6A-16 District Tournament Preview

Host: Belen Jesuit

Schedule:

Monday, April 20th

3:30 PM: (4) Mater Academy vs. (1) TERRA Institute

Tuesday, April 21st

3:30 PM: (3) Doral Academy vs. (2) Belen Jesuit

Championship

Thursday, April 23rd

3:30 PM: Semifinal winners

Full stats for 6A-16 can be found on the 6A-16 Stats Page!

Overview – It is almost a shame that this district is so deep and talented. All four of the clubs that have qualified for the district tournament are legitimate contenders that can make a serious run, after first surviving the gauntlet directly ahead. Whichever two teams can win and survive the semifinal meetings will be truly worthy of playing for a district championship, and it should provide plenty of exciting action for baseball fans to watch and enjoy.

1. TERRA Institute – The Wolves have been the Cinderella of the district all season long, jumping out to an 11-1 record to start the season. TERRA went undefeated in district play to earn the top seed, which pits it against a very tough opponent in Mater Academy. The club has come together well under first-year Manager Ernie Padron.

Even after beating Mater early in the season, the Wolves knew not to get too excited and ahead of themselves.

“It was a nice win, but it’s just one game,” Padron said at the time. “There are no big wins in February. The big wins come down the road and at playoff time. We know that, and we know it is a long season and that this team we played today will be back. They are well-coached, and are a good ball club.”

Now that time has arrived, and TERRA finds itself in nice position for this point. The pitching has been as good as any, with Joe Sanchez and Frank Bartow serving as a lethal one-two combination. Octavio Marin and Tyler Pritchard have proven very reliable in relief, and overall the club has the type of pitching that can win district tournaments.

TERRA has done a nice job of getting guys on base all season, although its one area of struggle has been in scoring runs. While the team has had the habit of keeping things close, it also won the majority of those games. This means the Wolves know how to win and should have plenty of confidence and experience.

The semifinal meeting could come down to the offense, as both have lots of capable bats. Yasser Santana, Alexis Valladares and Nick Lopez lead a strong offensive charge. The batting order runs pretty deep for this club, with Ozzie Millet, Kiki Perez, Alec Ulloa and Nick Wydler all supplying a threat as well. This group also bunts well, moves guys around and gets guys in with regularity.

2. Belen Jesuit –

The Wolverines have put together a solid season that gives them every right to feel confident moving forward. This veteran group has handled itself well against fierce competition all year long, and now they get the added benefit of hosting the tournament game on their home field. As the higher seed they will enjoy the comfort of their home dugout and the final swings, something the club has always used well to its advantage.

Belen stayed true to everything the program stands for this season. It faced worthy competition, while also playing primarily other Catholic schools that represent the same values that the student-athletes stand by at Belen. The Wolverines have a winning record and have also had many close wins and losses, and they have been exciting to watch.

“It’s been frustrating, because we are right there, and just had some mistakes that cost us games,” said Belen Manager Jerry Albert.

Belen plays great team baseball, which is the key to getting wins for them. The club has nice pitching with solid starters such as Pablo Arevalo, Jonathan Guttierrez and Michael Gomez, as well as reliable bats like Christian Del Castillo, Tonito Galvez and Marcos Perez.

The Wolverines have a tendency to play close games, as 12 of their contests were decided by two runs or less this season. The team is used to playing in such tight circumstances where every out is so important, and has gone 6-6 in those games this year. What that means is that the club could have easily won six more games, and should the players adjust that margin of error they could a very tough group to beat down the stretch.

3. Doral Academy – When Ralph Suarez signed on to run the Firebirds program, an already very competitive district got that much more interesting. The accomplished skipper has helped to lead Doral to a solid season while playing a tough schedule. The Firebirds have several quality wins on the season and are a legitimate playoff threat.

“We’re going to fight, absolutely,” said Suarez earlier in the season. “My kids don’t quit. I’ve won nine state championships, so I’m not going to let them quit. If they quit they are going to be in trouble, because I don’t quit on them.”

Doral has pitched like a team that believes in itself. The team has a dangerous crop of starters in Christian Cuba, Eddie Escribano and Royevan Armas, as well as a deep bullpen that includes Kylan Lopez, Oscar Trujillo and Anthony Perez. As a group the team has an ERA under 2.00 on the season, which is also a reflection of the solid defense it has received.

The Firebirds have relied on some key guys on the offensive end, where the production has not been quite as spread out. Nelson Montilla, Carlos Pino and Miguel Casanueva have provided the big bats in the lineup, accounting for most of the power numbers. Meanwhile, Harold Alvarez leads the club in RBIs and Christopher Calero leads them with three home runs.

Doral has lost three of the last four meetings with the Wolverines, and it has a tough task to pull off the upset. But the Firebirds have all the talent and leadership to do exactly that.

4. Mater Academy – It’s time to man up again. The Lions were struggling heading into the playoffs a season ago, and the club rallied together to play great baseball and win a state championship. To make that sort of magic happen again, the team will need to create some new luck for itself. The Lions played a strong schedule and were competitive throughout the season. Unfortunately some of its few losses came in the distict, putting Mater in a tough situation as the lowest seed.

“We know this is one of the toughest districts in the county,” said Mater Manager Mike DiRosa. “At the end of the year, the top four teams are going to face each other, and anyone can win those games.”

The Lions have quite the challenge ahead, even if they have proven they are up to it. Fortunately the club has a lot of character and a lot of leadership, and the guys are capable of going on another run. The club has plenty of pitching in senior ace Kevin Fuentes and junior Tyler Perez, and big bats from Danny Reyes, Chris Cabrera and Lazaro Rodriguez.

Offense has been a staple for this group, as veterans Deyvid Silva, Michael Escarra, Alex Rodriguez and Joey Jimenez also provide reliable bats. Mater hit over .300 as a group for the season, and it has shown it can hit its way to victory if all else fails.

The pitching has been solid as well. Fuentes has supplanted himself at the front of the rotation, with Perez amply slotted in behind him ready to take the torch that has been passed from several big names the past few seasons. Fuentes has proven himself on the biggest stage, and is likely to take the hill against the Wolves in the semifinal. Should Mater survive that game, the ball would then likely go to Perez for the district championship.

Mater also has some nice depth in the bullpen. Luis Labarta and Miguel Ruiz have shined in relief roles, while Jose Diaz and Angel Gonzalez are also available to get big outs.

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