Gulibon thrives at Carpenter Cup
PHILADELPHIA >> Aaron Gulibon didn’t pitch Friday, but he was still a huge part of the biggest reason the SOL American/Continental won its first ever Carpenter Cup title.
Gulibon, who just finished his senior year at Souderton, was a piece of the SOL A/C’s remarkably dominant pitching staff. An established name in a group that included the likes of CB South’s Dan Klepchick,
Pennridge’s Andrew Mayhew and Hatboro-Horsham’s Colin Kennedy and up-and-comers like Nick Pave, Gulibon stood out.
Firstly, it was because he was the sole lefty. Second, it was because the Souderton ace was nearly untouchable.
“Even in the high school season, I’ve just made it my mission to throw strikes,” Gulibon said. “When people throw strikes it seems that good things come their way.”
Gulibon didn’t allow a single run in his six innings of work in the Carpenter Cup. He let a few guys on base, but none of them were a real threat to the controlling southpaw. What made Gulibon’s work more impressive was that he wasn’t able to effectively use his full arsenal of pitches.
He noticed his off-speed stuff wasn’t quite there this week, so Gulibon said he was leaning heavily on his fastball to get things done.
The SOL A/C coaching staff used Gulibon in spots where he could face a lot of lefties, giving him the best advantage possible. But, it didn’t matter either way, he just kept mowing hitters down.
“It was a great way to end my high school career,” Gulibon said. “Everyone was so competitive on the team, especially the pitching, everyone just wants to one-up the guy before him and we really built off each other.”
Gulibon has been on a tear since the high school season began and he’s carried it not only into the Carpenter Cup but Legion ball, where he also plays for Souderton. He credits his success to his offseason work in the weight room.
It was a mission to get in and hit the weights at least four times a week to strengthen his body and Gulibon saw it helping him out on the mound. Aside from his fastball, Gulibon throws a curve and change-up but during the Carpenter Cup, it was his ability to hit spots and create ground balls that let him be so successful.
That ties back to all that offseason work.
“Getting in the gym and getting my work in has made my arm and my whole body healthier and able to sustain that amount of work,” Gulibon said. “It was about arm care and then main goal was gaining velocity. The injury prevention came along with it.”
For all his achievements on the mound, Gulibon isn’t sure where the future of his baseball career lies just yet. He’ll be attending the University of South Carolina in the fall on an academic scholarship and sight set on a major in business economics.
He would like to play for the school’s club baseball team, but hasn’t been in contact with any coaches yet.
Gulibon enjoyed the competition both within the SOL A/C staff and against the quality hitters the team faced in its four games. Getting to Citzens Bank Park where he pitched three scoreless innings in the semifinals was quite the experience as well.
“It hit me running out of the bullpen to go to the mound,” Gulibon said. “Once I was up there, you kind of zone in and realize it’s just another baseball field with a bunch of seats around it.”
