GLEN CARBON - Daniel Gierer will be a senior in the fall at Father McGivney Catholic High School. He'll also come back and play a huge role in his school's baseball team as they look to make it three 30-win seasons in a row.
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As a matter of fact, it's an expectation from head coach Chris Erwin that his team reach that mark again.
"That's the goal," Gierer said. "We set high standards for ourselves here and we expect to meet them, so that's what we're really all about."
The Griffins took a relatively early exit this season as they went out in the Regionals Finals. They were defeated by Mater Dei by a score of 2-0.
Gierer says that it's important that his team make it deeper into the postseason in 2023. Gierer, who is one of the best overall baseball players in small or large schools in the area, is the Byron, Carlson, Petri & Kalp Male Athlete of the Month for Father McGivney Catholic.
The Griffins should be able to do it as they have a ton of talent coming back such as Jackson Rodgers, Gabe Smith, and of course Gierer.
"We're not losing a whole lot and we're excited for next year," Gierer said.
Daniel is a key part of his team's pitching rotation. He picked up 42 strikeouts this season and had a 6-0 record.
He also got things done at the plate. He led his team last season with a .452 batting average. He also batted in 36 runs which is good for fourth on the team. He had a .704 slugging percentage to go along with it.
"I just try and go up there and hit the ball wherever it's pitched, try to hit it hard and it paid off for me this year," he said. "I had a lot of doubles, a lot of success. It was fun."
Daniel also wanted to give back to the program. That's why last week he helped out in coaching the summer baseball camp that the Griffins hosted at their fields. He said that he had a good time and that it was nice to be out there and meet the kids.
Father McGivney's baseball team has all the pieces. Gierer and his teammates will try to put it all together and try to make a run at the state championship.
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