SCOTT RICH CLASS OF '00 YEAR OF INDUCTION: 2015 Failure is not an option for Scott Rich. “Every day is a new opportunity,” he says. “You can build on yesterday’s success or put its failures behind and start over again. “That’s the way life is, with a new game every day, and that’s the way baseball is.” One of the “new games” for Scott and Steinert High School baseball came in 1998. “Our sophomore year, on a varsity baseball team that was depleted in experience with the loss of numerous seniors,” he remembered the challenge for a young Spartan team. “(A team with) five sophomores and a freshman made the most of the opportunity. “My most memorable moment came on June 6, 1998, catching the final out on a fly ball against Bayonne High School in the Group IV state title game. The pitch was thrown by my good friend, freshman Michael Rogers. We won 3-2 and silenced critics who said our team was too young.” “He came in with a great group, a group that won three state championships in a row,” former SHS coach Rich Giallella said. “Three state championships plus (success with Hamilton Post 31 American Legion including a) World Series appearance with (Manager) Rick (Freeman). His impact was great.” Scott also played soccer at SHS and earned a total of six varsity letters. He was a leader in both sports and helped the Spartans capture division and conference championships. He set school records for career and single season home runs and earned All-State recognition. He was one of those “coachable kids” who sought success. “He was converted from a first baseman to outfield and he embraced it,” Giallella said. “He worked extremely hard to become a great outfielder. He was a middle-of-the-lineup guy, a scholarship-type player who went on to be successful at Rider (University). “He got better and better each year. He was just a very, very good athlete. He just grew, his impact was great as a sophomore and it increased. He broke records at Rider, got drafted by the Yankees...he was a baseball player, a good athlete, he could do it all.” Scott was inducted into the Rider Hall of Fame in 2012. A right fielder, he graduated from Rider with career records in hits (263), RBI (164), and doubles (63), as well as total bases, games played and at-bats. He was selected in the 21st round by the New York Yankees in the 2004 Amateur Baseball Draft. A homicide detective with the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, his law enforcement career began in 2008 as an officer with the Orlando Police Department. He is devoted to his wife Brandey and their young family. He also enjoys lifting weights, cycling, softball and watching sports. RETURN TO THE HALL OF FAME MEMBERS PAGE