Ohio City - As part of the annual Spring Sports Awards in the Breen Theater on Tuesday evening, the Saint Ignatius Varsity Baseball Wildcats closed the final chapter of a season that was a story of brotherhood and perseverance, on and off the diamonds.
While addressing his players' families, Saint Ignatius' veteran Head Baseball Coach Brad Ganor attracted smiles, laughter and tears of joy.
Coach Ganor, after pointing out the special traits of a team that finished 18-8 and advanced to District Final play, had to wipe away his own tears in expressing how much he, like those in attendance, loved watching the 2018 Wildcats play.
And you can add this corner to that list.
As is a yearly tradition, Coach Ganor, Saint Ignatius' all-time winningest baseball coach with 302 career victories, called on his outstanding staff to assist him with the presentation of the special awards.
That baseball-savvy staff consists of veteran Assistant Mark Terlep, former Wildcats baseball great and Major League infielder Matt Kata '96, and John Whelan, a former St. Edward Head Baseball Coach and Coach Ganor's lifelong friend.
Here is a corner's view of the 2018 Award Winners.
Pitcher of the Year, senior southpaw and four-year varsity letter winner Tommy Grosel.
Tommy, who also excelled as a superb defensive first baseman, a clutch hitter and one of Coach Ganor's co-Captains, went 6-0 with a 0.22 earned run average.
In 31 and 1/3 innings, Tommy had 29 strikeouts and just four walks.
Co-Offensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player, senior outfielder/pitcher and University of Cincinnati recruit Jack Eyink. Jack batted .419 with a .471 on-base percentage, had 10 doubles and 20 runs batted in. A humble performer, Jack also excelled as a shut-down pitcher out of Coach Ganor's bullpen.
Co-Offensive and Co-Defensive Player of the Year, junior second baseman AJ Gaich. An All-Ohio selection by the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association, AJ set a new Saint Ignatius single-season stolen bases record this spring and was one of the premier lead-off hitters in the state. His hitting and base running skills applied tremendous pressure on the opponent. Defensively, AJ brought a golden glove to work every day.
Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, sophomore shortstop Michael McNamara. Along with his solid pay in the field and a maturity and understanding of the game beyond his years, McNamara batted .344 with a .446 on-base percentage.
Co-Most Improved Player, senior Co-Captain, catcher and designated hitter Drew Asadorian. A three-year Varsity letterman, Drew was a leader by example personified.
His 4-for-4 day in this season's victory over St. Edward won't soon be forgotten and the Wildcats might still be alive in the OHSAA postseason tournament if Mother Nature's winds didn't prevent Drew from a walk-off grand slam in the district finals.
A class act on and off the field, Drew is an example of what Saint Ignatius strives for in its student-athletes.
The Prestigious Coaches Cups for 2018 were awarded to senior designated hitter/catcher/third baseman/first baseman John "JJ" Conway, senior pitcher Matt Hunt, and senior center fielder Evan Henry.
JJ, who knows the game of baseball like the back of his hand, was Mr. Team First.
As Coach Ganor emphasized, JJ would be in the starting lineup as a designated hitter and also catch in the bullpen for that same game if needed. Third base, first base, it just didn't matter. Who were you going to call when multiple jobs needed to be filled? No. 34, my friends.
No one worked harder this past offseason and in the spring than Matt Hunt.
As his coaches will tell you, Matt put on a "work clinic" this season.
And that was never more evident than on Senior Day, when Matt fired a 1-hit masterpiece versus then state-ranked Archbishop Hoban at Baldwin Wallace University's baseball-rich Fisher Field.
A desire to improve and succeed. That was Evan Henry's goal from the first day of winter practice.
Evan's perseverance left a lasting impression on Coach Terlep, who puts a huge emphasis every year on improving the Wildcats' defense.
Well, while those bitter cold days lingered outside, Evan Henry, the young man with a smile as huge as his determination, was molding himself into one of the top center fielders the Buckeye State had to offer in 2018.
Evan, with Coach Terlep encouraging him along the way, became one of the classiest and finest players ever to roam the outfield for Coach Ganor.
"O CAPTAIN!, MY CAPTAIN!": After Coach Ganor recognized Tommy Grosel and Drew Asadorian with the Captains' Awards for 2018, he announced the Captains for next season.
A fab four that was voted on by the players will Captain the 'Cats in '19 - AJ Gaich, standout pitcher Matt Geraci, outfielder/infielder and Nebraska recruit Michael Holdsworth, and versatile catcher/infielder Austin Jones. All four of these young men received multiple-digit votes from their peers.
LOOKING AHEAD: As we reported last month, Saint Ignatius will host the prestigious 2019 Ohio Jesuit Tournament. Classic Park, which has hosted the OJT in the past, is one of the sites being talked about.
Coach Ganor said he is looking into some travel plans for 2019 and there is a chance, just a chance right now, that the Baseball Cats could return to the prestigious Southeastern Baseball Classic in Hartsville, South Carolina.
ALL OF THE BEST FROM THIS CORNER TO THE TRACK AND FIELD WILDCATS, THE LAX CATS, THE RUGBY CATS AND THE VOLLEYBALL CATS IN THEIR PURSUIT OF STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS WEEK AND WEEKEND.
IT SEEMS LIKE JUST YESTERDAY THAT THIS OLD-TIMER WAS REFERRING TO 'CATS' TRACK STANDOUT AND YALE COMMIT PHIL ZUCCARO AS "PHIL THE THRILL," WHEN PHIL WAS RUNNING FOR HIGHLIGHT-REEL TOUCHDOWNS ON THE FRESHMEN FOOTBALL LEVEL. THE FIRST TIME I SAW PHIL CARRY THE BALL I MADE A COMPARISON TO FELLOW SAINT IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH HALL OF FAMER AND HOLY NAME AND NEBRASKA LEGEND FRANK SOLICH.
AGAIN, GOD BLESS AND ALL OF THE BEST IN PURSUIT OF OHSAA GOLD.