LYNNFIELD –– Lynnfield native and Seton Hall infielder Jonathan Luders says that playing for the North Shore Navigators among college-level baseball players like himself has made the transition from high school to college easier.
Speaking about his college baseball experience and his impending future Monday, Luders said that in the beginning, it was humbling.
Luders is entering his senior year at Seton Hall academically, but athletically he will be considered a junior and have another year of eligibility due to COVID.
On transitioning from high school baseball to college, Luders said, “It was an adjustment for sure … I struggled early on my freshman year like I was not the biggest strongest guy. It was humbling.”
He added, “It was humbling for sure, but I am really grateful for that experience because I just had to put my head down and keep going.”
It is clear that the beginning struggles have helped fuel Luders as he has improved every year. Last season, he hit .358 with 14 RBIs in 30 games played.
One significant thing that has helped his game, according to Luders, is his time playing with the North Shore Navigators of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL).
“I am super grateful for the North Shore Navigators’ organization. I have been there for three years … and I cannot say enough good things about their organization. I love playing for them, it is right in my backyard.”
“Just to continue to learn and grow a little bit each season, picking up different things and just getting more experience playing has helped me overall as a player. So I think just overall a lot more baseball and good competition has helped me develop even more,” said Luders.
Looking toward the future, Luders is focused on several different avenues, both inside and outside of baseball.
“As long as I love playing baseball, I want to play as long as I can. I would love to play professional baseball, and if I got the opportunity to play a fifth year, I would love to play a fifth year,” said Luders.
Either way, Luders will be fine with whatever comes his way.
“Whatever happens, it will be okay whether I am taking a fifth year, whether that is professional baseball. I just want to keep working and keep loving what I am doing. I think that is the most important thing for me,” he said.
He is also studying psychology at Seton Hall, which may help him in another future pursuit: teaching.
“If I take a fifth year, I would love to get my master’s degree in secondary education or at least work towards that. I think I want to go into the teaching field of some sort,” said Luders.
As for his upcoming season at Seton Hall, Luders and his teammates have a lofty goal.
“The ultimate goal would be to win the Big East Championship. We have not done that in – I think it has been around 10 or 11 years. It has been too long,” said Luders.
Nevertheless, he emphasized that it is one step at a time, saying, “Obviously, you cannot really control that yet. You have to control the process of working out, making sure you are doing all the other things that are actually controllable, and the winning will take care of itself.”
