Gill St. Bernard's Baseball is Ready for the 2023 Season

Despite graduating eight seniors and six starters, the Gill St. Bernard’s Baseball Team is excited about its return to the diamond. The 2022 squad reached the NJSIAA Non-Public B Sectional Championship for the fourth time in six seasons, and the boys are hoping to continue their success with a relatively new group in 2023. The highlight of the pre-season will be a return trip to Port St. Lucie, Florida, followed by another challenging schedule of regular season games and tournaments.

“The talent we lost to graduation and the large number of new players probably leaves us with more questions than answers at this point,” said Head Coach Dave Pasquale. “But we have a good core of returning guys who have embraced the challenge of keeping our program at a high level.”

The lone returning senior starter is Lehigh commit Zack Wendell, who will solidify the middle infield and provide an offensive spark at the top of the lineup. Juniors Johnny DiGregorio (Penn State commit) and Matt Park both earned post-season accolades in 2022 and will be middle-of-the-lineup offensive threats. Dylan Sempervive ’24 finished last season as Gill’s number-one pitcher, and returning letter winners Michael Ricciardulli ‘24, Robert Kirsh ‘24, and Tim Park ’25 will be called upon to provide increased production on the mound and at the plate.

Seniors Jack Ference, Riley Bittman, Adam LaTournous, and Nico Alfaro have had success at the JV level, and will look to make contributions with the varsity in 2023. Transfers Danny Sasse ’24, Colin Chou ’24, and Bobby Niesmertelny ’25 all performed well at their previous schools and should make an immediate impact for GSB. Freshmen Jack Markovich, Joey Fava, Jude Waters, and Graham Berry round out the pre-season roster and will have opportunities to be in the mix for varsity innings.

According to Coach Pasquale, goals for the Knights this season include a conference championship and a deep run in tournament play. “Our goals don’t change around here just because the roster turns over a bit. Every year we have state tournament success at the top of our list of priorities, and this year will be no different.”