Forest Hill Young But Full Of Confidence

Cesar Rodriguez, a transfer from John I. Leonard, will play at second base.

It’s been over a decade since Forest Hill last advanced past the first round of the regional playoffs.

The Falcons understand that they have a lot of work ahead if they want to get close to that again. The program last accomplished a regional berth in 2002, and this year’s group features a young team that includes just one senior. But the Falcons are confident they’re going to have a good year despite the youth. There’s the belief around Forest Hill that a strong work ethic and talent will make for success this year.

“We have a lot of talent, but they’re young, so we’re really expecting as the season goes on to get better and better,” Falcons Manager Russ Milliken said. “We know when you come out as a freshman and are trying to play some varsity baseball, you might be a little skiddish. We’re hoping they come out and step up to the plate right away, but we understand it’s a growing process.”

The Falcons move into an eight-team district due to realignment, and that will mean 14 district games now dominate the bulk of their schedule. This challenge will be a tough one against such quality district opponents as Atlantic, Dwyer, Lake Worth, Olympic Heights, Palm Beach Lakes, Royal Palm Beach and West Boca. One advantage the players will gain through this natural process will be in their ability to grow comfortable in these big impacting district contests. The team now plays twice as many district games as they did a year ago.

Milliken sees something special in this group of youngsters. There’s a certain fire in them. They believe they can win. Perhaps the spark is an early morning strength and conditioning program that requires the players to get to school by 7 a.m. No one is moaning or groaning.

“We work out hard in the morning to get our stamina,” said outfielder Jesus Delgado, one of just two juniors on the team. “Everyone’s really into it. No one complains about it. We are here early.”

Senior outfielder and pitcher Dustin Workman carries a big load as the top leader as the only senior, and he has seen that the workout program has helped the team make strides in other areas as well. He notices how the team has grown closer and players support one another.

Forest Hill Manager Russ Milliken goes over signs with his guys before a fall game.

Milliken is ecstatic over how popular the program is among the players.

“It helps us with endurance with the run we’re doing,” Workman said. “We’re doing lifting. so it’s improved our body strength. It’s been good with having the team come together and focusing on the games. If one guy’s night isn’t going the way he wants, we’ll encourage him to keep going. The lowest number we’ve ever had at our 7 a.m. workout is 26. They work hard at speed and strength, so that’s one of the things we’re really excited about.”

The increased strength has led to better hitting this fall and the team is focused on improving at bunting, among other things. The players have been working hard to have more quality at-bats and making sure there are no holes in the lineup, though Milliken cautions them that hitting is a very fluid aspect of the game and what’s true this fall may not be true come February.

“Hitting is difficult to predict because you never know what you’ll do during the high school season, and I think every coach will tell you hitting is just one of those things sometimes you’re hot, sometimes you’re not,” Milliken said. “We’ve gone out and pounded the ball all over the place and other nights we’ve gone out and put up only one or two runs. That’s baseball.”

To complement the improved hitting, the Falcons are putting a lot of stock in their solid defense, particularly in the infield. Raymond Sanchez is projected to be the starting first baseman with Cesar Rodriguez — a transfer from John I. Leonard — at second base as Corey Mahoney, the lone returning infielder, slides over to short stop. Jorge Hernando is at third, and Carlos Blass and Juan Iglesias are vying for catcher. Marcos Martinez-Diaz is in right field, Workman in center and Jesus Delgado in left.

Milliken said the improved defense is a result of the team being better at basic fundamentals and not trying to be something its not.

Dustin Workman pitches in game against the junior varsity team Saturday.

“Don’t try to do what you can’t do, but do what you can do perfect, kind of the Vince Lombardi method,” Milliken said. “What we can do, we’re going to do it perfect. We don’t need you to make the diving catch that’s going to be on ESPN’s SportsCenter. We need you to make that play right in front of you and get that guy, and if we make those plays, nine times out of 10, we’ll win a lot of ballgames.”

Hector Perdigon is projected to be the top starter with Miguel Camilo, Sanchez, Delgado and Workman in the rotation. Milliken notes the team has worked to improve in pitching, an area where the club struggled a season ago while allowing 217 runs against them. The team has always enjoyed a nice string of confident number one starters to set the tone for its staff, and they hope Perdigon can follow the examples set by former Falcons hurlers such as Madison Milliken and Mike Murray.

“I just want to be consistent and throw strikes and pound the strike zone,” Perdigon said. “We need to stay focused on our goal to win every game. We just have to stay focused.”

If this fall is any indication, staying focused will be one of the things this team does best. They have also become a unit that sticks together.

“We’ve got a group of kids that I think as a result of the speed and strength program and getting here at 7 a.m., they work out hard together, they sweat together, they run hard together, they lift hard together, so there’s a real bond between both the varsity and the jv kids,” Milliken said. “I’m a dean at the school. A kid never walks by me without shaking my hand or saying ‘Hello, Coach.’ The kids eat lunch together. There’s just a real great atmosphere amongst the kids. It’s one of those seasons where you say ‘Wow, these kids really are first-class teammates.’ They know how when someone strikes out, they’ll pick them up. They know how when someone hits a home run, they know how to celebrate. They’ve learned how to win with class and how to lose with class, though we’re hoping we don’t have to lose too many games. It’s a baseball season. It’s going to happen.”

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