Loyola Blakefield grad gets on base with the Ironbirds

Loyola Blakefield, Towson, graduate Mike Gioioso got the call last week that he was moving up the ranks of the Orioles’ organization from the Bluefield Orioles out of West Virginia to the Aberdeen Ironbirds, a short-season Class A affiliate of the Orioles.
Gioioso, a versatile infielder, graduated from Loyola Blakefield in 2003 and then attended Mount St. Mary’s, Emmitsburg, where he graduated in the spring of 2007 with a business degree.
In June, Gioioso was selected in the final round of the spring amateur draft and happily headed to West Virginia for a grueling season in the Appalachian League
“This is not like college,” said Gioioso from his cell phone in the mountains of West Virginia. “Here we played 72 games in 55 days. It’s the nature of the business and there are a lot of moving pieces.”
Gioioso is a solid defensive player at second base and batted .212 on the season.
On Aug. 31 Gioioso was called up to the Ironbirds, getting him closer to home, his family and his friends.
“Michael is a talented young man and has a good head on his shoulders. He enjoys playing the game and he’s a survivor,” said Don Gioioso, Michael’s father from his Baltimore home.