3A-16 Playoff Preview: 5-Team District Up For Grabs

District 3A-16 has a new look this year and there is a good amount of parity throughout the top of the division.

It’s likely that only one team from this district will appear in the regional tournament, which means it’s district championship or bust for these five clubs.

Let’s take a look at each team’s prospects.

3A-16 District Playoff Schedule

Location: Higher seeds will host.

Quarterfinals – Monday (5/1)

No. 4  Somerset Academy Silver Palms vs. No. 5 Somerset Academy South Homestead @ 3:30 p.m.

Semifinals – Tuesday (5/2)

No. 1 Keys Gate vs. Winner (Somerset Silver Palms-Somerset South Homestead) @ 3:30 p.m.

No. 2 Marathon vs. No. 3 Coral Shores @ 7:00 p.m.

Finals – Thursday (5/4)

Winner (Semifinal 1) vs. Winner (Marathon-Coral Shores) @ 6:30 p.m.

Coral Shores – Team Page

The Hurricanes only won a handful of games during the regular season, but that’s good enough for the No. 3 seed in the 3A-16. The good news is that one of those wins came against Marathon, which is Coral Shores’ quarterfinal opponent.

Andrew Putetti leads the team with 13 hits, and Campbell Lavoie is batting .306 with 13 runs batted in. Tate Brumbalow and Dylan Bloom will have to come through on the mound after combining for 59 strikeouts over 49.9 innings of work.

Coral Shores’ path to the district championship appearance is simple: beat Marathon again and they’re in. This district might be up for grabs, so why not the Hurricanes?

Keys Gate Charter – Team Page

The Knights are the top seed in 3A-16 despite losing twice as many games as they won during the regular season. The new playoff format benefits teams that play a tough schedule, and this is exactly why tough losses against good teams can be worth it. Still, Keys Gate Charter has to get the job in the district tournament before thinking about regionals.

Hector Arrieta leads the team with 21 hits and two home runs, and Mike Martinez’s .362 batting average leads the team. Gio Lugo has been the team’s top arm with 51 strikeouts and a 2.65 ERA through 34.1 innings. Fernando Santillan and Santiago Leyva are potential No. 2 starters that have plenty of bullpen experience.

First-year manager Leo Alvarez has Keys Gate in a good position to win a second district championship in three years. Let’s see what the Knights can do!

Marathon – Team Page

The Dolphins only have three seniors on the roster, but being young doesn’t mean you can’t win ball games. Marathon’s 16-8 record is by far the best in 3A-16, even if it has come against a favorable schedule.

The arm of Dylan Ziels has led the team all year long. His 1.93 ERA is impressive enough, but his 123 strikeouts are the most in the state. Ryan Yablon is the No. 2 man on the mound with 37.2 innings under his belt and the top bat on the team with 31 hits and a .413 batting average.

Avenging a 14-2 loss to Coral Shores might use up Ziels, but it would be worth it for the program’s first playoff win in nearly a decade.

Somerset Academy Charter Silver Palms  – Team Page

The Stallions struggled through the first month of the season, but April brought better results, including a win over their quarterfinal opponents, Somerset South.

Most of the starting lineup is batting .333 or better, and Dylan Beaton and Christopher Keltz have shots at 20 hits during the playoffs after finishing with 18 apiece. Keltz has five home runs and Beaton has three. Gavin Davison is another multi-homer guy with four big flies on the year. On the mound, it’s Bailey Cisco and Keltz with 27 innings and 23 strikeouts each. Limiting opposing offenses has been tough and should be the key to success in the postseason.

Repeating a 15-5 win over Somerset South would bring the Stallions to a third-straight district semifinal game under manager Peter Cerda. Perhaps this is the year they get over the hump and compete for a district title.

Somerset South Homestead – Team Page

The Hurricanes won just two games this season, but that’s a major accomplishment considering the program has only seen one or two victories since 2020.

First-year manager Juan Tejera has Somerset South headed in an upward trajectory, and it will be interesting to see how the team builds on this foundation in 2024.

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