Grays Flourish In Coach Bankston's Second Year
After an up-and-down first year, Head Coach Maurice Bankston has the Grays in business in his sophomore season at the helm.
By Courtney Larrimore
In his second year at the helm of the DC Grays, head coach Maurice Bankston has helped the team flourish.
Bankston started his baseball career at Texarkana Junior College before being taken in the eighth round of the 2007 MLB draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He pitched within the Pirates' MiLB organization until 2012.
Afterward, he pitched briefly for the Gateway Grizzlies, a Frontier League team in Illinois, before joining the coaching staff at St. Albans High School in Washington, DC.
After almost eight years as the pitching coach at St. Albans, Bankston got the opportunity to join the staff at Georgetown University in 2021.
"A guy that used to work in the front office for the Pittsburgh Pirates knew the head coach that was coming in, and he knew I was looking for chances to coach at a higher level." Bankston said, "I had an opportunity to coach pro ball, but I just didn't want to live out of a suitcase, so when this opportunity presented itself, I took it. I didn't know if I was going to like it or not, and I ended up loving it."
Two years later, the Georgetown Director of Player Development got an opportunity to step back into a head coaching role during the summer, leading the Cal Ripken Sr. League’s Grays.
Since taking over as the Grays' head coach, the team has blossomed, aided by strong pitching. Though D.C. missed the playoffs last year, right-handers Eddie Kaftan (Mitchell) and Diego Barrett (North Carolina A&T) dominated opposing hitters all summer long.
This year, Champ Davis (Wofford) ranks third in the league with a 2.52 ERA and seventh with 27 strikeouts. Michael Sills (Wofford) sits just above him in the ERA rankings – his 1.99 mark is second in the league. Jake Roberti (George Mason) also ranks in the top ten – his 3.48 ERA is seventh.
After only two summers with Bankston at the helm, the Grays continue to build on last year’s progress. They need only one more win to tie last year’s 14 victories. They’ve hit 10 home runs, surpassing last year’s mark of nine.
"It's just been about building relationships with coaches, decent programs, and getting these guys, in the end, that love baseball, don't just like baseball," Bankston said.
Bankston said in the preseason he was looking for experience in the team that would rebuild the Grays, leading him to gain not only players like Roberti and Davis but also James Layman (Wofford), who leads the team batting .349, and Matt Collela (Lafayette), who is batting .346 and has scored 20 runs for the Grays this season. Michael Lavanga (William & Mary) is hitting .300 with a team-best 19 RBI.
"He keeps us accountable." Lavanaga said, "He makes sure we're not selfish, lets you know when you're doing bad, and he has your back when you're doing good, too."
Last season, the Grays finished second-to-last place, but they have climbed the ranks this season, currently sitting in a playoff spot. Despite the program’s growth, with Bankston working to up the Grays' recruiting game, he said that a lot of the team's success comes from their chemistry on and off the field.
"They're just connected." Bankston said, "They all get along. I hear them talking; they hang out afterward. There are no selfish guys, no guys that standoff. Everybody's all together."
While Bankston credits his players, his players credit him, saying his expertise is invaluable.
"Anybody coming from coaching at that high level of baseball is going to know what they're doing." Lavanaga said, "They deal with the best players in the country every day. So he knows what he's doing."
Despite Bankston's goals to build the program away from last season's defeats and toward becoming a Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League powerhouse, his main goal is more humanistic.
"My goal is to get guys better, obviously win, and just help produce quality men off the field, too." Bankston said, "That's one of my biggest things. I love working with young people. Even before coaching, I worked at a level-five school. I always have worked with young men. My biggest thing is I want those guys to hit me up once they leave here. If they're like, 'Hey, Coach Mo. Give me some advice.' That's a win for me."