Every week when no. 31 goes to the mound for the Adelphi Panthers, they know they have a great chance for a victory. Having that caliber of pitcher in the NE-10 conference is of the utmost important, considering the quality of talent up-and-down the conference.
It would be easy for Jonathon Mulford to lose his focus being that it’s his senior season and there’s a good chance he’ll hear his name announced at some point during the MLB Draft which takes places from June 9-11 in Secaucus, NJ.
Still, the Massapequa native has remained focused on the team goals and has tried to block out the side chatter about his future.
“I would be lying if I said it wasn’t on my mind,” said the pitcher. “But I am focused on trying to win an NE-10 championship and play in the regionals.”
To this point in his career, the Panthers have failed to accomplish that feat, despite coming tantalizingly close on a couple of occasions. In 2014, they shocked No. 1 ranked Southern Connecticut in the first-round of the tournament with a 10-4 victory. Mulford got the start as a sophomore and dominated to the tune of 7.2 IP, allowing three earned runs with six strikeouts without walking a batter. They ended up advancing to the championship of the tournament against Southern New Hampshire—who had entered with 38 victories on the season.
Mulford went to the mound on short rest against a terrific team and did a very good job once again. He threw six innings, allowing two earned runs with four strikeouts. Unfortunately, that was not enough. The Panthers bats didn’t get anything going and their season ended on that note.
“That team at Adelphi was by far the most talented team I have ever played on,” said Mulford. “We clicked on the first day we arrived at practice and I believe that is the main reason we made a deep run.
Does it bother him having the finish line so close and finishing the deal?
“Of course, it’s frustrating because we were just two games away from advancing to the regional round,” he said. “Our coaching
staff always reminds us of the ‘unfinished business’ we have left to get back to the NE-10 Championship and hopefully get back at Southern New Hampshire.”
The following year, 2015, they won two games in the NE-10 tournament once again. They defeated Pace and New Haven to advance to the semifinals against Stonehill. They, unfortunately, had their dreams dashed.
Mulford had his best season from a statistical perspective. He compiled a 1.76 ERA over 66.1 IP and held the opposition to a .197 AVG. He received all sorts of accolades including Baseball on the Island’s All-Long Island Award.
This year, the Panthers have a strong team. They have been more than .500 from day one and have a strong core of freshmen and sophomores that bodes well for the future—even though Mulford will not be a part of those teams.
“We definitely have impact freshmen,” he said. They may need a few years of experience but when they’re juniors they could win an NE-10 championship.”
For now, Mulford is focusing only on what he can control—and that’s taking the ball every week against strong opponents and shutting them down.
For those interested in watching him compete, Mulford was selected to participate in the “Battle of the Border” on June 5, at Dowling College. The event will be consisted of the best college players from Nassau versus Suffolk. It will be truly his last opportunity to impress the MLB scouts prior to the June 9 draft date.
Just as he always has, Mulford is taking it all in stride and putting his team first.
