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Ready for next level

Gallo takes lessons learned at Niles with him to Malone

Submitted photo Niles first baseman Joe Gallo stretches to scoop a throw during a baseball game last year. Gallo, a senior, will continue his academic and athletic career at Malone University in the fall.

Life is about to change for Niles’ Joe Gallo, but lucky for him, the senior will be used to it.

For one, there’s this whole pandemic thing people may have heard about recently. Yeah, well, COVID-19 has brought about quite a bit of change for Gallo — and most of the world — by derailing his final season of high school baseball and the final months of his senior school year.

But really, for Gallo, change began about four years ago.

“Coach Mike (Guarnieri) has been a really big influence on me. Coach (T.C. Guarnieri), too,” said Gallo, referring to the brothers who have run the Niles baseball program since 1997. “Coach Mike just has a winning mentality, and he expects nothing less. He doesn’t care who you are, if you do something wrong or you’re not doing it to the best of your ability, he’s going to get on you about it.

“That’s really helped me with baseball and life in general, honestly. Ever since I got (to high school), I haven’t stopped. He’s changed my work ethic completely.”

That focus should help him with the next phase of his life.

Gallo will be heading to Malone University, an NCAA Division II school, in a few months to play baseball for the Pioneers. He also considered Notre Dame College and Walsh University before deciding on Malone, located in Canton.

“I got to go on an overnight visit there, and I got to practice with the team,” he said of Malone. “What I liked about it was, practicing with the team and finding out how they run things and the energy there, it really kept me into the practice. It was like a three-hour practice, but it felt like it just flew by because of the way that they did things. Something was always going on, and I really liked the guys on the team.”

Mike Guarnieri said Gallo should transition to college baseball just fine.

He thinks the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Gallo could blossom into a standout for the Pioneers. Gallo hit .429 with 23 RBIs, eight doubles, five triples and one homer as a junior with the Red Dragons. He played first base, mainly out of necessity, but Gallo has the versatility to play several different positions. He anticipates playing the outfield at Malone but is willing to play wherever is best.

Guarnieri enjoyed watching Gallo develop his talent the last few years, but his progress as a leader was equally important.

“We talk about being professional in how we practice, and it comes from the coaches, it’s said in meetings by coaches, but it’s really the kids watching the older kids work,” Guarnieri said. “Like, when Joe is a freshman, and he’s watching some of these other guys go about their business at practice, it’s like, ‘This is how it’s done here.’ The example is set by the older players.

“One of the best things I can say about Joe,” he added, “is from my son, (a sophomore) who plays first base, and in practice is telling me how Joe is helping him to develop his footwork and his game at first base. It’s something that’s been passed along down through the years of guys practicing the right way.”

Gallo hopes to carry on that type of mentality at Malone.

He expects there to a be some transition. He plans to major in nursing, and he knows the time and effort studying for college courses is different from high school. He also realizes there will be challenges as a baseball player as well, with more pitchers throwing harder and the speed of the game increasing.

It won’t be the first time Gallo is adjusting to a higher level of play.

“Coming into my freshman year, I couldn’t hit a curveball,” he said. “I missed a year back in eighth grade. I tore my ACL, so I didn’t play my eighth-grade year of baseball or football. Seeing that level of competition, I just made a huge jump after my freshman year. I just kept working at it, and I feel like I’m pretty solid on both sides of the ball — and mentally.”

Guarnieri agrees.

He said Gallo is one of the better power hitters he has coached in his tenure and has an “infinite amount of talent.” He said once Gallo becomes fully confident in that talent, he will be a big-time college player.

“He could be the full package,” Guarnieri said. “Joe can hit for power. He’s a good athlete, he can run. He’s a willing and able bunter. I haven’t had him do that much, but he could certainly do that. He’s got a lot of skill that can translate to the next level.”

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