everything going on this year, our season was cancelled, but there have been a few leagues that have been able to play in some capacity. So far this year I have been lucky enough to play for the New Jersey Blasters, and currently I am playing with the New Jersey Jackals for the remainder of their season.

What has been your favorite professional experience?

My favorite experience came this summer when I was playing with the Blasters. Being that the stadium was so close to home, I was able to play in front of my friends and family every weekend. For the first time since I was 9, I was able to play on my birthday. Having my college teammates and friends there was something that was very special and a day I'll never forget.

Do you stay in contact with any of your old teammates or coaches?

I talk to my teammates and coaches from TCNJ on a daily basis. They are my best friends and people that I lean on, on a daily basis in both baseball and just in life in general. We try and get together as much as possible and since we are such a local school I've even run into some teammates randomly at restaurants and even run into [former assistant coach] Rich Gawlak on the boardwalk. Coach Glus was able to make it to my first game this summer for the Blasters, and seeing him and my old teammates there was pretty special. With all the guys, if we haven't seen each other in over a year or two it seems like nothing has changed and we pick up right where we left off.

What is one thing you miss most about playing sports at TCNJ?

The number one thing that I miss about playing sports at TCNJ was the energy that we played with and the fact that it wasn't just your team, it was everyone in the athletic department. When there was a sporting event on campus, we all knew about it. We all tried to get there for at least some of the game because we were all just so close. One of the most underrated parts of TCNJ is how all of our athletic facilities are right smack in the middle of campus. Even if people are just walking by, they stop and watch the games and you see people there all the time that you see at other sporting events and other events on campus.

What about what you miss most about being a student at TCNJ, either academically or socially?

I think most people will agree with me by saying that they miss the social environment of college especially during everything we've experienced this year with the pandemic. I miss living with my best friends and being around my teammates every day. I also miss the competitive atmosphere of TCNJ. Whether it was on the field or in the classroom, you are constantly being pushed and you learn a lot about yourself and your teammates during those times. On the field, the success of other teams pushed us to be better and to go farther. At the same time, you were pulling for every other team to be successful. At any game on campus, you saw other athletes there supporting the other teams and that is something that I think is special and that you don't see at every school.

What is your favorite memory as a TCNJ athlete either in competition, in practice, traveling or socially?

My favorite memories have to be winning the conference championship in my sophomore and senior seasons. I don't have the best memory when it comes to certain moments that happen during games, but those are two games that I can still picture the final moments of as if they were yesterday. Being able to dog pile at the end of a game and just celebrating with your teammates and friends is a feeling that is unlike any other.

Is there anything your coaches said during your playing career that still sticks with you now?

I don't know if there's one particular moment or saying that I remember but I do remember the team culture that was created because of things that were said. We preached about being a family on a daily basis and it really became one from a very early stage. Our class was brought in by an awesome group of guys above us from the sophomores to the seniors. They were guys that showed us how good this program could be and they paved the way for us to pass down the traditions and the lessons that they were taught. Especially during moments of adversity on and off the field, those are the guys you lean on because they are your family. When one of you is hurting, you're all hurting.

What would you say to a student-athlete who is considering attending TCNJ?

Do it. It's not very often that you get the combination of athletics and academics offered at TCNJ. It can be challenging at times but it will be the best decision of your life. When I transferred into TCNJ it was because I saw how much my brother loved being there and being part of the baseball team. I tell people on a daily basis that transferring to TCNJ was the best decision of my life and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Do you have any advice for current TCNJ student-athletes?

Savor every single moment that you have at TCNJ. Make the most out of every opportunity you are given and run with it. I miss the 6 a.m. lifts, the 5 a.m. practices, and all the things that we dreaded the thought of when we were actually doing them. Now, I would do anything physically possible to be given that opportunity one more time.

Final Thoughts:

I can't thank everyone at TCNJ enough for the opportunities I was given and the people that I met along the way. From the Athletic administrators, to Coach Savela, to the athletic training staff, to the sports information department, to the facilities and gameday staff workers and so many others, I just wanted to say thank you for an incredible four years and for everything that you did for me, and so many others.

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