Warhawks Look To Be Last Team Standing
12 years ago, the Madison High School baseball program hired a guy by the name of Mark Gjormand. Since that time, Gjormand has fielded numerous nationally ranked teams, in addition to bringing home the 2002 state championship. Gjormand and the Warhawks are at it again as they are ranked 14th nationally by the USA Today, and are on pace to be a serious threat to win it all again this June.
By the start of May, the Warhawks were 13-2, and sitting atop the Liberty District standings with only one district loss. One of those 13 wins was registered during the Warhawk's spring break trip to Orlando. The Warhawks drummed the top ranked 6A baseball team in Florida behind the play of Arman Moniri and Brig Tison, both whom were chosen to the 2007 Orlando National Classic All-Tournament Team. With the national media keeping a close eye on every game, and expectations continuing to rise, Coach Mark Gjormand is impressed with what he has seen thus far from his players.
"Their consistency and intensity level has impressed me a lot this season, and so far, this season has been fun," said coach Gjormand. "We've been ranked over the past few years so the kids have been used to the attention, but our goal is to be the last team standing on June 10th, and that is what we are working hard to achieve."
Pitcher Jason Farley, who had a 0.63 ERA last year, has been the heart of the 2007 Warhawks once again. He not only gets the job done, he gets it done fast. On April 24, against McLean, Farley only allowed one run, and went through five innings throwing just 57 pitches.
"Our senior leadership and the fact that we play hard 100% of the time is the biggest reason why we are doing so well," said Farley.
While the Warhawks have some outstanding team leaders in guys like Jason Farley and senior catcher Alex Andrews, last year's Liberty District champions also have some exciting young players making some key contributions.
"Of course we can rave on and on about our seniors and they deserve the credit, but I'm also really excited about guys like junior Jesse Jeter, who was our number two pitcher last year, but this year he has really elevated his game. He is a special player and we consider him to be a number one pitcher along with Jason Farley. Collin Flaherty hits 9th in our lineup, but he wouldn't hit 9th in any other team's lineup because he can flat out play. We are excited about guys like Collin and Jesse and the other young guys who are really playing lights out for us," said Gjormand
Expectations were extremely high coming into the season because of the experience returning from last season's 22-2 team that finished ranked 18th in the country by the USA Today. So far, the Warhawks have passed the grade, but the true tests are waiting down the road.
"We know what is at stake and we look at pressure two ways, you can either feel pressure or apply it, and we want to be the team applying it," said Gjormand. "The expectations are there for us every year from outside of the program. We know that every game counts and we are just trying to notch as many wins as possible by the end of the season."
The Warhawks have one of the most talented pitching staffs in the state with Jeter and Farley, who are both capable of dominating every time they pitch. What's amazing about this team is the amount of players who will most likely see college baseball scholarships. So far, eight of the team's 22 players have been offered scholarships and will continue their playing careers on the next level. More interest is expected in the near future for the younger players who have emerged onto the scene this season.
Langley and Stone Bridge are fighting to give the Warhawks some competition for the top seed in the Northern Region playoffs, but don't be fooled, Madison is the favorite to get to the final game, and to bring home the hardware. And from the looks of things, the Warhawks wouldn't like it any other way.
How about that for expectations!
