Baseball
Inducted: January 10, 2014
John Givargidze, a native of North Massapequa, was a standout member of the Molloy College baseball team from 1995-98. As a four-year starter and three-year captain at Molloy, he manned second base for a total of 128 games. Givargidze ranks within the top 10 in several of the program’s record book categories. His .416 batting average during his junior season of 1997 ranks eighth in the single season record book, while his career average of .332 slots him 10th all-time. Also, his on-base percentage in 1997 (.486) is good for ninth.
Givargidze was a menace on the basepaths, recording 45 steals, which ranks ninth all-time. He garnered All-New York Collegiate Athletic Conference, All-New York State and All-Region honors in his junior and senior seasons. In addition, he played in the Collegiate All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium.
He graduated from Molloy in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in Communications, before returning to the College to complete a master’s degree in 2003 in Professional Development-ElementaryEducation (PK-6).
After his collegiate career was over, Givargidze signed independently in the Frontier League with the Chillicothe Paints and the Canton Crocodiles. He was also extended an invite to many Major League Baseball workouts with teams such as the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Toronto Blue Jays.
Givargidze has coached at all levels from middle school to college, including serving as assistant coach at Molloy from 2001-04. He helped lead the Lions to their first-ever conference championship in 2001. Currently, Givargidze is the head varsity baseball coach at Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School and is the head coach of the 2016 Next Level summer team. Previously, he was a varsity assistant coach on the North Shore High School staff for Dom Gatti
and head junior varsity coach at Jericho High School.
He began his teaching career in 2001 with the New York City Board of Education in Bushwick, New York at P.S. 120 and the following year at P.S. 257. For the past 11 years, he has been employed as a second grade teacher in the Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District. During his teaching time in the POBCSD, John went back to school again, this time for his administrator’s license from Hofstra University. He received his new degree in 2007.
Givargidze married his beautiful wife, Jenna, in July 2006 and together they have a seven-month old little girl, Ella.
