4A-15 District Tournament Preview

Host: Florida Christian

Schedule:

Monday April 21st

7:00 PM (5) Monsignor Pace vs. (4) LaSalle

Wednesday April 23rd

4:00 PM (3) St. Brendan vs. (2) Mater Lakes
7:00 PM Monsignor Pace/LaSalle winner vs. (1) Florida Christian

Friday April 25th

7:00 PM Championship: TBD

Full Stats for 4A-15 can be found on the 4A-15 Stats Page!

Overview – This is one of Miami-Dade’s tightest districts, where any of the five qualifying teams are capable of running the tables and hoisting the district trophy in the end. Each of the five teams in this bracket are defending district champions from a season ago, and all season long these district match ups have had the look and feel of a playoff game. Now the real thing is here and fans can expect things to only get more exciting.

1. Florida Christian – The Patriots have not forgotten how close they came to winning another stat title last season. All season long the team has played with an intensity and focus of a championship-caliber squad, and they have faced some very tough competition to better prepare them to make another run this year. By earning the top seed in the district, the Patriots need just one victory to earn their spot in the regional playoffs.

Home field is a big advantage for the Patriots, as they host the district tournament this season at the friendly confines of their home park. Florida Christian has been very tough to beat at home this year, going 10-5, and they have always thrived off the passionate support of their home fans.

“I think we’re capable of winning, it but its going to be a challenge,” said Patriots Manager Chris Brigman. “It’s probably going to come down to who makes the fewest mistakes, who can bunt guys over, and who can play error-free.”

With a good core of the role players from last year returning for one last charge, Florida Christian has every right to believe they can hold their own in this bracket. The team played a tough slate of games and fared well throughout, including a runners up trophy in the challenging Sarasota Spring Classic tournament.

While depth has been a major strength of the club in being able to rely on many members of the starting unit to pull their weight, it is hard to overlook the production of senior Ruben Somelian. The speedy outfielder has been a force at the plate, hitting in nearly every game, stealing bases all over and scoring runs in bunches. Somelian was devastated by the team’s state semifinal loss last year, and he has played as motivated and driven as any player in the county.

The heart of the Patriots lineup is as dangerous as any, as Brandon Chinea, Jack Diaz, Jorge Iza, Michael Rodriguez, Chris Gandara and Erik Montero have all been very productive. The unit averages just four runs a game, but they have done a great job of hitting in big moments and getting runs when they need them the most.

Pitching has always been a staple of this program, and that trend has carried on in 2014. Alex Valverde has stepped up to lead the staff, posting an impressive 1.80 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP and recording nearly 60 strikeouts in 45 innings pitched. While the team has enjoyed having an ace to turn to, they have also relished the depth that they have developed this year. Michael Campos, Anthony Lopez, Alex Nodarse, Javier Narranjo and Kenny Pico have all put in quality innings on the mound, and each is ready to do their part during the playoff stretch.

The pieces are in place and the team has history and momentum on its side. Now the task at hand is simply to do their jobs and lay it all on the line. A year ago they lost to eventual state-champion Melbourne Central Catholic in one of the tightest and most thrilling games of high school baseball ever played, and ever since then the Patriots have played with that same level of intensity and passion. Now is the time for them to harness that emotion and channel it into every moment to make it pay off.

2. Mater Lakes – The Bears have been tough to figure out this year. The club played a tough schedule as equally challenging as the rest of the teams in their district, and they played good competitive baseball in those games. However, for the most part the Bears ended up on the wrong side of the scoreboard in those games, as they went just 6-8 in non-district contests.

Mater Lakes struggled down the stretch, but has also played in more close games than any other team in their district. Now they must make all that experience work in their favor by adjusting their game to correct the mistakes that have cost them, and go charging forward in pursuit of their next district title.

“We need to be playing good baseball as we get into the playoffs,” said Bears Manager Cesar Temes.

Scoring runs has not been a problem for the Bears, as the offense batted well over .300 for the season and as many as six starters amassed double-digit RBI totals. Leading the way was Chris Delgado, who hit .393 to lead the squad. Jonathan Lorenzo, Jordan Cox, Marlon Romero, Daniel Delgado and Xanders Vasquez all hit over .300 and posted impressive power numbers in the Bears deep and potent lineup.

The strength of the offense has helped to keep the pressure off of the pitching staff, which has gotten solid production from its starting unit. Starters Christian Calleja, Ricardo Rodriguez and Jesus Hernandez have logged the majority of the innings for the club, and all have put up solid numbers for their club. Hernandez led the team with a 1.94 ERA in 43 innings, while Rodriguez led the way with 44 strikeouts in 36 innings of work and Calleja led the club in victories with four.

Besides having one of the coolest baseball names around, Danger Guevara has also grown into a leading role with the club. The junior emerged to secure the closer’s role, and led the club with three saves this year. The team has employed a bevy of relievers throughout the year, mixing and matching and relying on their overall depth to work situations into their favor. A total of 11 different hurlers have toed the rubber for the Bears this season, and that experience could be huge for them in the playoff stretch.

Mater Lakes is in pursuit of its third straight district title, and none has ever presented as big of a challenge as this one. The team has faced lots of adversity on the field this year and it has left them battle-tested and experienced. Now they simply need to pull together for one another and play as one unit as they prepare to battle their way through one of the county’s toughest district brackets.

3. St. Brendan – The first year of the Luis Padron era has been an up-and-down affair. At times they club has played tremendous baseball, while in other stretches they struggled to put things together. The second half of the season was a tough run for the Sabres, who dropped the majority of those contests. But their fiery new manager has always gotten the most out of his teams when the playoffs arrived, and they are hoping that winning formula will work for his new club too.

Although the Sabres played tight games within their district this season, they have yet to figure out Mater Lakes in losing both meetings to the Bears. With the third meeting holding their playoff fates, the club must adjust from their two close 4-1 and 4-2 losses and figure out how to reverse their fortunes.

While wins have not always been there this season, St. Brendan is also comforted by the fact that they played solid baseball with a very tough slate of opponents lining up against them. Every non-district team the Sabres faced this year has a winning record, and most are seeded among the top of their respective district brackets. The games have been intense and competitive all year, which should make the adjustment to the speed of the playoffs seamless and simple to make.

While the bulk of the Sabres’ roster is made up of promising underclassmen, it has been their core of senior leaders who have carried the team during the year. Senior Danny Sirven has paced the offense to lead them in most areas, while also serving as the sparkplug for the entire ball club. Juniors Nico Lares and Eric Pacheco have also been big producers for the lineup.

On the hill it has been senior Renny Tolentino who has logged the big innings against the toughest competition, as the transfer from Mater East has been an asset both as a starter and also out of the bullpen in relief. Seniors Tito Torres and Danny Rivero have also provided a veteran presence on the mound this season.

The Sabres had a nice playoff run last season, winning a district title and propelling that success all the way to the regional championships. Now the team looks to get over that final hump and earn a berth in the state tournament.

“I tell everybody that winning cures everything,” said Coach Padron. “They’ve picked up immediately on how we do things.”

4. LaSalle – Longtime Manager Oscar Benitez always fields a team that is competitive and tough to beat, and this season has been no different. LaSalle never concerns itself with their overall record, choosing instead to gain valuable experience by scheduling the toughest competition they can line up. Now they hope all that tough baseball will pay off as they go for the season sweep over Pace.

The Lions won both regular-season meetings with Spartans thanks in large part to their pitching. Starters Sergio Miyares and Brandon Blanco both put in quality starts in their respective turns against Pace, and that paid dividends in keeping them in each contest while the offense did their job to deliver enough runs.

While Miyares and Blanco have been big assets for the starting rotation, it has been Brent Thomas who has stepped up to be the main guy on the mound for LaSalle this year. The senior has had a quality career with the program, and this year he has led the club with a 2.53 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Pitching is critical for any team hoping for a deep playoff run, and this trio gives the Lions that sort of hope.

The bullpen has struggled at times, but also has lots of confidence in a group that AJ Perez, Justin Blair and closer Andres Gutierrez.

The offense has provided a lot of power this season. Leading the pack of power-hitters is newcomer Santos Grande, who has been as large as his name in leading the team with 19 RBIs, 10 doubles, a triple and two home runs in 67 at bats.

“He’s a big-time player,” Benitez said of Grande. “He’s got a great future. He’s got ice in his veins. He doesn’t care about situations; he just sits on pitches and hits them.”

Also stepping up to carry the offense has been veteran Nick Canino, who leads the team with a .437 batting average and 31 hits in 71 at bats. Canino excelled at getting on base, then led the team with 14 stolen bases, and also tallied 19 runs on the season.

The Lions lack the depth that some of the other squads in this bracket may enjoy, but their top-line starters are as talented and dangerous as any. It is a tough road to the district championship coming out of the four-seed, but that is the only way LaSalle ever does anything and they would have it no other way.

5. Monsignor Pace – A year removed from one of the most talented and experienced clubs the Spartans have ever known, the team returned a very young and very inexperienced group his season. The young club struggled out of the gate and took a while to come together and learn the system under longtime Manager Tom Duffin. But just as they have done in years past, the Spartans have picked up steam as the year went on and have begun to peak at just the right time with the playoffs now here.

“You always want to be playing your best baseball going into the playoffs,” said Duffin.

Should Pace pull off the upset and get past a very talented LaSalle team, it would be perhaps the most incredible feat that Duffin has accomplished in his time with the program. There has been no learning curve for this team, as it still played its usual challenging schedule against many of the top teams in South Florida. Although the current roster boasts very little accolades, each foe they have faced has come gunning at them well aware of their reputation and ability. They have faced everyone’s best and they have had to learn how to win against teams that have the talent to dominate most any squads they face.

Although Pace managed very few victories this season, it performed quite well within its own district. This should give the players confidence as they take the toughest road to try and get back to the regional playoffs this year. That road starts by taking on a LaSalle program that had their number both times his year. Should they survive that meeting, they would then face the top-ranked Patriots who also went 2-0 against them this year. In this scenario, the Spartans will need to use those losses as extra motivation for some payback now that the season is on the line.

While the majority of the roster is made up of underclassmen, Pace does have a few reliable veterans who have stepped up to lead the way. Senior Chris Basilio returned from an offseason injury to work his way back to the front end of the rotation, where he leads a young staff that also includes Benji Urra, Lorenzo Hampton, Matthew Darder and Nicholas Fusco.

The offense was picked nearly bare by graduation, with Hampton and junior Leroy Garcia providing the majority of the returning experience. Newcomers Eddie and Elliott Cutillas and freshman Anthony Boix have all come along to provide reliable bats in the Spartans lineup.

Pace has been the team to beat for the last few years, and it is unfamiliar territory for the team to come into the district tournament as an underdog. Yet the team has learned to use this scenario to their advantage, letting opponents underestimate them and then pouncing to show they still have plenty of firepower to shake things up. The squad scored some big victories down the stretch, such as a win over Coral Springs Christian. A deeper look at their schedule reveals that almost every team they have faced this season has a winning record and is also a high seed in their respective district tournaments. The playoff environment should not all that different than any other game to the Spartans, and they are led by a coaching staff that has long-proven they can push the right buttons when they need them the most.

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