8A-10 Playoff Preview: Intense Battles Loom Large

8A-10

Host: John I. Leonard High School

Monday, April 22nd

7PM – Game 1 – (5) Boca vs. (4) Spanish River

Tuesday, April 23rd

4PM – Game 2 – Game 1 winner vs. (1) Park Vista
7PM – Game 3 – (3) John I. Leonard vs. (2) Seminole Ridge

Wednesday, April 24th

Rain Date

Thursday, April 25th

7PM – Championship – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner

Full stats for 8A-10 can be found on the 8A-10 Stats Page!

Overview – In its short existence since the start of last season, District 8A-10 has developed a reputation for gritty, close ballgames that often take more than seven innings to decide. Pitching seems to take command over hitting in this district, and each team features several arms capable of winning the few games it will take to lift up that district trophy at the end of the week.

Park Vista defends its title from last season as again coming in as the top seed and favorite to win it all, a victory that also secures a home game in the opening round of the regional quarterfinal round of play.

Yet even as the Cobras have maintained their position at the top of the district standings, the rest of the group has improved to greatly narrow that gap and make things much more interesting heading into these 8A-10 playoffs. The runner-up in the championship will also earn a berth in the regional playoffs, but it will be a road game played without the momentum that comes from winning the district title.

With the level of pitching expected to be showcased in this bracket, these figure to be exciting, low-scoring contests played right down to the very end of each game.

1. Park Vista – The Cobras earned the top seed for the second season in a row after going 6-2 in 8A-10 this year. The team is also 16-2 overall since the start of the district last year, including their two victories on the way to the 2012 district crown.

The top seed is an important accomplishment for the Cobras, as it secures an opening-round bye. This means they need only win one game to qualify for regional play, and two games for a repeat of the district crown.

Park Vista will face the winner of the Spanish River-Boca Raton first-round game, two teams it has gone 8-1 against over the past two seasons. To prepare for the contest, the Cobras have played Trinity Christian, state-qualifiers Atlantic and American Heritage-Delray, and they finish up their season against three-time state champion Flanagan.

Senior right-hander Trevor Adams has anchored the staff with an ERA around 1.50 and a WHIP just over 1.00, while sophomore Austin Smith has recorded over 60 strikeouts to lead the team in that department. Joey Calamita and Tim Saunders have combined for five saves in a deep bullpen.

The Cobras have batted over .300 as a team, scoring over 130 runs for an average of over six runs a game. Four starters are hitting over .300, and Smith also leads the team with a batting average well over .400 this season.

The Cobras are still looking for that first elusive state championship, and it is a relatively new cast of characters assembled to carry on that charge. But the team is as talented as ever, and they are not the favorite to win the district on accident.

2. Seminole Ridge – The Hawks rewrote their own fortunes after struggling early on in 8A-10, winning four straight district contests to climb out of the basement and earn a position one win away from regional play.

This is an encouraging position for the Hawks to be in, serving as the home team against an opponent that it has beaten four of the last five times they have faced one another.

Manager Trent Pendergast earned his 100th career coaching victory at the school earlier this season, and now he just may have the group that is ready to take this program to the next level.

Junior left-hander Jake Paez has emerged to lead the pitching staff, which has nice depth that has unfortunately been put to the test after some injuries, such as to senior righty Zach Berry. Nick Martinez and Kyle Farjad have also put in some big innings for the Hawks.

But it has been Paez who has thrown in some of the team’s biggest games, and Manager Trent Pendergast will have an interesting decision to make when to pitch him in the district playoffs.

Seminole Ridge has struggled offensively at times, having been shut out four times this season. But as a team the group has hit over .300 much of the way and has played very close in its 8A-10 match ups. The team has done well at hitting for power to pepper the ball across the yard, led by sluggers Alex Aristy, Tyler Murley and Carmine Ciofolletti.

With the rubber match against the Lancers going for all the marbles, the Hawks have a chance to earn their first regional playoff berth in school history.

3. John I. Leonard – The Lancers had a strong showing in the district in beating each team except for the top-seeded Cobras, who they took to extra-innings in their last meeting. A win over Seminole Ridge will put Leonard back into regional play for the first time since 2007.

Earning the third seed means the team is only one win away from the district championship game and the regional berth, and all that stands in the way of that is Seminole Ridge.

These two teams are very evenly-matched, and it is no surprise they have split the season series.

John I. Leonard is a deep team that is capable of doing damage on both sides of the field. The Lancers have a deep rotation that is anchored by Noel Canete and Jared Johnson, who leads the team with over 40 strikeouts.

Offensively the team gets production up and down the lineup, with a group of players who hit well and run fast. Javier Casas leads the team in stolen bases and catcher Oscar Singh has picked up the most extra-base hits while also coming through in the clutch on numerous occasions.

Adam Johnson has also been a major offensive contributor by leading the team in hitting, and Canete has also hit well while serving as a designated hitter.

The Lancers are no strangers to playoff baseball, but this current cast of players has yet to play regional baseball yet in their careers. But this season may just see a change in that.

4. Spanish River – The Sharks enter the 8A-10 tournament flying under the radar with a very deep and talented young team

Five seems to be the magic number for Spanish River this season, as the team is 5-1 when it scores five or more runs and 2-6 when it gives up five or more runs.

This formula bodes well for their first-round contest against Boca Raton, a team they only allowed two runs to in two win this season. Should the Sharks make it a hat-trick over their crosstown rivals, they will be one win away from earning a berth in the regional playoffs for the first time since 1999.

Pitching has been dominant and deep for Spanish River, with Sam White, Alex Demchak, Billy Marion and Cam Weinberger leading the way. This team has the type of pitching that could be the difference in a short week of games that stretches bullpens.

Sophomore Boomer Saraga has emerged as an offensive leader, as well as mainstays Ryan Berger and Spencer Diaz. The team has also gotten a boost down the stretch from freshman junior varsity call-up Anthony Acino, who went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs in a big Game of the Week victory that earned the Sharks the home advantage in their opening match.

If Spanish River defeats Boca, it will get a chance to finally earn a victory over the team that has gone 4-0 over them since they joined the same district at the start of last season. Spanish River has gone 8-4 against the rest of the teams in 8A-10, and the Cobras represent that big win that could catapult the club deep into the playoffs.

5. Boca Raton – The Bobcats have played well down the stretch, despite falling to the lowest seed in the district playoffs. With their positioning, they now face the toughest road in having to win two games just to make the district championship game and earn a regional berth.

For the second straight season Boca will open its district play by playing Spanish River, a team that has beaten them twice already this year by scores of 1-0 and 5-2. But last year the Bobcats won as the underdogs in their biggest game of the season, an 11-3 victory that put them in regionals.

In order to repeat that feat Boca will rely on the strong starting pitching that has carried the team this year. Evan Lahr has been the ace, leading the club in innings pitched, wins and strikeouts. Perhaps his best game of the season came in a complete-game victory over Park Vista, the team the Bobcats will face should they get past Spanish River.

As is typically the case, it is an interesting decision Bobcats Manager Rick Clagett must make as to when to start Lahr.

Boca has gotten some big relief performances from Alex Katz and Matt Alen against Spanish River already this season, and the team went 3-1 in a tough Spring Break tournament and is 6-3 heading into the final week of the regular season thanks in large part to its pitching.

Boca also features the four Mikes: Mike Smiciklas is the one who excels at getting on base, stealing bases and scoring runs, Mike Spooner is one of the top hitters on the squad and had the winning hit against Park Vista, Mike Proulx has been very strong down the stretch out of the bullpen, and freshman catcher Mike Amditis has emerged as a consistent force both behind the plate and in the batters box.

Andrew Sperling leads the club in RBIs and is slugging over .500 on the year.

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