NORTHDALE — It’s coming up on 10 years. A decade.
Even for teams not as successful as Gaither, that’s a long time. The current players were barely cutting their teeth in Little League or travel ball, probably clueless about what was happening just two years after a legend hung up his cleats.
The year was 2016, and Cowboys coach Nelson North was just in his second season after taking over for Hall of Famer Frank Permuy, the father of the program. Despite an 0-2 start and two midseason three-game losing streaks, the Cowboys rattled off 10 straight wins en route to the Class 7A state title, defeating Venice 2-1 in eight innings.
Flash forward to today, and those young players — now starting at Frank Permuy Park and getting the Cowboys off to a 14-3 start — walk past a reminder of that day every time they take the field. It’s a sign that says the Cowboys won their only state championship 10 years ago.
The anniversary is not lost on them.
Senior ace and FAMU signee Mathew Altman deals during a six-inning shutout of nearby rival Sickles on March 24. Altman leads the Cowboys with an 8-0 record, a 0.33 ERA and 49 strikeouts.
Photos by MIKE CAMUNAS/Tampa Beacon
“Obviously, that’s the goal,” senior ace Mathew Altman said of reaching states. “Right now, I’m not worried about it because I take every start and every game one at a time. Once we get closer to the postseason, I’ll probably start thinking about it, but it is the goal — the only goal.”
“The school’s been around 40 years and has won one state title, but we remember 2016 now,” junior shortstop and captain Ryan Deak added. “Imagine what they’ll remember in 10 years if we’re also on that sign. It’s definitely motivation because it is our main goal.”
North, in his 12th season, reiterated that winning the state title is the only goal — the only one penciled on a notecard or written on a whiteboard in the clubhouse.
And it’s not lost on North that it’s the 10th anniversary. He has plenty of memorabilia in his office above the dugout to remind him.
Gaither baseball coach Nelson North, in his 12th season, has a 170-114-1 record and led the Cowboys to the Class 7A state championship in 2016.
Photos by MIKE CAMUNAS/Tampa Beacon
“Every year there is a sense of urgency, whether it’s 10 years or any other year,” said North, who holds a 170-114-1 record at Gaither. “Everything else is a good season, good results, but a state title is what we play for. When you win a state championship here in Florida, that’s it — there’s no national bracket, so you’re at the top if you win it all here.
Junior shortstop Ryan Deak, one of the team’s captains, leads the team with a .396 average and 19 hits.
Photos by MIKE CAMUNAS/Tampa Beacon
“And I don’t think it’s because it’s 10 years since the last one. You go out there to win a state championship every season.”
The Cowboys are off to a strong start despite an early loss to Steinbrenner, as well as losses to Plant and Bloomingdale, with both coming during the 45th annual Saladino Tournament, where the Bulls were overall champion, winning their second straight title.
However, one of Bloomingdale’s two losses was to Gaither, 3-2 on the road March 7.
“A nice three-run homer from S.J. Branham, and I thought we hit the ball pretty well, but the very next game vs. Jefferson, we didn’t,” North said. “The pitching has been very good for us, the defense has been very good, but not always the hitting. I think we’ve done all three in our wins, but we haven’t always gotten all three in the same game.
“Especially the hitting. All we need is to string together some knocks and get hot down the stretch — which is just what we did in 2016.”
North is right. Pitching has been dominant, with a staff ERA of 1.06, led by Altman, an FAMU signee who is 8-0 with a 0.33 ERA and 49 strikeouts. The defense has committed just 19 errors — Deak has one at shortstop — with seven double plays. Opponents have not stolen a base against the Cowboys and their everyday catcher, Jose Gutierrez (.992 fielding percentage).
Hitting, though, is where there’s room to grow. The team is batting .273 with 76 RBIs on 91 hits. It has six home runs, with senior captain Albert Antinori leading the team with 15 RBIs and Branham right behind him with 12.
“I have a great defense behind me, a great catcher in Jose, and our pitching has been phenomenal,” Altman said. “Once we start hitting like we know we can, everything’s going to be clicking, and I don’t think anybody can stop us.”
Deak agrees — confidently.
“We have definitely focused on hitting a lot more, and while it’s been a bit of a struggle, it’s been more mental than physical,” Deak said. “We’re not seeing the results of working so hard and it’s getting in our heads, and it can be tough to stay out of your head.
“No doubt, we’re a good team,” he added. “I think there’s not one team in our class or county we can’t match up with, and we can win on any given day. We start hitting, we just might be unstoppable.”