With 6 2/3 innings in the books and the winning run 180 feet from home plate, Will Gambino shook his coach’s hand, gave teammates a hug, and walked off the mound, hoping it wouldn’t be his last time in a Paul VI uniform.
A few minutes later, a walk-off hit-by-pitch sent St. Augustine into the New Jersey Non-Public A semifinals May 29. And as the Hermits mobbed around first base, the words from Gambino’s mouth were visible: “No way.”
It was a surreal ending to a high school career that Gambino would describe precisely the same.
After signing with The Citadel, the 6-foot-2 righthander reopened his recruitment when the South Carolina college changed coaches last June, and the calls came fast and furious before Gambino ultimately committed to Kentucky.