Peyton Gardinier does not do winter sports anymore.
The James Monroe senior sure makes up for during the fall and spring, however.
In a world where specialization has become more prevalent, Gardinier is not only a multi-sport participant, he is a rare five-sport athlete for the Mavericks.
“I can sit here and brag all about him and one might say that is dad talk, but there are very few athletes in Monroe County and in the state of West Virginia, wherever you want to go, that can play five varsity sports at the high school level,” head baseball coach and dad, Tom Gardinier said. “He plays them and not to just be on the sidelines. He has the consistency to where he is very much a part of the team.”
During the fall, Peyton Gardinier plays soccer, football and golf before switching over to baseball and track in the spring.
“He is a dominant player on the baseball field, of course,” Tom Gardinier said. “He also went to the state track meet in the high jump. He is a very good golfer, can kick the heck out of a football and he is also a goal scorer in soccer.”
While there was no way to see Gardinier excelling in five sports as he matured, athletics, as they say, is definitely in his genes.
“His mom was a cheerleader and soccer player,” Tom Gardinier said. “I played baseball along with a little bit of football and basketball. My parents were athletes as well. You could see athletic potential in him. Growing up he played baseball from Little League all the way through. He played basketball as well, but didn’t pick up football until high school. He played soccer when he was younger and started playing golf just recently.”
Gardinier started his athletic journey on the diamond before adding soccer not long afterwards. Track, golf and football were eventually added full-time to his list of sports when he moved up to high school.
“It’s hard sometimes, especially like right now with three sports. It is a little more manageable in the spring. I just have to balance my time,” Peyton Gardinier said. “I started with baseball when I was about six years old and soccer when I was eight. Then I picked up golf my sophomore year and football last year. Track has been off and on for the last four years.”
Last year Gardinier was a second team all-state baseball selection for a Mavericks team (20-9) that made it to the regional round.
At the plate the young slugger hit a team high .429 with 38 hits including 10 doubles, two triples and two home runs. Gardinier also led James Monroe with 38 RBI and scored 28 runs over 27 games played. In five appearances on the mound, the right-hander was 3-0 with a 1.84 earned run average. Over 19 innings pitched Gardinier collected 30 strikeouts, while allowing just five earned runs.
“Baseball stands out, but I really enjoy kicking for football too,” Gardinier said when asked about his favorite sport. “Those are my favorites. I would definitely like to do one of them in college.”
Gardinier’s big leg has been a weapon on the gridiron for the Mavericks by consistently launching kick-offs into the end zone, forcing opposing offenses to start drives on their own 20 yard line. So far this year he has 22 touchbacks.
The multi-sport talent also had a memorable kick on the pitch back in September scoring a long distance goal that has impressed college football coaches at the Division I level.
“We took him down to a camp at East Carolina. They didn’t do much one on one because there were so many kickers there, but for him to be able to watch what some of the other kickers were doing and the drills they were doing, really opened his eyes to what he could do,” Tom Gardinier said. “I sent a video of his 84-yard goal (in soccer) to WVU and Virginia Tech. A WVU coach on the football side answered back and wants us to send him more information. He was very impressed.”
With one week remaining in the regular season, Gardinier has found the back of the net 12 times for the Mavericks soccer team.
Without a doubt, soccer and placekicking have gone hand and hand, but the quick advancement in golf and track provides clear insight to just how special the senior standout is athletically. He has excelled in both sports with limited practice time as well.
In just his second year playing golf, Gardinier narrowly missed out on a trip to the state tournament a couple of weeks back in easily the toughest AA golf region in the Mountain State. Over on the track, Gardinier has earned two straight state meet appearances.
“I run the shuttle hurdles as well, but high jump is the priority for me. I tried it once in middle school and then I just kept with it,” Peyton Gardinier said. “I usually just wait until spring to work on the high jump. I practice once or twice a week for about 30 minutes. I usually practice golf once a week on my own on the weekends too.”
Currently the focus for Gardinier is on the upcoming soccer postseason and what he hopes is playoff run in football. However, baseball is always on his mind.
“Going to states is the goal. We always seem to lose to Charleston Catholic, but they are not in our region this year,” Gardinier said. “As soon as soccer and football are done, it is baseball all winter. Just lifting and getting in the cage.”
