Cardinal Gibbons Pushing For Another Regional Run
The Chiefs are closer than they have been in years and are ready to give it another run in 2015.
Cardinal Gibbons Manager Jason Hamilton will only make one certain guarantee this season, and that is a promise that they’re going to be better offensively. After leaning heavily on a dominant pitching staff led by now-departed seniors Mark Nowatnick and Chris Williams, the Chiefs made a run to the regional semifinals before suffering a tough 1-0 defeat to district rival Archbishop McCarthy. A year later the returning players are eager to show how far they have come with their bats.
“We have a better philosophy and a better sense of a philosophy then we had,” Hamilton said. “The kids are buying into what we have and they are not taking swings like we did a year ago. We cut down our strikeouts in the fall and we’re moving the baseball as we know how. We are going to be better offensively then we were last year, and I know that’s not saying too much.”
Now in his second year back at the helm of his beloved program, Hamilton admits there is a much higher comfort level now than when he was first getting back into the frying pan a year ago. The coaches find themselves much farther along in the fall and don’t have to do as much coaching. The kids are asking questions that they wouldn’t have asked a year ago and they’re making plays on the field that they wouldn’t have made a year ago. They’re making decisions that they wouldn’t have made a year ago. It’s coming along nicely and everybody is a lot more comfortable.
“We’ve got great team chemistry here ever since Coach Hamilton has been back,” senior ace Nate Pawelczyk said. “Everybody hangs out together on weekends, and we never had that before. We all hang out together and do stuff together.”
Pawelczyk is one of the primary guys whom Coach Hamilton is leaning on to step up and lead the team this season. The senior right-hander is a proven hurler who has logged a lot of innings against some of the best competition across the continent. The two departed senior pitchers were also the team’s big leaders, and Coach Hamilton sees the same leadership potential in Pawelczyk and fellow pitcher Karl Hirsch.
“The senior staff we had last year taught this senior staff how you’re supposed to handle yourself on the field, and what it’s like to compete against some of the best teams in the United States and go after them,” Hamilton said. “Nate has a chance to be even better than Mark because he has a much better breaking pitch, a much better slider than Mark did. He has the competitiveness, he has the fastball and he has the location. We feel Karl can be as good as Chris was too. We aren’t as deep on the mound. We’ll be a little younger on the mound and inexperienced, but capable. The future is bright and we have some young arms that are dying to take up a spot.”
Unquestionably these guys want to succeed just like their predecessors did. They learned from them and now it is their chance to apply that knowledge and also pass it on to the guys behind them. 
“It’s a big responsibility, but I personally like it,” Pawelczyk said. “I like being the guy to go to in the big games and I like to perform under pressure. It’s hard to live up to what Mark did last year because he was awesome last year. Every big game he performed, so I just kind of watched him and learned from him. I had him and Thomas Woodrey and guys like him to look up to.”
The Chiefs did not lose a lot of position players from graduation, as they return the entire infield and outfield defense. They also have welcomed in Coral Springs Christian transfer Josh Shrouder, a shortstop with great hands and who is a great defensive player. Shrouder plays the game the way it is supposed to be played, and Hamilton admits they are excited to have him. There are also a couple of young freshmen that could earn a chance to come in and crack the lineup. The program has always focused on solid defense, and the current roster is full of guys who fit that same mold.
“It’s probably one of the best feelings in the world to just go out there and have your team behind you, and have every single person out here laying out for every ball,” Pawelczyk admitted. “When you achieve in the biggest games it is just a special feeling. It is indescribable.”
Another guy that the coaches are leaning on to step up and set the right example is senior catcher Austin Marrow. With a team that prides itself on defense and pitching, the catcher role is vital to their success. The coaches have challenged Marrow to assume a leadership role on and off the field to be the anchor they believe he can be.
“Your catcher needs to be a general and be the vocal guy, not just on the field but in workouts and in practice,” Hamilton said. “They need to be the general and they are supposed to take control of everybody, so we’re looking forward to him stepping into a role of leadership.”
The players have worked hard to improve on their approach at the plate. Veterans such as Justin Lara, Christian Reyes, Joe Pozzi and Sean Otto have already begun to show how far they have come this fall. Overall the club returns 11 seniors, and junior Colin Durkin was also involved last year. Now the challenge is to improve with the bats.
“We would win games one-to-nothing last year because our offense just wasn’t very strong and our pitching was just better,” Karl Hirsch said. “Losing to McCarthy off of one hit is almost unheard of, but that one hit happened to be a home run. We made some improvements in the lineup and this year we really have to execute on offense and hopefully get those one, two or three runs so we don’t have to need a shutout every time.”
Coach Hamilton understands that it is too early to know for sure just what they will get from each guy on the squad. That being said, his confidence in the defense and starting pitching is as high as it was last year at this time. He is also assured that the team is vastly improved at the plate. It is a club built perfectly for the regional setup, and the focus is simply to make it that far and then try to ride their big horses to the finish line. 
Hamilton has experienced glory years with this program in the past, and in his second season back as the skipper he is excited at the chance to live such moments again. While the buzz from his return may not be as fresh, the excitement that Hamilton and his coaching staff brings to the field helps to fuel an already very driven and motivated group. They are the perfect fit for each other.
“I have been with Coach Hamilton since last year and have known him since I was three years old, so I have always known his ways and work ethic and how he goes about things on the field,” Hirsch said. “It really seemed that when he came back to the program last year everybody bought in. He’s a very good coach and it showed when everybody bought into the program on what it can do for a team when everybody gets behind him and everything we believe in.”
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