LYNN — Chanel Gutierrez of KIPP baseball was named Most Valuable Player of the Commonwealth Athletic Conference (Small) this week.
Whether it was on offense or defense, Gutierrez made his impact felt. Just ask his coach, James Rabbitt.
“He accounted for much of our offense, hitting .680 with 27 RBI and 19 runs scored, with 18 stolen bases including three at home plate,” Rabbit said. “He was our general at catcher, throwing out 14 runners.”
Rabbit told Gutierrez he won the award when they were together in the gym.
“Rabbit told me I was the MVP, but he didn’t tell me I earned it, he was like, ‘You might be,’” Gutierrez said. “I was kind of confused at first, but then he told me I earned it [and] my heart dropped.”
And if there’s one word to describe his initial reaction: “shocked.”
“To be honest, I was very surprised that I earned it,” Gutierrez said. “Last year, our season was better and I didn’t get it, so I was just shocked.”
Gutierrez said – on the outside – his excitement may not have shown. On the inside, however, he knew his hard work paid off.
“I was excited. I’m not really the type of person to express their feelings on the outside, but on the inside, I was pretty excited,” Gutierrez said.
When asked if winning MVP was one of his goals entering the season, Gutierrez said he was only focused on winning games.
“I wasn’t looking into winning the MVP. I was going into the season with a smooth mindset of getting this team together and winning,” Gutierrez said. “We had a young team with no seniors.”
Almost all great players model their game off someone. It’s no exception for Gutierrez, who instantly brought up Yadier Molina for his calming nature.
“When I’m playing, I’m calm and collected. I always know what I’m doing. If I get the ball, I always know where to go with it,” Gutierrez said. “When I’m hitting, I know what pitch is coming and if I get that pitch, I’m going to hit it.”
Gutierrez started playing baseball when he was four years old, and said he’s been playing catcher for 10 years as it allows him to lead.
“I’m always told I’m a leader and I feel like playing catcher is the best position because you are calling the game, you know the game, and you can also lead the team,” Gutierrez said. “You are also involved a lot and I like to be involved.”
Rabbit was full of praise for his go-to Panther.
“Chanel is a great teammate. He is a leader by example. Although we didn’t win many games this year, he came to every single practice and was another coach on the field for us – teaching newer players how to play the game the right way,” Rabbit said. “He is a true student of the game and he is more importantly passing that knowledge onto his teammates.”
Gutierrez said he’s looking forward to next season and bringing his squad even closer together.
“A goal I have is to get the team as one. I felt during the end of the season, we started to be intact and I wish we were like that from the beginning,” Gutierrez said. “I feel like I need to be more of a verbal leader than just an on-the-field leader. If I do that, I feel like we should be good.”
