Ohio City - Looking back on last season's 13-10 record, a spring that saw the Wildcats put together an eight-game winning streak before losing to eventual Division I State Runner-Up Strongsville in a District Final on the Mustangs' home field, Saint Ignatius' outstanding Head Baseball Coach Brad Ganor talked about what makes America's Pastime so special and, at the same time, so challenging.
"The frustrating thing about high school baseball is that even when you're playing your best baseball, which is always our goal to be playing our best at tournament time, when the other team has a real good pitcher (current Strongsville senior and Ohio University recruit Matt Brosky) and he is having a good day, that's how it goes," said Coach Ganor. "We had the lead in the sixth inning, but weren't able to finish it.
"I've been doing this long enough to know that we've certainly won games in the tournament when maybe we should have lost and games we've lost when I thought we had the better team," Coach Ganor continued. "Last year, I can't say that I thought we had the better team. That's just the nature of high school baseball."
His ability to handle the nature of spring's ritual and instill that same ability in the players he guides, is a major reason why Coach Ganor enters the 2018 season with a career record of 284-99. Named the Wildcats' Head Coach in 2005, Brad has guided his Wildcats to six Division I state final four appearances, including a Saint Ignatius baseball best three consecutive trips to state in 2007, '08 and '09. Coach Ganor's 2008 and 2013 'Cats were state runners-up.
Before being named Saint Ignatius' Varsity skipper, Coach Ganor was the top Assistant Coach/Pitching Coach for Coach Brian Morgan's 2000 State Runner-Up Team and 2002 State Championship Team. Brad helped hone the skills of the most successful pitcher in Saint Ignatius history, "The Big Lefty," Greg Moviel (a school-best 36 career victories). As Coach Brian Becker will tell you, Greg could also get it done on the basketball court.
As for his 2018 Wildcats, Coach Ganor emphasized that he is "excited" about the group of players he and his staff have the opportunity to coach.
"It's a tremendously talented group," said Coach Ganor. "It's a little younger than what we've had traditionally, as some of our key guys are going to be sophomores and juniors. But then there is veteran leadership like Tommy and Drew."
Tommy Grosel, a senior pitcher/first baseman, is a four-year Varsity player who has been a member of two state final four teams as a freshman and a sophomore, and Drew Asadorian, a senior catcher who calls a great game, is a three-year Varsity mainstay who went to the state final four as a sophomore.
"We're going to be relying heavily on those guys (Tommy and Drew) in terms of helping the young guys through the process of understanding success," Coach Ganor said. "It's crucial for them to be able to convey that to the younger guys, the expectations and the pressures that come with a one loss and done (OHSAA Tournament) format."
Among those younger guys is sophomore shortstop Michael McNamara, a member of Saint Ignatius' undefeated Junior Varsity Baseball Team last season. Coach Ganor doesn't hesitate in saying that he and his staff are expecting big things out of Michael. McNamara was also a solid contributor in Junior Varsity and Varsity football as a linebacker/running back this past fall and this winter he did a solid job as a post player for Saint Ignatius' outstanding Junior Varsity Basketball Team.
Coach Ganor emphasized that he doesn't want to put any pressure on McNamara by comparing him to other young standouts who have come through the program, that Michael hasn't done it on the Varsity level yet and just has to play up to how he is capable of playing.
"Then we have guys like George "A.J." Gaich and Michael Holdsworth, who got significant time as sophomores and are now juniors who have been there and done that, and the expectations are a little higher for them to do great things," continued Coach Ganor. "A.J. will play second base and Michael will play third base and a little outfield."
As we reported on the corner in August, Michael Holdsworth has committed to the University of Nebraska.
Among the other key Wildcats of 2018 will be junior right-handed pitcher/outfielder Matt Geraci and junior right-handed pitcher Andrew Mulhern, who Coach Ganor refers to as a young man who doesn't say much, but has "great stuff."
Coach Ganor emphasized that there are other promising juniors that he and his staff are high on or they wouldn't be on the roster, and he also pointed to seniors Jackson Eyink, Jordan Asimes, Mark Bobinski, John Conway, Evan Henry and Matthew Hunt as "guys who will help lead the way for us."
Backing up Drew Asadorian will be junior catcher Austin Jones, who is not only blessed with solid skills, but, in the words of Coach Ganor, is "crazy smart with a 4.7 GPA."
Here is an early look at the roster: Drew Asadorian Sr.; Jordan Asimes Sr.; Mark Bobinski Sr.; John Conway Sr.; Luke Cooper Jr.; Jackson Eyink Sr.; Leo Eyink Jr.; Matt Ferritto Jr.; George Gaich Jr.; Matthew Geraci Jr.; Thomas Grosel Sr.; Evan Henry Sr.; Michael Holdsworth Jr.; Nathan Hubbard Jr.; Matthew Hunt Sr.; Austin Jones Jr.; Samuel LaGuardia Jr.; Flynn Lenahan Jr.; Michael McNamara So.; Andrew Mulhern Jr.; Sean Wracher Jr.
THE RIGHT BLEND: Coach Ganor said he is very impressed with how his 2018 'Cats are jelling and how the coaches can see them getting closer every day, a bond you don't always have on the high school level.
"You want to create opportunities for them to have positive memories of something they did with their friends, their brothers," Coach Ganor said. "Something they will remember forever. We can already see that happening and we haven't even boarded the bus yet."
The 2018 Varsity Baseball Wildcats. A well-rounded team that is talented on the mound, talented at the plate and, in so many ways, mature beyond its years when it comes to the essence of what a team truly is.
FROM THE CAPTAINS: "Just being a good teammate, getting everyone on board and working together," said Drew Asadorian of the responsibility and privilege of being selected as a Captain by his teammates. "Developing a good chemistry is the key. To be a good team, everyone has to like each other and be willing to pick each other up when things are down."
"It's going to take time for things to mesh and get things going," Tommy Grosel said in reference to the Wildcats featuring a significant number of young players this spring. "But I think we're all hungry and ready to go."
Drew and Tommy both agree that there are no guarantees for the young players and that will create some strong and healthy competition for playing time.
"Right now I look at our defense as being really smart," said Drew. "Everyone is talking and everyone seems to know their jobs and their positions. You can't really tell about the hitting, because it's all indoors right now. That's going to be the deciding factors in us going far because we are so young, hitting and scoring runs."
Although Tommy will be the veteran of the pitching staff, he also emphasized how young and inexperienced the pitching is on the Varsity level overall. He added, however, that the young pitchers have surprised him and have really improved from last year.
"The season is not about going undefeated," Tommy said. "It's about those last seven or eight games of the year."
Tommy, who referred to the 2018 Baseball Cats as a "polished group," was referring to what Saint Ignatius always plays for and prepares for - the OHSAA postseason tournament of Sectional Play (May 5-12), District Play (May 14-19), Regional Play (May 24-25) and the State Semifinals and Finals (May 31 to June 2). The OHSAA Tournament Draw will take place on Sunday, April 29th.
"Every day at practice we strive to be excellent," Drew said. "It's about never having to question yourself as to whether or not you gave all you had."
COACH GANOR'S SUPER STAFF: Veteran Assistant Coaches Mark Terlep and John Whelan, Assistant Coach, former Wildcat great and former Major League player Matt Kata '96, Assistant Coach and former Wildcat and University of Notre Dame standout Frank DeSico '09, and 2018 Team Chaplain, Jesuit Scholastic Dan Dixon.
SIBN!: Led by Zach Strom, the Wildcats' version of Vince Scully, the Saint Ignatius Broadcast Network will be bringing you Varsity Baseball Games throughout the spring.
Saint Ignatius' Director of Broadcasting Jeff McCormick '83 said Zach will be your main voice all season, but that there will be a cast of many more who will call games.
JUST A REMINDER: Although we took a look at the Wildcats' 2018 Varsity Baseball Schedule in a story that was posted on the corner March 14th, Saint Ignatius is scheduled to open its season on March 27th versus defending Division I State Champion Massillon Jackson. The first pitch at the Polar Bears' impressive baseball facility is slated for 5 PM.
Behind a complete-game performance by pitcher Yianni Skeriotis, the Polar Bears defeated Strongsville, 8-2, in last season's big-school state championship game. Now a junior, Skeriotis went 9-0 last spring.
SOME DIAMOND DUST: In what was an outstanding start to his college pitching career at St. Bonaventure, former Wildcat mainstay Braydon Nelson '17 put together a week most players can only dream about. Here is the report courtesy of GOBonnies.com.
The GoBonnies.com Male Athlete of the Week presented by Valley View Dental for the week ending March 4 is baseball freshman Braydon Nelson.
In his first two starts, Nelson tossed 18 scoreless innings while striking out 15 and walking two for the Bonnies in Florida this past week.
The Brecksville, Ohio native made his collegiate debut on Feb. 27 and threw a complete game shutout as the Bonnies defeated Mount St. Mary's, 3-0. Nelson scattered eight hits and walked just one while striking out seven and never relinquished control. The Mount sent a runner past second base just once – that coming with two outs in the third. Nelson got stronger as the game wore on, striking out the side in the seventh, worked around a leadoff single but did not allow a runner past first in the eighth, and allowed just a harmless two-out single in the ninth but never allowed the tying run to the plate.
It was a tough act to follow, but Nelson was up for the challenge. Against Western Michigan, he again did not surrender a run in nine innings of work. This time he struck out eight batters and his only walk was an intentional pass in the ninth. He threw 79 of his 110 pitches for strikes.
This corner will always remember the opportunity I had to interview Braydon after one of his impressive performances for the Wildcats at Classic Park. Kindness, class and a humble smile that spoke volumes.
The Baseball Titans from Toledo St. John's Jesuit will host this year's Ohio Jesuit Tournament on Saturday April 28th and Sunday April 29th.
St. John's Jesuit will be under the direction of new Head Coach Craig Meinzer.
Coach Meinzer was recently the Fall Assistant Coach at Lourdes University. He was a Varsity Assistant Coach at St. John's Jesuit from 1999-2004.
In 2016, Meinzer was the Assistant Head Coach at Toledo Central Catholic High School, and prior to that he served as the Head Coach and Athletic Director at Cardinal Stritch High School. While at Cardinal Stritch from 2012-16, Meinzer led the Cardinals to two Toledo Area Athletic Conference championships and a district final.
Have a great rest of the week and weekend, and I hope to see you at today's 5 PM scrimmage versus Shaker Heights at Baldwin Wallace University. Mother Nature told me not to bet my life's savings on it, but I have high hopes. We will definitely see you at Saturday's annual Preseason Mass (5 PM) and Baseball Dinner (6 PM) on the campus of Saint Ignatius.