Former Blue Mountain pitcher Brady Gustitus teamed up with former Panther Valley infielder/pitcher Michael Pascoe to lead Chestnut Hill College to a CACC Championship appearance this past spring.
As a freshman Gustitus struck out 17 batters in 16.1 innings pitched and the Griffins finished the season 25-22.
“Our coach’s motto is to bring your hammer and nails because every day at practice you’re building toward your end goal,” Gustitus said. “You have to be focused on what you can do that day to get better.”
Gustitus has been able to get his fastball up to around 87 mph to overpower opposing batters. He has enjoyed taking on the pitcher only position at Chestnut Hill as opposed to Blue Mountain where he also played catcher and third base
The main reason Gustitus chose to sign with Chestnut Hill College was because of his friend, Pascoe, who also made noise this season, starting every game for Chestnut Hill.
“I always thought he was a big kid, he definitely had an athletic side to him and he’s a super competitive guy,” Pascoe said of his college teammate. “I thought he’d be able to help us at Chestnut a lot, knowing how he plays and competes at the high school level, and how he carries himself as a person. I always thought he’d be a great competitor at the next level.”
Former Blue Mountain and current Chestnut Hill pitcher Brady Gustitus. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
Former Panther Valley and current Chestnut Hill infielder/pitcher Michael Pascoe. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
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Former Blue Mountain and current Chestnut Hill pitcher Brady Gustitus. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
Pascoe made a difference at the plate and led the team with seven home runs and 39 RBI. He finished the season with a .303 batting average, 34 runs scored, four doubles and a .479 slugging percentage.
“We’re from such a small unknown area so it’s great that we get to show a good portion of the state that there’s competitors in Schuylkill County,” Pascoe said. “We can play baseball, too. And there’s not a lot of love and support outside of the area besides in the community itself.”
Pascoe also helped out Chestnut Hill on the mound. He recorded 17 strikeouts in 24.1 innings pitched.
Going into next season, he wants to focus on getting his velocity up, keeping his pitch mix more consistent and battling deeper into games while attacking the zone more often.
“It was always a dream of mine to play some sport in college – either baseball or football, so being able to live out that dream now is definitely something amazing,” Pascoe said.
Pascoe was recently voted as a team captain after the 2025 season.
“I just want to push everyone to be the best they can be,” Pascoe said. “It’s nice to be stepping into a leadership role with the team and I was just voted as a captain after this past season. Just being a competitor and keeping everyone’s morale up while pushing each other in practice, drills, in the weight room or speed and agility training.”
Pascoe has been asked to be a workhorse on the mound for Chestnut Hill in his junior season and to throw around 60 innings.
For Gustitus, the biggest difference between high school and college baseball has been honing in on pitching skills and when to attack hitters in certain counts.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned so far in college baseball is having confidence and trusting yourself,” Gustitus said. “We’re doing things on the field every day so we don’t have to think about it when we get to games.”
Gustitis originally had offers from Eastern University, Kings College and several Penn State satellite campuses in addition to Chestnut Hill College.
He finished his senior year at Blue Mountain batting .410 with 16 hits in 39 at bats, one home run and a .566 on-base percentage.
Gustitus led Blue Mountain to a District 11 Championship title his junior year and a Schuylkill League Championship his sophomore year.
“Winning the district championship my junior year and receiving the Lance Rautzhan leadership award my senior year, (it) was a huge honor to get that and it meant a lot to my family,” said Gustitus .”Winning the league my sophomore year was big and it was always fun going to the field every day with all my teammates and friends.”
Pascoe was a star on the football field and the baseball diamond while at Panther Valley and had great love for both sports, he just wasn’t sure which one would carry him into college.
Chestnut Hill College coach A.J. Stento wants Gustitus and Pascoe to go straight at hitters and tells them that if they are constantly pounding the zone or putting pressure on them, they won’t know what’s coming next.
Gustitus was the number two guy out of the bullpen in 2025, and relieved the starters in the sixth or seventh innings if they couldn’t last before the closer took the mound.
Gustitus suffered an injury near the end of the season and Pascoe believed it helped his teammate “grow and mature and handle situations really well.”
Gustitus is now going into his sophomore year and Pascoe gears up for his junior season as integral pieces of the baseball team at Chestnut Hill College.
Originally Published: July 15, 2025 at 2:04 PM EDT