Keys Gate Charter Setting A Solid Baseball Foundation

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It’s an exciting time at Keys Gate Charter. The small school located in the Homestead has had a varsity baseball program for the past four seasons, but year five brings the point with the program that it knows it is ready to compete and make its mark in the baseball community. Now in their second year of district play, the Knights have a revamped roster and a unified goal to make their peers acknowledge that they have arrived.

Manager Kevin Mirabel has been with the team since the very beginning, and he is energized with the belief that this group will be the ones to put those final bricks in place for a winning foundation. Along with his longtime assistant Richard Benavides, Coach Mirabel has had most of the guys on his roster under his tutelage since they were in eighth grade. Keys Gate is made up of an elementary, middle and a high school, and most of the players have been a part of this small family since the very beginning. The players have heard the plan for several years now, and they are rallying together to try and make it a reality this season.

“The mindset is much different this year,” Mirabel said. “Last year I had to be repetitive, but now I say it one time and they react right away and are ready to go. These kids have been with us since when we only had eighth-graders on the varsity team. Now it’s great to see how they have progressed and grown and are becoming young men. It’s just very exciting and we’re very proud.”

There are plenty of familiar faces on the Knights roster. Last season was the first senior class for the Knights, as its first two graduates have now moved on from the high school. What it also means is nearly the entire lineup has returned, and they have all gotten stronger and better. The guys have many years in the system under their belts, as well as lots of playing experience at the varsity level.

Mirabel also has a strong baseball background, although he admits it is still a challenge to transition from the college game to the high school level. Having Coach Benavides there at his side has been a great help, as the two compliment one another well to lead the team. Benavides also has a strong baseball background, and their balanced dynamic has been a big part of the rapid growth this program has enjoyed so far.

The biggest thing is the players who have put in so much hard work so far to make a name for the Knights. Veterans such as Alan Quezada, Brandon Espinal, Matthew Garcia, Erick Reyes and Emmanuel Perez are eager to see the fruits of those labors. These guys were a big part of bringing the school its first district victory, and it is exciting to be a part of the history-making that comes with being such a new program.

“I have been here since the beginning,” Perez said. “I have known basically everyone that has been here from then to now, and it is a great experience knowing everyone that has passed through here.”

The squad also welcomed several new transfers this year, and most of the new guys are pitchers. Pitching was the primary area that the club struggled in last season, and most notably in the late innings out of the bullpen. But now the team has plenty of capable arms it can turn to during the course of a game and a season. These transfers include Anthony Davila, William Sanchez, Christian Gonzalez, Christopher Santana and Ernesto Gomez.

“Now we’ve got all these guys and we have so much pitching everywhere that we don’t know what to do with it. It’s a great problem to have,” Mirabel said. “We’re hoping everyone is healthy for the season and that we have our full staff available. If that happens I have high hopes for the year and for the years ahead as well.”

Adding to the overall ability the guys have is the unique versatility most possess as well. Quezada is not only the team’s closer, but also its center fielder and go-to guy in the batting order. Matthew Garcia is perhaps their best hitter and a solid third baseman, but has also logged plenty of innings on the mound. The players may be asked to help the team use that to its advantage throughout the year, but Mirabel admits he wants to do his best to keep guys where they are best so they can focus on improving in their strongest areas.

It is enough of a challenge just having more depth, as guys are pushing one another in healthy competition.

“This year we’ve gotten a lot of varsity arms, and from the top to the bottom they all can get the job done,” Perez said. “I’m just trying to get a win for the entire team and I try to push all the pitchers to try and do the best that we can for the team. Last year we were not as fortunate to have as many pitchers. So now it is more relief for all the pitchers, because you know if you don’t throw a good outing there is somebody behind you who can pick it up for you.”

The goal of the starting pitchers is to go deep into games this year and try to get the ball to Quezada. The veteran has recovered from a knee injury last year and is excited to hold an important role with his club.

“The good part is I get to bring my teammates up when they are down,” Quezada said. “They look up to me, so I have to do good in school and then come out here and work hard. What’s bad is once they mess up they think they can mess up too, so I just try to do everything right and follow my coach.”

The team has high hopes for the new guys that are here. There are still a lot of things to work on, but they think they’ll be ready for the start of the season. The Homestead area has a strong baseball community, and the Knights are excited to become a regular part of it. Nearby South Dade is the current defending champion of Class 8A, and Keys Gate is excited just for the chance to take the field with them.

“It’s great having South Dade right there on the corner,” Mirabel said. “They have a great program with great players and a great coach. It’s always fun to play teams like that and have the whole community come out and it is just good for the community in general. They get to come out and see two teams who are literally ten blocks away from each other. So you have got everybody from Keys Gate and South Dade, and it’s going to be a nice rivalry that we can build and progress through the years.”

The Knights are also enjoying the chance to build rivalries within their district. Mirabel is good friends with Gulliver Prep Manager Javier Rodriguez, and he is also a Raiders’ alum. Meanwhile he played the game with Key West Manager Ralph Henriquez’s son. Mirabel admits it is fun to play those guys and try to beat them. The team went 2-2 in their first year of district competition, and although it is a tough group of teams the Knights wouldn’t have it any other way. They want to beat good teams to prove they are one of those good teams.

The guys at Keys Gate have been working a long time for this. Now they know they are nearing the point where they can see that hard work begin to pay off. They’ve come this far together, and the friendship and unity on the team is carrying them in the right direction.

“We’ve known each other since we were really young so we’re all really close,” Quezada said. “It’s like a brotherhood instead of a team and we just try to improve and have each other’s back. It’ a really young team and we’re new, so everybody is trying to prove everybody wrong and do good this year. We’re young so everybody thinks they can just walk right through us. But if we are dedicated towards one goal and one team then we can beat anybody. We just have to work hard. If we all stick to one plan than we will do good this year.”

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