On August 20th, Bishop Gorman officially introduced Matt Stoner as the next head coach of the baseball program after a two month, nationwide search. Stoner was hired in early August after a recent stint as an assistant coach at the College of Southern Nevada. The sudden new hire followed the fallout of ex-baseball coach Chris Sheff, who was suspended in April and subsequently fired in August after the school was made aware of “allegations concerning its baseball program.”  The team continued to play on in the spring season despite Sheff’s suspension, but ultimately tumbled to an 11-17 record, the team’s worst performance in over a decade. 

Because of this, a cloud of uncertainty loomed large over Gorman’s baseball team. Players and parents were left searching for answers, and the program was searching for a new direction. Stoner believes he is the right man for the job, stating that he is “looking forward to changing the culture” that was left largely dismantled as the season wore on last spring. His staff is arguably the most experienced in the entire valley, with past Bishop Gorman players and multiple college graduates, including newly introduced pitching coach Chase Maddux, the son of MLB great Greg Maddux, being at the forefront.

Pitcher Hudson Ciulla ’26, an attendee of this past summer’s “PBR Future Games,” the premier showcase for blossoming baseball players throughout the country, sees the foundation laid out by the coaching staff. Ciulla, who attended the introductory meeting with the coaches this past Tuesday, feels that “the coaches want to be around us,” adding that “there is way more energy and way more connectivity than last year.”

It is safe to say that Bishop Gorman is looking forward to rewriting the identity of their baseball program. When asked for a couple of words to describe the environment for fall ball and the mentality the players need to have throughout the next couple of months, Coach Stoner was a straight shooter—“Be ready.”