Hialeah Gardens Ready To Turn The Page
Hialeah Gardens Manager Tino Burgos is as excited as ever about his team’s chances this year.
Hialeah Gardens has done a good job of brushing off last season as a tough learning experience. The Gladiators had a solid season and earned the top seed going into the district tournament, only to fall to underdog Miami Beach. The guys went into the game confident and took an early lead, and then things spun out of control on them. Tough losses like that remind everyone that baseball is funny like that.
It also reminds the Gladiators that this district is tougher than it gets credit for. Earning the top seed was no easy task, and the results throughout the season constantly remained close and unpredictable. Hialeah has always been competitive and is the Gladiators’ rival, and last season Miami High bounced back from a couple of tough years to put in a fine showing. Miami Beach is always scrappy and Dr. Krop is rapidly improving. Suddenly the road back to the top has gotten that much tougher, especially with the addition of North Miami to the district.
“Overall it is a very tough district,” Gardens Manager Tino Burgos said. “I think that reflected in all those 3-2 and 8-7 games. Teams were winning games in late innings, and it seemed to always be close in these district games.”
The biggest lesson that the team has learned is to play the game and don’t overlook anybody. After losing the game late to the Hi-Tides last season, Burgos is hoping that his team has learned from that and focuses on closing out games. The guys used that loss as motivation all summer long, and that hard work carried into the fall and spring seasons.
“We’re looking forward to having another good year, competing in our district and hopefully earning the number one seed again,” Burgos said. “We want to redeem ourselves after being upset last year.”
Hialeah Gardens is the strongest up the middle. The Gladiators have veteran seniors in shortstop Arthur Cordovez and second baseman Pedro Revelo, and sophomore Nathan Llanes was an All-District player last season. Meanwhile they have welcomed a talented new junior catcher in Allan Berrios, who came to the school from Puerto Rico.
The team has some experienced guys on the pitching staff, and also has some nice new additions. Senior Max Joseph figures to step into the lead role, and junior Eddy Nodarse provides a nice versatile option. Meanwhile senior twins Alex and Raymond Garcia join the squad, adding depth to the overall staff. 
The Gladiators had a strong offense last year, and some of those main guys return to set the tone this season. Seniors Jose Gaston and Chris Clara return to the middle of the order, where they compliment the speed guys at the top of the lineup. The team is still finding the right roles for everyone, after graduating quite a few guys from the offense.
One thing that remains the same is the tough schedule the team always plays. Ever since the school first opened seven years ago the Gladiators have always competed in tough districts and played games against very strong programs. Burgos appreciates that his fellow coaching friends such as Tom Duffin, Ernie Padron, Angel Herrera, Javier Rodriguez, Joe Weber and Hernan Adames were always willing to give them tough games. The team took its fair share of lumps over the years, but it has made the program that much stronger in the long run.
The guys do not have big eyes in big games and they are ready for it. This season the team will play games against Coral Reef and Killian at Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Stadium on the University of Miami campus, then face Mater Lakes at St. Thomas University, and also play road games at Gulliver Prep and Killian.
“It’s very tough, but we always come out here to win,” Gaston said. “We just do our best and play hard. It’s thrilling watching the other opponents wanting the same things as us. We are just going to fight out there like they are. We’re looking forward to our season. We know our district is tough but we know we can face the challenge.”
Part of what has helped to make this program so strong is its structure. The school is still very young, and the baseball team got its on-campus field just last season. But the program has had the same coaching staff since the beginning, with Burgos at the head and trusted assistant Carlos Garcia at his side. Last year the group added Amos Vargas to the staff, and this season it welcomed Jesus Berrios and Omar Torres too. It is a good mix of guys and they have a nice repertoire with their players.
“It’s a lot of fun playing for Coach Burgos and he really teaches you a lot about baseball,” said Chris Clara. “You can really learn a lot from him, and being here in this program I have really improved as a player. Being here and being a veteran, I love teaching the younger guys on how to play the game. It still hasn’t hit me yet that it is my last season, but I think we’re going to be really strong this year.”
Burgos made a big change with the approach this offseason in regards to the team’s conditioning. As opposed to really pumping iron, the team focused more on agility and speed. A lot of the guys on the team are younger, and Burgos felt it was not as good for guys at a younger age to be bulking up so quickly. They also have a lot of big guys in the 6’3” to 6’4” range, big guys that were slightly uncoordinated. But after the fall program there has been a big change.
Burgos is excited about how this approach in the weight room has improved the defense, especially for the infielders. Guys seem to be moving better from left to right, as well as coming forward easier. Meanwhile the batters are finding that it has helped them tremendously at the plate.
“I definitely noticed the improvement with the offense,” Clara said. “We have a lot more power and contact now. It made us hit the ball more solid and it made us a lot quicker on the bases.”
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