Mourning Sharks Swing For The Playoffs

Like a great white shark lurking in the deep blue sea, Mourning High has worked under the radar this offseason as they prepare to make a big splash in 2014.

Under the guidance of Manager Edwin Bonilla, the Sharks are slowly building a contender as they look to make their first playoff appearance since the school opened just five years ago.

“Last year, we were just happy to compete. Now, we’re no longer happy with just competing, we want to get the program to the next level,” Bonilla said. “This is the year we are going to try and put the program on the map for the first time.”

Last season, Mourning got their first taste of district play after competing as an independent in 2012. However, the Sharks struggled in a full season against Miami-Dade’s best, finishing sixth in District 6A-16 with a 5-18 record.

With only six seniors gone from last season the 2014 Sharks return a core of players eager to make a name for themselves.

“We lost a couple good players, but we’ve gained more than we’ve lost,” said senior pitcher and first baseman Matthew Castrorao.

The key to their success may lie in how well they swing the bat. In 2013, Mourning averaged around .246 as a team and were held scoreless in five games last season. The Sharks spent a good portion of their offseason improving on their hitting. The team’s leading hitter, senior shortstop Alex Vallejo (.375 B.A., 20 RBI, 5 HR) believes the Sharks have a renewed approach at the plate.

“We have a different mindset up at the plate,” said Vallejo. “We’re not afraid that we’re gonna get dominated by pitching, we’re going out there with the expectations that we’re going to go hit the ball, we’re going to put it in play, and we’ll see what happens.”

Bonilla believes that his players using wooden bats in the offseason helped improve their approach at the plate. Wooden bats force the hitter to make better contact using the barrel or else the ball will not travel as far off of the bat. Using the wooden bats has helped the hitters get better contact when they use the standard high school aluminum bats.

“Wood is what they swing in the majors and they swing it because its harder to get hits with it,” Vallejo said.

The team has noticed the difference and will count on Vallejo, Castrorao, seniors Andrew Feldman, Jose Reyes, Nico Zambrano and Jean-Loui Navarro to manufacture more runs this season.

On the mound, Mourning will rely on four pitchers to eat up innings. The Sharks lost last season’s ace, 6-3 pitcher Christopher Contreras, but they have a rotation that has pitched in big games before. The stable of arms include Castrorao, lefty Kevin Moreno, Reyes, Zambrano and junior Andrew Velez.

Castrorao is the new ace this season and has improved his command to be more effective on the mound.

“I’ve been working a lot lately on my pitching, I’ve been practicing and getting my arm stronger,” Castrorao said. “I really want to take my team all the way this year.”

The Sharks path to the playoffs will look noticeably different this season. As a part of the state-wide district realignment, Mourning is in District 6A-15 with Carol City, Goleman, Miami Norland, and Miami Springs.

Mourning believes playing against teams with similar demographics makes the district more competitive and ultimately gives them a great shot to make the playoffs. Goleman and Miami Springs are considered the frontrunners but the Sharks make it no secret that they are gunning for the top.

“Ever since I was a freshman, I’ve wanted to win a district championship,” Vallejo said. “Its the number one goal; that’s what I strive for, it’s what we strive for as a team, and anything less is a shortcoming.”

The players cite selflessness and better team chemistry as the biggest differences on this year’s team.

“This year we’ve put the players where they need to be,” Castrorao said. “We have more chemistry and more team players.”

Despite the improvements as a team, the Sharks still deal with less than favorable practice conditions. Due to limited space on campus the team has to travel to Allen Park in North Miami Beach for practice and Pepper Park 20 minutes away in North Miami for home games. Bonilla admits not having a field has taken a toll on his team in the past.

“They get kind of discouraged because we don’t have the facilities that some other programs do. Allen Park is really a run-down city park,” he said.

However, the Sharks refuse to use it as an excuse because other teams have been successful without a baseball field on campus. The coaches believe players buying into the system and playing together will be the key to win games, no matter where they play.

“You gotta learn how to crawl before you can walk and run,” said Bonilla. “They’re finally starting to believe, and then when we get results its a lot easier to believe.”

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