The Gordon Tech Rams baseball team is having a successful 2012 campaign, with an 11-4 record (3-3 in Catholic League play). It’s the stellar starting pitching that’s holding things together for the Rams, and it all starts with senior right-handers Dakota Pisarek and Noe Arteaga.
“They’ve been our glue,” said Rams head coach Chris Haas of the two star pitchers. “Without those two, we definitely wouldn’t be where we’re at right now.
Arteaga is 4-1 with a 1.8o ERA and 47 strikeouts this season. The Welles Park native’s only loss came against St. Rita last week in blutery conditions.
“St. Rita (is the toughest hitting lineup),” Arteaga said. “They were tough conditions, but they were still able to hit the ball. I always just go out there and try my best, no matter what the lineup is.”
Pisarek is 3-2 on the season, with one of his losses coming to powerhouse Catholic League team St. Lawrence. His biggest win of the season came over Loyola Academy, where he only allowed 2 hits while striking out 11 batters.
“I pitched pretty well, but they hit me pretty well also,” Pisarek said of St. Lawrence. “It was a close game, but I think that’s the best team that has hit me so far. Any lineup can be tough but I always go in there with the mindset that they can’t touch my stuff.”
Both Pisarek and Arteaga have an intense passion for pitching and the game of baseball itself, and that is what fuels them to really compete in every single start.
“I love the feeling walking from the bullpen to the mound to start off a game,” said Pisarek. “I love the game of baseball and the tradition behind it, and it feels great to step on the mound and go against batters to see how good you are compared to other teams in the state.”
Both pitchers have their Major-league counterparts that they look up to as well, as they try to emulate the precision and control it takes to be a pitcher at the next level.
“I really like (Tampa Bay Rays starter) James Shields,” said Arteaga. “I like how he uses his off-speed stuff. His change-up is really good, and I like using the change-up too.”
“I look up to (San Francisco Giants starter) Tim Lincecum alot,” said Pisarek. “He has the same mentality that I like to have; that he can strike anybody out and nobody can touch him.”
As the Rams continue the season, the entire team knows that they are capable of competing with the best teams to get downstate; and nobody knows that better than Pisarek and Arteaga.
“We want to stay on our positive track,” said Pisarek. “We’re doing really well right now, and the teams mental capibility right now is to win every game that we can. We’d like to make it downstate; that’s one of our main goals.”
“We’re out there to compete every day,” added Arteaga. “We always try to win, and we know we can compete with anyone right now.”
