By Darius Thigpen
LongwoodLancers.com

FARMVILLE, VA. - "Man, that's a tough one," Janos Briscoe says as he ponders the latest question. He gazes towards the ceiling as if the answer will materialize from the fluorescent light overhead. Briscoe contemplates which makes him more nervous: being in the middle of a crucial on-field situation or the moments before dealing with his off-field duties? Does the lifestyle as a Division I athlete cause more stress than one of his two highly stressful part-time jobs?

Like many college students, Briscoe has a loaded schedule. Briscoe, a transfer from Volunteer State Community College, has settled into his schedule since getting to Farmville, Va., in August ahead of his first season with the Lancers. He has classes to attend, though this day he gets out of class early since it's the first week of classes after the winter break. As a student-athlete Briscoe has workouts, practices, and team activities that litter his calendar. He also has a pair of unique part-time jobs; Briscoe is a volunteer firefighter and reserve police officer.

Briscoe balances his baseball life and his multiple public service roles. It's not an easy undertaking, but he attributes his ability to do so to his mom and his upbringing. Now a 6-2 junior outfielder at Longwood, Briscoe grew up a nine-hour car ride west from Longwood's campus in Bowling Green, Ky., raised primarily by his mother, Leslie.

"I grew up around a lot of family and we were all very involved in the community," Briscoe said, thinking back to his childhood. "It was an athletic lifestyle, and of course I was raised right by my mom."

As a kid, Briscoe played multiple sports, including basketball, but he never lost sight of his first sport love: baseball. It's a sport he shares with his father, Janos, who played baseball at Western Kentucky and played two seasons in the minor leagues in the Texas Rangers system after being drafted in the 34th round of the 1994 MLB Draft. The younger Janos Briscoe can only remember bits and pieces of his father's playing days, but those moments certainly had an impact on Briscoe in his formative years.

"I guess baseball is in my gene pool," Briscoe said with a smile. "I saw baseball one day, started playing it, and I've been playing it since I could walk. I'm living out a dream of mine."

Baseball was certainly a big part of Briscoe's life as an athlete, but the game had an even bigger impact of his life away from the diamond.

As a high school junior in 2011 at Warren East in Bowling Green, Ky., his team found success on the field en route to district and region championships. While Briscoe found success on the field, a teammate of his issued him a challenge away from it.

"One of my buddies had an uncle who worked as a firefighter and when he was planning on joining his uncle and signing up at the department he told me to come on out," Briscoe recalled. "He just said, 'Man, come on out, I think you'll have a lot of fun.' I started working as a firefighter and since then it's been going strong - I love it."

On his teammate's recommendation, Briscoe signed up to be a volunteer at the Gott Fire Department and has since worked with the Richardsville Fire Department. Working as a volunteer means doing work at the station, preparing the equipment and the trucks for the next emergency, and always being mentally prepared for when the bell rings.

"Yes, I've run into a burning building a couple times," Briscoe answers without hesitation. "In the moment you really don't think about it, but after everything is over and you're going home the reality sets in. Sometimes the thought occurs that you may not make it out, but while it's going on you're just focused on helping whoever needs help."

Playing baseball and volunteering as a firefighter was Briscoe's reality in high school. With his high school career nearing an end, Briscoe only had two offers to play in college, both from junior colleges. For the volunteer firefighter the decision was made to go an hour south to the "Volunteer State" at Volunteer State Community College.

Gallatin, Tenn., was the next stop of Briscoe's journey and year one was certainly a success. He hit .302 in 32 games with eight home runs and put up a .417 on base percentage. Relatively close to home and playing well, Briscoe had a quick start to his collegiate career. Then adversity struck in the form of an injury in May of 2013 that required surgery, which forced Briscoe to sit out during his second year at Volunteer State.

"I got hurt and I honestly thought it was going to be the end of my career," Briscoe said, thinking back to his lost season. "I worked hard doing what I had to do staying active faithfully."

The injury Briscoe suffered shut him down for 2014 on the field, but life continued away from baseball. As a sophomore in academic standing, he was nearing the completion of his Associates Degree of Applied Science in Criminal Justice.

In his Criminal Justice Career Planning course, which is designed for students nearing graduation, Briscoe's professor spent class time preparing the students for job interviews, which would be a part of the class' curriculum. For the mock interviews the professor brought in lieutenants and administrators from the nearby Gallatin Police Department. Briscoe found himself in front of the higher-ups from the department and they were blown away by his interview. After the interviews he and a few of his classmates were approached about training to become reserve officers. In September 2014 Briscoe and three of his classmates graduated to become Gallatin Police Reserve Officers.

Briscoe, already working to get back on the field for 2015 and a volunteer firefighter back home, was now facing another part-time job as a police officer. Like tracking down a deep fly ball in the gap, Briscoe needed to adjust on the fly to his new course, but he embraced the challenge then and continues to work at the Gallatin Police Department.

"I've loved it," Briscoe said of his time as a reserve officer. "The best part has just been being a human to other people. A lot of people think that police officers get a big head because you put a badge on, but as an officer you just need to be down to earth and treat others like human beings. It's a good feel. You should always treat people with the same respect you would want if you were in their situation."

The reserve police officer made it back onto the field in 2015, and Briscoe picked up right where he left off in 2013. Playing with sophomore eligibility, he played in 27 games and hit .343 with an on base percentage of .561 and had a .643 slugging percentage. Briscoe was no longer watching the game from the sidelines, but was back in the mix as a baseball player.

Being a reserve officer is much like being a volunteer firefighter or a reserve in baseball. He's not in the line of duty every day, but Briscoe proudly serves his community and is expected to live up to the same standard the full-time officers are held to.

Briscoe may be a reserve as a firefighter and as a police officer, but he's expected to have a much different role with the Longwood baseball team in 2016. Longwood's second-year head coach Ryan Mau brought in Briscoe and six other transfer students to help build up the program. Mau, entering 2016 after a 22-34 (9-15 Big South) record in his first season, hopes Briscoe will be a nice addition to the middle of the order and a stalwart in the outfield. Mau also believes Briscoe will be as important in the clubhouse as on the field.

"Janos is a great guy to be around and will be a great addition to our team," Mau said of his right fielder. "He's developing as a team leader on the field and is a citizen leader off the field."

As he enters his first season with the Lancers, Briscoe is thankful for the opportunity to play for Longwood and the role Mau and his staff have played in preparing the junior for his rookie season in the Big South.

"Coach Mau, coach (Chad Oxendine), coach (Daniel Wood), and coach (Travis Thomas) have taught me to trust the process and that everything else falls into place. I'm hoping to make a mark here at Longwood. As always, I have to give credit where it's due, give all the glory to the man upstairs!"

Briscoe, sitting comfortably with his left leg crossed over his right, leans back into his seat as he formulates his answer to the question. Which makes him more nervous: the moments before going on a run with a firefighting crew, the moments before going on patrol as a police officer, or facing a tough left-handed pitcher with a 1-2 count against him in a big baseball game?

"I'm going to go with facing a lefty with a 1-2 count," Briscoe, a left-handed hitter, reveals. "Lefties are pretty tough to face. Any of the three is a difficult challenge, but for each you have to do what it takes to get over the hump."

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