POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — Lynnfield native Jordan Roper’s college baseball journey hasn’t been the smoothest of roads. A Lynnfield High product and three-year starter for Pioneers coach John O’Brien, Roper started his collegiate career at Assumption College. After a season with the Greyhounds, Roper transferred to Northern Essex where he spent the 2016 season.
Now Roper’s a redshirt junior at Division I Marist, where he’s emerged as an integral part of the team’s batting order while taking on a new position as a starting outfielder. Through 33 games this spring, 32 of them starts, Roper has compiled 29 hits, 15 RBI and two home runs for a .271 batting average.
All while bouncing back into the mix of things after missing the entire 2017 season with a wrist injury.
“I wanted to play every single game, which I have so far,” Roper said. “I was out all last season. These coaches invested a lot in me. I don’t look at stats or any of the numbers. At the end of the day, none of that matters. I only care about getting the wins.
“I’ll never be 100 percent but I can promise everybody that I’m going to give 100 percent,” Roper added. “We really put our bodies to the test with the things we go through on a daily basis. We’re all giving it everything we’ve got.”
In addition to bouncing back into action after 2017’s injury, Roper has also found himself a home at Marist. He gained a positive impression from the school’s campus on a tour and never looked back after making his commitment.
“I learned a lot from the two other schools,” Roper said. “I knew what I was coming back into. I went with my heart and my gut. I took a visit here and I fell in love with the campus. The guys here, I met some of them playing in the Futures (Collegiate Baseball) League. The bonds we have here remind me of the bonds I created at Northern Essex and Lynnfield.”
And that “home” feeling isn’t limited to the diamond. Roper, a finance major, has also seen success in the classroom at Marist.
“This place is unbelievable when it comes to academics,” Roper said. “It shocked me as to how much the professors care for us as people. I have professors reaching out to me when we’re on the road, filling me in and making sure I get my work in. It has definitely made me appreciate academics even more.”
The Red Foxes are finding their groove as of late as Marist has won 10 of its last 12 games. Five of those victories have come against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponents. Marist is 9-1 at home, 18-15 overall.
Mental confidence has been the key through Marist’s recent surge.
“I think we’re gaining confidence,” Roper said. “We’ve been getting punched and knocked down but we haven’t stopped. We got punched by some good teams early in the season. We’re mentally tougher now. We’re being resilient, we’re bouncing back and we’re realizing that we’re a tough team. It’s starting to click for us.”
With Marist well into the swing of its MAAC schedule, the Red Foxes are on the upturn with good timing. Roper believes the team’s early season slate of tough non-conference games helped the Red Foxes prepare for what they’re competing against in the MAAC.
“The goal is to always play your perfect baseball but if we had to pick a time to turn an extra gear on, this is it,” Roper said. “We’re at the point of the season where it’s make or break. The non-conference games teach you to be resilient and show you what else is out there. The thing I got the most is that those teams aren’t far away from us. We can hang with those guys if we come to play. Playing our best baseball through the rest of the season is everything. It’s make or break now.”
Marist has 15 games remaining in its regular season schedule. Roper and the Red Foxes battle Army West Point tonight (6:35) in the 13th Annual Hudson Valley Baseball Classic.
“We have to be mentally strong enough to get through the adversity that comes with every game,” Roper said. “I’ve seen a lot of teams with all the talent in the world but they can’t close it out because of mental toughness. We have to be engaged and stop worrying about the competition. We have to become the competition. When we’re good, we’re dynamic.”
