Schoolhouse Prep Shut Out In 1A State Semifinal
The Schoolhouse Prep Wolfpack at the state Final Four for the very first time.
The Schoolhouse Prep Wolfpack put themselves on the map this season.
In only its fourth year of existence, the program exceeded all expectations in making a run all the way to the state Final Four tournament in Fort Myers. A team with no home field, that practices in batting cages and local parks as available, it played its last game of the year on a Major League field, at Hammond Stadium, home of the Minnesota Twins.
The final result was not desirable but not entirely unexpected, as the Wolfpack were shut out 5-0 by the St. John’s Country Day Spartans. The Spartans (24-8) have been to the state tournament each of the last five seasons and will be playing in their fourth straight title game, with a championship in 2024. This experienced group had a plan that they executed to perfection, which also just provides even greater experience for Schoolhouse Prep to take away and remember when they get back to the state tournament next time.
Schookhouse Prep ace Angel Delgado made the start in the historic moment for the team.
St. John’s Country Day used a small-ball approach to excess, focusing on moving base runners and keeping constant pressure on the infield defense. After grabbing the lead with a run in the first inning, the Spartans pulled away with three runs in the second.
“The other team was a very good team, with good pitching,” Schoolhouse Prep Manager Carlos Rodriguez said. “They throw a lot of strikes and very few balls. This is baseball. The team that has the much better game is going to win.”
With Spartans ace Braden Harris on the mound, any lead seemed like enough. Harris recently surpassed Nolan Ryan’s record for career strikeouts in high school during the playoff run, and he collected five more strikeouts against the Wolfpack.
The Wolfpack played their final game on an impressive MLB field, showing just how far the team has come this season.
Although he struggled early on, Schoolhouse Prep ace Angel Delgado settled down and delivered a gutsy performance to keep his guys in the fight. Despite the early troubles, Delgado found his groove and gave his team five strong innings to keep the deficit close.
“He just settled down and he started to hit his spots,” Coach Omar Enriquez said. “He’s done it before. He’s our ace.”
Jose Rodriguez came on in relief and delivered a scoreless sixth inning, retiring three straight batters without allowing any to reach base.
Jose Rodriguez pitched in relief and delivered a scoreless inning for his team.
Rather than hang their heads in defeat, the Schoolhouse players and coaches acknowledged how much the experience means even despite the loss. Every measure of success that the team enjoyed on Thursday is another step to build off of for the bright future ahead.
“From where we are at, we have about 130 students, and we don’t have a field. To come this far is from good coaching, and the kids can play. I’m super impressed and super happy, because we are not supposed to be here,” Coach Enriquez said.
Aaron Aguilar, Maikel Gonzalez, Santiago Blanco and Daniel Perez all had a base hit for the Wolfpack in the state semifinal.
Maikel Gonzalez had one of the Wolfpack’s four hits in the game.
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