×

Gallentine replaces Hummel at St. C.

Linsly grad eager to start softball duties

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — One of the premier high school softball programs in the Ohio Valley has its third head coach in the last four years.

Rob Gallentine, a 1991 Linsly grad, assumes the head coaching position at St. Clairsville after serving two years as an assistant to Ron Hummel, who stepped down after taking a job outside the school district that demands more of his time.

“He’s a great guy with a great softball mind,” Gallentine said of Hummel. “I learned a lot from him in my two years on his staff.”

Gallentine wasn’t a stranger to the sport when he joined the Red Devils staff.

“I’ve coached softball since my oldest daughter, Summer, who is 22 now and just graduated from Ohio State University, started playing when she was 4 in Elm Grove. I coached her all the way up to high school. Taylor, who is a senior at St. Clairsville, was four years younger and I’ve coached her, as well. I just thought it was a great way to bond with your daughters.

“From my perspective, I had a baseball and wrestling background at Linsly,” he added. “Obviously I didn’t want them to wrestle, so softball seemed like the next best thing. It has really worked out well.”

St. Clairsville appeared in the Division II regional semifinals four years ago and made it to the district finals last season. However, four talented seniors picked up their diplomas in May.

“I’m excited but I’m also a realist. As you know, we had a really, really good year last season. The senior class went to the regionals twice. There’s a pretty good track record here for success and we lost four seniors who batted a combined .409,” he continued. “Each one of those seniors hit home runs, had power and a lot of athleticism, plus a tremendous amount of experience.

“So, our plate is full on replacing that talent and experience alone,” he stressed. “We’re looking for some of the returners to step up and maybe we can find a couple of freshmen that can fill the roles and be competitive at the varsity level.”

Those aforementioned graduates include pitcher Amaya Smith, catcher Ari Reager, centerfielder Maddie Vickers and first baseman Hannah Stachyra. Smith has joined her older sister, Adrian, on the University of Akron roster.

“Amaya had a great career here and you’d be hard-pressed to find a player that is quicker than Maddie,” he noted. “Ari did a good job behind the plate for us and Hannah was steady at first.

“Jenna Jaskowiak pitched some last year for us. She will need to step her game up, but catching is the big need right now. That’s the foundation, but all positions are open right now. We need to see what is best for the team.”

Gallentine said 27 girls signed up during a recent meeting.

“That’s good news because now for the second year in a row we will be able to field a JV team,” he said. “Paul Pubaugh will return as that coach and John Jaskowiak will be my varsity assistant.”

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.73/week.

Subscribe Today