District 8A-15 Preview: Their Defense Won’t Rest

The competition will be fierce this year in District 8A-15, which includes last year’s state finalist Columbus.

Team speed and defense is a common strength for most of the schools.

Here is a preview of what to expect from the district competitors this season.

BRADDOCK BULLDOGS
2012 Record: 12-11
Head Coach: Vic Montalvo
Key Returners: Brian Hernandez (Sr. C/RF), Eddie Araujo (Sr. CF), Gaby Mundo (Sr. 2B), Anthony Baldrich (Sr. RHP), Anthony Alvarez (So. 3B), Willie Padron (So. LF)
Newcomers to Watch: Cristian Rivera (So.),
Abel Fernandez (So.)
Team Strengths: Speed and defense
Team Weaknesses: Pitching
Something people not around your program need to know about your team…

“When it comes to speed and defense, our 2013 team may be the best Braddock has ever fielded. We have a close group of guys that are not afraid to ‘get dirty’ and make things happen. We are returning starters at just about every position, and the extra year of experience and playing together should help us have one of our best
seasons in a long time.”

From making a few minor adjustments and receiving a couple valuable transfers, Braddock is looking sharp this season.

The Bulldogs didn’t get to inflict much damage in the district tournament last year, losing against their archrival Sunset, but there was no shortage of talent. With pitchers such as Erne Valdes, who had 58 strikeouts, and Eric Manoah, who finished with a 1.73 ERA, the team seemed to have the mound taken care of. On the offensive side of things, Brian Fernandez came out with a successful season with a .353 batting average.

This season, the team has a take-charge defense.

“If we’re not the best team defensively, I would be surprised,” Manager Victor Montalvo said.

Fernandez can control the field as catcher, and the defense will be aided by a transfer from Puerto Rico, Cristian Rivera, who also brings a strong bat.

Rivera, who has lived in the United States for only nine months, gives Braddock an extra edge for the season, Montalvo said.

“He has probably the best hands I’ve seen in my years of coaching.” Said Montalvo about the 5-foot-8 shortstop, who can switch hit as well.

The Bulldogs’ only concern this season is their pitching. Montalvo has yet to decide who will be the number one.

“We have a lot of depth in the two and the threes, but no clear number one,” Montalvo said.

It will take some time during the regular season for the pitching to develop as the Bulldogs also lost their two best pitchers, Eric Monoah (transferred to South Dade) and Ernie Valdes (graduated).

COLUMBUS EXPLORERS
2012 Record: 27-5
Head Coach: Joe Weber
Key Returners: Laz Rivera, Brian Garcia, Eddie Rodriguez, Kevin Suarez, Christian Garabedian, Chris Perez, Ryan Alvarez, Nelson Mompierre
Newcomers to Watch: Pablo De Armas, Chrstian Lesistero, Alex Gonzalez, Matt Marini, Anthony Martinez, Armando Gonzalez
Team Strengths: Hitting and defense
Team Weaknesses: Pitching experience
Our season will be a success if….

“Our number two, three, four, five and six pitchers throw strikes.”

The district champs and state finalist, Columbus, will be scrutinized by teams all over the state. The Explorers are hungry to get a state title in their hands, but even they have feet of clay.

“I keep looking back at that video of the game,” Mananger Karl Weber said. “I watch it at least once a week. The upsetting thing is that I felt like we were a better team than the opponent.”

Weber knows that he had a golden team in his hands last year, and he wants to get to that level again. But the Explorers will be feeling the loss of some teammates. All three of their aces have left to D-1 schools, except for Yency Almonte, who was signed by the Angels. Frank Navarrete, a celebrated second baseman and power hitter, has also graduated from Columbus. With these players out of the picture, Columbus is a completely different team that will need to adjust from its losses.

This is not as bad as it may seem for Columbus, though. The vivacious team has starters that are turning heads and will be itching for another chance to take the state championship. One such players is starting pitcher Brian Garcia, who is committed to UM and has been clocked at 93 mph.

“The more important thing about Brian is that everything he throws moves,” said Weber about the senior sensation. “He’s got a great change-up and some good off speed as well, so he’s a complete pitcher.”

Other players will be returning to the field that will make Columbus a solid team for the spring semester. Most of the infield will be back, including Danny Diaz who batted .400 last year as a sophomore and utility player, Laz Rivera, who is signed to UM. Eddie Garcia will be replacing Naverrete at second and is expected to perform well during his senior year.

The only position that Weber seemed a little dubious about was shortstop, which Pablo Dearmas will be taking over for the season. Dearmas is a good contact hitter and has great speed, but his fielding skills will be put to the test this year.

“He’s done well. All I really ask him to do is make the routine play and hit ninth in the order for us,” Weber said about his new shortstop. “This should be a role that he will be able to handle.”

All in all, Columbus will be again a formidable opponent that will take some good baseball to beat. With competition brewing in 8A-15, the Explorers will have to be on their toes to defend the district title and catch another chance for state.

FERGUSON FALCONS
2012 Record: 13-10
Head Coach: Jose Novas
Key Returners: Carlos Tapia, Anthony Carra, Chris Medina, Anthony Tucker, Jose Brito, Victor Morrell, Chris Bec, Rafael Jreige
Newcomers to Watch: Javier Valdes, Kevin Torres, Sergio Ramos, Alan Saumell, Bradley Ramon
Team Strengths: Pitching depth, team speed, defense
Team Weaknesses: Power hitting
Something people not around your program need to know about your team…

“We’re looking for our third district title in four years.”

The Ferguson Falcons will not be giving any breaks to any teams this season. Having won districts in 2010 and 2011, the Falcons have always been on the watch list for 8A-15 teams that are looking to win districts.

Ferguson has the makings of a good team that will be competing in all aspects of the sport.

“We have some depth in some key areas,” said Manager Dave Nova, who is confident his team can compete with any other in the district. “On the hill, we have some depth. We have a lot of guys that have played in some big games. So we should be battled tested.”

With 10 seniors returning from last year who played for both district wins, the team is well-developed and well-knitted for this exciting year. All the positions on the field seem to be held down, and the pitching is revamped from last year since one of their aces.

Christopher Medina will be back on the hill after suffering from a mild case of tendonitis. Medina will be starting third base, and Nova is still seeing what role he has in mind for Medina as a pitcher.

Carlos Tapia, who led the county in home runs as a sophomore, will also be back in full health after he pulled his left quad and had to sit down for some of the games last season. Tapia still managed to start games with a pulled quad and maintain a .300 batting average. The 5-foot-11, 200 pound senior is confident that this year’s team is an improvement from last years.

“Our fielding is way better,” Tapia said. “We’ve made adjustments. Most of the people that started in the infield were seniors, and now the backups are taking their spots. But I would take this year’s team over last year’s any day.”

MIAMI SUNSET KNIGHTS
2012 Record: 11-14
Head Coach: Armando Pelaez
Key Returners: Mike Paez, Alex Bravo, Caleb Horvat
Team Strengths: Team speed and offense
Team Weaknesses: Defense

Experience will not be lacking for the Sunset Knights in the spring season. With most of their starters returning from last year, the Knights will be one of the older teams that will play for 8A-15.

Manager Armando Palaez feels comfortable with his team and believes that they will be throwing down some serious competition this year.

“If our defense comes out to the yard everyday, and our pitchers throw strikes, we should be in a position to win ball games this year.” Said Palaez, who has been coaching high school baseball for the past 21 years.

Of course, there are still seniors from last year that left a hole in the team. Primarily, all of the Knight’s aces are gone, which leaves the pitching staff up for debate. But the Knight’s aren’t too worried about who are going to be their top three. This is mostly because they have three left-handed pitchers who will be having a role on the staff. The advantage will give some leverage for the Knights and allow them to unravel their pitching staff with less pressure on their heads.

The lefties aren’t alone out there either. Mike Paez, the starting shortstop, will be called on to close games. The senior, who had a .395 batting average last year, will be an asset on all facets of the game. His position in the lineup will probably become a more important role as the season progresses because of his skill on the plate.

“I think Paez, our shortstop, along with our catcher, Alex Bravo, hit well last season. They were the power in our team,” said Mike Centeno, who played ball with Paez since they were 8. Centeno, the starting second baseman, will also be contributing on the plate and the field this season after barely playing last year because of a pulled quad.

The Knights have a well-rounded, experienced team that can position itself into district. If no one gets hurt and they play some good small ball, they will be another threat in the cutthroat 8A-15 district.

SOUTHWEST MIAMI EAGLES
2012 Record: 15-11
Head Coach: Josie Torres
Key Returners: Christopher Mourelle (P), Luis Aviles (SS), Robert Cancio (P, 1B), Alex Perera (P, 2B), Alexis Cuevas (CF), Luis Gutierrez (LF), Fernando Rabel (P), Carlos Pena (3B/C)
Team Strengths: Experience, pitching, defense, depth
Team Weaknesses: Hitting

Something people not around your program need to know about your team.

We have seven returning starters from a regional playoff team. We have a solid squad made up very skilled defensive players and have a solid pitching staff.

No information received from Coral Park and South Miami.

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