Gabe Howayek graduated from Lee’s Summit High School in 2019, and after playing three seasons with IE, is starting his first season playing baseball at Coffeyville Community College. The infielder shares what playing at Inside Edge meant to him and his development as a baseball player.
Congratulations on the start of your first season playing baseball in college. How has the experience been so far?
Thanks. I’m really excited to have the opportunity to play beyond high school. Our season is just getting started, but so far, I’ve loved the experience at Coffeyville.
Let’s kick things off with a question about role models. Do you have a favorite MLB player?
If I had to pick one MLB player, it would be Jose Altuve. He’s such a fun baseball player to watch. I try to model my game around him and how he plays the game.
You said you model your game around how he plays. Can you explain that a little more?
I watch a lot of professional players and feel like I learn something from each of them. But, Altuve is on a different level. He has no size or arm strength advantage over any of his competition. Yet, watching him play, it’s easy to see that it doesn’t matter. He plays the game with so much passion and intensity. He’s always one of the top hitters and fielders in the league year after year. That level of consistency has such a huge impact in baseball. I’ve learned from him that putting in the time and work will make you a better player, no matter how big or small you might be.
Sticking with the role model topic, what’s the best baseball advice you’ve been given?
I’ve gotten a lot of good advice, but one tip really sticks out for me: In baseball, you never want to be content with anything. You can always do better. Coach Dave Silvestri told me that and would continually stress it to me. He would say to me to be greedy. You want to keep pushing yourself to do more. Don’t be content with having one good plate appearance or making a couple of routine plays in the field. Push yourself every time you get an opportunity. In baseball, you can always do more, and Coach Silvestri was in my head, pushing me never to be content but always to be greedy.
That’s a great insight. If you had the opportunity, what information would you tell a young IE player?
I would tell younger IE players to learn as many positions as they can. It’s good to have a primary position, but learning other spots will only help you in the long run. Flexibility like that becomes more valuable as your baseball career advances. You might feel a little bit uncomfortable at first, but learning is part of the game. Baseball is a learned game, and there’s always something new to master, no matter how old you are.
In closing, what did playing at Inside Edge mean to you?
Inside Edge is one of the best baseball clubs to be apart of in the Kansas City area. Having an indoor facility and the opportunity to get in extra reps is a huge plus. The facility is the perfect size for throwing, hitting, or working on fielding drills.
The coaching at Inside Edge is as good as it gets. Every coach was passionate about what they do. Coach Silvestri is unmatched when it comes to experience and knowledge. He taught me so much about the game and what it takes to compete at the next level. Coach Todd Clausen will support you no matter what, both as a coach and as a person. It’s easy to build relationships that will last forever, and I feel like Inside Edge has treated me like family from the start.
Some of my best lifetime memories were made at Inside Edge. During the summer of my senior year, everything about playing baseball came into hyper-focus. We had a great group of players, which made for an awesome year. The way Coach Silvestri managed games and taught us made me enjoy the game even more than I already did. Recruiting kicked into full-swing that year, too. Every tournament we played in had several different scouts and coaches watching us play. That added a lot of stress but it also made the games even more exciting and fun.
I can’t thank Coach Silvestri and Coach Clausen enough for putting us in those situations, and for letting us go out and play in great tournaments. They really put all the players on the team and me in a great position that would help us get recruited