It didn't take long for Brett Holland to figure out it was going to take some work to make the adjustment from high school to college baseball.

All this Baldwin High School graduate needed to see was one 95 mph fastball thrown by Brad Lincoln.

Holland's first at-bat for Monmouth University came on Feb. 24, 2006, against the University of Houston and its highly touted, hard-throwing right-hander, who a few months later would be the No. 4 overall pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Major League Baseball draft.

"In high school, you're lucky to face a pitcher who can throw 80 mph," Holland said. "Now, I was stepping in against Brad Lincoln. You're so nervous. It was like a totally different game. It was such a huge jump."

Holland has finished his junior season with the Hawks, and it was easily his most successful. A switch-hitting outfielder, he was named to the New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association second-team. He posted career highs with a .326 batting average, 42 hits, 33 runs, 30 RBIs and 18 stolen bases in 53 games (43 starts) to help Monmouth win the Northeast Conference regular season championship.

"Personally, I'm pretty happy with how the season went," he said.

Holland can trace his success back to the lesson he learned that first game, when he grounded out, walked and struck out against Lincoln.

"I had to get stronger," he said, "so I started hitting the weight room. I worked on my swing in the weight room. I learned how to lift the right way, I got into a nice little routine, and I got better."

Holland, a 5-foot-11, 175 pounder, said he has gained nearly 20 pounds since his freshman season. His success on the field has been a gradual process.

He hit .207 as a freshman, collecting 12 hits in 30 games including 19 starts. His playing time increased his sophomore year, and his statistics improved slightly. He played 59 games, including 35 starts, and hit .228 with 28 hits.

Holland's breakthrough came early this season in a 26-5 rout of the New Jersey Institute of Technology on March 30. Holland, who entered the game in the sixth inning, went 3 for 3 with four RBIs.

"I can honestly say that game, that one moment, made a huge difference," he said. "After that game, everything started clicking, and I went on a tear. From there, my season was outstanding."

Holland's performance against New Jersey Tech started a stretch where he hit safely in eight of nine games and batted .454 (15 for 33).

"It's like the game starts to slow down for you," Holland said. "With experience, you start to know how the game is going to be. You get used to guys throwing hard. Things like that don't make a difference now."

Monmouth, which won 26 of 27 games at one point, finished the season 37-16 following back-to-back losses to Mount St. Mary's in the NEC Tournament's championship round.

After reaching the NCAA tournament in 2007 -- where Monmouth suffered close defeats to Arizona State and Nebraska -- it was a disappointing finish for Holland and the Hawks.

"Going into the season, we had high expectations to win the NEC and return to the [NCAA] regionals," Holland said. "When we went into the conference tournament, we kind of overlooked the fact we could actually lose. We already thought we were locked into going back to the regionals. We came up one game short. It happens. That's baseball."

Holland, who currently is playing for the Allegheny A's of the Tri-State Collegiate League, has one goal for his senior season.

"I want to get back to the regionals," he said. "This time, I want to take it one step at a time."