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Photos by Erin Nelson.
JT Weisberg (11) pitches in a March 5 game against the Patriots.
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Photos by Erin Nelson.
John Carroll’s Cian Loehr (21) tags Homewood’s Max Heath (5) out at second base in an attempted steal during a March 5 game at Homewood High School.
Jared Bonvillain has a prime example of the standard his John Carroll Catholic High School baseball team is capable of achieving.
The Cavaliers have not shied away from competition this year, and they went down to Mobile for the Catholic Cup in late February. John Carroll dropped three games against three stout teams, but the Cavs’ lone victory of their four games was a significant one.
John Carroll earned a 7-6 win over McGill-Toolen, the 2019 Class 7A state champion. The Cavs rallied from a 4-3 deficit with four runs in the sixth inning. William Gignilliat tied the game with a single, Aden Malpass walked in the go-ahead run, another run scored on Mitchell Walker’s hit by pitch and Cian Loehr notched another run-scoring single.
In that game, JT Weisberg and Luke Harris combined to allow just five hits on the mound.
It was the complete team victory Bonvillain hopes to see more of throughout the season.
“Getting a win against them really gave our kids a boost of confidence,” he said. “When we throw it well and field it well, we’re a very competitive team. Case in point, we’ve proven to be able to beat one of the best teams in the state. You use the win as an example of if you play to that high of a level, this is what you’re capable of.”
This is Bonvillain’s fourth year as the Cavs’ head coach, and the team is aiming to win its area and host a first-round playoff game at the least. John Carroll was well on its way to making the postseason last spring before the season was shortened because of COVID-19.
It was disheartening for last year’s group of seniors to not be able to cap off its final campaign by realizing the fruits of its labor over the past several years, Bonvillain said.
“That’s motivated this group to work even harder, and not just work harder for the program that’s in place now, but work harder for the ones that didn’t get to enjoy it,” he said.
Bonvillain has intentionally pitted his Cavs against strong teams. Being prepared for the competition the Cavs will see in the postseason is far more important to him than stacking up easy wins.
John Carroll has already played the likes of Pelham and Homewood. Against Homewood, the Cavs led twice in the late innings, before falling 10-9 in the second game of the doubleheader.
“The thing I’ve loved seeing of our kids so far is we’re competing against some tough competition,” he said.
Bonvillain said one of the most impressive things about this year’s team has been getting contributions from the whole roster. The Cavs knew heading into the season Weisberg would be their top arm, but the emergence of sophomore Gignilliat has been a boon for the team. Another example is Davis Deason, who has risen from the junior varsity catcher last year to the varsity catcher and a key contributor this season.
Mitchell Walker, William Ydarraga, Sam Murray, Harris and Luke Wammack have also provided solid innings in the first month of the season. Weisberg, Seth Seidenfaden, Campbell McFadden and Malpass are among the bats clicking as well.
The Cavs have eight seniors this year, guys who have been with Bonvillain since they were freshmen. Their coach said he is not looking forward to senior day, but he is looking forward to seeing what they can accomplish in their final go-round.
