Competition Fierce, Teams Ready for Tough Season in District 16-8A
Every team in the District 16-8A has a shot at winning the title in 2012
Every baseball coach will tell you the same thing. It takes more than talent to come out on top.
“This year, more than ever, every team in our district can beat any team at any time,” Killian Cougars coach Angel Herrera said. “The talent is everywhere, so it’s going to come down to who can stay mentally tough and consistent.”
Miami-Dade County’s realigned District 16-8A will pit a group of talented and evenly matched teams this spring, and it’s anybody’s game. From Killian’s Cougars to coach Fred Burnside’s South Dade Buccaneers, no one team is a clear favorite in one of the largest and most competitive districts in the state. The Cougars bring back most of their starters and will depend on a barrage of big bats.
“I feel prepared,” said Herrera, who also coaches the Florida Legends and is involved with USA Baseball. “We returned 11 of the 17 players from last year’s roster and put in that work starting this summer, really putting an emphasis on strength and conditioning. When we got to the fall, we focused on the baseball skills aspect as a team. I have a saying with them: ‘Don’t practice until you get it right. Practice until you can’t get it wrong.’”
Senior shortstop Manny Alvarez, who played with Herrera on the elite Legends team and has already committed to play at FIU, will anchor the Cougars lineup coming off First Team All-County honors in 2010. Combined with senior third baseman Mike Perez (FIU), the two make up one of the most talented left sides of the infield in the state. With speed and youth all over the field, the Cougars will look to second baseman Alex Hernandez to anchor the defense.
“(Hernandez) is the heart and soul of our defense,” Herrera said. “Baseball IQ is just off the charts. He’s the one who keeps everything together, a coach on the field.”
On the mound, number one starter Andrew Fuente is a proven commodity, but the Cougars’ season will rest on whether a clear and potent number two can emerge. Although the Cougars expect their number one to be at his best, rival South Dade Buccaneers’ season may rest on whether Adam Roush can come back from arm issues incurred this past summer.
“Adam led the county in ERA last year,” Burnside said. “If he can come back 100 percent and David Lugo can continue his improvement from an All-County performance last season, we will be tough to beat.”
Though South Dade returns just five starters from an impressive 24-6 campaign last season, Burnside feels Roush, David Lebron and Lugo, who hit .429 last season, will provide the experience and leadership the team needs.
“We had a good offseason and are real excited to see what this team can do,” Burnside said. “They are a great group of kids and a pleasure to coach.”
Coral Reef, a magnet school with an “A” rating 10 years running, faces a different challenge maintaining that rating and bouncing back from a 9-15 2010.
“Being a magnet school with an ‘A’ rating, my job as the coach here is a little different,” head coach Dave Bisceglia said. “But we return plenty of starters and expect our players to improve from last season with one more year experience under their belt.”
Though the Barracudas graduated eight seniors, they have eight juniors, including all four starting pitchers, and four underclassmen returning. Alan Aguiar, who tied a school record with four home runs last year, will anchor the lineup behind the plate. They may have missed the playoffs last season, but the Barracudas did beat Killian 10-0, bested state final four-qualifier Hialeah and took down rival Southridge for just the third time in school history.
Those Southridge Spartans will look to get avenge that loss this season with a district-high 12 players returning. The pitching staff will be led by senior right-hander Chris Sutton and left-hander Roly Limia. But the arms don’t end there, with juniors Osvaldo Garcia and Dayron Moreno, as well as senior John Chadwell, coming out of the pen. Behind the plate, senior Steven Paredes will lead the troops out of center field. Right field junior Christian Khawam and senior left fielder Mike Rodriguez round out one of the most talented outfields in the state.
“The 2012 edition of the Spartans will be an exciting team to watch,” head coach Ed Doskow said in a press release. “(I am) counting on the seniors to lead this team all the way to the State Championship Game.”
Elsewhere in the district, the Palmetto Panthers bring in new coach Danny Smith to replace Mike Klekotka. Neither Smith nor Varela head coach John Barbato could be reached for comment.
Several teams begin preseason play at the Key West Preseason Diamond Classic before the regular season begins Feb. 13.
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