Guida Turning Heads on Monmouth Baseball Team

Last year, then-freshman Jon Guida settled in at shortstop for Monmouth University’s baseball team and wound up starting 30 games, finishing with a .302 batting average and playing some solid defense on a team that won 36 games—this was one short of tying the program record for wins in a season, 37 in 2008.

This year, as a sophomore who’s battle-tested and stepping into a leadership role, Guida, a 2010 graduate of Bridgewater-Raritan High School, has become a pivotal member on a Hawks team expected to contend for the Northeast Conference Crown alongside teams like Sacred Heart. Monmouth won the regular season title last season only to lose to Sacred Heart in the conference tournament.

“I think one main thing for me is having experience under my belt,” Guida said. “That gave me a lot of confidence, knowing how things go and how to transition game-by-game."

“I’m more relaxed with everything I do, and last year, being a freshman I felt like I had to prove myself to everyone," he added. "But this year, I just have to play my game and it has worked out well for me.”

Monmouth has started the season on a tear. The team is 3-0 for the first time since 1984, and recorded lopsided wins over its early season competition at the Cary, North Carolina baseball tournament. The wins include a 10-2 victory over Wright State Friday, 7-1 over Saint Joseph and 14-2 over Youngstown State.

Guida started all three games and collected four hits in 11 at bats [.364 batting average], while also driving in two runs and scoring two runs.

“It was very important to get off to a good start,” he said. “We are coming off a very successful season last year, other than the way it ended, but to come off with a running start is definitely huge. It’s very big and a beginning of great things to come.”

Guida's coach—longtime Monmouth head man Dean Ehehalt, who in 18 years has turned the Hawks into one of the region’s and nation’s best programs—has been pleased with the tremendous progress Guida has made since stepping on campus last year.

“He worked his way into the starting lineup approximately the halfway point of last season,” Ehehalt said. “He’s always been a very good defensive player. It was just a matter of him getting a chance and making the most of that opportunity."

“When he did that, he provided real solid defense, and from day one, we knew he was a good defensive player,” he added.

With the arrival of new assistant coach Rich Oliveri, Guida has tweaked his hitting mechanics from last year, and believes it will help him achieve optimal success at the plate. His bat will be important for Monmouth considering that the team lost Ryan Terry and Nick Pulsonetti from last year’s lineup.

Terry was drafted in the 20th round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays.

“Those are two very big shoes to fill,” Guida said. “Everyone on our team, from one through nine in the batting order, is a solid hitter.”

“We got a new coach and he’s worked well with us," he added. "There were certain things in our swing he pointed out I could fix and from this weekend, I got off to a good start.”

Ehehalt stated he’s proud of Guida’s overall development as a player and leader on a team that returns 18 players from last year’s team.

“This year, he’s taken the next step in his game,” Ehehalt said. “He’s more confident, he’s stronger and he has the ultimate respect of his teammates. He’s becoming a good leader on the infield.”

Part of that process for Guida is having amazing chemistry with the team’s second baseman, fellow sophomore Jake Gronsky. The pair have combined to play in more than 80 games together, and form quite a formidable pair up the middle for the Hawks.

“We hang out on and off the field,” Guida said. “We lift together, we take batting practice together and we’ll field and take ground balls together."

“We have a chemistry that I feel no other two middle infielders have,” he added.

Guida has 10 assists with zero errors this year and Gronsky has 11 assists with no errors. The fielding chemistry between the two is paramount because in baseball, the shortstop and second basemen positions could be a pitcher’s best friend with their ability to turn double plays.

“If there is double-play situation, we position ourselves closer to the bag,” Guida said. “We know where each other is at all times and during practice, we both flip on both sides of the bag."

“Sometimes, I’ll be at second and he’ll be at short and other way around, we just know where each other is, and I’ll just say, ‘Jake, I’ll be there’ and we both have each other’s backs," he added.

Their fielding helps a stacked Hawks’ pitching staff, which is led by flamethrower Pat Light and Dan Smith. Light is one of college baseball’s best pitching prospects—"Baseball America" tabbed him the 25th best pitching prospect for this year’s Major League Baseball Draft.

“When you to talk to every pitcher, they all want Jon Guida behind them,” Ehehalt said. “They love pitching with him on defense. Jon’s a likable guy and well-respected with the pitchers and they hold him in very high regard.”

With the season underway and upcoming matchups with powers like Virginia, VCU and Troy prior to the conference season starting, Guida knows it will be important for him to continue what he’s started.

“We’re going to be playing nationally recognizable teams, so it’s important for me to help my team the best I can,” Guida said. “My team has more of a respect level for me. We all have respect for each other and everything is working out well so far.”