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Gaither hopes to repeat path to top

The Cowboys baseball team, last year's state runnerup, has been the district's top seed for most of the season.

By ROD GIPSON
Published April 7, 2006

And that's just the way Permuy likes it. "You really can't compare," said Permuy, in his 22nd season at Gaither. "Every year is different, every team is different."

In years past, Gaither could rely on lights-out pitching, especially in key moments, and usually had plenty of bats to back up that good pitching.

And while this year's group is off to a solid start, winning 11 of its first 16 games and coming just shy of advancing to the quarterfinals of the recent Tony Saladino Tournament, no one will confuse them with last year's Cowboys.

"We've only got two new guys this year," Permuy said. "Our pitching has been up and down a little bit. We've been missing some clutch hits, and our defense hasn't always been there."

That last point became glaringly clear during the Saladino Tournament, when a potential double-play ball was booted by the Gaither defense, opening the door for a five-run, seventh-inning comeback by Wharton that eliminated the Cowboys from defending their tournament title.

Still, Permuy said, the Cowboys are in solid shape heading into the season's final weeks and the district tournament. Gaither has owned or been tied for the top seed in the district for most of the season but still has to play several teams in its district before the league tournament.

"You get some momentum going, get the adrenaline flowing and anything can happen," Permuy said of the district tournament.

And with a solid lineup featuring standouts Evan Ashley (infielder), Chris Jones (pitcher/outfielder), Jason Hamm (catcher), Daniel Dwyer (infielder) and Greg Coffman (outfielder), Gaither should again be favored to repeat as district champions. The one area where this team is like last season's is in Ashley, Jones and USF-signee Coffman, Permuy's core trio that led the Cowboys to its state runnerup finish last year.

"Evan's a guy who's been with us for four years and has done everything for us," Permuy said of second baseman Ashley, who has signed with Barry University. "Coffman and Jones are very talented and competitive guys who have been outstanding players."

Permuy hopes they continue to play well as the Cowboys try to make another run at a state title.

"This is a good group. We're going to work on things we can control," Permuy said. "Our relief pitching, throwing strikes and making more contact at the plate.

"We know what our goal is, and these kids are focused on it."

[Last modified April 7, 2006, 08:18:53]