8A-15 District Tournament Preview

Host: Southwest

Schedule:

Tuesday April 22nd

7:00 PM (5) Southwest vs. (4) Coral Park

Wednesday April 23rd

4:00 PM (3) Braddock vs. (2) Coral Gables
7:00 PM Southwest/Coral Park winner vs. (1) Columbus

Friday April 25th

7:00 Championship: TBD

Full Stats for 8A-15 can be found on the 8A-15 Stats Page!

Overview – Last season proved as a great indicator that nothing is guaranteed when it comes to this tough district. In fact, the only guarantee that can be made is that there will be a new champion at the top of 8A-15 this year. This is only because defending district champion Miami Sunset was realigned to a new district this season.

As is often the case the Columbus Explorers enter the district playoffs as the top seed and the favorites to win another district title. This is a familiar position for the Explorers to come in with seemingly the entire rest of the field all gunning to take them down. This is never an easy feat, and this season proved that case as the top-seeds swept the district during the regular season.

Every season this group of clubs proves that the playoffs are an entirely different beast. To survive this group of tough competitors teams must put everything on the line, and these squads have always done an excellent job of doing just that. While teams fight and claw to extend their season and battle for a district crown, it is the fans in attendance that get the most reward in seeing the finest baseball this district has to offer.

1. Columbus – Although the Explorers will welcome any challenger as they pursue another district title, it would only serve as extra motivation for the club should they to start that journey with a rematch against Southwest. The Eagles pulled off the big upset to end the Explorers’ season in the district semifinals last season, and the chance to enact some payback to kick off their district playoff run is something that any club would be anxious for.

With a team this talented, having the motivation to avenge last year’s early exit seems as lethal as pouring gasoline onto a campfire.

Columbus has been its usual dangerous self this year, sweeping their district and putting up impressive numbers from both sides of the field. Nelson Mompierre has provided the most reliable bat to hit among the district’s leaders, while Danny Diaz and Christian Garabedian have supplied the most pop by combining for nine home runs between them. All season long they have swung the bats as if in a constant effort to put to rest the demons of last year.

The pitching staff has been just as dominant. Among the county leaders in ERA and wins, Matt Marini has emerged as the top hurler of this deep staff. Columbus also has a great second option in Anthony Martinez, who led the squad in strikeouts and also won some very big games along the way, and a valuable third man in Christopher Coipel. Pitching has always been a staple of this program, and this year they have continued that trend.

The Explorers put together two separate winning streaks of seven and five games during the year, and they have not lost consecutive games since early February. But as they know, this time of year is when clubs cannot afford to drop a single contest or else I could mean the end to the entire season.

“This is a marathon; it’s not a sprint,” said Weber. “You have to get hot at the end. We want to get better as the year goes on so we are playing our best baseball in April and May.”

2. Coral Gables – Cavaliers Manager Phil Wisser knows this next game is the only one that really matters right now. Gables put together a great and exciting 2014 campaign, grabbing some big victories such as an upset over four-time defending state champion Archbishop McCarthy at Marlins Park. The team has played an incredibly tough schedule and came out with a very strong showing to give them confidence that they belong in this elite group of programs.

But none of that matters if they don’t take care of business now.

“We’ve had a really great season and we have every right to feel proud of ourselves. But it could still be over for us if we don’t do our jobs now,” said Wisser. “These last couple of games we’ve made it so that we tried to get everybody into the games so we could get some work done and try to get ready for the playoffs. Now we just have to come out and play like we’ve been playing.”

The Cavaliers certainly have the personnel that have proven they can get this job done. The team has had the right balance of offense, defense and pitching all year. The chemistry has never been stronger and the players believe in one another and support one another.

The offense has been incredibly successful in putting guys on base, wrecking havoc on the base paths, and then relying on the big bats to drive them home. Leadoff man Raymond Gonzalez has excelled at getting on base and swiping more of them, and the power hitters like Elih Marrero, German Reyes and Rolando Rodriguez have done their job in clearing off the bases.

On the mound Gables has enjoyed the chance to see newcomer Andrew Cabezas mold so well into form at the front of the rotation, leading the ball club in strikeouts while pitching in most of their biggest games. Meanwhile veteran Tyler Santana has led the team in both wins and ERA to provide an invaluable second option that gives them all the reason to believe they can win playoff series that require such reliable pitching depth.

Should things fall according to the seedings, this would put the Cavaliers into the finals against a Columbus team that they gave two great battles with already this year. The Explorers won an extra-inning contest that was suspended and played in two pieces weeks apart from one another, and also came on the wrong end of a tight 2-0 decision in their other meeting. This should give Gables all the confidence they would need should they earn a third chance at the district favorites.

3. Braddock – It’s hard to envision a team this good to be an underdog against most anybody, yet that is exactly where the Bulldogs find themselves heading into their most important game of the season. Braddock put a fine campaign together in 2014, as it won some big games that also included grabbing a championship trophy in the South Broward Spring Beak Invitational. A regional playoff berth would be the perfect icing for the season the club has put together.

There is no question that Braddock has the personnel to get the job done. Leadoff hitter Willie Padron has been the toughest out in Miami-Dade all season long, batting well over .600 and leading the county in hitting the entire way. Once he has found himself on base, Padron has also been a nuisance along the base paths by leading the district in stolen bases and leading his club in runs scored.

Offense has been a driving force for the Bulldogs all year, as they have averaged nearly six runs per game. Anthony Alvarez has also swung a big stick in batting over .500 for the season, leading the team in RBI’s and also hitting among the team leaders in extra-base hits with Padron and Ivan Nunez.

Depth has been the biggest difference for the Bulldogs pitching staff. The team has mixed and matched all year long, and the results were a team ERA around 2.25. Ariel Prito and JJ Marcos have tossed the biggest innings for the club, and have combined for half of the team’s victories. Now put into their biggest game of the year, the experience that each hurler has gotten this season could play a major factor in the end results.

“We have a lot of depth in our rotation,” agreed Braddock Manager Victor Montalvo. “We don’t have a strong number one pitcher, but we do have a lot number twos that can get the job done. Overall the boys are playing all right. It’s been the little things that are making the difference.”

The Bulldogs are enjoying their best season in a few years, and now they get to top that off by trying to make it back to the regional playoffs after missing the dance each of the past two seasons.

4. Coral Park – It has been a bounce-back year for the Rams under first-year Manager Juan “Butch” Carnicero. Coral Park is back in the district playoffs after missing the dance each of the past two seasons, and the team is ready to prove it belongs there.

Gone are the days when a club simply slugs its way to a mercy-rule victory over the Rams. Coral Park has gone the full way against teams all year and have proven that they are a tough dog in each fight. When the team puts everything together they have shown just how dangerous they can be, as exemplified by a four-game win streak during the season in which they upset several solid clubs and won three of the contests via shutout.

A much improved pitching staff has been a big part of their resurgence this season. Carlos Marrero, Christia Feliu, Matthew Perez and Carlos Cabanas have all posted solid numbers this year. This has proven even more important as the offense has been a bit slower to come around. The Rams ability to pitch themselves in position to stay in every ball game has helped to take the pressure off their young offense.

Jossuan Gonzalez has led the lineup in most offensive categories, including runs and stolen bases. The Coral Park batting order has to work station to station and manufacture runs whenever they can, and at the times that they are successful at that it has typically led them to victory.

Coral Park has not won a district title since 2007, when Carnicero was last with the club as an assistant coach. After he watched his alma mater shuffle through managers year after year, the Rams graduate stepped up to take the reins this year. While the program has set their sights on the long-term goals, the immediate success has put them into position to chase some of those goals right now.

They know what a touch task is at hand, but they are also happy to be in a position to take their chances. Now they must fight their way through a tough field of opponents as they look to put themselves back onto the map.

“This district is never easy; I always say it’s the toughest district in Florida,” said Carnicero. “When I was a player it was the same district with Coral Gables, Braddock, Columbus and Southwest, and it’s a war everyday. There are no pushovers or easy games.”

5. Southwest – The Eagles have one advantage over the rest of the teams in this bracket, as for them the playoffs have already begun. Southwest earned the final district playoff spot by winning a late-season battle with Ferguson 4-2 just to make the field. The players have already had their feet to the fire and their season on the line, and they have proven they can win in such a scenario.

Since Southwest has the toughest road to get back to the district championship game, the team will need every bit of confidence it can garner to bring them momentum to make it happen. The Eagles pulled off the huge upset over Columbus in last year’s district semifinal, and they come into their meeting with the Rams with the feeling that they have already won one playoff game this year. Now they simply need to keep that momentum going forward for them.

Pitching has been the driving force for the Eagles. As many as four guys have stepped forward to show they can get the job done on the hill, with Andres Fletes leading the way by logging the most innings, wins and strikeouts for his club. The junior tossed a complete-game gem to earn the playoff-clinching victory over Ferguson at season’s end, and he has proven he can win the big games that they will need from him.

The pitching staff also relies heavily on Marcel Diaz, Jorge Ramirez, Jason Grana and David Huerta, all of whom have put up impressive numbers during the year.

Alfredo Morejon has led the purple and white offense by leading the squad in hits and RBIs, while Israel Luis has excelled on getting on base and scoring runs for the club. Luis scored twice in their win over Ferguson, and this trend has proved relevant as the team has won the majority of the games in which he has crossed the plate for them.

Keeping things going would be a great accomplishment for a young Eagles squad. Southwest has just four seniors on its roster and the vast majority of the group came into the season with little to no experience. But they have bought into Manager Josy Torres’ approach and they have won the games that have mattered the most.

“At this time of the year anything can happen,” said Torres. “At the end of the year there are always some upsets.”

Southwest is just hoping they can produce some more of those.

Leave a comment using your facebook account!