It took a pandemic to do it, but sooner or later, Sean McGeehan was going to end up on the Rider University baseball team.
He has arrived in Lawrenceville for his final season of collegiate ball and has helped the Broncs to a 6-2 start, but the journey took some twists and turns.
When McGeehan was coming out of Nottingham High – having recorded the second most hits in New Jersey with 50 as a senior – then-coach Jim Maher urged Broncs skipper Barry Davis to take a look at the centerfielder, but Rider was well-stocked in the outfield. McGeehan eventually decided on Mercer County Community College.
“I figured I’d save some money, not go into massive debt right away, and still have a shot at Division I,” he said.
After McGeehan’s highly successful junior college career, during which he hit .319 with nine home runs, 37 RBI and eight doubles as a sophomore, the Broncs were still well stocked in the outfield so the Hamilton resident took his talents to St. John’s.
In his first NCAA appearance, while scuffling with a slight injury, McGeehan went 4-for-6 with three home runs, four RBIs and four runs scored in a doubleheader at Western Carolina.
“I had, like, the best series I ever had,” he said, adding with a laugh, “I should have hung up the cleats right then and there.”
The fleet outfielder hit just .259 that season but had a team-high six home runs along with 20 RBIs, 30 runs, five doubles and three triples. In last year’s aborted season, McGeehan batted .275 with 11 RBI in 13 games before COVID-19 shut down college athletics.
He decided to take advantage of the extra year of eligibility awarded to seniors and, after St. John’s turned down his request for increased money, Sean entered the transfer portal.
And finally, the Broncs needed an outfielder.
“We kind of missed the boat on him out of high school, so I was really excited he might have the opportunity to come to Rider,” Davis said. “This time we felt like we needed a centerfielder and he would add to what we think is a good club. In 2018 and ’19 we were nothing to write home about, and we added some young pieces. But he’s different, he’s got three full years of experience plus a couple games of a fourth year at St. John’s. He comes in with a baseball savvy and a baseball IQ. He understands how to play.
“It’s just an immediate impact without having to transform him from someone who doesn’t know what to do. He automatically has experience. It’s like putting Richard Petty into another car; you don’t have to tell him anything about how to drive it. So you plug him right in, you let him go and he has fallen in line with what we’re doing in terms of practices and how we handle things on a day to day basis.”
Having earned his degree in General Business from St. John’s in the fall, McGeehan signed with Rider this winter and is pursuing his MBA while playing one more year of baseball.
“I figured staying home and saving money was in my best interest,” said McGeehan, who led Nottingham to its first sectional title in program history and was The Times of Trenton’s 2016 Player of the Year.
Through is first eight games at Rider, McGeehan is hitting .269 out of the three-hole, leads the team with eight RBI, is tied for second with seven runs and is 4-for-4 in stolen bases. He is also playing his usual outstanding defense in center.
“I’ve been hitting the ball really well,” McGeehan said. “I got a little unlucky with some of the balls I hit. But that’s all right. I just go out and try to have fun and play hard every single day. I love the guys, they’re great, the coaches are great. It’s my last season; I just want to have as much fun as possible.”
It’s the kind of mature attitude that McGeehan felt he needed to develop after high school, both on and off the field. He gained it while playing for a Mercer program that went 48-14 and reached the NJCAA Division II World Series his freshman year.
“You really learn a lot about yourself and the game,” McGeehan said. “Junior College baseball is really gritty and you can learn a lot or literally just stay the same. It depends on how much you’re willing to put in. The learning opportunities are there, it’s just a case of how bad do you want to learn. Either you succeed or you don’t at the junior college level because a lot of it is self-motivation, self-discipline. It worked in my favor.”
Sean also did some growing up in Queens, as he got to travel extensively for Red Storm road trips, visiting the West Coast for the first time.
“It was a good experience,” he said. “I got to play at the Division I level and experience a lot of great things.”
McGeehan, who likes Rider’s chances of having a big year in the MAAC, is in a unique situation. He entered the program knowing just one coach and one player and his affable personality allowed him to make friends quickly. But having four years worth of college experience while still being the new guy makes it tough to become a full-fledged leader.
“I kind of stay the same no matter what,” McGeehan said. “I never really change based on the setting or scenario. I try to lead by example. I’m not going to step on anyone’s toes but at the same time I’m not gonna let anyone take it easy because at the end of the day we’re trying to win a championship. I don’t show a lot of tough love, but at same time I’m not gonna let guys underperform or not work up to their potential. I’ll definitely get on them if they need it.”
Davis feels the Broncs would be wise to harken any advice McGeehan lends.
“I don’t follow him around and hear everything he says, but I do know he quietly leads, talks, and they have no reason not to listen,” the veteran coach said. “He is someone who has had all the experience, has had the years, the failures, the successes. Why would you not listen to that? And if you don’t; you’re ignorant. You have a fixed mindset and that’s not what we want.
“He’s a guy that gives us quite a bit. If you’re around us every day, you would notice he doesn’t need everyone’s approval. He’s gonna play at his level. You can jump on his back and let him carry you or he’s just gonna take off without you. He’s done a great job so far, and I don’t anticipate him staying the same. He’s gonna get better.”
In other words, he was worth the wait.
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