Baseball & Apple Pie

There's nothing more American than "baseball & apple pie". Vienna has a long history of great baseball teams at every level - from Little League to high school. And this year's Madison High School Warhawks baseball team is coached by the President of the National Baseball Coaches' Association - Mark "Pudge" Gjormand.

This week, "Guest Blogger" Dave Graham steps up to the plate to give us a preview of what we can look forward to with Warhawk Baseball.

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WARHAWK BASEBALL HOPES SOAR IN 2010

The 2010 season for the James Madison High School Warhawk baseball program promises to be an exciting one. Head Coach Mark “Pudge” Gjormand returns for his 15th season at the helm of a veteran squad. Last year a young team which returned only one starter and one pitcher won 13, lost 7 and tied for third in the Liberty District with a 9-5 record.

By contrast, this year eighteen players return including seven starters and three pitchers. Coach Gjormand observed that, “It makes things a lot easier to have so many players who already understand the way we do things. Especially with all the snow we’ve had it would have been harder to get the season started with a young team. The Town of Vienna and Vienna Babe Ruth have been a great help by letting us use the artificial turf at Waters Field. We hope to make them proud of us.”

The returning players are: seniors Andrew Bayer, Scott Bernier, Danny Cate, T.J. Ehrsam, Austin Mellor, Matt Moore, Zach Schwatka and Teddy Turner; juniors Austin Chute, Joe Corrigan, Eli Facenda, Gavin Gibbons, Jay Kenyon, Ryan McGuire and Justin Nicholls; and sophomores David Belt, Nate Favero and Jonny Graham. New to the varsity are: juniors Ryan Corrigan, Josh Dunbar, Ben Powers and Alex Tyroler; sophomore Evan Jacquez; and freshmen Andy McGuire and Dan Powers.

Coach Gjormand notes that, “One of the things that makes Madison baseball so special is the unique relationship between the team and the community. About 95% of our varsity and JV players played in Vienna Little League. These kids have been playing ball with or against one another as far back as T-ball. Those close knit relationships run not just between the players but also between families. When the Warhawks take the field, the jersey may say Madison but the players know they represent their families, VLL and the Town of Vienna.”

Gjormand’s coaching staff includes: VLL and Madison alumni J.J. Hollenback, Andrew Baird, Robbie Robeson, Matt Riffee and Joe Canova; current VLL coaches Justin Counts and Jimmy Goldsmith; and Bob Cesca, Bobby Robeson, Gerard Skinner, Bruce Hall, Scott Byers, Jay Canova and Andrew Heard.

The community’s support of the team’s fund raising activities will enable the varsity to travel to Florida to participate in the prestigious Sarasota Spring Break Classic. Ticket sales also help support the program. This year marks the inaugural season for the new snack bar and bathrooms which are being completed with the help of Sekas Homes and the Madison Booster Club. Admission is $5 and home games start at 6:30 on the following dates:

Thursday, March 25 versus Langley
Tuesday, April 6 versus Stone Bridge
Thursday, April 15 versus Oakton
Friday, April 16 versus South Lakes
Tuesday, April 20 versus Marshall
Friday, April 23 versus Fairfax
Tuesday, May 4 versus McLean
Friday, May 7 versus Jefferson

Thanks for your support Vienna and Go Warhawks!