Philip Scott, a junior, has been on the baseball team since his freshman year.
Photo credit: Daniel Collins
Life as a Montclair State University outfielder has been full of ups and downs, but Philip Scott wouldn’t have it any other way.
Scott, a junior who has been on the team since his freshman year, has been passionate about the game of baseball since he began playing around the age of five. For him, playing for Montclair State has been a very positive experience.
“My best memory would be my freshman year when we came back from Florida,” Scott said. “We [started] kind of slow, we lost four straight, and I think we went on a 10 to 12 game winning streak and made it to the NJAC Championship. That is the [most] memorable moment in my career so far.”
Although seasons were sometimes unpredictable, Scott said that he’s enjoyed every day of playing for the Red Hawks.
“I would describe [the seasons] as up and down,” Scott said. “There’s times where I’m great [and] the team is great and playing at a high level. There’s times where we’re down and kind of struggling a bit, but to be a good team, you’ve got to be great all the time.”
Scott said that it feels “awesome” to be playing for Montclair State, and that he was looking for a school that would fit well for him when he began the college process. “I found Montclair State, and I came here as a freshman,” he said. “I got to play, and it’s a great feeling.”
Scott’s teammates have admired his passion for the game, whether it is during the team’s practices or on game days.
“It’s been pretty good [playing with Scott],” junior outfielder Ryan Long said. “He’s a great athlete and center fielder, and I play with him in right field. We’re throwing partners, we have a good relationship, we’ve been playing together since freshmen year, and we’ve gotten along better each year.”
In addition to standing out to his teammates and peers, Scott’s leadership qualities have impressed Head Coach Jared Holowaty.“More so than anyone else, [Scott’s] done a great job, from being a quiet, good ball player when he arrived here [to] opening up and blossoming and being a very vocal leader,” Holowaty said. “That, along with his physical attributes — [He came] in strong but young, and now he’s grown into his body. He’s done a heck of a job not only in performance and playing, but being a leader.”
“My personal goals are just to get better,” Scott said. “To keep working hard, [because] you know, there’s a lot of things you can work on because you know you’re never going to be perfect.”
One of Scott’s major accomplishments at Montclair State included being chosen for the New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association (NJCBA) All-Rookie Team in 2014. This season, he has a .325 batting average with three doubles, one home run and 20 RBIs.
Scott said he’s motivated by the love of the game and that a player needs to enjoy doing so and have fun with it in order to play the game at a high level.
Scott also played in the American Baseball Collegiate League last summer in South Carolina, stressing that baseball is a game that needs to be played all the time. Scott makes it a priority always to stay active, saying that when he’s not working out in the batting cages, he’s throwing.
The outfielder found his passion for the game during his freshman year of high school. He played football and baseball, but was a starter on the varsity baseball team. His performance that year ultimately drove his decision to stick with baseball.
Scott stressed the amount of pride that he takes in putting on his jersey and playing the sport he loves at a school he thinks so highly of. “It’s an honor,” Scott said. “You know, [it’s] not every day somebody who’s playing baseball gets to put on a uniform. Guys who love baseball sometimes don’t get a chance to play. It’s an honor to be a part of this organization.”
Scott credits Holowaty and his high school, Paulsboro High, for having a big impact on his baseball career. He said his high school coach was very supportive — always telling him what type of player he was, and if he was great all the time, he could go a long way.
When Scott arrived at Montclair State, Holowaty guided him, acting like a mentor. He showed him what to do and what not to do. Scott added that Holowaty’s presence alone helped him out a lot.
After college, Scott said he hopes to take baseball with him to the major leagues and, if that isn’t the case, he said he would consider coaching. Scott feels that he is knowledgeable and wants to pass that on to younger players.
Scott also made sure to share his words of wisdom for high school players trying to pursue a career in college baseball, — saying that any player who loves playing should try to play in college.
“I had a friend who was a good baseball player,” Scott said. “We went to high school together, and he decided not to [play in college], and every day, he’ll call me and he’ll say that he wished he played baseball in college. Whether you make it or not, just try to play, because when you have a love for something, when it’s not there anymore, it hurts.”
