Gibault pitcher Zach Neff and head baseball coach Andy Skaer were honored Jan. 25 by the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association during the Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony held at The Westin Hotel in Lombard.

Neff was honored as Class 1A Player of the Year, while Skaer was honored as Class 1A Coach of the Year.

Last spring, the Hawks won the school’s first ever state baseball title and finished with a record of 25-11.

As a junior, Neff compiled a record of 8-2 with a 1.91 ERA on the mound for the Hawks. Neff has signed a letter of intent to play for Division I university Austin Peay State, but still has his senior season to shine for Gibault.

“I believe Zach was the only Player of the Year honoree this year (Class 1A through 4A) to win the award as a junior,” Skaer said.

As for Skaer, the entire experience in Lombard was something to behold.

“It was a nice event… definitely something I’ve never been to,” he said. “It was an honor.”

Entering his 10th season as head coach this spring, Skaer said individual awards such as these do not come without the success of an entire team.

Skaer is already looking forward to the upcoming baseball season. Practices begin Monday, March 3.

“We have a chance to be pretty good,” he said. “A lot of our guys are back, so we’ll see.”

Gibault moves up to Class 2A this season, and Skaer said his program is ready for the jump.

Columbia and Waterloo compete in Class 3A.