7A-16 District Tournament Preview

Host: Westland Hialeah (at Walker Park)

Schedule:

Tuesday April 22nd

4:00 PM (2) Reagan vs. (3) Westland Hialeah
7:00 PM (4) Hialeah Miami-Lakes vs. (1) American

Thursday April 24th

7:00 PM: Championship: TBD

Overview – Last season American had a strong playoff run that took it all the way to the state Final Four. Yet despite this great showing, Patriots Manager Ricky Gutierrez has not forgotten that it all nearly ended before it even got going. American had to come back in the bottom of the seventh to sneak by underdog Dr. Krop in the district semifinals, and it is a lesson that still resonates with Gutierrez.

“You can’t any team lightly and you respect the teams that are there,” said Gutierrez. “Like I say, when the season is over everybody is 0-0 again. What happened during the regular season, nobody cares. Anybody can beat anybody. We had a little test to that last year with Dr. Krop. We were down to the last inning 5-2 and we ended up sneaking out with that win. So you can’t take anybody lightly in the district. Teams are going to come to play and they are going to try and knock us out.”

American has earned the top seed by sweeping the district, but the Patriots are prepared to get the best out of every team they face as they chase after Miami-Dade’s first-ever Class 7A district championship. Regardless of the success they had against the Trojans in the regular season, they will need to bring that same approach into the district semifinals.

If things go according to the seeding, that would put Reagan into the finals to battle for the 7A-16 crown. But first the Bison must beat the Wildcats for the third time this season. Westland Hialeah struggled in their first two meetings, and they will need to lay it all on the line if they are to advance and play for the district title.

1. American – After relying heavily on offense a year ago, it has been the pitching that has been the anchor for the Patriots this season. Major League prospect Ronnie Williams has been dynamite on the hill this year, showcasing the type of frontline attack that can carry any team in pursuit of a state title. Yet even with this sort of ace in their front pocket, American is also blessed to have other capable hurlers stashed in their other pockets as well.

One such guy is right-hander Alex Blanco, a senior who has proven his worth with some big victories, such as defeating top-ranked Killian on their home field.

“It’s great to have another guy,” said Jake Norman. “When we send Ronnie out there we know we are going to get a quality start, and Blanco has also been great.”

American has played great defense this year, which is often the other crucial piece for any team with championship aspirations. The Patriots are as hungry as ever to get back to the state tournament this year and erase the sting of last year’s state semifinal loss. They have all the tools to do just that, and the offense has come around as the season unfolded to provide the final missing ingredient for their wining formula.

Romy Gonzalez has swung the big bat to lead the offense, with Ronnie Williams also providing plenty of pop to follow. Meanwhile table-setters such as Eric Gonzalez, Edison Cabrera and Steven Alvarez have excelled on getting on base down the stretch, which has led to an offensive surge for the power hitters that also includes Kevin Williams, Matt Ruiz and Jake Norman.

Seeing the offense round into form just in time has brought confidence and excitement for a deep pitching staff that has already brimmed with confidence in their stellar defense. There is a lot of positive energy on the ball club and the players are excited for another chance to chase a state title.

“I’ve been waiting for this all year and I’m happy to be here with this club,” said Blanco. “I’ve got nothing but support behind me with the defense, and this pitching staff is unbelievable. We have it and as we work as a team we will get our goal.”

2. Reagan – The Bison have come a long way during the season and the team has worked its way into a nice position as the home club in the district semifinal. Should they take care of business for the third time against the Wildcats they will find themselves advancing into the regional playoffs after falling short in the last two district semifinals.

Reagan swept the two regular season meetings with Westland, and should have plenty of confidence going into the third round. While the squad has done a good job of believing in the coaches and focusing on each game, the players know that they really want another shot at district front-runner American. Their second meeting was a solid showing that left the Bison with assurance that they can go toe-to-toe in that fight.

“We showed American we can play with them,” Reagan Manager J.C. Huguet said after that second game. “By no means do I feel like we’re completely overmatched.”

Reagan has had a strong showing this season. The club has bounced back from losses well, has learned from failure and has improved as the season progressed. They have put together a few small winning streaks and have executed well in all three facets of the game.

The offense has been led by the big bats of Joe Diaz, Raul Cortes and Steve Feierabend, all of whom hit over .375 on the season. Cortes and Diaz lead the team in home runs, and Edgar Pages has also supplied a big power bat in being among the team leaders in extra-base hits.

Feierabend has been a solid closer on a pitching staff that has depth but is still coming along as a unit. Fernando Bolanos has been the club’s most reliable starter, with an ERA under 3.00 and also being among the team leaders in wins. Kevin Feierabend, Bryan Garcia and Alex Kowalski have all proven capable of providing the team with valuable innings such as they will need in the district playoffs.

Reagan has won three straight against Westland Hialeah, dating back to last season. Now the Bison simply hope to make it four in a row so they can get into regionals and take one more shot at American.

3. Westland Hialeah – The Wildcats are hoping that the third time is the charm. Two tough losses have let Westland see where they need to adjust their approach against the Bison if it is going to extend its season, and now it will simply be about executing according to that amended game plan going into the district semifinal.

Sometimes all the statistics and scouting reports have to be tossed aside and a team just has to embrace the underdog role to use it to their advantage. The Wildcats have enough talent as a unit to pull out a win against a tough Bison opponent, but they will need to put it all together at the same time to actually make it happen.

Offense has been the difference for this squad this season, which has worked both ways. The team has scored double digits in six games, but it also has been shut out six times. Frankie Morejon has led the way by batting over .500 for the season, and Westland Hialeah averaged over five runs per game. Yandy Blanco and Giovanni Arrieria have also been a big factor in the offense, accounting for a large majority of the runs they have scored.

But the team finished below .500 for the season, as inconsistency seemed to dog their chances.

“We’re looking for consistency,” said Wildcats Manager Jose Alvarez. “We’re trying to get the guys on the field that are the most consistent.”

Now is the time that those guys have emerged with their chance to show they can put it all together and put it all on the line. They can take confidence in knowing they played it close when they met in March, a 4-1 Bison victory in which Reagan notched some big runs on fundamental station-to-station baseball. It’s up to the Wildcats to do the same if they can keep their season going and play for a chance at a district title.

4. North Miami Beach – The young Chargers have taken some lumps this season. With a team that has only three seniors and mostly underclassmen, the squad has taken the tough losses with a grain of salt as they build toward the future. North Miami Beach could take a page out of the Dr. Krop scrapbook and look to shock the Patriots this season, but that scenario seems fairly unlikely given how much the Chargers struggled in their two meetings during the season.

The greatest asset that they have is that they have nothing to lose. Nobody expects North Miami Beach to pull off an upset, so they should be able to play loose and relaxed baseball. The only question is, can that be enough to get them to pull off a massive upset?

The Chargers have gotten solid production from senior Manuel Matos, who hit roughly .475 on the season while also leading the club in most offensive categories. Samson Blues, Eliakin Brown and Ernesto Alum have also stepped up to play key roles in the offense. Now these leaders are hoping the team can shake off their struggles and play their best baseball when it matters most.

“We work hard but sometimes it’s in our head. I know we are a better team than this,” Blues said. “I know that if we keep working hard, we keep practicing, we keep improving, we are going to get better.”

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