In a game full of home runs and strikeouts, the Masters varsity baseball team has had their fair share of strikeouts in the last few seasons. The team went 3-11 last spring missing the playoffs yet another year, but the addition of new head coach Chuck Gutierrez might give the team the push they need for a successful upcoming season.
Gutierrez was formally the head coach at All Hallows High School in the Bronx leading, their program to a CHSAA (Catholic High School Athletic Association) Championship and working with a number of talented professional players such as Alex Rodriguez, Ivan Rodriguez, Carlos Beltran, Edgar Martinez. Gutierrez said, “The CHSAA was a very competitive league with a lot of parity. We competed every year and got kids who worked hard for us every day.”
Though Gutierrez has primarily been in and around the CHSAA League, he spoke to his familiarity with private independent school teams like Masters.“I also know a little bit about the private school league and the level of competition here as well. Because I coach for the Bronx Bombers, a nationally ranked travel team, I saw a couple of kids from some of the schools in Masters’ league and they were competitive and could play,” Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez expressed his enthusiasm and expectations for this new chapter in his coaching career. He said, “When I came up to visit the Masters, the community was so warming. I love the college-like facilities and atmosphere, and that drew my attention. I also understood the struggles that were going on here with the baseball program and with my experiments and stuff. I felt like I could come here and try to help turn things around.”
Starting pitcher, senior captain, and Bard College commit, Henry Hubner expressed his excitement for the opportunity to play for Coach Gutierrez. Hubner has played for Masters for three years, being appointed captain in his 2023 junior season. He said, “I’m absolutely so excited for what’s to come this year and going forward. Coach Chuck has had so much success between coaching All Hallows High School and his travel team Bronx Bombers, I can only imagine that this is the start of something great here at Masters.”
Though the last few years have been rough, the Masters varsity baseball program is on the rise and Coach Chuck Gutierrez is a big reason for that.
