For starters: Sophomore right-hander will be the ace of the 2005 pitching staff after a stellar rookie campaign, which including a victory over NJAC Tournament-bound Montclair State…One of three returning letter-winners from 2004, along with Anthony Caivano and Paul Geiger…His five wins in 2004 tied for fifth on the single-season list. Has career record of 5-5 in 10 starts over 63.1 innings…Has a terrific curveball and constantly baffles batters with his ability to change speeds.
2004: Motacki enjoyed a solid rookie campaign, finishing 5-5 with a 6.39 ERA and two complete games over 63.1 innings…Had 11 appearances and 10 starts…Reeled off 40 strikeouts with only 24 walks…Allowed 45 earned runs (58 total) and 73 hits…Allowed 21 extra base hits as a rookie, mostly doubles (15)…Charges with four wild pitches, one balk and 10 hit batters…Most notable win was a victory at Montclair State, the No. 2 team in the New Jersey Athletic Conference standings…Five victories tie for fifth most in single-season history, while his 10 starts are second most for one year…His 40 strikeouts in 2004 ranks tied for 19th on the single season charts…Opponents batted .273 against him, which ranks second lowest for one year at NJCU since 2000…(03/06, Thiel): Made first career appearance in relief in loss, and pitched brilliantly, allowing no runs and just five hits, with two strikeouts and one walk in 4.2 innings…(03/09, Muskingum College): Made first career start in loss, allowing two earned runs (four total) and just four singles with four strikeouts and two walks over 6.0 innings…(03/15, USMMA): Earned first career win in 7-3 victory…Needed just 104 pitched to toss his first career complete game and lowered his ERA to 0.98, scattered five hits and two earned runs (three total) with three K’s and two walks over nine innings…(03/23, Baruch): Improved to 2-1 overall, cold weather 14-6 win, allowing just three runs and five hits with three strikeouts and a walk in a scheduled four-inning start…(03/27, Polytechnic): Ledger increased to 3-1 in a 7-6 win…Allowed two earned runs (six total) and only three hits in five innings, with five strikeouts and three walks…(04/02, Kean): Pitched well in 6-4 loss, his first match-up with a NJAC opponent, allowing five earned runs (six total) and eight hits with two strikeouts and two walks over seven innings…(04/08, Montclair): In most impressive performance of his career, struck out a career-high seven batters, improving to 4-2 overall and threw well enough to give the Knights a chance against the hot-hitting Red Hawks, as NJCU prevailed over Montclair on the road, 10-8…Allowed eight runs and 11 hits with seven walks in the contest…(04/16, Kean): Dropped to 4-3 overall with a 16-6 loss …Lasted 2.1 innings, allowing nine earned runs (12 total) and eight hits with three strikeouts and three walks in 2.1 innings…(04/20, Baruch): Was the winning pitcher in the most lop-sided victory in school history as NJCU crushed the Bearcats, 33-1…Record improved to 5-3, as he allowed just one runs and four hits, striking out four and walking none in a scheduled four-inning start…(04/24, Rutgers-Camden): Fell to 5-4 overall in 7-1 loss, allowing seven runs and 11 hits with three strikeouts and two walks over 8.1 innings…Was terrific early on, facing just three over the minimum in the first four innings…(05/01, Richard Stockton): Finished season at 5-5 after losing, 17-2…Threw four innings, allowing six earned runs (eight overall) and nine hits, with four strikeouts and one walk.
High School: A June 2002 graduate of Union High School in Union, NJ with a 2.5 GPA…Played four years of high school baseball, including two seasons on the varsity level for coaches Mike Hamberg, Marc Crisafi, and Brian Gechtman…Finished career with a 9-1 record…Went 3-0 as a senior in 2002, and helped lead the Farmers to the 2002 Group 4 state championship, its first since 1974, a 26-3 record and the No. 1 overall ranking in the state of New Jersey…Also played in the 2002 Union County final…Was 6-1 on the mound as a junior, and batted .379 with one homerun at second base, as he split time between varsity and junior varsity...Won three complete-game efforts in the J.V. county playoffs as a junior in 2001, before losing a 2-1 decision in the Union County J.V. Tournament championship game to Westfield, allowing two unearned run in the first inning before shutting down his opponent the rest of the way…Also played in the 2001 Watchung Conference J.V. championship game. A high school teammate of current NJCU players Tom Cruder, Rob Sumner, and Ruben Borges.
Personal: Born November 09, 1984 in Union, NJ…Full name is Robert E. Motacki, Jr.…Nickname is “Bones” and “Ace”…Parents are Kathy and Bob Motacki…Has two younger siblings, a 17-year-old sister, Lisa, and a 13-year-old brother, John…Major at NJCU is Special Education…Has completed 51 credits towards a degree at the start of the academic year…Career objective is to become a special ed teacher at a childrens’ specialized hospital…also interested in becoming a high school baseball coach…Bats right-handed, throws left-handed…When not in class or on the field, spends countless time working with sick and ventilator-dependant children at the Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, a pediatric rehabilitation hospital providing medical, developmental, educational, and rehabilitative services for infants, children, adolescents, and young adults…His mother was an employee at the hospital, but now is a professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University…His father, Bob, earned his master’s degree from then-Jersey City State College in 1989…Was the AAU coach for his brother in 2003, and served as the team’s assistant coach in summer 2004…Interests include all sports, particularly baseball…Lists New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter as his hero…Yankees are his favorite team…Listens to Bruce Springsteen…Favorite movies are “For Love of the Game” and “Fight Club”…Favorite food is steak.
Favorites:
Hobbies/interest: All sports, baseball
NJCU Class: Writing
Hero/Idol: Derek Jeter
Sports Team: New York Yankees
Song: “Atlantic City” and “The Rivier”
Music Artist: Bruce Springsteen
Movie: For Love of the Game, Fight Club
Food: Steak
What do you like most about NJCU? It’s not too big or too small.
What do you like most about Coach Heaton? He’s very caring and motivating, and always there to help his players.
Year ERA W-L App GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO
2004.... 6.39 5-5 11 10 2 0/0 0 63.1 73 58 45 24 40
TOTAL... 6.39 5-5 11 10 2 0/0 0 63.1 73 58 45 24 40
2006 Highlights: (03/02 Preview): The 2005 CUNYAC Pitcher of the Year and Second-Team All-Association of Division III Independens selection needs two wins to become NJCU's career leader in victories. He returns, stronger than ever, after a 6-3 season whihc he tossed four complete-games, including the fourth no-hitter in program history. He had a 3.80 ERA a year ago, making 11 starts. He will lead the mound for the Knights...(03/13 vs. Farmingdale State University): Entered the game in a rare relief in the fifth inning, allowing one hit with a strikeout and two walks, to even his record at 1-1 this season, and tied the career wins record of 12. He became the ninth pitcher in school history to record 100 career strikeouts...(03/21vs. Lehman College): Attempting to become NJCU's all-time wins leader, took the loss (1-2), allowing 12 earned runs and 14 hits, one K, two walkes, and three hit batters in 5.1 innings...(04/21 vs. Ramapo College): Junior right-hander was again bidding to become the winningest pitcher in NJCU history, but for his fifth consecutive start, did not earn the win. In a no-decision effort, he pitched will, allowing just three earned runs, (five total) and five hits with two strikeouts and two walked in 5.2 innings...(04/27 vs. Montclair State University): Faced only one batter in relief in the eighth inning, but took the hard-luck loss (1-5) against MSU...(04/29 vs. Rowan University): Brilliantly pitched through 3.2 innings of relief, scattering just four singles while striking our two against Rowan...
