New District, Same Goal For Goleman Gators

Fresh off their second consecutive district title, the Goleman Gators will face a new challenge in 2014.

The Gators got caught in the wave of district realignment and will move down two classes from District 8A-14 to District 6A-15. Despite the change, Goleman’s objective remains the same: win their third straight district title.

“We prepare the same, we prepare to win and we play every team like they’re a great team, it doesn’t matter who it is,” senior pitcher Sean Carrasco said.

Goleman graduated 12 seniors from a team that finished 18-7 last season, but this group is still confident it can replicate the success from the previous two years. The team hasn’t missed the playoffs in nearly six years.

Goleman manager Jose Lopez believes the realignment won’t faze his squad, and he knows how well tested they are coming out of the tough district they won the last two seasons.

“The district that we had last year was a lot tougher than this district now,” Lopez said.

Looking at the numbers Lopez has a point. Last season, the Gators top three district opponents combined to finish with an overall record of 37-34. In their current district which includes Carol City, Miami Norland, Miami Springs, and Mourning the top three teams combined to finish 24-44 overall a year ago.

The key to Goleman’s success will depend on who emerges on the mound outside of Carrasco.  He finished with five wins and an ERA around 1.88 last season. However, the team graduated seven pitchers from a staff that had averaged roughly two and a half runs allowed in 2013. Even with the new arms on the mound, Carrasco believes they have the ability to be successful.

“The pitching staff is new but we’ll do pretty well during the year,” Carrasco said. “I just want them to be focused in every game and work hard in practice and not to be nervous.”

Look for players such as Michael Pelaez and American High transfer Kevin Perez to play key roles on the mound. According to Lopez, Perez’s primary position is catcher but he will see plenty of action on the bump with a fastball in the mid 80s.

At the plate, Lopez has challenged his hitters to perform better in the clutch. The Gators hit around .320 as a team and return five starters in the lineup. Senior Joshua Guia, and juniors Erick Delgado, Jonathan Jhones, and junior Kevin Gomez each had a batting average of at least .325 last season, and all expect to improve on those numbers in the spring.

“We could have been a lot better than 18-7,” Lopez says. “Our offense has got to respond a lot better than it did last year.”

The magic number for the Gators last season was six. Goleman went 12-0 when they scored six runs or more in 2013. But in the seven losses, the team never scored more than four runs.

“This year I think we going to be able to win a few more of those tight games and we’ll be more consistent with the bat,” Carrasco said.

A huge factor that won’t show up directly in the stats is the team’s fan support. The Gators have some of best fan support in Miami-Dade County, thanks mostly in part to the Goleman Diamonds.

Originally established when the school first opened 1995, the Diamonds are a cheer squad specifically for Goleman’s baseball team. Starting out with five girls in ’95, the squad has grown to 42 girls this season, all devoted to cheering the Gators to victory. This unique twist to the baseball environment creates an electric atmosphere that inspires the players.

Baseball is a game of tradition, and the Gators have a special and original tradition with their cheering squad. In the offseason the squad even has tryouts for the next group of Diamonds.

“They have to know baseball basics, they have to be spirited, they have to know how to cheer, they have to love Goleman and the Goleman baseball team,” said senior team captain Natalia Morales.

The girls attend every home game and, depending on the location, they will travel to road games as well.

“Baseball is pretty serious, it’s the only sport we’re good at, so we take it seriously,” Morales says.

If the Gators can develop a strong rotation and come up with timely hitting, they believe the Diamonds and Gator fans will have plenty to cheer for in 2014.

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