It’s often said that baseball is a game of failure, but somebody must have forgotten to tell that to Gio LoNero.
A multi-talented pitcher-shortstop with a laser-like focus on the mound and in the batter’s box, LoNero was already on the short list of the top overall players in the area going into the season. Now, Seton LaSalle’s senior slugger is raising the bar higher than ever before while putting up numbers that would look unrealistic even in a video game.
No wonder the Rebels (9-1, 8-0) are off to a red-hot start and looking like a popular pick to repeat as WPIAL Class 2A champions in 2024.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t say I’ve ever seen him overmatched,” said Seton LaSalle coach Brad Bestic. “Really, I haven’t even seen any discomfort. He’s human, so there are going to be some situations where you can see the wheels spinning based on how he’s getting pitched, but he’s so cerebral, he always finds a way to come out on top.
“It’s unlike anything I’ve seen.”
Of course, there are no shortage of blue-chip prospects and top-notch hitters across the district, and you might be asking yourself what it is about LoNero that separates him from the rest of the pack.
Well, how much time do you have?
Let’s start with the fact that LoNero has not struck out since a 1-0 loss for the Rebels against Upper St. Clair all the way back on April 1, 2022. That would be the third game of his sophomore season at Seton LaSalle, a span of 46 games and more than two full years without getting fanned.
How is that even possible?
“[Hitting with] two strikes is definitely different,” LoNero said. “Smaller leg kick. Just see ball, hit ball at that point. If you have two strikes, don’t try to do too much with it. Go where the pitch is pitched.
“Sometimes, if it’s a high school umpire, you’re going to get bad calls. Don’t leave it in his hands. Take control of the at-bat.”
If you think that’s impressive, how about this — LoNero recorded a hit in every single game his sophomore season, and he has failed to record a hit only three times in the past three seasons. Ever since he went without a hit in a season-opening 3-2 defeat against Carrick on April 18, the North Alabama recruit has since racked up 19 hits during the Rebels’ ensuing nine-game winning streak — including 11 extra-base hits.
“[I’ve been playing for] as long as I can remember,” LoNero said. “When I was walking, I was hitting. Whenever I could sign up is when I started. … [My father and I] work every day. He’s been pitching to me since I was 5 years old, every single day. There are not too many fathers who are going to do that.”
As great as LoNero has played all season, he really took things to a new level during a four-game stretch of games over the past two weeks. Starting with his final two at-bats in a 15-0 victory against Northgate on April 9 and carrying into an 8-5 win against Freedom on Monday, LoNero recorded a hit in 11 consecutive at-bats. He posted three consecutive three-hit games in back-to-back wins against Laurel followed by a 13-0 win against New Brighton on Saturday.
For the season, LoNero is batting .760 (19 for 25) with 6 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs, 17 RBIs, 20 runs scored, 11 walks and 8 stolen bases, boasting an on-base percentage of .821 while slugging 1.480. Those are numbers that you might see the very best high school softball players approach, but in baseball, that kind of production is simply unheard of.
Consider this — in Seton LaSalle’s comeback win against Freedom on Monday, LoNero went 1 for 3 with a walk and got robbed of a would-be double on a tremendous diving catch in the outfield, and his batting average plummeted nearly 60 points.
“It’s probably a good day for anybody else, but an off day for him, compared to what he did all of last week and the back half of the week before,” Bestic said. “But he made his impact felt defensively, and also on the basepaths. … He still had an impact on the game.”
Nearly half of his 110 career hits have gone for extra-bases, with LoNero tallying 32 doubles, 9 triples and 12 home runs while batting .526 for his career. Oh, and did we mention that he is also a terrific pitcher? As a junior, he registered an ERA of 0.43, and so far this season he is 1-0 with a 1.27 ERA, 0.64 WHIP and 20 strikeouts to just five hits and two walks in 11 innings of work.
“Hitting is so incredibly difficult,” Bestic said. “To see him rip off those stats is just so crazy to me. I just tell him, ‘You’re allowed to take a deep breath and enjoy it. Because this is really special what you’re doing. It’s not normal.’ It’s a combination of all the hard work he puts in, at practice and behind the scenes.
“It’s really cool for him, especially in his senior year, to be able to enjoy this type of success.”
So what is it that makes him tick? How is it possible to stay so locked in at the plate and have such a keen eye for the strike zone while putting the bat on the ball in every single at-bat? After all, the old adage says that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports. How does LoNero make it look so easy?
“Just a lot of focus,” LoNero said. “You’ve got to do your prep when you’re in the dugout. That’s when your at-bat starts.”
For someone as fiercely competitive and confident as LoNero, he’s also wise enough to know that one day he will strike out again, whether it’s in high school or college or even in the pros. He knows that there will come a time when he faces higher-caliber pitching, that the hits won’t always come so easily, and eventually, he will even fall into a slump.
But until that day comes, LoNero is going to keep on raking and making pitchers pay for every mistake they make.
“I’ve done well, but there’s no reason to stop now,” LoNero said. “Why not add on to those accolades? I’m going to play college next year, and hopefully I have something after that. There’s always a reason to keep working. You should never just settle for what you’ve done.
“I’ve always had the tools, but just adding on to those tools is what is really going to separate you.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
