If you’ve attended a Benet sporting event recently, you’ve probably seen, or at least heard, Gino Zagorac.

The senior pitcher is a big fan of the school’s other teams. At the newly crowned Class 4A state champion Benet boys basketball team’s games, Zagorac can often be found in the front row.

“Whenever there’s something going on in terms of girls basketball, boys basketball, hockey, you name it, he’s there leading the charge in terms of supporting other teams,” Benet baseball co-coach Jorge Acosta said. “He’s one of the stalwarts who supports everybody, so he’s a well-liked kid throughout the school.”

The support from Zagorac, a Wichita State commit, is appreciated by other athletes, including senior pitcher Jake Rifenburg, whose sister Bridget is a star guard on the Benet girls basketball team.

“He’s one of the biggest fans, going to every single game, always in the front row leading all the cheers,” Jake Rifenburg said. “He’s got a lot of spirit, so that’s great.”

That spirit never dims, regardless of the season.

“We went to all the home football games, and then girls volleyball, with them being so good the past few years, those games are really fun,” Zagorac said. “The basketball team is the most fun for me. Being in the gym, you get to go into the student section.

“I think part of it is just being close with all the basketball guys and football guys, so there is a bond there through sports, and you’re going to pay it forward. They’re going to come to our games, and we’ll go to their games. It’s a nice little thing that we do here at Benet.”

Zagorac’s starts figure to be must-see events this season. The 6-foot-4 right-hander went 4-1 with a 4.08 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings for the Redwings (21-10) last year. He held opposing hitters to a .212 batting average with a wide range of pitches, including a fastball that clocked between 88 mph and 92 mph.

“Gino is an awesome competitor on the mound, sometimes to a fault in terms of getting on himself too much, trying to be too fine, too perfect,” Acosta said. “But he’s grown leaps and bounds in the weight room and matured.

“He’s working constantly every day to get better. He’s a great player, a great teammate.”

Zagorac and Rifenburg, a Northwestern commit, are the aces of a deep pitching staff that also includes seniors Jonathon Rossi, Tristan Lakis and Josh Gugora. Rifenburg is impressed with Zagorac’s stuff.

“He’s a real presence on the mound,” Rifenburg said. “He’s got a lot of run on his fastball. He commands it really well.

“He’s also developing a new pitch, a cutter, so he will have multiple profiles on his fastball. He can go to his slider at any point in the count. Change-up — same thing. He throws really hard, too, which is just the cherry on top.”

Zagorac comes from a family of pitchers. His father Sam pitched at Elmhurst, and his older brother Sammy pitched for the Redwings and at the junior college level.

“He’s going to have one of the better fastballs in the area,” Acosta said. “He’s definitely one of those kids that wants to rear back and throw it. He doesn’t mind challenging guys.”

Facing two aces like Zagorac and Rifenburg will be a challenge for Benet’s opponents.

“I’ve been working with Jake all offseason, pushing each other in the weight room, pushing each other in velo jumps and pitch development,” Zagorac said. “He’s been a huge part of my success, so I’m excited to see what we both can do.”

As is Rifenburg, who teamed with Zagorac to lead the Redwings to a Class 3A regional title last season.

“I think he’s going to be really good,” Rifenburg said. “We’re going to be able to eat up a lot of innings this year, and come playoff time we’re really going to make a run, for sure.”

Acosta said the Redwings usually draw good crowds once the weather warms up. Zagorac aims to give fans plenty to cheer about.

“We have a lot of goals that I think we can accomplish,” Zagorac said. “Personally, I just want to give this team the best chance we have to win that day whenever I got out and take the mound.”

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.