Hillbillies win 2013 NY State title

Editor’s Note: This article was published in the OBSERVER in June of 2013.

By GIB SNYDER III

sports@observertoday.com

OBSERVER File Photo Since taking over the Fredonia program in 2002, Gullo has posted a 305-106-1 record. At Fredonia, Gullo has claimed nine CCAA divisional championships, 10 Section VI titles and two state titles.

ENDICOTT — When the final out settled into Fredonia center fielder Nick Hart’s glove Saturday night at Union-Endicott’s Sylvester Field, the Hillbillies’ last remaining goal of the 2013 baseball season was achieved, as they won the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s Class B title, 7-0, over Section 3’s Clinton High School.

“I wanted to get to the State finals to be honest,” Fredonia head coach Vince Gullo said. “I was trying to be somewhat realistic, but these kids wanted a State championship. One of my assistant coaches, Charlie LaDuca from Pine Valley won a state title. Brian Bongiovanni, one of my assistant coaches, won it on our team in (2006), so there’s been a lot of chatter about it. But to go out and actually do it is amazing.”

Senior Trent Thompson helped pitch and hit the Hillbillies past Section 10’s Ogdensburg Free Academy, 9-2, in the semifinals earlier in the day, but it was sophomore Cameron Voss who stole the show in the finale, as he allowed just one hit in a complete-game effort.

“He comes prepared and he’s so loose,” Gullo said of Voss. “He doesn’t know what pressure is yet and as much as he wanted to win the title, he’ll be the first to say he’s so glad he won it for the seniors.”

“He’s made me pitch in big games before,” Voss said of Gullo. “I was nervous at the start, but as I got into the second and third innings, I felt really good.”

Voss allowed just a leadoff single to Andrew Hayduk in the bottom of the seventh as he finished striking out four and walking five in the biggest game of his high school career.

“He had all the answers,” Clinton head coach Tom Pfisterer said of Voss. “Every time we got ahead in the count, he made the pitch he needed to make, and we did not hit the ball hard off him at all. My hats off. I understand he’s just a sophomore and God bless him, he’s going to be a good one.”

The Hillbillies started fast in the championship game as they got to Clinton starter Jon Ford for five runs on six hits and a walk in the top of the first.

Hart led off the game with a walk, before Weston Ley, Zach Buckley, Voss and Jude Gardner all singled to help the Hillbillies build a 2-0 lead. An RBI fielder’s choice by Thompson gave Fredonia a 3-0 lead while Sebastian McAfee and Christian Saden each added run-scoring singles for the 5-0 cushion.

“Putting up five in the first was a little bit reminiscent of (2006) when we got on top of Babylon,” Gullo said. “And we came out smoking. Playing two games in a row is definitely an advantage than having to win a game and sit around.

“But their pitcher found his groove,” Gullo continued. “This is high-level baseball and I was proud that we got a run in the sixth and a run in the seventh to pad the lead.”

The five runs in the first proved to be all Voss needed as the Warriors were befuddled by the tall lefty the entire night.

“He’s improving every time he picks up the ball,” Gullo said. “His command, his location, his demeanor, his thought process … He’s a good one.”

“I struggled throwing the same speed at times,” Voss added. “But toward the end, I felt really good, I went out and threw on the side and my arm felt really good going into the last couple innings.”

The Hillbillies added a single run in the sixth on an RBI single by Ley for a 6-0 lead, before Thompson added an RBI on a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

“It’s the greatest feeling ever,” Buckley said. “To come out and end the season as State champs, to be the only team to end its season with a win, it’s the best feeling ever.”

For Fredonia, the title is its second in the last eight years, and like the 2006 team that beat Babylon on the same field, these Hillbillies were led by their seniors, as Hart, Buckley, Gardner, Thompson, McAfee, Saden and Matt Coyle ended their season the best way imaginable.

“It’s the best feeling,” Hart said of the win. “Ending your season with a win, only one team in Class B can say they did that, I mean it’s what we dreamed of.

“Everybody experienced the sadness of last year,” Hart continued. “But this year is the ultimate joy. Ending our senior season like this, I don’t think there is a better feeling.”

Saden, who batted eighth in both games, picked the best time to have his most productive day at the plate as he finished his career with a 3-for-4 effort, including a double and an RBI.

“We knew he had it in him,” Hart said. “It was just a matter of making contact and he did it. He came up huge for us in the biggest game of the year. He’s been a senior leader all year and it’s good to see the hard work he’s put in pay off for him.”

“That kid is something else,” Gullo added of Saden. “He gets cold batting and he’s all or nothing and (Saturday) he was ‘all.’ How can you pick a better day than (Saturday) to lead your team to victory?”

In the first game, the Hillbillies fell behind early after a pair of errors led to single runs for Ogdensburg Free Academy in the top of the second and third innings.

“That’s just kind of how baseball is,” Thompson noted of the Hillbillies errors in the semifinals. “Sometimes there are just some crazy plays and sometimes people make mistakes, but we picked each other up when someone made an error. I think we did good as a team.”

Despite its uncharacteristic sloppy play early, Fredonia rebounded and scored six runs on three hits, three walks and a hit batter off Blue Devils’ starter Breton LaRose and reliever Seth Pinkerton.

“He threw a fastball and we’re a fastball-hitting team,” Gullo noted of LaRose. “It took us a little while to catch up and I don’t think he had his best stuff either.”

The six runs provided by RBI singles off the bats of Ley, Voss and Thompson, as well as a perfectly executed double steal that chased home Buckley and a sacrifice fly by Coyle, were all Thompson needed as he settled in to lead the Hillbillies into the title game.

“I think I threw the ball pretty good,” Thompson said. “I think I had decent velocity, but I was struggling to find my second pitch at first, but I gutted it out and it came back. Then the bats got going and we pulled it out.”

Fredonia tacked on single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings as it cruised to the 9-2 win.

“Both teams were senior-laden teams,” Gullo said, comparing his 2006 team to this one. “They’re ball players, good kids, good families, but I also can’t say enough about my coaching staff. To have Greg (Smith) and (Brian) Bongiovanni and Brent (Thompson) to return from the last couple of years and to add Tim Cowan and Charlie LaDuca, this is an amazing staff. And these guys do their jobs and they’re so thorough and we all bonded. What a great year we had.”

Despite losing a lot of experience to graduation, Gullo is optimistic about what he has coming back, even though he isn’t yet thinking about the 2014 season.

“We’ve got some ball players coming back,” Gullo said. “But give me until July then we’ll worry about next year.”

NOTES: Thompson allowed two runs on six hits while striking out one and walking two in the semifinal win while finishing with a combined three RBIs at the plate … Ley went 3 for 6 on the day with two RBIs and two runs scored … Saden ended his career 3 for 6 with an RBI and run scored … Voss went 2 for 7 with two RBIs and two runs scored … Gardner was 3 for 6, including a triple and four runs scored on the day.

Gullo reaches 300 wins as coach

Editor’s Note: This article was published in the OBSERVER in May of 2018.

By BRADEN CARMEN

bcarmen@observertoday.com

The Fredonia Hillbillies baseball program has been one of the most dominant sports programs in Western New York for many years. With two state championships since the turn of the century, along with a record seven straight Class B1 championships — with a good shot at an eighth this year — the Hillbillies are the top of the class in high school athletics in the southern tier.

The man at the helm of the Fredonia program is Vince Gullo.

In his 17th season as Hillbillies head coach, Gullo has transformed the Fredonia Hillbillies into a force to be reckoned with in Class B1. The team has been so successful in recent years, in fact, Gullo does not even set milestones for the regular season before it begins. All he is focused on is a postseason run.

“Our goal is the same as it is every year — to play in June,” said Gullo before the season began. It certainly looks as if Fredonia has a good chance at that once again this season.

Gullo reached a milestone last week that few coaches will ever reach — 300 wins with one team — with a win over Silver Creek last Tuesday. Though only two other active coaches in the southern tier have reached the mark of 300 wins, Gullo did not make a big deal about the milestone. The heralded coach did not even mention the achievement to anyone until the game was over when he addressed his team. Instead, he chose to highlight the accomplishment of one of his players — senior pitcher Derrick Walters — who finished off a no-hitter in the contest.

Once he finally did acknowledge his own achievement, Gullo’s way of mentioning the benchmark caught his players’ attention.

“He’s a very selfless guy, because at the end of the game when he mentioned it, he said ‘This was OUR 300th win’,” said Fredonia senior co-captain Seth Schrader. “That sort of embodies who he is as a coach and as a person. He’s never going to claim credit.”

Gullo’s demeanor in regards to his program’s success should not be confused with a lack of importance he puts on winning. In fact, it’s quite the contrary.

Gullo’s office is full of newspaper clips, photos and team programs highlighting the moments of his coaching career at Fredonia. Off the top of his head, Gullo knows the statistical highlights of his program during his tenure, from his seven straight class titles, to the state championship teams he led in 2006 and 2013, to the head-to-head record of his team against rival Dunkirk over his tenure.

A day after winning his 300th game, Fredonia traveled to play at Dunkirk. Before the game of the two longtime rivals, Dunkirk coach Frank Jagoda led a tribute to Gullo in acknowledgment of his 300th win. The two teams both stood along the baselines as Jagoda addressed the crowd — a crowd that included Gullo’s parents sitting right behind home plate. The tribute arose a smile out of Gullo, as the two longtime rivals and friends embraced at home plate before the final regular season meeting between the two teams, an eventual 10-5 Fredonia win.

“Vinny is a humble guy. He’s also an intense individual, as well. We’ve had our battles throughout our time. (Gullo) told me we were 18-18 going into (that game),” said Jagoda. “Vinny has been raised in good stock with his family and his parents. … It’s truly a tribute to his dedication to the game and to the kids that he coaches. He’s an outstanding coach. He gets a lot out of his kids all the time, and I think he gets a lot out of them because he expects a lot out of them. They believe in him and you can see it in how they play. They believe in what he is saying.”

There is no better example of that statement than Schrader, who hit his first varsity home run on the day of Gullo’s 300th win. Just as Gullo did with his big moment, Schrader downplayed his own moment of glory to highlight the achievements of Gullo, Walters and the team as a whole.

“(Coach Gullo) works really hard, and he deserves this,” said Schrader. “He puts a lot into this. More than I think anybody knows.”

Other coaches notice the work Gullo puts in, as well.

“He’s obviously a very talented coach who has had a lot of great teams over the years,” said Silver Creek coach Mike Janisch. In a similar mindset to Gullo’s about the benchmark, Janisch added, “If you look at it as your victories as the coach, you’re missing the point. Whatever the coach’s number is, it’s about the kids success.”

One who has been both a player and a coach along the way in Gullo’s journey is Bryan Bongiovanni. A star player on Gullo’s 2006 New York State Championship team at Fredonia, Bongiovanni is now the head coach of Chautauqua Lake, Fredonia’s division foe, who provided the toughest test along the way to the Hillbillies’ perfect season in league play this year.

“300 wins is a milestone for any coach. In order to accomplish it as fast as Coach Gullo has speaks volumes to the caliber of coach he is,” said Bongiovanni. “To have that kind of consistent success is unprecedented. … He has created a dynasty that everyone wants to be a part of or emulate.”

Bongiovanni was an assistant coach under Gullo before taking over Chautauqua Lake. The former Fredonia star believes that Gullo should now finally receive the credit he deserves.

“A lot of talented players and coaches have come through Fredonia, but the constant throughout all of these years has been Coach Gullo. He is always redirecting praise aimed towards him onto others. This time it’s his turn to be in the spotlight.”

When it’s all said and done, there will surely be many more wins and trophies attached to the name of Vince Gullo. With no signs of slowing down anytime soon, just how many more accolades Fredonia will earn under Gullo remains to be seen. But one thing is for sure — Gullo’s impact on Fredonia will be remembered long after his days in the dugout are over.