WHERE ARE THEY NOW? JEFF BARBALINARDO '95 '99M

A letterwinner from 1991-1995, Barbalinardo was named the NEC Rookie of the Year in 1991. As a senior in 1995, he led MU in doubles with 12 and RBI's with 35 while hitting .282 for the Blue and White. This followed a .286 season the prior year, driving in 23 runs and homering four times. He spent 22 seasons alongside Dean Ehehalt as an assistant coach, and recently has served as the color analyst for Monmouth Baseball broadcasts on ESPN3 and ESPN+. 

How were you able to transition from a playing career at Monmouth into a teaching role in Toms River?

It is what I always wanted to do, teach and coach after I was done playing. I was lucky enough to play for and learn from two iconic NJ coaches at the high school (Ken Frank - Toms River South) and college (Dean Ehehalt) levels. Watching them coach and seeing their passion for the game and molding people, not just baseball players, really was a blessing for me. So being able to coach with Dean at my alma mater and continue my education right after I graduated in 1995 obviously got me headed in the right direction. I received my Master of Arts in Teaching in 1999 and started teaching that fall at Toms River Intermediate West, which is one of the three schools I attended growing up in the Toms River district.

What have some challenges been as a educator during these different times, and how has the adjustment to virtual instruction been?

The students last spring were phenomenal with the transition to virtual when the pandemic hit. Kids today have grown up with screens and devices so that part of it was easy. I teach 6th grade Social Studies so using technology and chromebooks in my classroom has been a staple for several years now, so the adjustment for me was not a huge seismic event. I thought it actually helped many students who were quiet or shy in the classroom participate and be more involved in discussion by just typing comments to me on a screen. The difficult part of it for students was getting out of their routine, or not having a great space to learn at home. Competing with siblings for computer time and just not having that extra support that they would have when attending school in person. Hopefully we can all stay positive, be patient and get through it together. That we be my main message early on, that we are all in this together, let's make the most of it.

What is your fondest playing memory at Monmouth (game, moment, championship, etc.)? Similarly, what is your top moment from your time as a coach?

As a player there a few that come to mind. My second career game, we played the University of Minnesota at The University of Miami in Coral Gables, which is an iconic college baseball venue, especially back in the late 1980's and early 1990's. Minnesota had two future major leaguers on that team (Dan Wilson and Brent Gates). They blasted us, ha. But it was a great learning experience for me. I realized how much faster the game moved, how much better the defenders were, how much stronger I needed to get. Also ending my playing career with a Grand Slam in my last college AB is something that was pretty cool.

As a coach, this is an impossible question. First of all, I think it is unbelievable where the baseball program, facilities and the entire University are today. It really is an entirely different place from my playing days. All the former players from that era would echo that statement. I coached for 22 years and was lucky enough to enjoy so many outstanding moments, I could write a book!  Not just about certain games and championships, but traveling and seeing different parts of the country with the coaching staff and players. Unbelievable memories that I will never forget. Ok. I'll try to give you a few. David Santana's hit vs. Navy in Game 3 of the 1998 NCAA Play-In series to put us ahead and lead us to our first NCAA appearance in school history. David was a tremendous athlete. It was his junior year and he wasn't an everyday player. He hated that he wasn't an everyday player, as any competitor does. He was an outfielder, which were my guys. I always had a little bit closer relationship with them because that's who I coached on the defensive side. On days David wasn't in the starting lineup he was often visibly angry. I often felt the need to get him back on track mentally and make him understand how vital he was to his teammates whether he was in the lineup or not. That is easier said than done, but to his credit he was usually the loudest guy supporting his teammates in the dugout by the time the first pitch was thrown. I usually told him to hang in there and that he was going to be big for us at some point.  I felt so good for David, and seeing him be so emotionally happy after that game is something I'll never forget. (He was an every day player the next year in 1999 and had an outstanding senior year and helped lead us back to the NCAA tournament.) I always tried to tell that story to all the future players I coached who were not getting as much playing time as they thought they deserved.
 
Some of the great wins: 

• Beating University of San Francisco at Fresno State in 2005
• Beating University of Virginia (the year after their National Championship) in 2016
• Series win at the University of Central Florida in 2007

All the NCAA Tournament appearances we were sent to awesome sites. Unbelievable atmosphere:

• University of Florida at Gainesville in 1998
• Texas A&M in College Station in 1999
• Arizona State in Tempe in 2007
• Ole Miss in Oxford 2009

And some losses I still haven't gotten over:

• 2005 NEC Championship game loss to Quinnipiac (Just a great bunch of kids on that team)
• 2008 NEC Championship game loss to Mt. St. Mary's (Probably the best team I have ever been associated with coaching)

And the really cool places I got to go on a "Baseball Trip"

• Yosemite National Park
• Garden of the Gods in the Rocky Mts.
• Grassy Knoll and School Book Depository in Dallas, Texas
• Niagara Falls
• Downtown Nashville
• Navy Seal Base in Coronado, California

You coached for several years with Coach Ehehalt. What does he bring to the program to be able to coach at a high level for as long as he has?

• He is ridiculously driven to succeed, always looking for ways to improve and get better.
• He always had a vision to where he wanted the program to go and continues to strive for excellence
• Great teacher and listener
• He grew up playing in the Shore Conference on some great Middletown North teams, he understands what a great baseball area Monmouth and Ocean County are.  So getting local kids to stay close to home is important.  But it has been impressive with how the recruiting area has expanded greatly over the last 25 years. Getting players from all over the country now.

If you could give advice to a current Monmouth player, what would it be?

Currently...Hang in there!!!!  Tough break not finishing season last year. But baseball players (the good ones) are prepared to deal with adversity and look at the positives. Lean on your family, teammates and coaches to get through this rough stretch and come back better than ever. And have fun. This should be a great time in your life that you will never forget.

How did your time at Monmouth prepare you for life after graduation?

Playing a college sport gives you structure and routine immediately when arriving on campus. I definitely think that athletes have an advantage in learning time management right from the go, because from Day One the day is planned out for you. you always have someplace to be (Practice, study hall, lift, individual workout, team meetings, etc…). I also had some great professors which always helps.

Between your former teammates and coaches, who has had the most impact on your life?

Obviously Coach Ehehalt has had a significant impact on my life, by hiring me as an Assistant right after I graduated and allowing me to get my Masters degree in Teaching in my first few years coaching has allowed me to enjoy my life doing what I always wanted to do. I have two sisters so Coach Ehehalt has been like a brother to me and I am glad to call him one of my best friends today. I also learned from some great assistant coaches during the 22 years I was on the staff, and consider many of them close friends and happy to keep in touch with all those guys. Some teammates who impacted me would be Howie Deas and Matt Montenero who showed me how to go about being a college baseball player and the work ethic that was required, and for putting me in my place as a cocky freshman. Also John Garrabrant and TJ Magliozzo. John because we went to high school and college together and he is one of my best friends. He has always been in my corner. TJ was a guy who I competed against in high school and became a good friend. And they both have made me laugh for over 30 years now.

You have been able to be a part of the Monmouth Digital Network/ESPN broadcast team on several occasions. What has that experience been like for you, and was broadcasting something you ever imagined you would be doing?

I love it!!!! First of all, the job everyone involved in producing each broadcast does is amazing. Speaking for every player that played before the "digital" era; we all wish we could do it all over and be televised. I am in awe of how much goes into it and how easy Eddy and the crew make it look. I actually graduated with a Journalism and Public Relations degree (which I loved, and had great professors) and I thought I would go into broadcasting after my MLB career. But the MLB thing never materialized, haha. I think a lot of athletes picture themselves analyzing games for television after their playing days are over. I am just glad it keeps me close to the program and University that I love and have been in love with since watching my older sister Jen play soccer here in the late 1980's.
 
What has changed the most with the baseball program and the Monmouth Athletics department as a whole since your time as a student-athlete?

Well, the entire University and surrounding area is a different world from the place I graduated from in 1995. Pier Village in Long Branch and the rebirth of Asbury Park is really amazing. The campus is unrecognizable with the dorms, stadiums and arena that have been built since my time as a student. It is unbelievable how the landscape has changed. It really is awesome. I give so  much credit to Dean, Dr. McNeil and Jeff Stapleton for the baseball program progressing to where it is today.  Coach Ehehalt's determination and the support of the administration has been awesome. The Athletics program is definitely recognized throughout the country now, it is not just this small N.J. school anymore. Everything is so much better in the baseball program from my playing days….Better facilities, better travel, better uniforms, better meal money!