Gibbons hopes to compete for baseball crown in final season
3/8/2010
New Cardinal Gibbons coach Matt Foster, s who is a Gibbons' alum, has plenty of motivation for his team this spring after the announcement of the school's closing.
First year coach Matt Foster played for the Cardinal Gibbons baseball team for four years from 1998 through 2001, and he knows how to win.
As an assistant coach last season under Lee Schwartzenberg, Foster was on staff as the Crusaders made it to the MIAA A Conference championship finals at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen. The Crusaders lost in the first round to the Calvert Hall, 3-2, and they would have needed to win twice to knock off the then four-time defending conference champs.
The Crusaders were led by two junior pitchers, Chris Peltz and Eric Dreschler. Both return to pitch for Foster this season, and that means that Gibbons will be expected to compete for the conference championship again in 2010.
In addition to Peltz and Dreschler, who play third and short when they are not on the mound, center fielder Dominic Fratantuono also returns. These three will represent the heart of the Gibbons batting order, and they'll get offensive help from first-baseman/pitcher Steve Schillinberg, and catchers R.T. Vail and Nick Freeberger.
When Vail is behind the plate, Freeberger will probably DH, and vice versa.
Foster is not deterred by the announcement that the school is slated to close at the end of the spring semester.
