Trying to close in

Eight games into the season, Neumann-Goretti pitcher Brian Dietrich is still looking for his first varsity win.

There have been a few close ones, like last year’s 2-0 loss to St. Joseph’s Prep, in which he pitched a complete game, and an 8-6 defeat to the same team April 7.

"If I am throwing strikes and not making bad pitches, I would have to judge it as a good performance," summed up Dietrich, who started in last Thursday’s 13-2 loss to Cardinal O’Hara.

Pitching coach Fran Ciociola said the 18-year-old is doing better work than his record reflects.

"Brian is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever had as a coach," he said. "He has the most solid mechanics of any kid I’ve ever had."

Still, the win is elusive.

So far, the Saints’ lone victory came April 18 over West Catholic, with freshman Agapito Osano pitching. Neumann-Goretti will host West on May 12.

"Hopefully, I’ll get them at home," said Dietrich, of the 2600 block of Mildred Street.

As one of only four seniors on the squad, Dietrich is aware that his younger teammates need time to adjust. He said he remembers his own learning curve when he moved from the junior-varsity to varsity team as a sophomore.

"We have a small program and are doing the best with what we have," Dietrich said.

The player said Ciociola has helped mold him over the past four years.

"Coach C. has been working with me since I was a freshman and he has taught me more than I can ever imagine," he said.

Techniques that once seemed a little unorthodox – like rocking back and forth on a 2-by-4 without falling off – now help Dietrich stay in command. The exercise is used to simulate pitching and to improve wind-up while the athlete learns to control his balance.

"When I first started, it seemed a little crazy, but after awhile I realized it really does help," Dietrich said. "Once you have your balance, then everything works off that."

ON GAME DAYS, the athlete’s most important skill is maintaining his focus regardless of the score. During warm-ups, Dietrich uses the method he learned from Ciociola and shuts his eyes to visualize his performance – his fastball hitting the spots, his curveball dropping as it hits the plate.

Dietrich opened last Thursday’s game against Cardinal O’Hara with two scoreless innings as the visitors stranded one runner in each. In the bottom half of each inning, Dietrich returned to his spot at the far end of the bench, where he sat quietly to think about the next round of pitches.

When classmate and good friend Anthony Turchi made a diving catch in the fourth, Dietrich walked over and patted him on the back.

Dietrich was also there for his friend in September when Turchi’s father, Anthony Sr., suffered a fatal heart attack. The families have always been close, taking vacations and spending holiday dinners together.

Turchi, also a senior, and Dietrich grew up playing tee-ball in the Sabres organization, where Anthony Sr. volunteered countless hours. When the boys started playing for Neumann, their fathers would sit together, cheering for their sons.

"It hit all our families really hard," Dietrich said of Turchi’s death. "We don’t talk about it much because it’s a hard subject to talk about. Anthony knows I am always there for him."

The supportive vibe permeates the Neumann-Goretti program, as younger players learn from the veterans. Dietrich remembers that when he was a rookie, the upperclassmen stressed the importance of not worrying about errors.

"If you make a mistake, you can’t dwell on it," said Dietrich, who is vice president of his school’s National Honor Society. "You get them the next time."

Dietrich said he would love to make the Catholic League playoffs, but with a young roster that includes nine juniors and six sophomores, it would be a stretch. The team has not appeared in the playoffs since 1998. "The important thing about Brian is he doesn’t let the fact that we are so young and inexperienced get to him," Ciociola said.

Dietrich said his team definitely has made progress this year.

"We just have to keep improving," he said.

Dietrich hopes to play baseball on the college level, but that will depend on which school he attends. He is giving serious consideration to La Salle and Drexel, but the latter no longer has a baseball program.

"If I go to La Salle, I will probably try out for the team," Dietrich said. "I would love to still be playing in college."

For now, he said, "I am just hoping to get a win."