The Toledo Area Athletic Conference baseball coaches voted Andrew Pinciotti as the best center fielder in the conference last season.

So when Andrew graduated from Cardinal Stritch last June, guess who got tabbed to take over his spot in center for the 2010 season. Gabe Pinciotti, Andrew's younger brother.

Gabe, a senior, played left field as a junior and earned honorable mention All-TAAC honors. He said he felt “a lot of pressure” following his brother as the Cardinals' center fielder.

“Andrew was good,” Gabe said. “He could cover a lot of ground and make some catches I know I couldn't have. It's your big brother; you've got to fill his shoes. We're pretty close. We're both usually pretty positive and not dogging on each other.”

Greg Christian, Stritch's 12th-year coach, doesn't have any complaints about Gabe's play – or his attitude, demeanor or leadership skills.

“He doesn't care about his stats,” Christian said. “He's the most unselfish player I've ever coached. He's the first one on the field for practice and the last one to leave. He has great speed and a great knack for baseball, and he's a good athlete. Gabe leads by example. If the kids need something, they go to him. He has great parents who are very supportive.”

Pinciotti said his work ethic comes from his parents, Julie and Dom.

“We've been taught that you have to work hard to succeed,” Pinciotti said. “I was taught by my mom and dad to give 110 percent. My dad probably is the one who put that into me. He taught us to be humble and unselfish about things. I don't like bragging about myself. It just doesn't appeal to me.”

Pinciotti, who has seen spot duty behind the plate this season, leads the Cardinals (9-11, 4-4) in batting average (.466), runs (27), hits (27), walks (19) and on-base percentage (.603). He also has six doubles and 12 RBI and is 10-for-11 in stolen base attempts.

Pinciotti, who bats left and throws right, has not committed an outfield error this season. Of his offensive numbers, he said he's most proud of his stolen base statistics.

“It's kind of cool to be a threat on the bases and the pitcher's worried about you and you help your teammate out at the plate,” Pinciotti said. “It's high intensity. A steal is fast-paced with a lot of action.”

Christian, whose team lost to top-seeded Toledo Christian 9-8 in the Division IV sectional finals on Monday, said Pinciotti's baseball knowledge is extremely impressive for a high school athlete.

“Gabe is a very smart ballplayer,” Christian said. “He's a student of the game. He has the green light whenever he wants to steal a base. He knows the situation when it calls for it. He understands about moving runners over. If there's a man on second base, he'll give himself up and play a little 'pepper' with the first or second baseman.

“A couple weeks ago he was the leading hitter in the TAAC and in the first inning (against Emmanuel Christian) we got our first batter on and Gabe bunted the guy over. That's just the way he plays the game. We ended up getting that run home, so we're up 1-0 and we ended up winning 4-0.”

Pinciotti said he plays the game the only way he knows how, and for one reason.

“Baseball is a team sport and I'm going to do whatever I can to win a game,” he said. “I'd rather win a game than hit a home run. If you hit a home run and lose the game, it's pointless.”

Pinciotti's great uncle, Don Pinciotti, was a catcher for the Chicago White Sox. Don still lives in the Toledo area.

“He's come to some of my games,” Gabe said. “He came to a BCSN all-star game my brother was in last year. He's always been pretty positive when we've seen him.”

Pinciotti, 18, who lives in Lake Township, is also an above-average hockey player. He's played center for Lake's club team since his sophomore year and was a first-team pick last season in the Northwest Hockey Conference's Blue Division.

“Hockey is the opposite of baseball,” said the 5-8, 150-pound Pinciotti. “It's fast-paced and more of a reaction-type sport than a thinking-type sport like baseball. I like the quickness and the contact. I like to hit people.”

Last hockey season Pinciotti received the Hobey Baker High School Character Award, and he recently learned that he was awarded the OHSAA Archie Griffin Sportsmanship Award at Cardinal Stritch. The school's female winner was Bri Wlodarz.

“I had no clue I was getting it,” Pinciotti said. “Our athletic director (Joe Gutilla) took care of the application for it. I never applied for anything. It's an honor to be recognized like that.”

Pinciotti, who has a 4.09 GPA and is president of the National Honor Society, will attend the University of Toledo in the fall and major in mechanical engineering.

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