Major League Baseball

U.S. Navy vet makes college debut as pitcher ... at age 34

Published Apr. 29, 2015 6:41 p.m. ET

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Sam Gardner

When Tim Montez first met Brian Holcomb at the Jacksonville University baseball complex on a hot day in June, the second-year manager never could have imagined that Holcomb might one day play for his team. After all, the 34-year-old didn't exactly look the part of a Division I baseball player.

But there Holcomb was on Tuesday night, on the mound at the stadium where he and Montez first shook hands, making his first career start for the Dolphins against visiting Georgia Southern.

Holcomb faced one batter, allowing a single to 22-year-old Eagles outfielder Kody Adams before Montez emerged from the dugout to remove his starter from the game.

In a matter of five pitches, the 17-year Navy veteran got to live a scenario he'd played out in his head countless times over and gave his team and the university a moment they'll never forget.

"I never expected to be out there, but after 17 years in the military, I wanted to fulfill a lifelong dream," Holcomb told FOX Sports in a phone interview Wednesday. "I told myself that if I ever got accepted to the Navy's commissioning program and had a chance to go to a school that has a baseball team, I was going to try out for the team. So I did."

Nearly two decades before he made his first collegiate appearance, Holcomb was a star at Mason High School in Michigan, not far from the campus of Michigan State University. Holcomb went 4-1 with a 1.90 ERA in 67 1/3…“ innings as a senior, but after graduation, he chose not to pursue baseball, but a career in the military instead.

During his time in the Navy --€” a career that, to this point, has taken him on tours of duty from Iraq to Asia to Africa --€” Holcomb enrolled in the Navy Nurse Corps Association, and after 17 years, he began pursuing a nursing degree at Jacksonville with the intention of returning to the Navy.

One might think that Holcomb would have reservations about approaching Montez to discuss a spot on the team. After all, what business did a guy in his mid-30s have playing with a bunch of kids who were in diapers when he last pitched? But Holcomb didn't want to spend the rest of his life wondering what could've been and had no trouble convincing himself it was worth a shot.

"That was the million dollar question going in, and everybody thought I was crazy," Holcomb said. "But people who know me really well will tell you that if there's an opportunity that comes by me, I jump on it. I never shy away from it."

So after talking with Montez last summer, Holcomb showed up to a tryout Montez had organized in the fall.

"He came out in September, we had a little two-day thing, but at that time, I had about 36 on my roster, and by NCAA rules, I can only carry 35," Montez told FOX Sports. "He was short on his skill set, as a pitcher, and I basically had to tell him we weren't going to be able to keep him, but that if he wanted to be part of the program, he could stay involved as a student manager, if he chose that route."

"Things didn't go well (at the tryout) but they liked my story and they liked the fact that I served and liked all these things," Holcomb added. "They thought I'd be a good asset to the program, and I said I didn't care what it was they wanted me to do, I would do it. I just wanted to be around baseball."

Holcomb ultimately never became a student manager, but continued to show up to the complex and work out on his own. Then after a rash of injuries opened up a spot on the active roster, Montez came to Holcomb with an offer.

"I went back to Brian and said, 'Listen, I have a roster spot. Would you be interested in being part of the club?'" Montez said. "I told him we'd have to hold him as accountable as the other guys as far as going to class and conditioning and 6 a.m. workouts, which were no problem for him. He was thrilled to death to be part of the program, and he's been with us ever since January."

However, it wasn't until March that Holcomb got approval from the NCAA to play, and with only two midweek, non-conference games left on the schedule, Montez decided Tuesday was the perfect time for Holcomb's debut.

"I was just thinking about things, watching him interact with the players," Montez said. "He was doing everything he was supposed to be doing, going to class, being a good role model and working his butt off out here. So when I started thinking about it, I know his 8-year-old son comes out as much as he can, his folks are local here, and I just thought that it would be a great opportunity, because this opportunity won't be available next year because we'll have a full roster.

Brian Holcomb and teammates during the national anthem.

"So this was his one shot," Montez continued. "He really appreciated it, and there was a lot of excitement from a young man who's dedicated his life to the service of our country. I thought it was the least we could do as a program and a university to give him an chance to start a ballgame and see his name the lineup card."

As the starting pitcher, Holcomb also got to choose which uniform the team would wear for the game. He went with a green jersey, white pants and -- naturally --€” a camo hat. And even though his nerves were a mess, Holcomb delivered a fastball for a strike on the first pitch of his career.

"I had a lot of people telling me, 'If you don't get that first strike across, you might as well forget everything,' and I was like, 'You know what? You're right,'" Holcomb said. "I knew what I needed to do, and it was pitch for pitch, and that's what we talk about here. You live in the moment, throw the ball and reset and don't think about what happened last.

"While I was out there, I had zeroed in on hearing my son, Dylan, in the stands," Holcomb added. "I could hear him saying, 'Strike him out Daddy, come on Daddy,' and that's all I focused on. That's what it's all about."

After working the count to 2-2, Adams lined a single into right, and with that, Holcomb's start -- and most likely his career -- was over. Zero innings pitched, one hit and no runs in a no-decision.

"That was probably one of the top moments in my 28 years of coaching, to be able to see that transpire, and to be able to look up as I was coming back to the dugout and see his son with the biggest smile on his face that I've ever seen," Montez said. "I have a 13-year-old son --€” I've got three boys of my own, three grandkids --€” and to see him be so proud of his dad was just a highlight of my career."

And while he'd have preferred not to give up that hit, Holcomb still says the night went perfectly.

"I wish I could have struck the guy out, but I was glad to be out there doing it," Holcomb said. "I wasn't really thinking about this being for me, though. I was thinking about my family being there through all of the physical and mental things I've had to go through to get to this point.

"I looked up there and I saw my mom and my dad --€” my dad has Parkinson's and hardly went to my games in high school because he was following my brother, who was playing at about the same time --€” so it was neat to have them up there to see that."

Holcomb's start is now in the books, and he isn't likely to see another appearance this year, but his presence will still be felt in the JU dugout.

"He'll just keep being a factor in the clubhouse and being a motivator like he has been," Montez said. "I think the players have really embraced him. He's been part of the ultimate team with his military career, and there's nobody who knows better than him what it means to be part of a team."

Added Holcomb: "Last night was something, obviously, I'll cherish for the rest of my life, but I'm also such a competitor and have such a driven spirit that I don't want it to end. I just want to keep going out there and keep playing ballgames and keep doing my job. But this is a team that can hopefully go places, and if me being on the team helps in any way, then that's all I ever really wanted to do."

And it's that approach that led Montez to bring Holcomb on board --€” and give him his one shot --€” in the first place.

"I told this to my coaching staff: We get so caught up in what's going on in the field that we sometimes forget to put into perspective what's going on off the field," Montez said. "Since taking over the program last year, we've been trying to do things the right way with our players and going to class and graduating and academics, and winning ballgames is important, but I think last night, what our players saw kind of put things in perspective for them.

"We play a boys' game, and bottom line is, it's more important what these young men become when they leave here. We've got great leadership in this athletic department, from our new AD, Donnie Homer, to our new president, Tim Cost, who's a former JU baseball player, and we're going to be fine when it's all said and done with how successful we are on the baseball field. But we're building something bigger here, and Brian was a big part of that last night."

You can follow Sam Gardner on Twitter or email him at samgardnerfox@gmail.com.

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