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Thursday, May 1, 2008
Does Bo Know Justin?
St. Paul, MN
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By: Mike McDonald, VYPE High School Sports Magazine
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Photo(s) By: Wendy Doyle
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Look at the cell phone directory of most high school seniors and you will likely find the phone numbers of their friends and the local pizza place. Look at the cell phone directory of Mahtomedi senior Justin Gominsky and you find something else. Gominsky’s cell phone directory contains the names and numbers of coaches and scouts from college and pro baseball teams that are interested in his services.
The 6-foot-5, 185-pound Gominsky, who throws and bats right handed, has caught the eyes of college and professional scouts over the last couple of seasons. Next year he will be playing baseball for John Anderson and the Minnesota Gophers. Gominsky also excelled as an All-Conference and Second Team All-State wide receiver on the Zephyr State runner-up football team. He plans on taking a year off of football to concentrate on his studies and to get use to the rigors of college baseball and then will consider joining Tim Brewster’s Golden Gopher football team his sophomore season.
I was tempted to ask if he knew who Bo Jackson was but I didn’t want to date myself so I asked him about his experience playing youth baseball and football. Gominsky moved from New Brighton to Mahtomedi at the start of 5th grade and played baseball for his father Dan who coached him through the youth ranks. Gominsky started to play football in the 7th grade and he loves both sports. It was apparent from his youth days that he had special abilities on the diamond and on the gridiron and he has continued to improve his game.
Fast forward to today and Gominsky is very focused on the upcoming baseball season where he and senior co-captain Sean Bethke will look to lead the Mahtomedi Zephyrs to the top of the Classic Suburban baseball conference. In 2007, Justin was voted All-Conference and Honorable Mention All-State while playing shortstop and center field for John Hardgrove’s Zephyrs. The 2007 team lost a close game in the section finals last year and they hope to get to the State Tournament in 2008.
The 2008 Zephyrs will need to replace some solid pitchers from the 2007 team. Gone are Tom Schmidt and Nick Baumann along with Alex Alverez and Jared Powers. The prospects for the Zephyrs look good with seniors Andy Fagley and Vaughn Schmid and juniors Zack Goodwin and Brian Houdek, the likely replacements. Gominsky will also get a chance to toe the rubber during the year. When asked about his role as a pitcher, Gominsky said, “I am not sure what my role will be but I can start, relieve or close, whatever the team needs. I feel comfortable in any of the roles.”
The future is obviously very bright for Gominsky, but right now, he is concentrating on his senior year. His 2007 American Legion batting average was .425 and he wants to improve it by shortening his swing and learning to hit the off speed pitch better.
Gominsky is projected as a centerfielder in college and he feels extremely comfortable patrolling the outfield. His exceptional speed (6.48 in the 60 yard dash) and leaping ability allow him to run down most balls and his strong arm (90mph fastball) means that most runners won’t try to take an extra base on him.
Not only have the college coaches taken notice, but the pros have as well. Several teams have contacted Gominsky, including the Twins, Astros, Padres, Devil Rays, White Sox and Dodgers. Gominsky, who is eligible for the draft this year, has attended several “invitation only” camps where he has impressed the scouts.
Who knows, maybe Justin will run into Bo Jackson at the Kansas City Royals camp and they can talk a little football.
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