2009 High School Baseball - Father Gabriel Richard Fighting Irish
The 2009 season saw the Gabriel Richard Fighting Irish accomplish all of our team goals.  As a group, we committed ourselves to: 1) winning our league; 2) winning our district; and 3) making a run to the state playoffs.  The previous season (2008), we had enjoyed a 26-14 record as a young squad; however, losses in the district and league semi-finals motivated us toward the next year, where essentially the same core of players proceeded to achieve a regional title in addition to our other titles.  Along the way, we set a school record for wins in a season (33).

While 2008 had seen me have a big year offensively, my personal highlights during my junior year occured on the mound.  One week before the season started, I was struck by a line drive in the face during practice; this injury contributed to a tentative start for me at the plate.  However, the depth of our strong team allowed me to work through these struggles, and while the bat did come around for me later in the season, my pitching ended up being a key to our team's success.  I was the winning pitcher in the league, district, and regional games, and I was the WP in 5 of our last 6 victories (including both games in one day at the regionals).

In addition to visiting our team's website (www.fgrbaseball.com), you can read the following articles describing some of my personal highlights from the season

With the core of our team returning again (we have a strong 2011 class), we are shooting for the whole thing in the spring of 2010 - the Michigan state crown.  Our opponents will undoubtedly consider us favorites, and we'll have to be ready.