Gateway baseball has lots of practice winning

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, March 26, 2018 | 12:33 AM

Gateway baseball brings back an experienced lineup this spring, and there's a feeling around the team that a special season could be on the horizon.

The Gators return six starters from a WPIAL playoff team, and they believe they can use last year as a building block to make noise this spring and ride the positive mojo from winning a WPIAL football crown and the recent WPIAL girls basketball title to cap a banner year for sports at the school.

Like most teams, the Gators have been confined to the gym for the majority of preseason practices and are eager for the snow to melt and the temperatures to rise to prove that they can be among the elite in WPIAL Class 5A.

“Once we get this season started, I think we're going to be one of the top teams in not only the section but in the WPIAL, and that feeling comes from us having many of our veteran guys back,” Gateway senior pitcher/shortstop Michael Vojnik said. “I think we're going to win a lot of games because we have a strong, deep lineup and we all can make plays in the field.”

Vojnik is one of the six returning starters along with fellow seniors Kris Dick, Justin Stancovich, Brady Walker and Caleb Lehman and junior Brian Reid.

Two key players who graduated from last year's team are Dylan Urban and Mason Safran. Urban is off to a tremendous start at La Roche, leading the Redhawks in batting average (.418), stolen bases (14) and runs (18) through 14 games.

Stancovich will play the corner infield spots as well as be the designated hitter, Walker moves from right field to center, Lehman is the catcher, Marc Caggiano is at third base and Reid will be in left field.

Walker, a West Virginia Wesleyan recruit for football, Brendan Majocha, Ethan Frenchik and Jordan Stancovich were on the Gators football team.

“They're going to be the catalysts because they've been to the WPIALs and they've been to the state playoffs, so they know what it takes,” Gateway coach Bill Stoops said. “After football season, I congratulated each of them and their comment was that they won (a WPIAL title) in football, now they're going after one in baseball.”

Vojnik and Dick are expected to be a dynamic combo at the top of Gateway's rotation, and they showed their capability to be efficient in a scrimmage last Monday against Burrell. In their first action outside all season, Vojnik allowed one hit and threw 20 pitches in two innings, striking out three of the seven batters he faced. Dick had four strikeouts in six batters faced and threw 25 pitches over two scoreless innings.

Frenchik, Reid, Caggiano and Ryan Margolis make up the rest of the pitching staff.

Gateway finished 9-10 last year and went 8-6 to finish fourth in Section 3-5A behind WPIAL and PIAA champ Latrobe, Franklin Regional and Thomas Jefferson. Laurel Highlands, Albert Gallatin and McKeesport are the other teams in the section. Latrobe lost several key contributors including Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year award winner Zach Kokoska, who's now at Virginia Tech. Gateway has an aggressive nonsection slate that includes Hampton, Fox Chapel, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, Butler, Norwin and Plum.

The Gators weren't satisfied with a fourth-place finish last year and expect to contend for the top spot this season.

“We had a lot of juniors who played big roles for us last year that are seniors now, so I think this could be one of the strongest teams that Gateway has had in a while,” Dick said. “We've been in a (section title) drought for like 16 or 17 years, and I think this year we can make a splash in the water.”

While experience on the field is a good attribute to have, Gateway also boasts a veteran bench that Stoops estimates has more than 200 years of coaching experience. Stoops' assistants are former Riverview coach Bill Beebe, former Gateway coach Mark Wardzinski, Ralph Guzzo, John Rocco and Morty Capers. Dick credited Capers with helping him develop a sharper slider to add to his already deep pitching arsenal.

“I did the math, and if you total all of our ages together it comes out to about 500,” Stoops said with a chuckle. “Mark is the youngest. He's in his 30s, but the rest of us are in our 60s or 70s. We're probably one of the oldest coaching staffs, but we have the knowledge.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer.

Tags: Gateway