A Familiar Face Back At The Helm For Cardinal Gibbons
Jason Hamilton has returned to manage a new crop of Chiefs, many of whom he has coached for more than a decade.
Cardinal Gibbons has a proud history of athletic success over the years. Beyond just winning titles in most every sport at the school, what has always been so special about the Chiefs’ athletics is the family environment that it has always promoted. Coaches live and die with their Chiefs teams, and it is a loyalty and commitment that us unmatched.
There is perhaps no other coach that best embodies this mindset than Coach Jason Hamilton. Following their second straight losing season, Gibbons elected to rehire Hamilton, who previously managed the program for ten years that ended after the 2010 season. In bringing Coach Hamilton back as the team’s manager, it has created an excited buzz that has the Chiefs brimming with excitement for the upcoming baseball season.
“They are refreshed and they are ready,” Hamilton said. “It’s so familiar; there is no transition. A lot of first-year coaches in a program have to earn the trust, and it takes a while to get that trust. My whole staff is back here with me and these kids have known us forever.”
This homecoming includes Sterling Pell, Mike Nieto, Tom Heisel, Dave Montiel, Tyler Martin and John Sandolo. With the return of this group of leaders, it has added an excitement that is shared on both sides. These coaches are so enthusiastic about “getting the band back together” that there is genuine pep in each step. The players feel it, and they cannot help but emulate that excitement.
They have played for these coaches for a long time, and it shows that they want to play Chiefs baseball reminiscent of the program’s glory days.
“There are a few seniors in our dugout that I’ve known since they were five or six years old,” Hamilton said. “I’m a teacher first and I’ve been a teacher here for 15 years. We’ve always run a summer baseball camp here, so the kids have known us a long time. It’s family; its guys you trust who you want to have around.”
Cardinal Gibbons is one of few Broward schools with a state title under its belt, a feat it accomplished in 1987. They also add 22 district championships to that trophy case, the last of which came in 2009. Hamilton sports a career coaching record of 269-112-1, with a record of 213-103-1 as the chief of the Chiefs. It’s a standard of success that the team is eager to exemplify.
“We’ve got some guys nobody has ever heard of who can really play,” said Hamilton. “They are getting an opportunity, and some of these kids who haven’t had that are just dying to get on the field. They are doing everything they can. We’re learning how to do things right and we’re learning how to win.”
Even despite graduation and some transfers, the team brings back an arsenal of strong pitchers. Senior Chris Williams led the squad in strikeouts, and fellow senior Mark Nowatnick finished just behind that mark. Junior Nathan Pawelczyk has also emerged, proving he is ready to take the next step on the mound after throwing just nine innings over his first two years of high school baseball. Senior Townsend Crittenberger provides another capable arm and athletic presence.
Joey Posey helps shore up a strong infield defense.
The production on offense will need to improve on a season ago, when the Chiefs batted roughly .250 for the season. With the bulk of the team’s offensive leaders now gone, the team will look to employ a small-ball approach to help generate more offense. Hamilton has always embraced a small-ball strategy, and he has noticed how the switch to the BBCOR bats has brought this approach back into the norm.
“Our kids have always bunted and hit-and-run,” said Hamilton. “Our number one strength is the starting arms and the experience we have on the mound. We’re going to throw it well and we’re going to pick it real well. We play very good defense.”
The Chiefs are very strong on defense, particularly in the infield. Nick Ferngren plays a real smooth defensive game, and there is strong chemistry with other infielders such as Drew Hanke, Joe Posey and Karl Hirsch. Junior Justin Lara figures to be an integral part of the outfield crew, representing just one of many eager players who are chomping at the bit to show what they are capable of.
This eagerness will be crucial to building confidence and turning the players into believers. The quest for district title number twenty-three could not be more difficult, with the team’s new 5A district including four-time defending state champion Archbishop McCarthy, perennial powerhouse American Heritage and local rival Pompano Beach.
“It’s somewhere that we’ve been before, playing in a tough district,” Hamilton admitted. “The opportunity to go play a four-time state champion is good for us. We have Division I arms, and whenever you have that it doesn’t matter who you’re playing. I just hope our guys can meet our expectations.”
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