Hopatcong Senior Ends Career With 100 Hits

Rob Nadrowski didn't just want it for himself. He also wanted it for his family, his friends and his teammates, who began clapping for him each time he stepped to the plate weeks ago.

"I had to get it," the senior designated hitter said. "I had to get it for everybody else and me."

Nadrowski got it in his first at-bat, career hit No. 100, in Tuesday's 18-2 loss to North Hunterdon at the Homer Dome. It was the Chiefs' last game, a tough finale for a crew whose regular season ended with a No. 3 seed in the playoffs and a first-round exit.

Nadrowski earned the milestone on an 0-2 fastball, which he ripped up the middle, just outside the reach of second baseman Billy Steinberg. When he reached first, a car horn blared from the parking lot, a long burst followed by shorter beeps. As fans cheered the senior, assistant head coach Jason Mulvihill called a timeout and retrieved the ball.

Another Hopatcong player's 100th hit ball sits behind glass near Hopatcong's gymnasium.

"My dad probably wants me to keep [the ball]," he said. "But I think it would be cool if it stayed in the high school. I could go back and visit it."

Nadrowski, who finished the game 1-for-2 and will attend the County College of Morris in the fall, rebounded from a torn right ACL suffered during preseason football to hit the mark. He said he still wasn't fully recovered.

"The season definitely was rough," he said. "But that was a great way to end it."

Nadrowski wasn't alone in his quest to 100. Three other Chiefs finished their careers within shouting distance of the mark. Center fielder Joe LoBue ended his four years on varsity with 97 hits. Josh Bishop, a left fielder, finished with 95 and catcher D.J. Ross had 90.

LoBue was responsible for Hopatcong's only runs. His two-run blast to center field off Steve Broodworth, who will pitch for Division I Wagner College next fall, came in the third inning with Scootie Fisher on base.

The players might have come closer to the milestone if it weren't for seven rainouts. But the team rescheduled four games after the playoffs.

Assistant coach Jason Mulvihil said LoBue, Ross and Bishop had impressive careers despite falling short of 100 hits.

"Yeah, it would have been a great accomplishment," he said. "But so is 99 (hits). So is 98. So is 95. They're all great accomplishments when you look at it like that. You understand that they're one in the same."