Opponent 'Pinch Hits' as Translator
May 9, 2016
By Butch Harmon
Special for Second Half
ALLENDALE – A few weeks after Forest Hills Northern second baseman Mitchell Gumbko “pinch hit” to help Allendale pitcher Javier Gonzalez bridge a language gap during a freshman baseball game, their story of sportsmanship continues to spread around the Grand Rapids area and beyond.
Pitching in his first high school game as a member of the Allendale freshman baseball team against Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern on April 18, Gonzalez was in a jam. Not only did he walk the first batter he faced, but he then committed a balk. With the umpire coming out to the mound to explain the situation, the jam only worsened as Gonzalez – who has been in the United States for only just over a year – speaks very little English.
In a society where winning is a major emphasis in sports, Gonzalez, however, picked up a major assist from the Northern batter who was due up soon.
Gumbko has been in the Forest Hills Northern school district’s Spanish Immersion program since he was in kindergarten. With Gonzalez continuing to struggle, Gumbko made his way to the mound with the coaches and umpires to give his opponent some help.
“I didn’t realize their pitcher was struggling so much,” Gumbko told Advance Newspapers/MLive last week, “but Coach (Joe) Payne asked if anyone speaks Spanish on our team. I have been in the Spanish Immersion program since kindergarten so I told Coach that I’m fluent in Spanish.”
Gonzalez’ coach Chad DeWeerd was happy for the help from the opposing dugout.
During Allendale practices, DeWeerd has been counting on freshman Cooper Tolson to give all the help he can. But explaining the balk rule required a little more explanation than the rest of the Falcons could offer their teammate.
“Before the game I let the Northern coach know that Javier speaks hardly any English,” DeWeerd also told Advance Newspapers/MLive. “My kids know a little Spanish, but not enough to help in that situation.”
DeWeerd had told Payne beforehand about Gonzalez and the language hurdle. “As I was walking to coach third base, the head coach from Allendale warned me that his pitcher does not speak English and that this is his first time pitching,” Payne said. “I told him not to worry.
“The Allendale pitcher looked nervous and uncomfortable, and you can tell he was unfamiliar with pitching. After walking our first batter, the next pitch he balked, which advanced our runner to second base. I saw the field umpire trying to explain to the pitcher what he was doing wrong, but the pitcher looked at him with a blank look.”
Payne informed the home plate umpire about the situation. After a few more pitches, and with Gonzalez continuing to struggle with the balk rule, Payne called on his player to step in and become a language pinch-hitter.
At Ada Vista Elementary, all subjects are taught in Spanish beginning in the first grade. Gumbko has become fluent in his second language.
“I needed Mitchell to become his coach instead of his opponent,” Payne said. “I asked the Allendale coach if I could call time out and have one my players translate to the pitcher.”
This time the conference on the mound became a lot more beneficial for Gonzalez, who had someone with whom he could communicate – even though he was wearing the opponent’s uniform.
“I think he was pretty surprised and also happy to be able to talk to someone he could understand,” Gumbko said. “The umpire told me what to say to him because he was balking, and he did not know he was doing it. It was pretty awesome to just know that I can use (Spanish) on a daily basis and was cool to realize I was helping him out.”
“You can tell Javier was nervous and did not know what was going on, until Mitchell started to translate instructions to him in Spanish,” Payne said. “Javier’s eyes just sparkled. Javier just kept nodding yes, ‘Si,’ and at the same time agreeing in Spanish back to Mitchell and understanding what Mitchell was saying.”
While Gonzalez’ teammates are not as familiar with the Spanish language as Gumbko, they have been trying their best to pick up as much as possible.
“The team has really embraced Javy,” DeWeerd said. “The first day of tryouts when they were stretching and loosening up they started counting in Spanish.”
“Cooper knows a little more Spanish than the rest of the guys,” DeWeerd added. “He has tried to help him as much as he can. The guys also have an app on their phone that helps with translation, and they have a lot of fun on the bus rides. This is a really special team and they have embraced Javy, and he really is one of the kids.”
Gonzales and his family of five, who are originally from the southern section of Mexico, have been in the United States for a year and a month. While he also enjoys soccer and was a member of Allendale’s junior varsity soccer team last fall, he has been playing baseball since he was a child and enjoys pitching the most. Along with pitching, Javy also plays right field for the Falcons.
Since the Northern game more people in the Allendale community have learned about Javy’s story – and offered assistance.
“Our 8th-grade Spanish teacher, Mrs. (Lynne) Burns, found out about Javy’s story and sent an e-mail to our athletic director offering to come and help,” DeWeerd said. “She is going to be at our next game. It’s not just the team that has helped out Javy, but the whole school is helping.”
Having Gumbko step up in that first game, however, was an act of sportsmanship that will be remembered for some time.
“I just stopped and realized this is why I am a teacher,” Payne also said in the Advance Newspapers/MLive report. “This is why I coach, for moments like this.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Allendale freshman baseball players Javier Gonzalez (left) and Cooper Tolson. (Middle) Gonzalez jogs on the field during a recent game. (Photos by Butch Harmon.)
Union City to Omaha: Skirka Takes Murray State Baseball to 1st College World Series
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
July 28, 2025
UNION CITY – From his days fielding ground balls at Alumni Field in Union City to coaching the Murray State Racers at the 2025 College World Series in Omaha, Neb., Dan Skirka has never taken the game of baseball for granted.
A 2003 Union City graduate, Skirka credits his experience of growing up with three older brothers as playing a major impact in his athletic development.
"I played all three sports – football, basketball and baseball – when I was younger while growing up. After my freshman year, I began to concentrate solely on basketball and baseball," he said.
Inspired by watching his older siblings Darren (graduated 1995), Justin (1999) and Brian (2001) compete for the Chargers, Dan couldn't wait to be just like them when he reached the high school level.
"I would attend my brothers' games and I was always trying to emulate them and their teammates,” Dan Skirka said. “The desire to compete for my school when I got the chance helped turn me into the person I am today. It was just really special being on that field, and I never take the game for granted."
While his older brothers played multiple positions, Dan began his career as a pitcher, but an arm injury his freshman year convinced him to switch to shortstop, where he started his last three years for the Chargers.
Skirka was brought up to varsity his freshman year in both baseball and basketball. He played baseball under Joe Tinervia, earning all-conference at shortstop his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. As a senior, Skirka batted .520 in earning all-region as well.
He also was selected all-conference in basketball his sophomore, junior and senior years. A small forward, Skirka remembers well the thrill of winning a District championship his junior year before losing in the Regional Final. Being able to share that experience with guys he grew up with was priceless.
"I learned a lot about leadership skills and how necessary they were in my growth and maturity as a player in high school and college. I learned a great deal from the example the older guys set," Skirka said.
After graduating from Union City, Skirka became a two-year starter at shortstop at Kellogg Community College for head coach Russ Bortell. The Bruins captured a Michigan Community College Baseball Association title during Skirka's sophomore season. The Bruins also reached the regional semifinals that spring after falling in the regional final his freshman year.
"We had a great program at Kellogg, and I learned a ton about baseball from the coaching staff there.” Skirka said. “Grand Rapids Junior College won the regional both years I was at Kellogg. They had a tremendous team and were tough to beat."
Skirka received a Division II baseball scholarship to Grand Valley State University, where he played under Steve Lyon and helped the Lakers win two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles. As a senior, Skirka was selected GVSU's Scholar-Athlete of the Year and named to the Division II all-region team, one step away from All-America honors, after hitting .400. He graduated from GVSU majoring in social studies with future plans to become a high school teacher and coach.
Skirka helped his teams at Kellogg and GVSU win a combined 173 games. He credits then-assistant coaches Eric Laskovy (Kellogg) and Jamie Detillion (GVSU) as being heavy influences in his decision to pursue a career in coaching college baseball.
"Laskovy and Detillion were both great assistant coaches who later became head coaches at those schools, and they served as great mentors to me. They both felt that I'd make a good college coach,” Skirka said. “I had always had good relationships with my college coaches, and I served as a team captain at each school. I learned a lot of lessons about toughness and loving the game. Sometimes we played in front of no spectators, and there were a lot of long bus rides."
Laskovy, now a highly-successful head coach himself at Kellogg, describes Skirka as the same genuine and humble person that he was during his playing career.
"Dan was quiet, but real confident and he handled himself well on the field. His strong work ethic as a player made him a coach's dream. He had good leadership skills and he always led by example,” Laskovy said. “That shows up now in his personality as a head coach. He knows the game well and won't get outworked by anyone, and he's seen every situation there is to see in baseball. He knows his stuff, and he's earned the respect of every one of his players and they love him. I couldn't be any prouder of him and the success he's went on to enjoy."
Detillion, who served as GVSU's head coach for 12 seasons before joining Henry-Scheim as a dental sales rep, described Skirka as being another coach on the field during his playing career.
"Dan went from being a good contact hitter to being a power hitter his senior season at GVSU. He was another coach on the field and he outplayed others by how well he prepared," Detillion said. “He always does the right thing, and his mannerisms and the way he goes about his business reveal his high character.”
While student-teaching before graduating from GVSU, Skirka served as an assistant coach in 2008 at GRJC before becoming an assistant coach in 2009 for Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas. He joined Murray State's coaching staff as an assistant from 2010-2015 before leaving to become the recruiting coordinator at Walters State Community College (Tenn.), which finished as national runner-up in 2018.
Skirka accepted the position of head baseball coach back at Murray State on July 2, 2018. He’s only a few weeks removed from leading the Racers to a historic season.
Murray State, which is 206-151 under Sirka, finished with a school-record 44 wins this spring, winning the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament championships. The Racers earned their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003 and fourth in program history. Murray State then upset host Ole Miss to claim the school's first NCAAA Regional crown, followed by a Super Regional victory over Duke that earned the Racers' their first trip to the College World Series. Murray State ended the season 44-17 after CWS losses to UCLA and Arkansas.
Skirka, who received Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Mike Martin National Coach of the Year awards, turned down several coaching offers at other schools to remain at Murray State. He recently received a four-year contract extension that came with a substantial pay raise to become reportedly the highest paid coach in the MVC.
Skirka stated that his decision to stay on at Murray State was a simple one.
"Murray State is a real special place. I love the guys and people in this community, and it just feels like home,” Skirka said. “College baseball presents a lot of challenges. The game is difficult sometimes, and guys need to remember to be patient. It takes weeks, months and sometimes years to earn your time and develop a winning program."
Skirka pointed out clutch performances this season from his senior duo of outfielder and lead-off hitter Jonathan Hogart and third baseman and No. 3 hitter Carson Garner. Hogart hit a school-record 22 home runs, and Garner had 17.
"We have tough kids who grinded out and won 14 games by one run. We were never out of any game with a good mixture of veterans and underclassmen,” Skirka said. “It was a group of guys that loved one another and went out every day and had fun. This group worked hard and competed like crazy. They play the game the right way, and do it with a smile on their face. Our coaching staff is great as well. We meshed pretty well together."
Skirka and his wife Kelsey (Hanson) – also a 2003 Union City grad and a standout in volleyball, basketball and softball – have a 9-year old son, Keagan.
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PHOTOS (Top) At left, Union City sophomore shortstop Dan Skirka makes a throw to first base after fielding a grounder in 2001. At right, Skirka dons headphones for a postgame interview this past season. (Middle) Skirka (32) lays the ball up for two points while playing for Union City against Athens. (Below) Skirka is pictured with wife Kelsey and son Keegan before a game this spring. (Union City photos courtesy of Union City High School. Murray State photos courtesy of ProfEatonPhoto/Murray State athletics.)