Everyone associated with Saint Ignatius' varsity baseball program realizes how much time and effort Wildcats senior infielder Zach Seybert puts in on a daily basis, whether it be in practice or in game competition.
It is those hours spent in the off-season, however, the three days a week of extra hitting and fielding at the Avon facility of former Saint Ignatius and University of Cincinnati baseball standout Neal French (now in the Yankees' organization) that appear to be paying off as Seybert secures his daily spot in Coach Brad Ganor's starting lineup.
Late Thursday afternoon at Gilmour Academy, Seybert's work ethic came to the fore several times during the Wildcats' 7-2 victory in a Cuyahoga River Baseball Conference matchup.
Fueling the offense in the second inning and coming up with a couple of defensive gems in the infield, Seybert helped Saint Ignatius improve to 2-0 on the young season, 1-0 in the CRBC.
“Zach made the plays,” said Coach Ganor, who referred to the victory over the Lancers as a game that wasn't pretty, yet one that builds character. He also cautioned his players about what lies ahead – a trip to Mayfield on Monday at noon to face one of the area's more potent offenses and then the 12-hour bus ride to Hartsville, South Carolina, where the 'Cats, in Coach Ganor's words, will face “four tremendous teams” from April 7-10.
Saint Ignatius' first game in South Carolina is against Maryland power Archbishop Spalding on April 7 at 1:15 p.m.
As for Thurday's game, the Wildcats were hoping to start as fast as they did on Wednesday night at Westlake, a 10-1 victory that began with Saint Ignatius scoring three times in the top of the first inning.
After a scoreless first inning at Gilmour, junior right fielder Neal Jacobs and Seybert got the offense on track with some clutch two-out hitting.
Jacobs singled to left, advanced to second on a pitch in the dirt and came around to score when Seybert lined a hard single up the middle that almost took the pitcher's glove along with it to center field.
The Lancers, who in 2008 joined Saint Ignatius, St. Edward and Walsh Jesuit as four teams from the same conference to advance to the OHSAA state baseball final four (Divisions I, II and IV), tied the score in the bottom of the third. Gilmour could have done further damage in the inning if it wasn't for a play by Seybert that saw the gritty second baseman make a split-second reaction to a ball that took a wicked hop to his right. Without any hesitation, he barehanded the ball and fired to first base to end the inning.
As always seems to be the case in baseball, the Wildcats rode the momentum from Seybert's defensive play to a three-run top of the fourth.
Senior Mike Burke, who was playing shortstop on Thursday, led off the fourth with a single to right-center field. After senior third baseman Dave Gallagher was hit by a pitch, junior designated hitter Cory Finkler hit a sharp grounder that the third baseman couldn't handle and the bases were loaded.
Jacobs came up big again, as he delivered a two-run single through the left side. After Saint Ignatius failed to execute a suicide squeeze, Seybert brought home the third run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to left-center field.
The Wildcats' defense continued to play a major role.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, senior Kory Gillissie flashed some of his football skills by breaking on the ball and making a diving one-handed catch in center field that definitely prevented a run from scoring. Gillissie's grab brought back memories of his dramatic diving touchdown reception against Glenville on opening night of 2009 in his home city of Parma.
Senior right-hander Jack McLinden, who is bound for Bucknell University this summer, worked four innings for the victory. In 70 pitches, he yielded three hits, struck out five and walked one.
Although the Lancers did manufacture a run against Saint Ignatius' Brian Lehto in the bottom of the fifth, the 6-foot-6 right-hander struck out the third batter in Gilmour's order with runners on second and third and one out, and closed out the inning by recording another strikeout with runners on second and third.
Leading, 4-2, the 'Cats put together a run in the top of the sixth on a two-out, nobody-on double by Finkler to deep left-center field and a beat-out-the-throw infield hit by Jacobs. In what was a true display of heads-up base running, senior infielder Kairee Tekra, who was pinch running for Finkler, scored all the way from second on Jacobs' grounder to the left side. Quite an impressive effort from a young man who has prevailed after being cut three times.
In the bottom of the sixth, Gallagher, a right-hander, pitched out of a bases-loaded situation and was the beneficiary of another highlight-reel play by Seybert, one that saw Zach make a diving stop to his right behind second base, get up and throw the runner out at first base. Seybert emphasized how much he learned from playing behind two major-college recruits last season – Frank DeSico (University of Notre Dame) and Brad Clement (Kansas State).
Saint Ignatius, which outhit Gilmour, 9-5, and played error-less baseball, took control in the top of the seventh. With one out, Gillissie drew a walk, senior Kevin Hopkins lined a base hit to left and, after some alert and aggressive base running put Gillissie at third and Hopkins at second, junior first baseman Mike Horejsei drove the ball to left center for a two-run double, his second two-bagger of the game.
Burke, another right-hander, wrapped up the victory by compiling two strikeouts and getting the final out on a bases-loaded pop up to Horejsei.