Joined by their coach, Brad Ganor, Saint Ignatius senior tri-captains Dave Gallagher, Jack McLinden and Kevin Hopkins relaxed in the Wirtz Pavilion earlier this week and talked about their program's identity.
Like many spring sports teams around the state, the accomplishments of Wildcats baseball are sometimes overlooked. And there are many reasons for that – Mother Nature playing havoc in the spring, the starting times of weekday games being between 4:15 and 4:30 p.m. and, in Saint Ignatius' case, the fact the 'Cats usually play only a handful of "home games."
This season, for example, Saint Ignatius has just four home games on its schedule and one of those, an April 15 matchup with University School, is listed as "site to be determined." After starting their spring with eight consecutive road games, the 'Cats are slated to play their first home game on April 13 against St. Vincent-St. Mary in Bohlken Park Bohlken Park is located in Fairview Park.
"I view us, for lack of a better term, as a blue-collar program," said Gallagher, whose .413 batting average, .587 slugging percentage, nine doubles, three home runs, 32 runs batted in, 32 runs scored and solid play at third base helped Saint Ignatius to a school-record third consecutive state final-four appearance last year. "Yeah, it's nice to have fans at our games, but whether we have fans or not, it's not going to stop us from going out there and doing our business. We're going to play hard whether there's five fans in the stands or 5,000."
Gallagher, who is being recruited by major-college programs, also will be part of the Wildcats' main pitching rotation this spring and is expected to play shortstop and third base. He will be joined on the varsity team this year by his brother, Colin, a junior infielder.
McLinden, a 6-foot-5 right-handed pitcher and a four-year member of the varsity, said baseball season, compared with sports that compete once a week, is more of a grind.
"You're playing five days a week,'' said McLinden, a Bucknell University recruit who was 4-0 last season with 21 strikeouts in 22.1 innings pitched. "It's not something that (fans) can be there every day of the week supporting you. But we're out there working hard and focusing on the playoffs and our ultimate goals. For us, it's as much about improving every day and making the ultimate run.
"Coach Ganor always says we have to peak at the right time."
Hopkins, one of the more pesky lead-off hitters in the area and a versatile defender who can play all of the outfield positions, has seen it from both sides as far as attendance at games is concerned..
As a standout safety and special-teams player in football, Hopkins has competed in front of crowds that usually total anywhere between 8,000 and 10,000, and some higher than that. A "small crowd" for a Saint Ignatius football game is about 6,000.
"I kind of have a different insight," said Hopkins, whose hustle and team-first approach earned him one of the baseball team's prestigious Coaches Cups last year. "All week it's practicing hard in football and the big game is either Friday night or Saturday night, and that's what everyone comes to see. In baseball, you're also practicing hard and if you're not practicing you have a game. It's usually a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday game, and if it is on the weekend it's usually a tournament in Toledo, South Carolina or somewhere where if we get more people than our parents to come, that's great for us."
"Hoppy," as Kevin is known to his teammates and friends, supported what we alluded to earlier in the story – just call Coach Ganor and Co. the road warriors.
Saint Ignatius has made 10 big-school state final-four appearances in baseball, including six since 2000. The 'Cats were Division I state champions in spring of 2002 and were state runners-up in 2000 and 2008.
Coach Ganor, who will take a career record of 119-33 into this season, his sixth as the Wildcats' skipper, will also feature one of the premier hitters in the area in senior infielder/pitcher Mike Burke, a University of Buffalo recruit.
In helping Saint Ignatius to 25 victories in 33 games last year, the quiet, yet good natured Burke set a school record by hitting .573 with a slugging percentage of .907. He had eight doubles, a triple and 36 RBI, and said goodbye to Mr. Rawlings five times. That's home runs for you new fans.
On the mound, Burke was 3-2. He was the 'Cats' co-Offensive Player of the Year in '09, his fielding garnered him a share of the team's Defensive Player of the Year honor with Gallagher and he earned a spot on The Plain Dealer's seven-county All-Star Team.
A right-hander, Burke will be joined near the top of the rotation by McLinden, Gallagher, who is also a right-hander, and senior right-hander David Deliz, who was 4-1 last year with 22 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched.
Among the other names to remember are senior Kory Gillissie, a football standout and a .353 hitter in '09 who has exceptional wheels in center field; junior Cory Finkler, who takes over the starting duties behind the plate; junior first baseman Mike Horejsei; junior outfielders Neal Jacobs and Joe Greco; Colin Gallagher (mentioned above); junior designated hitter and football linebacker Tyler Kette; sophomore catcher Andrew Piscioneri; senior infielder Kairee Tekra, who has prevailed after being cut three previous times; senior infielder Zach Seybert; and pitchers Brian Lehto, a senior right-hander, junior right-handers Marques Pagan and Mason Halter, who are fresh off basketball season, and sophomore left-hander Zach Shockley.
"I talk to these guys a lot about the success the program has had," Coach Ganor said. "They weren't even born back in the early '90s when the team was making a final-four trip. Since I've been here (12 years overall), the slogan on all of our baseball stuff that we send out is 'Building on a Tradition of Excellence.' We're just building on top of what was already put in place. Those teams in the mid-90s were pretty good."
And so are the current Wildcats who, after setting the school mark with three consecutive trips to the final four, have the opportunity to become the first Division I baseball program in Ohio to make four consecutive final-four appearances.
"I think this year what is going to pay off in the end is that we have a great group of kids," Ganor said. "They have all bought in and are all on the same page. You know it's special playing here at Saint Ignatius. You have 160 kids try out for the program and 19 kids make the varsity team. That's pretty special and I try to remind them of that.
"No matter what they do in college or beyond, there is nothing more special than playing for Saint Ignatius High School."
SUCCESS PAYING FUTURE DIVIDENDS: A number that Coach Ganor is very proud of, and should be, is that through his first five years as the Wildcats' skipper, the program has produced 27 college baseball scholarships. And more will be coming this season.
TALL ORDER: It might be safe to say there isn't a taller pitching staff in Ohio than the one Saint Ignatius will throw at you this season. No, there isn't a 6-10 Randy Johnson look a like. But how about 6-7 junior right-hander Mason Halter, who happens to be an offensive tackle in football and a post player in basketball, 6-6 senior right-hander Brian Lehto, 6-5 sophomore left-hander Zak Shockley, 6-5 senior right-hander Jack McLinden, 6-4 senior right-hander David Deliz and 6-4 junior right-hander Marques Pagan? "And then we have the short guys in Burke and Gallagher," joked Coach Ganor.
LONG-DISTANCE FANS: Dave Gallagher revealed that he lived in Ireland for about eight months as a younger kid. He said his parents' homeland is in Achill Island, County Mayo. Thanks to the efforts of Dave's mom, the relatives in the Emerald Isle have become fans of "The Corner." This spring they will have two Gallaghers to follow and to that I say, "Erin Go Bragh."
DEMANDING SLATE: As we mentioned above, the 'Cats open their season with eight consecutive road games, including four in South Carolina during the Easter break Coach Ganor's team is scheduled to begin its season at Gilmour Academy on Monday at 4:30 p.m. On Tuesday, the 'Cats travel to the Northern Ohio Complex in Strongsville to face talent-laden St. Edward at 4:30 and on Wednesday, March 31, it's off to Westlake to take on Coach Jeff Short's Demons at 6 p.m.
After a high noon matchup with the Mayfield Wildcats and Ohio State baseball recruit Tim Wetzel on April 5, Saint Ignatius will head for Hartsville, South Carolina, where its first game will be against Maryland power Archbishop Spalding on April 7 at 1:15 p.m. The bus will leave Saint Ignatius when the clock strikes midnight on April 6.
Other highlights on the who's who schedule are the annual Strongsville Tournament on April 17-18, where the Wildcats will face the Strongsville Mustangs, defending Division II state champion Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin and Mentor, an April 23 date with the Avon Lake Shoremen in Progressive Field (5:30 p.m.) and the annual Ohio Jesuit Tournament, which this year is being played in Toledo on April 24-25. Saint Ignatius is scheduled to play Division II state runner-up Walsh Jesuit and Cincinnati St. Xavier at noon and 3:30 p.m., respectively, in Ned Skeldon Stadium on the 24th. On Sunday, the 25th, the 'Cats will take on the Titans from St. John's Jesuit at St. John's. The first pitch will be 3 p.m.
TEAMS TO BEAT: Baseball can be a fickle sport, but right now it appears Walsh Jesuit, St. Edward and Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin are getting the most preseason attention. Walsh Jesuit has one the deepest teams in the state, St. Edward is again led by All-Americans Stetson Allie (pitcher/middle infielder) and Alex Lavisky (catcher), the two premier players in Ohio, and NDCL? Well, by now you should know that veteran coach Jim Clark will have the Lions roaring again in May. I promise you the same thing can be said about the 'Cats come May, if not sooner.