Doral Academy On Deck For A Big Season In 2014

Entering his second season at the helm of Doral Academy, Manager Steve Iglesias finally has the full reins on a team that will be one of the best in District 6A-16. Last season, Iglesias was thrown into the fire, stepping in for Ernie Gonzalez as the Firebirds head coach shortly before the 2013 season started.

As 2014 approaches, the Firebirds look to ascend to new heights after giving Iglesias a full offseason to develop his roster.

“We have a very mature team, we have everybody coming back from last year pretty much,” said Iglesias. “Our expectation this year is to compete and really go far into the playoffs.”

Last season, Doral Academy finished 12-12-1 and lost to TERRA in the District 4A-15 semifinals.

This year both the Firebirds and Wolves have moved up two classes to District 6A-16, where teams like Belen Jesuit, Mater Academy, Homestead, Miami Jackson, and Miami Northwestern await.

Doral can’t wait to take the field against TERRA, a team that swept them in their three matchups last season, but there are other match ups that the Firebirds might have circled on the calendar. Iglesias is a graduate of Belen Jesuit, where he played baseball under Tony Meilan, who is now the manager of Mater Academy. Both are also in the district.

The personal connections make for more than an average district game, but Iglesias has downplayed the significance of both contests.

“Tony was a great mentor to me and I’ve learned a lot of baseball from him, but no matter who we play, we going out there to try and beat,” Iglesias said.

No matter what game it is, the Firebirds have the firepower at the plate to score runs against any team on their schedule.

Led by senior catcher Christian Hernandez (.320 B.A., 21 RBI, 18 R), junior outfielder Christian Martinez (.440 B.A. 11 R, 10 RBI), senior first baseman Ryan Gronlier (5 HR, 17 RBI), senior shortstop Alejandro Juvier (.375 B.A., 12 RBI, 3 3B), and junior Carlos Pino (16 RBI, 16 R) the Firebirds will feature one of the better lineups in the district this season.

In addition, Florida Christian transfer A.J. Puigcerver will play a key role for the Firebirds this season.

“We work hard everyday in the cages on just hitting the ball the other way and making solid contact,” said Hernandez, who has signed to play baseball at the University of South Carolina-Upstate. “I believe hitting is contagious so when one of us gets going the rest will get going.”

Doral put up gaudy numbers last season and they expect to perform even better in 2014.

“We’re definitely expected to be a high-powered offense,” said Iglesias. “We’ve got them in the weight room getting bigger, faster, and stronger to get ready for January.”

The coaching staff believes what sets this group apart from other teams is the team chemistry they’ve developed before the season has even started. The players spend time hanging out together off the field going on fishing trips, and the bond is evident based on how they interact with each other.

“We go fishing and we’re a fishing team,” Hernandez revealed.

The common interest has not only brought the team together as closer friends, but it created an even greater fishing group when A.J. Puigcerver arrived this year.

“We fish a lot at A.J.’s house since he has a lake nearby,” senior pitcher Kevin Alloroa said. “We catch peacock bass, largemouth bass and sometimes we’ll go saltwater and catcher some snook.”

The Doral pitching staff hopes to sink plenty of batters on the mound this season. The Firebirds lack experienced arms, but they will make up for it in depth. Barring any sudden changes Iglesias will have at least eight arms at his disposal when the season starts.

“Our pitching staff is going to go under the radar this year because nobody really knows them,” Iglesias said. “They don’t have a lot of experience, except for maybe Kevin, but we have some talent there that is going to pitch well enough for us to win some baseball games.”

Look for Alloroa (2-1, 17.1 IP), junior right-handers Kylan Lopez, Andres Fernandez and Eddie Escribano (1.40 ERA), as well as Ransom Everglades lefty transfer Royevan Armas to eat up the majority of innings during the season.

“We’re all pretty much the same guys from last year, but we’ve all worked hard in the gym and thrown a lot,” Alloroa said. “I’ve worked on my slider and my velocity has increased three miles per hour.”

With so many veteran players back, Iglesias believes this team is ready to take the next step and win more games this season.

“Last year was about creating a culture, this year is about creating situations and taking advantage to make things happen on the baseball field,” he said. “If you work hard and practice hard and prepare them the right way its going to translate on to the field and they don’t have to worry about anything else.”

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