BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

Mike and Mary Brach won’t have to worry about splitting time watching their sons, Brad and Brett, play college baseball.

They’ll both be pitching for Monmouth University.

Brad Brach is getting ready to start his sophomore year at Monmouth, while recently younger brother Brett made it official that he will play for the Hawks next fall. The Freehold Township High School senior went early decision and is signed, sealed and all but delivered to the West Long Branch campus.

Teaming up with older brother Brad in college wasn’t by design, Brett pointed out. Other Division I programs were pursuing him, but it was Dean Ehehalt’s Hawks who had what he was looking for.

“It was a lot of coincidences, I never planned it,” he said. “I liked the school. They treated me real good. I had the feeling they wanted me. I liked it there.”

Monmouth’s location in West Long Branch played a role in the recruiting process as well.

“I wanted to stay in a situation where my parents could see me play,” Brett said. “They love it.”

Mike Brach said that he and his wife had occasionally thought about the possibility of Brad and Brett playing together in college, but without thinking it would actually happen. Then, Monmouth University began recruiting Brett during the summer and the possibility became reality.

“It’s exciting,” said Mike Brach. “We’re happy about it. It worked out great.

“They’ll pull for each other,” he added. “Brad will be able to show Brett the ropes.”

Throughout the recruiting process, Brad remained neutral, according to Brett. He told his younger brother that he didn’t have a problem with his coming to Monmouth. Brad did give him some helpful advice as to what to look for in the recruiting process.

“He told me not to make a decision too quick, that I had to go where I thought was best for me,” Brett said.

That turned out to be Monmouth.

In a way, Brad’s playing at Monmouth did turn out to have an influence on Brett. He went to several of Monmouth’s games last season and picked up a feel for college baseball there.

“Brad told me about the team and the coaching staff, and I saw his improvement over the year,” said Brett. “He had a pitching coach and he was telling me about pitching mechanics.”

Brad believes that Monmouth is a good fit for his brother.

“Education is the biggest thing,” he said. “I told him you wanted to look for somewhere where he had the possibility to play. Monmouth University has a good program, but it’s not a factory where you get lost.”

The Hawk sophomore is looking forward to playing with his brother.

“I think it should be a lot of fun,” said Brad Brach. “In high school, we played one game in the infield together, and one or two basketball games where we were on the court at the same time.

“I’ve been talking to him about it and I think it’s awesome [their playing together at Monmouth],” he said.

Some of the pieces of wisdom that Brad has given to his younger brother were learned his freshman year.

“You have to get ahead of the hitters,” he said. “You have less of a zone to make a mistake with hitters in college than you do high school.

“There’s a lot more work,” he added. “From day one in September when you start school until May, it’s constantly about baseball.”

For Brad Brach, the baseball season began this week with the first workouts of the 2006 season. Monmouth’s season will officially start on Feb. 24 in Houston, Texas.

Brad had a superb freshman season at Monmouth. He went 6-4 and led the team in wins. Monmouth was 30-24 and was one victory away from playing in the NCAA tournament.

Brett Brach is busy trying to help the boys basketball team win a third straight public school Shore Conference A North Division title. It’s one of the reasons he went early decision. He didn’t want anything to hang over him during the basketball season.

But come March, it will be time for his senior year at Freehold Township, a season in which he hopes the wisdom he learned from Brad can be put to use on the diamond and the Patriots can at least match Brad’s senior year at Freehold Township, when the Pats won the A North title and advanced to the Central Jersey Group IV title game.