Archbishop McCarthy Charges On Chasing Five In A Row

It’s no mystery what the goal is for the Archbishop McCarthy baseball team.

Coming off the most successful season in the history of any Florida ball club, the majority of the players who helped win a record fourth-consecutive state title return in 2014 with their sights set on extending their own legacy. With the glut of talent, heart and motivation there is no reason to doubt their chances of making a run at number five.

After tasting the sweetness that comes with winning four straight titles, and basking in those memories with four straight groups of players, it has made the club that driven to do it all again. Together they have created lifelong memories and bonds like no other; and after knowing such experiences exist, everyones desire to feel that way again.

“This senior class has never ended the season on a loss,” said senior Blade Bielski. “This senior class is so special the way we have lived through the program. We don’t know anything else. It’s a gift. Nothing is ever guaranteed in life and I have had the best four years of my life here. I enjoy every second I am on this field. Nobody wants to be the senior class that ruins it, and we’re not going to let that happen.”

There has perhaps never been a more battle-tested high school baseball team than the one that will take the field for the Mavericks all season. Not one member of this team has ever known anything other than the success they have seen these last few years. The majority of the starters have earned their stripes in doing their part against some of the toughest competition any squad could ever face.

Yet even as the constant goal of returning to Fort Myers will serve as the driving force for the Mavericks, it does not mean that Manager Rich Bielski wants such a state championship game to be played tomorrow.

“There’s too much work for us to do and too much fun for us to have first,” said Coach Bielski. “I don’t want it to be a state championship game right now. I don’t want it to be playoff time yet. There are too many rivalry games and up-and-down rollercoaster rides in the season to have. I tell the guys not to wish it here yet, because it’s going to be here in the blink of an eye. So let’s get prepared. We want to get better first.”

One would think that the grind along the way could easily distract a ballclub, and yet every season the team has managed this challenge with poise and maturity. Nowhere can one find showboating and chest-thumping, as such bravado has no place in the McCarthy way of doing things. Humility has long led to continued success, and the external aspects that could derail most groups instead serve as the motivating factors that bring the team together in unison against those things.

This team simply loves playing the game together. This special ride they have enjoyed together these last few seasons has created the opportunity for them to bond like no other, and yet it is still just a chance to add exciting new chapters to friendships that go years and years back. Many of these guys have played on teams together since they were in little league, and they truly treat one another like brothers. For the many seniors among them, they cherish this chance for one last hurrah with their brothers.

“To take the field this last time as a team is something that can’t get any better,” said senior pitcher Brian Gonzalez. “Coach always tells us that every season just go out there like we’ve never won a single championship, and just go after it. Every week is a different battle and you just try to win that battle. It goes on from there. Every time is a new game and a new battle. You just go out there and play your hardest.”

Gonzalez sets a great example of the type of talent, heart and character that pulsates from this clubhouse. The big lefty is a bulldog on the mound, standing fearless against the best of the best as he mixes an arsenal of fastballs and curveballs around a devastating changeup. His teammates call him “Big B”, and he is a rock of composed confidence when he is out on the mound. He wants the ball in the big moments and he thrives under pressure. Yet he is also the character of the team, the guy who will lead the way to dunk their coaches with a Gatorade shower or prank a teammate with a shaving cream pie in the face.

On a team that did not lose one single pitcher from its staff from last year, it adds such confidence to the unit to know these guys are truly there for one another and ready to pick them up any way they may need. Senior right-hander Andres Nunez also returns to provide the same sort of dominance from his side of the dish. Nunez comes fresh off a complete-game performance that clinched the biggest win in Florida history, and the ace is the perfect compliment to Big B in delivering the one-two combination that wins short playoff series.

The depth out of the bullpen is virtually unmatched. Reliever Aaron Soto also proved his mettle in tossing big frames under the most pressure of moments last season, and newcomer Brian Van Pelt joins the staff after dominating the junior varsity ranks in 2013.

The way the team has reset the standard for high school baseball accomplishments, it is easy to say that the there are no chinks in the armor. So it comes as no surprise that the Mavericks are so accomplished on the defensive side of the ball, as this aspect is proven to lead to just their brand of success. For the Mavericks, defense has become a way to clamp down and prove to their opposition that this team is so difficult to defeat. The club runs complicated alignments and reactionary audibles to counteract the opposing offensive approach. The players take pride in the advanced level of play, and they thrive off of the results.

In a magical season that had so many thrills and challenges, it was the defense that most often made the difference in what became the final ultimate result. Chief among those moments is the infamous play made by left fielder Michael Gigliotti, when the speedy senior chased down and then dove all out to snare a hit in a pivotal moment during the team’s comeback regional semifinal victory over Mater Academy. While this was certainly not the only big moment of last season, it is an event that will go down in team lure.

Gigliotti is a guy who embodies the hustle that every coach wants in his guys. He relishes his role and is right at home amongst the guys he calls his brothers.

“I wouldn’t want to play with any other guys than my teammates,” said Gigliotti. “They all have that drive and that burning passion to win every ball game they play. I’m used to seeing that fire in their eyes, used to playing with teammates who do whatever it takes to win.”

Gigliotti will likely move to centerfield this year to lead a group that will include Dylan Bautista and Andres Matouk, both of whom were formerly roles players who have now earned their turn in the starting unit. The strength of this trio is the tremendous amount of raw speed they all have, something that gives them the ability to cover all the ground in the outfield. The infusion of these new starters also helps to motivate the guys in going after it like it’s the first time.

“We’re excited to continue our dynasty. We’ve been going for it hard ever since the day after states last year,” Gigliotti said. “We’ve been very fortunate to win four in a row, and I’m sure I speak for everybody when I say I don’t want to be that team that does not win it.”

Needing only to replace three positions from a year ago, the team knows the most crucial of those comes in securing a new backstop now that four-time state champion Michael Hernandez has graduated. Fortunately the team has the reliable and experienced presence of senior Ryan Sinzenich. Sinzenich long proved his value for the club in manning right field and serving as the backup catcher, and he has earned his chance to anchor the infield unit.

The Mavericks remain staunch up the middle, with senior shortstop Eddie Silva and Blade Bielski setting the tone within the group that will rotate some depending on the personnel on the mound. It is the ferocity with which these positions have always gone after the ground balls that sets the tone, and this year’s group could be even better in the complicated schemes they run.

The team gives all the credit to the coaching staff that drives them towards such large and yet realistic expectations. Coach Bielski has long enjoyed the assistance from his guys such as Alex Fernandez and Ric Buntner. Over their years together they have worked to build a baseball fraternity that started with greats such as Nick Castellanos, Jose Brizuela, Alex Fernandez and Johnny Cole. Those former players showed the way that has continued to be passed along to the younger guys behind them each year. It is a family atmosphere and they all cherish being a part of it.

“There are always those kids that step up and take control of the team,” said Castellanos, who is now playing for the Detroit Tigers. “Losing is not an option. That was the main thing that the coaches helped me learn was how important winning is. People say I love to win, but for me I just hate to lose. That’s a huge difference.”

Every team operates under the same principle thinking, and even still the McCarthy way pushes that drive to a whole other level. It is a drive that is imparted beyond just what they do as baseball players, and it is a concept that strengthens the character of young men who are champions now and yet still capable of achieving so much in their personal lives ahead.

“We really to try to instill here at McCarthy, from the very first day, to have that will to win. The expectation is to win, you’re a winner, and if you don’t know how then we will teach you,” said Coach Bielski. “It’s not just on the field, but in the classroom, in your future careers and with our families. To do what it takes to be successful. To stay close with those who helped you along the way, because nobody gets where they are without support.”

Coach Buntner perhaps says it best when he reminds them that everyday is a classroom. The team works on the mental side of the game as much as anything else. Baseball is a thinking man’s game and the guys devour the knowledge they are fed and translate it into their play on the field. Coaches are very specific in letting everyone know their roles, and the guys learn how to live up to the expectations to do their jobs and do them well.

The thinking, experience and expectations are all elevated to their highest limits ever this season. This group has earned that and they are eager to chase the high standards that they hold themselves to. This veteran bunch loves playing together, loves winning together, and will run through the wall to uphold the glory that they yearn for so passionately.

“It’s the challenge of trying to be your best and how you are going to be remembered,” said Coach Bielski. “Just leave it all on the field year after year. Enjoy the journey and enjoy every game. The seniors need to go out and have no regrets and give it everything they’ve got, so that when you don’t get to wear the black and teal anymore you can look back and say that you gave it all you had and left it all on the field.”

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