Southwest Aiming To Return To Regional Playoffs

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It’s no secret what the goal is for the Southwest Eagles, and that is to get back into the regional playoffs. The club is part of a large and tough district, and last year ended a two-year playoff stretch after the team was defeated 1-0 by Coral Park in the district quarterfinals.

It was a younger group last season that grew as the season went along, and they return ready to take the next step.

“It was tough last year having a young team,” senior Rey Pastrana said. “We were just trying to fight to be in the race, but we got upset by a couple of teams. We lost to Coral Park three times, and they beat us in the districts. But this year we are working on it and trying to make it regionals. We have the guys here that can do it.”

The biggest positive for the squad is that most of them are back this year. The team only graduated four seniors, and returns nine seniors to the roster. No longer are these guys young newcomers to varsity baseball, but an experienced group that has logged a fair amount of innings together.

“Last year we did pretty good, for what we had with a young team,” said senior Andres Fletes. “We are still a young team but we are learning a lot. I feel like these guys are finally buying into what Coach has been saying for the last couple years. They are learning the right way to play the ball and I feel like we can surprise some guys this year.”

Fletes leads a solid group of hurlers on the mound. The Eagles will also lean heavily on senior Jorge Ramirez, as well as seniors David Huerta and Jason Grana and junior Marcus Rabel. These guys have all earned their time on the bump, and the team will need them all in such a tough slate of teams in the district.

“We also have a lot of young talent,” said Pastrana, the team’s starting catcher. “Plus we have Andres Fletes, who threw really good last year. Hopefully he repeats his performance from last year. I just try to control all of the pitchers and help them keep their composure. I try to call good pitches and try to make them happy. Hopefully they make good pitches and we win some ball games.”

Pastrana is a four-year starter, and he is eager to succeed in his final high school season. The backstop focuses on doing things the right way, and setting the right example for his teammates. He hopes guys will follow the right lead, that they will buy into the process and trust the coaches. If that happens they expect a big season.

The team is not intimidated by the tough schedule they play, as it has been that way for a long time. They are simply trying to get back to being a team that is a threat. They feel they have the team that can contend. There is a lot of confidence in the pitching staff, and guys are optimistic that will help take off the pressure on the offense to keep building from last year.

The offense will lean on guys like Pastrana, Alec Delgado, Jesse Duran and Bryan Carreras. The team was competitive in games most of last season, and any improvement on the amount of runs they can score could just be enough to make all the difference.

A confident pitching staff helps ease the pressure and make hitters more eager to reward that sort of leadership. Fletes is a good example of that sort of patience and confidence. The senior ace came out for the team his freshman year and worked his way onto the varsity squad last year, and now he is an integral part of the club.

All up and down the roster are other guys with similar paths and similar stature.

“We have a pretty mature group of guys here and they do their job,” said Fletes. “I feel like I want to be a leader; I’m a senior and I know what it takes to win. I give my effort everyday and I think that is what you’ve got to do. If you put your effort in everyday out there on the field, you are going to win games.”

The team understands it is a tough district to advance from. Coral Gables and Columbus are always competitive, and both advanced last season. Although the Eagles swept the season series last year, the also know how tough Braddock is. They also have a rivalry with Coral Park, and know better than to overlook South Miami and Ferguson.

“You can’t count anybody out in this district because anybody can beat you,” said Fletes. “It’s baseball; there are no easy games. You have to play hard and you have to fight all seven innings to win a game. There are no easy games in this district; every game is intense and every out means something. So you’ve got to put your effort into it.”

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