Miami Springs Builds Trust Headed Into 2014

As a Miami Springs grad, second year Manager Willie Vazquez has seen the Golden Hawks play a great brand of baseball over the years. In years past, it was almost written in stone that Springs would make a deep playoff run after appearing in the regionals year after year.

With talented players such as current San Diego Padre and Springs grad Yasmani Grandal donning the garnet and gold, the Golden Hawks earned a reputation as one of the better baseball teams in Miami-Dade County.

However, in recent years the program has played musical chairs with their coaching staff. As the 2014 campaign approaches, Vazquez, a full-time firefighter for the city of Miami, hopes to return Miami Springs to glory days of the past as he earns the trust of his players.

“My first year a lot of the players that were here from before didn’t trust anybody. They dealt with three different coaches in four years so its kind of hard for them to trust me as a coach,” Vazquez admitted. “Towards the end of the season we actually had that gain in trust and especially when it got them into colleges is when they started believing in the whole thing.”

In Vazquez’ first year at the helm, the Golden Hawks finished 12-11 and fell in the District 8A-14 semifinals to Coral Gables.

This season, Springs has a nice core of returning ball players and Vazquez believes the players are finally buying into his message that no player is guaranteed to start if he isn’t performing.

“You can be a starter today and maybe tomorrow you’re not a starter,” Vazquez said. “But everybody has a role on this team of what they’re going to be doing during the season, and that could always change because guys are slumping and I have to put somebody else in. They know that by now.”

The strength of this season’s Golden Hawks squad looks to be on the mound, where the pitching staff features a deep stable of arms. Springs doesn’t have an overpowering pitcher on the staff, but they make up for it in numbers and experience.

“Half of them have experience, half of them don’t, but I think with the experience we have on the mound, that its going to carry over to the young guys and help them out,” Vazquez said.

The Golden Hawks graduated HSBN All-District Pitcher Nick Bello (6-2, 43.2 IP, 28 K), but they bring back a bevy of guys eager to see action on the mound.

Pitchers Alex Iruela (32.1 IP, 23 K, 3.46 ERA), Dylan Carter (10 IP, 5 K, 1.40 ERA), David Sirvante, Orlando Alfaro, and Frank Lopez will all see action on the hill during the season. Iruela  and Carter saw the most action last season and look to lead by example for the younger players.

At the plate, Springs will look to replace the production lost from Madison Kreitner (.386 B.A., 16 RBI, 15 R, 6 3B) this season and they may have just the guy to do it. HSBN All-County Second Team junior Juan Kirk (.530, 19 RBI, 13 R) returns to lead the Golden Hawks in 2014. The quick and agile Kirk will move over to third base as Miami Christian transfer Anthony Diaz will get most of the work at catcher this season.

“He tore the cover off the ball last year,” Vazquez said of Kirk.

Kirk will be surrounded with a supporting cast that expects to score plenty of runs this season.

Seniors Julio Mendez (.320 B.A.), outfielder Ronald Acosta, first baseman Austin Voeller (.318 B.A., 10 RBI), shortstop Domingo Cedano, infielder Marlin Castillo and Reagan High transfer Yoandry Perez (.348 B.A., 13 RBI, 7 R) will make up the core of Springs lineup.

“They are going to be the core guys that will be at the top of the lineup, and hopefully those guys can put up two or three runs per inning,” Vazquez said. “The key is obviously our pitching, our defense and timely hitting. I’ve seen where we’ve gone two or three innings without a hit, then all of a sudden we put up three or four runs, so it’s gotta be timely hitting.”

If Springs wants to return to those glory days it will likely have to go through Goleman High as the two schools moved down to District 6A-15 with Carol City, Norland, and Mourning.

“Obviously Goleman is the team to beat, they’re defending district champs, they’ve won it three years in a row, and we have to compete with those guys,” Vazquez said.

Despite the challenge of playing in a new district the team’s confidence hasn’t wavered.

“The feeling is amazing, we have a lot of returning seniors coming back and most of us have played together since we were little and we have high expectations for this team this year,” said Ronald Acosta.

Players like Mendez were a little more descriptive of the team’s goals.

“We have high expectations this year with winning districts,” Mendez said. “We plan to do some big things in regionals and possibly take it to states.”

Vazquez stopped short of guaranteeing a district title, but he understands that he has a confident and talented group on his hands.

“The mindset of this group is they want to win it all. Believe it or not they’re a very humble, very quiet group, but they want to win it all,” said Vazquez. “One game at a time, one pitch at a time, we can’t go ahead of ourselves.”

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