Whether he has nine hits in a row or has gone hitless in his last 12 plate appearances, Joe Gmitter will always treat his next at-bat as the first one of his life.
“I don’t really look at my stats too much, I don’t worry about that,” the Stockton University junior and Steinert High grad said. “I just take an 0-for-0 approach. No matter if I’m 0-for-5 or 5-for-5, it’s the same mindset.”
Gmitter aced many of those opportunities through his 16 games with the Ospreys. After two successful years at Mercer County Community College, Gmitter went 1-for-7 in his first seven at-bats. He followed by going 7-for-8 in a doubleheader with Keene State, and kept hitting ever since.
As of March 25, Gmitter led Stockton in batting average (.426) and walks (8), was tied for first in hits (23) and was second in OPS (1.019), doubles (5), slugging percentage (.519) and on-base percentage (.500).
“I love the kid,” Ospreys coach Rich Gawlak said. “He’s just a good kid, comes from a good baseball family. His dad (Joe) played at Steinert and Rider. He knows the game. Obviously all those guys that come from Steinert with Brian and Rich Giallella and Rick Freeman, they’re gonna be well schooled. I love that about him.”
Gmitter is a Steinert legacy. His father Joe was a three-letterman and Steinert Hall of Fame inductee whose specialty was baseball. His aunt Lisa is another HOF inductee and arguably Steinert’s greatest girls soccer player, while his uncle Fred played baseball for the Spartans.
In his two years as a Steinert starter, Gmitter hit .298 with a .414 slugging percentage and three home runs.
Gawlak, a former West Windsor-Plainsboro South and College of New Jersey standout, recruited Gmitter out of high school. It made sense, as Stockton has become Steinert South with former Spartans Jordan Nitti — who’s re-writing the Ospreys record book — Evan Bresnen, Joe Giori and Joe Loreti all on the roster. For good measure, Notre Dame grads/ Hamilton residents Dom Vizzoni and Justin Prekop are also Ospreys.
Gmitter opted for MCCC in order to get a feel for college baseball before playing at a four-year school. It was a smart strategy. In two years at Mercer Gmitter hit .345 with 101 hits, 18 doubles, two homers, and 70 RBI. Earning All-Region 19 as a sophomore, Gmitter hit .356 with 62 hits, 55 RBI and 46 runs. A first baseman by trade, he moved to third in college.
It was at Mercer that Gmitter learned to keep an even keel emotionally.
“Coach (Russ) Stupienski helped me a lot mentally,” Gmitter said. “He was tough and he was hard on me, but after every bad game he’d say ‘Hey you’re not gonna be 4-for-4 every game. You just gotta stay with it. Take that 0-for-0 approach all the time.
“I probably could have come (to Stockton) out of high school. But I think Mercer helped me a lot with developing my game.”
While Gawlak would have liked having Gmitter as a freshman — saying he may have been able to start — he agreed that the two years of JUCO made Joe a more polished player.
“Russ and those guys helped him get acclimated to the college game a little bit, and then worked and refined his approach a little more,” the coach said. “I think they really helped him pull the ball a little better than we had seen coming out of high school.”
Along with his school coaches, Gmitter has received advice from his dad, a former All-County shortstop for Steinert.
“He used to be very hard on me when it comes to baseball, but he knows that I know my game by now,” Gmitter said. “He gives me little tips now, but growing up he used to be very tough on me.”
The worst advice father ever gave son was to make him a Miami Dolphins fan, meaning young Joe has had a lot of miserable Sundays in his life so far.
“Brutal decision by him,” Gmitter said with a laugh. “I’ve just completely blocked him out now.”
Pitchers are having a hard time blocking out Gmitter, however. Even when he started 1-for-7, he was hitting the ball hard. He feels the biggest difference between JUCO and NCAA Division III is that batters see top-notch pitching on a regular basis, whereas at Mercer he’d see good arms every few games.
Coming out of MCCC, Gmitter was recruited by some Division II schools, but his positive experience with Gawlak out of high school nudged him down to Pomona. Having some ex-teammates on the team also played a factor.
“It’s like playing for your old ball club with a couple new faces in there,” Gmitter said. “I felt confident coming in here I could play like this. I was comfortable playing college ball.”
Gmitter joined a veteran team and was not promised a starting spot, although Gawlak did envision slugger Nick Avagnano and Gmitter batting 3-4 in the lineup, which is how it turned out.
“I didn’t really feel any pressure,” Gmitter said. “I just put my head down and worked. I can’t control what the coach chooses to do.”
He made the choice easy for Gawlak.
“(Gmitter and Avagnano) have really pushed each other, it’s been a good mesh,” the coach said. “I’m not surprised. The way Joe goes about his business, the discipline and understanding the strike zone. I don’t think you ever say, ‘This guy is gonna come in and hit .400,’ but the at-bats have been exactly what I expected.”
Having Nitti as a teammate again certainly helped with Gmitter’s transition. The two have been lifelong friends and Joe said, “He’s helped me feel comfortable here. He’s such a mature player.”
Nitti has fought injuries in his senior year but was still hitting over .300 in late March. He holds the Stockton record for hits in a season and career doubles, and is closing in on career hits, at-bats, runs scored and RBIs.
“He’s been something else,” Gawlak said “He’s been great since day one. He’s gonna leave as one of the more decorated players in program history.”
As for other Hamiltonians on the team, Loreti has pitched well, earning New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week in March; Bresnen has plugged defensive holes at various positions; and Vizzoni has filled in for injured players as a freshman. Giori was playing well until he broke his hand, and will likely miss the season.
It’s a scenario that has been just right for Gmitter, who is majoring in business but wants to go into coaching after graduation. He has been preparing for it all his life.
“I think with my mindset I’d make a pretty good coach,” he said. “I know the game pretty well. I love the game within the game. I love battling with the pitcher, I love situational baseball. I just love thinking the game.”
The only thing he doesn’t think about is his previous at-bat. The next one is always the first one.
