Berea, Ohio - AJ's four stolen bases versus the Rebels on Wednesday evening at Baldwin Wallace University's Fisher Field give him 31 for the season, surpassing the mark of 30 set by Conor Hennessey in the spring of 2013.
Conor, who also was a mainstay on the gridiron for the Wildcats, is currently an Assistant Coach for Saint Ignatius' highly successful Freshmen Baseball Program.
"This means a lot to me," said AJ, one of the top second baseman in all of Northeast Ohio as just a junior. "The summer of my sophomore year it was like this (the 'Cats' single-season SBs leader) is something I want to do. I want to make a big impact on the team and get the record. Stealing bases moves me up in position where a single turns into a double or a double turns into a triple. In the end, it's going to help the team.
"For a little bit longer," continued the good-natured and endless energy Gaich," when this corner pointed out that former Saint Ignatius baseball and football great, and University of Notre Dame baseball standout Frank DeSico can still hold claim to the Wildcats' career stolen bases mark of 46. Frank worked with AJ in the summer and fall on improving speed and strength.
"Definitely, whatever muscles he used to set his record helped me train mine," AJ continued in reference to the tutelage he received from DeSico. "Also, any form and tips he had, so I want to thank him for that."
AJ ON HOW HE AND HIS TEAMMATES LOOK HEADING INTO FRIDAY'S 5 PM MATCHUP WITH TRADITION-RICH CANTON CENTRAL CATHOLIC IN CLASSIC PARK, THE HOME OF THE LAKE COUNTY CAPTAINS, SATURDAY'S HIGH NOON ENCOUNTER WITH THE ARCHBISHOP HOBAN KNIGHTS ON SENIORS DAY AT FISHER FIELD, AND MONDAY'S CURRENTLY ALL-IMPORTANT 2 PM OHSAA DIVISION I DISTRICT SEMIFINAL GAME VERSUS FOURTH-SEEDED NORTH ROYALTON AT STRONGSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL. THE 15-7 WILDCATS ARE THE TOP SEED AT STRONGSVILLE.
"I like it a lot," AJ said after he also went 3-for-3 in Wednesday evening's 9-2 victory over now 14-10 Willoughby South, the third seed at the Euclid Division I District. "I mean this week we've really been hitting the ball well. This is definitely where we want to be heading into the playoffs. Hopefully we can make a good run at this (a 2018 Division I State Baseball Championship). We've got six more games to go."
Those six postseason games to be won, my friends, include two in District play, two in Regional play and two in the State Final Four at Huntington Park in Downtown Columbus on May 31st through June 2.
A lot to like on Wednesday evening: As they did in Tuesday's17-0 OHSAA Division I Sectional Final triumph over Garfield Heights, the Baseball Cats started fast on Wednesday evening with a three-run bottom of the first inning.
AJ Gaich led off with a walk, stole second base, advanced to third on a wild pitch and came home on an RBI triple off the bat of gifted sophomore shortstop Michael McNamara.
After senior right fielder and University of Cincinnati recruit Jack Eyink laced an RBI triple off the fence in left-center field, a sharp grounder from the bat of baseball savvy senior designated hitter JJ Conway made it a 3-0 game.
Willoughby South, which year in and year out is usually one of the familiar teams in The News Herald's coverage area "Top of the Crop," closed to 3-2 in the top of the fourth inning. The key hits for the Rebels were a leadoff single by designated hitter Dom Cairns and a run-scoring base hit from second baseman Dom Prevesk.
Following a stolen base by Prevesk and a base on balls, a one-out, bases-loaded throwing error by the Wildcats made it a one-run game.
Keeping its big-game composure intact, Saint Ignatius said no more by ending the top of the fourth with a strikeout from gritty and talented junior starter Andrew Mulhern and a 5-3 putout that saw one of the area's underrated players, junior third baseman/relief pitcher Matt Ferritto, field a tough grounder near the third-base bag and fire an on-the-money throw to versatile junior Austin Jones at first base. Jones also falls into that category of underrated players.
The Wildcats began to take command in the bottom of the fifth, with the key blows being a two-run single by Jack Eyink, an RBI single from Jones and a run-scoring, opposite-way single to right field from the bat of Ferritto. Ferritto's effort off a 3-2 pitch drew a huge smile from Saint Ignatius' veteran Assistant Coach Mark Terlep, as Coach Terlep was very pleased with the way Ferritto stayed back on a curveball.
Coach Terlep and yours truly were both smiling from ear to ear after senior Evan Henry put on a clinic tracking down balls in center field in the top of the sixth.
Gaich's one-out bunt for a base hit and his ensuing record-setting stolen base, AJ's fourth of the evening, a walk to multi-skilled sophomore outfielder Erik Daugenti and an error opened the door for the 'Cats' leave-no-doubt, two-run bottom of the sixth. Saint Ignatius outhit the Rebels, 8-4.
The numbers from Wildcats Super Stats Man Seamus Hough showed Mulhern throwing 52 pitches, yielding one earned run, two hits and striking out three.
Sophomore Luke Lashutka, who came on in relief in the top of the sixth and pitched two shutout innings, threw 25 pitches and yielded two hits.
Along with Gaich's 3-for-3 evening, Jack Eyink was 2-for-3 and McNamara was 1-for-1 with three walks.
FROM COACH GANOR: "I thought we came out like gangbusters, we've done that multiple times this year. I don't why, but for whatever reason we take the foot off the gas. Maybe that's human nature and they can't keep that high energy level every game, every inning, especially if the game doesn't mean anything in the big picture.
"But then we came back with those two big innings in the fifth and sixth. Jack (Eyink) had that big hit and Austin Jones had a two-out RBI. Andrew (Mulhern) did a great job and Luke (Lashutka) came in and did a great job.
"AJ's a game changer," Coach Ganor continued. "He runs the bases great and puts so much pressure on the other team that he gives us a chance every time that he is on base."
Enjoy your Thursday and we will see you at baseball-rich Classic Park on Friday. Again, congrats from this corner to AJ. Watching him play keeps me young.