A.J. Murray, the baseball player, is one of the state's top catchers and his tremendous productivity at the scholastic level has translated into a great college situation as a future Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket. (photos courtesy of the Murrays)

A.J. Murray was one of Union County's top hitters during a superb junior season

As a football running back, Westfield's Murray is awfully tough to bring down. A.J. returns this fall as a two-way standout for Blue Devils. (Photo by Sean Buldiger)

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Murray was first at the Georgia Tech campus with the summer team he played on – the NJ Super Seven. It’s a mix between Cust Diamondbacks and South Jersey Arsenal.

At Georgia Tech, Murray’s team played in what was called the World Wood Bat Championships.

“There were 260 teams that went there,” Murray said. “Perfect Game hosted it. We were tied for fifth overall. We played eight games in six days and went 6-2.”

Murray ’s father Mike Sr., who played his collegiate ball at Kean College in Union before getting drafted in the 22 nd round by the Chicago White Sox following his senior season at Kean in June of 1984, accompanied A.J. at Georgia Tech during the tournament. Then he flew back to New Jersey, with A.J. going back to see the Georgia Tech coaches alone on July 11.

“I couldn’t talk to the coaches until we were finished in the tournament,” A.J. said. “I saw them alone that Sunday and made my decision then that I wanted to go there.”

Danny Hall has been the head baseball coach at Georgia Tech now for 16 seasons.

“I didn’t know Georgia Tech was that high on A.J. until the coach called and told me that Sunday night,” Mike Sr. said. “A.J. sat with the coaches that night and in 10 minutes they offered him a baseball scholarship.

“He then excused himself from the Georgia Tech baseball office, called me to tell me he wanted to commit there and then went back in and made his decision.

“Georgia Tech is one of the top baseball programs in the nation and one of the top universities. It’s a mix of exactly what I want for A.J. He’ll also be prepared academically to be successful in life.”

Georgia Tech baseball alums include retired Red Sox and Dodgers standout Nomar Garciaparra, present Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, present Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieders - who played against Mike Jr. in college - and present New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira.

“When I was there they took me around to see the football and baseball fields and the weight room,” Murray said. “I thought it was the perfect fit for me. The catching coach recruited me and my brother told me great things about him.

“The coaches sounded enthusiastic about me being there and my family was excited about me going there.”

Murray also strongly considered other ACC schools such as Maryland and Wake Forest, in addition to North Carolina.

“I was not going to be able to talk to the coaching staff at North Carolina until August,” Murray said. “I really loved the Georgia Tech campus and liked the people, including the coaches, I met there.

“I wanted to get this over with so I can start focusing on football and start getting into shape for that.”

Murray said at the time of the interview on July 15 that the baseball team he played on only had a handful of games remaining – all in state. There were no more tournaments.

“I missed three weeks of football as far as summer conditioning goes,” said Murray, who is listed at 6-2, 210. “I want to start getting back into that as soon as possible.”

Murray started in right field as a freshman in 2008 for Westfield head coach Bob Brewster while senior Justin Olsen was Brewster’s backstop. Olsen was listed as a freshman on the Rutgers baseball roster for the 2010 season.

Murray took over as the starting varsity catcher in 2009 and this past season earned First Team All-Union County honors from The Star-Ledger for the 18-9 Blue Devils. This spring he batted .482 (40-for-83) with 12 doubles, 33 runs, 26 RBI and a slugging percentage of .735.

One of the most heavily recruited catchers in the nation, Murray was also sought after mightily by the likes of Florida State, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Ole Miss, Baylor, Pepperdine and more.

As far as Rutgers and Seton Hall went, A.J. said, “I didn’t receive that much mail from Rutgers or Seton Hall. I talked to Seton Hall, but, mainly, I wanted to go south.”

Murray has been pushing himself hard as far as improving his defense behind the plate.

“Lately, I’ve been working on the mechanical stuff like throwing, footwork in place, taking tension off my arm and receiving the ball,” Murray said. “I’ve been working every day to sharpen my skills.”

A.J. also has professional aspirations like his brother Mike Jr. had while he was playing at Wake Forest.

Mike Jr. played on Westfield’s last Union County Tournament championship team his senior season in 2006. A.J. has helped lead the Blue Devils to the last three UCT championship games.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to play professional baseball,” Murray said. “It really sunk in when I saw my brother go into the draft.

“I saw how excited he was and that gives me a little more to work for.

“Now that I have made my college decision, that’s my first goal, to do well in college.”

Westfield's outstanding junior catcher A.J. Murray is a steady presence behind the plate as a top-flight receiver for the Blue Devil pitching staff. (photos courtesy of the Murrays)

Westfield's A.J. Murray excels at one of the toughest positions in the game of baseball

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