Giardina, Highsmith reach 100th win at Seffner Christian
Seffner Christian head coach Sal Giardina proudly wears a postgame water bath after his Crusaders picked up a 5-2 win on Tuesday, marking the 100th win at the school.
By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor
SEFFNER – Seffner Christian baseball coach Sal Giardina knew that Tuesday’s Week 3 opener against IMG Silver was just another step in a long season. But the veteran coach also knew that a win would come with a lot of emotions for him personally.
So, after the handshakes with their opponents following Tuesday’s 5-2 win, Giardina, his coaches and players gathered on the field under the bourgeoning thunderstorm to celebrate his 100th win at Seffner Christian.
Moments later, escaping the rain inside the home dugout, Giardina couldn’t help himself from wearing his emotions on his sleeve.
Seffner Christian head Coach Sal Giardina (second from left) and assistant coach Bill Highsmith (fifth from left) surrounded by their current players after winning their 100th game at the school.
The milestone win, a mark he credited to his players from the past eight seasons, as well as his good friend and assistant coach Bill Highsmith, was something he admitted he had been thinking about since last year.
“Yeah,” he said, “I’ve been thinking about this since last year.”
Sharing with Highsmith, the former head coach at Newsome who has spent 50 years in the coaching game, was an added bonus for Giardina.
“I couldn’t have done this without Bill Highsmith,” Giardina said. “He’s been there since Day 1. We’ve been together coaching for 29 years – it was really cool to do this with him today.”
A 50-year coaching veteran, including spending the last eight with Giardina at SCA, Bill Highsmith accepts postgame congrats from the Crusaders other assistant coaches.
The coaches’ connection is something the Crusaders players have come to appreciate as well.
“It’s like two brothers out there,” Crusaders senior Addy Scott said. “You ask one a question, and the other’s answer is exactly the same. They’re of the same mind, and it gives us a strong focus out here.”
Giardina said the 100th win was special, but admitted he’d wished he could share the moment with his father, Carmine, who passed away in 2016.
“One of the biggest reasons I was this emotional today is that I really wish my Dad could have been here,” he said. “He wasn’t there to see it. This was a great think that I wish I could have shared with him.”
Crusaders coach Sal Giardina goes over the ground rules for his field in the plate meeting prior to Tuesday’s game against IMG Silver.
Seffner Christian senior and four-year varsity player, Ethan Duncan, was pleased to celebrate a coach who has helped him develop as a player.
“It’s awesome,” Duncan said. “He has been my coach since I was 14 years old, and has helped me grow so much mentality. He’s taught me to control my emotions on the field and play my game. And maybe people didn’t expect us to be quite as good this year after losing so many guys, but when you have a leader like Coach Sal, you can expect us every year to come out and be competitive.”
Seffner Christian senior captains Garrett Morgan (middle, #14), Ethan Duncan (#15) and Addy Scott (far right) drench “Coach Sal” after Tuesday’s win.
Joining in the congratulations were the Crusaders other two captains, Scott (whose first-inning, three-run home run highlighted the win) and Garrett Morgan (who made a pair of foul ball catches behind the plate on Tuesday).
“For how much he’s cared for this program, for how much he has done, for how much heart he puts out there,” Scott said, “it was awesome to see him get that.”
Morgan added: “I’ve only been here for the last two years, but it has been a wild ride to be on, and I couldn’t ask for a better coach to play for.”
