By Zachary Persing ’15, Sports Editor

On August 1^st Mike Gibbons concluded what was a year-long process when he committed to the Mountain Hawks of Lehigh University. In 2014 Gibbons shined at the plate and on the mound for the Minutemen. He maintained a .439 batting average and was a force in the Minuteman batting order. But it was Mike’s 1.35 earned run average that caught the eye of many college coaches. While at Lehigh, Mike will primarily be focused on pitching. Mike was kind enough to sit down with the Minuteman and discuss the recruiting process as well as his goals for the upcoming Newark Academy baseball season.

According to Mike, his recruiting process began after his sophomore year at Newark Academy. He said, “A lot of college coaches had an opportunity to watch me play for a team outside of school, the Cardinals. I was also able to play in a lot of college showcase games, which was really helpful.” Mike began to reach out to coaches at the beginning of his junior year to see if there was mutual interest. Mike’s contact with coaches and visits to schools intensified as his junior year at Newark Academy came to a close. Mike said, “At the beginning of the summer I gave myself a deadline of August 1^st. I really wanted to be committed by August 1^st.” Mike went on to say, “When that date was approaching I still had some Ivy League schools in contention, but I felt really comfortable with Lehigh. I called up coach (Sean) Leary and told him that I would be coming to Lehigh.”

Mike’s commitment to Lehigh is so important because it continues the recent trend of NA baseball players being talented enough to play at the next level. Alums Harrison Glatt and Matt Ratner, who play for Union College and Columbia University respectively, started this trend. Needless to say, this trend is indicative of a strong baseball program. It is no secret that the Newark Academy baseball team has been plagued by near misses in the past few seasons. In 2012 the team lost in the final inning of the Non Public B state championship game. In 2013 the team missed a return trip to the championship game by a single run. After another state playoff run fell short in 2014 Mike was very clear about his goals for his senior season.   Mike proclaimed, “My goal since freshman year has been to win a state championship and that remains my goal. I’m really confident that we can do it this year.” Mike noted that Lehigh has not placed an innings limit on his 2015 high school season and his sole focus is Newark Academy, not Lehigh.” Mike said, “I took care of what I needed to take care of with college but that isn’t important right now. All I’m worried about is the Newark Academy baseball team and winning a state championship.”

The Newark Academy baseball team will have a very challenging schedule this spring. That being said, the team should be competitive in Essex County and around the entire state. Only time will tell if Mike will end his high school career holding the NJISAA state championship trophy.