5A-15 Preview: Jensen Beach Rises To The Top Again

5A-15

Host: Jensen Beach High School

Tuesday, April 23rd

4PM – Game 1 – (3) Fort Pierce Westwood vs. (2) Suncoast
7PM – Game 2 – (4) Boynton Beach vs. (1) Jensen Beach

Wednesday, April 24th

Rain Date

Thursday, April 25th

7PM – Championship – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner

Full stats for 5A-15 can be found on the 5A-15 Stats Page!

Overview – After going undefeated in the district, the clear favorite to win it all is Jensen Beach. But Suncoast is right there, having lost by a run to the Falcons twice.

1. Jensen Beach – No other team in the district has been able to match the Falcons this season as Jensen Beach went through its district schedule unblemished at 6-0 and is poised to repeat as the district champion.

But that doesn’t mean Jensen went through without a fight from its opponents. Suncoast lost by a run each time they met. The Falcons prevailed 6-5 and 1-0.

Those are just two of the close games the Falcons battled through this season. They also had trouble with South Fork, for example, winning 4-3.

With a batting average just around .300, the Falcons are good on offense this year. Cory Azzi is hitting around .430 to lead the team. Tyler Parker and Kyle Guttveg are both hitting about .375.

Guttveg’s 17 runs lead the team, and Parker and Taylor Blatch have driven in 13 runs each.

Chaz Kaps is among the top players for Suncoast.

2. Suncoast – The Chargers are doing just that. Charging. The charge started last year when the team reached the regionals with just eight wins. It was the first time since 2008 the team had made the regionals. They gave American Heritage-Plantation a battle, losing just 3-2. It had the team believing.

The result? A 12-8 regular-season record this year. Charge!

Suncoast has held its own against some of the top programs in the county this season. They beat state runner-up American Heritage Delray 5-1 right after they beat Dwyer 4-3. They also beat Seminole Ridge 1-0 and Cardinal Newman 1-0. Charge!

The Chargers lost by a run to Benjamin, Wellington and Palm Beach Central.

Will Engel is hitting around .405 to lead the team’s offense. Jack Granger is batting around .350 and Troy Hoecker about .340. Jack Granger is hitting around .320.

Four Suncoast pitchers have thrown around 30 innings and each has strikeout totals in the 30s.

3. Fort Pierce Westwood – The Panthers managed just a 2-4 record in the district this year.

They beat Boynton Beach 4-3 and 3-2.

They are a team hungry for a playoff win as they haven’t competed for a regional win since 2003.

Christian Perez is a top player for the Tigers.

4. Boynton Beach – A lot of enthusiasm surrounded the Boynton Beach program before the season began, but the result was less than expected as the team managed just five wins.

Nevertheless, the team will go into its district semifinal against Jensen Beach knowing an upset puts them in the regionals. Boynton Beach lost in both its meetings against top-seeded Jensen Beach, whom the Tigers plays on Tuesday in the semifinals.

Victor Hughes is a bright spot on a rather lackluster offense for the Tigers. He’s hitting around .320 and has driven in 12 runs. Christian Perez is hitting .286 and has scored 12 runs.

Top pitcher Kyle Tedsco has struck out about 45 in his roughly 37 innings, and Luis Cepeda is averaging a strikeout per inning as he’s pitched about 31 innings and struck out about 31.

The Tigers have reached the regional just one time in their history, in 2003 under coach Brian Joros. They went all the way to state that year and lost in the semifinal.

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