If you were looking for Oswego catcher Gabe Panza during the offseason, chances are he could be found in the weight room.
Panza hit the weights hard going into his senior season behind the plate, and the results have come along with it.
Panza leads the Panthers with six doubles, two homers and 18 RBIs, all while hitting .391.
“I think that was the most important part, just getting stronger to last longer in the season and get those extra-base hits or getting faster to turn a single into a double,” Panza said. “It also helps with staying healthy throughout the season. It really shows on the field.”
Oswego coach Joe Giarrante said Panza packed on about 10-15 pounds of muscle in the offseason and was the ringleader of the Panthers’ workout team.
“Gabe comes up with the workouts for us,” Giarrante said. “He was just an animal in the weight room, and it’s really helped. Not only offensively, but defensively he’s more solid behind the plate and very strong with his hands. It’s helped him on both sides of the field.”
While some may view lifting weights as a chore, Panza treats it as a passion.
“Lifting is one of my favorite things in the offseason,” Panza said. “We all get together and we all love lifting. It’s kind of a team-bonding thing. Because I do it so much, they look to me to tell them which exercises to do, what to go hard on and what to go lightly on. It’s just really from experience and doing what we love.”
That leadership extends to his role on the field, but he isn’t the most vocal player on the team. His style is subtle.
“I’m not a very loud person, but I try to calm everybody down, get their minds off of a bad situation,” Panza said. “We have a lot of vocal guys on the team, and they do a good job of making up for that, too. I just try to motivate the whole team on a daily basis.”
Giarrante values what Panza brings to the table — not just being the team leader in hitting, but the intangibles.
“He does everything right, diving into the wall, backing up bases,” Giarrante said. “I think that’s more beneficial at times than a vocal leader.”
Colleges have taken notice of Panza’s value as well. He wrestled with his choice, weighing the option of heading to a junior college for a couple of years before taking a crack at a Division I or Division II school.
In the end, NCAA Division III Dubuque caught his eye. He decided just days before signing day on April 12.
“The education is the top factor on the list,” Panza said. “You have to decide, what if I get hurt or something? Where will be the best fit? From a baseball standpoint, it was where I can play the quickest, the facilities, close to home. You have to find what you like.”
Before shoving off to Iowa, Panza has more work to do this season. The Class 4A seedings will be announced Tuesday, and the Panthers (15-8) are in search of their first regional title since winning the sectional in 2009.
“I’m really excited,” Panza said. “I think we’re really starting to string stuff together. Our defense especially has come along. We have to put up some runs to help the pitchers out. I think it will be a good postseason.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance writer for The Beacon-News.
