8A-9 District Tournament Preview

Host: Jupiter

Schedule:

Monday, April 21st

5:30PM – Quarterfinals – #5 Seminole Ridge @ #4 Wellington (@ Wellington High School)

Tuesday, April 22nd

7PM – Semifinals – #3 Palm Beach Central @ #2 Palm Beach Gardens

Wednesday, April 23rd

7PM – Semifinals – 4-5 winner @ #1 Jupiter

Friday, April 25th

7PM – Championship Game

Full Stats for 8A-9 can be found on the 8A-9 Stats Page!

Overview – For the past three seasons this district has been a hot-bed of talent, with every team in the group capable of winning the district title and making a run at a state title. The last two years a team from this district has made it all the way to the state Final Four, and that trend could certainly continue this year too. It is not often that the lowest seed in a district tournament has a 17-8 record, but that is exactly the case with fifth-seeded Seminole Ridge. This high level of talent and ability leaves everyone guessing just who will emerge as the winner of 8A-9, and it figures to provide just as much excitement as it has the past two postseasons.

1. Jupiter – Last season Jupiter advanced all the way to the state semifinals, and Warriors Manager Andy Mook knows that if the team wants to get back there, or beyond, they’ll have to play together as a team.

“Everybody has to contribute; it doesn’t matter if they’re a starter, or whoever’s on the team,” Mook said. “We do it for one another. They do it to pick each other up. That’s been everything we preach for years and these guys buy into that hard-core.”

The Warriors have certainly bought in. Like a card player going all in on a big hand, the Warriors have refused to fold this season. The club started off slowly as it worked to find its identity after losing a good chunk of the team to graduation, but by season’s end has come full circle to put itself in great position to chase after a district championship.

With Jupiter serving as the district hosts this year, the club has a lot of advantages in the district tournament. The Warriors will play on their home field in front of their home fans, and await the winner of the quarterfinal play-in game for a contest that they will be the home side in. While both Wellington and Seminole Ridge will need to use some of its pitching just to reach that point, Jupiter has the ability to set its ace into place for that critical game.

For the Warriors, that ace is senior left-hander Lance Fry. The experienced and crafty southpaw was a big part of their success in making the state Final Four last year, and he ha returned even stronger this time around. Fry is as battle-tested as they come, and he has proven he can go pitch-for-pitch against any team’s top arm.

Jupiter has done a great job of bringing along the young pitching staff that rounds out the rotation behind its ace. Sophomore Zac Sprankle and juniors Mack Lemieux and Brock Minich have all tossed quality innings to give the team reliable starting pitching. Todd Mercado, Colin Wojtusik, Bryan Clark and Griffin Garland have rounded out a very potent relief corps.

The team has leaned on some experienced veterans to get the job done on offense. Lemieux and Lance Fry have played a big role in the order as well, leading the club in batting. Chase Bishop and Trey Fitzgerald have also been a big part of the offensive production.

The team played a very tough schedule against many of the top programs across South Florida, and those tough games paid off as the team peaked late in the season to win some big district games and steal the top seed in the district. The Warriors closed out the regular season on an eight-game winning streak and enter the district tournament playing their best baseball of the season.

2. Palm Beach Gardens – Although he has accomplished just about everything a coach could want to, Gators Manager Joe Russo is still chasing after a state title. Just two years removed from making it to the state Final Four, Gardens is still chomping at the bit to make another deep postseason run. The team has always played solid fundamental baseball, but understands that semifinal opponent Palm Beach Central is built the exact same way. Now the two have to put it all on the line and leave it all on the field.

That’s our goal every year, you try to win the state championship,” Russo said of the team’s quest for its first state title. “It’s tough. At the high school level I think it’s probably harder than any other level of baseball because it’s kind of a one-and-done kind of playoff scenario. You don’t get a three-game series or a five-game series, or a double-elimination series to win it. You make a few mistakes and you’re gonna be done.”

It is a veteran club that takes the field for the Gators this season, with 11 seniors on their roster. Chief among them has been starter Tanner Hurley, who has emerged to lead the pitching staff.

“That’s what he’s been doing for us all year,” Russo said of Hurley. “He’s been our ace all year and tonight was a good opportunity to throw a midweek non district type game and he’s been pretty consistent all year.

Gardens split the regular-season series with the Broncos this season, with each side winning by a comfortable margin in its victory. Now the rubber match will once again be the most pivotal game of their season.

3. Palm Beach Central – Manager Scott Benedict has coached baseball for 23 years, the past nine with Palm Beach Central, and he has seen plenty of upsets in the district and regional playoffs. As a result, he knows that all it takes is for a team to get hot at the right time.

“It’s how you finish,” Benedict said. “Hopefully these seniors will have enough character to save the best for last.”

As the only Manager in this district who has ever won a state ring, Benedict has proven he can lead a team to the promise land. The Broncos are a game away from a regional berth and a spot in the district championship, but it is also a position they have been in before. Facing a Gators club that is just as talented and capable of winning and advancing, both sides know it must play its best baseball if it hopes to move on.

Pitching has been the key ingredient for the Broncos this season. Shane Sawczak and Kyle Giragos have provided a dangerous one-two punch the likes of which the team can lean on for a postseason run. Sawczak had a team-high five victories, a 1.56 ERA and 57 strikeouts this year, while Giragos recorded 36 strikeouts and a 1.66 ERA.

Sawczak has been equally important to the team’s batting order, leading the club in most offensive categories. The team has lacked its traditional pop in the bats, but has succeeded by getting the job done in crucial moments. Danny Hernandez and Manny Morales have been key pieces to that equation.

The Broncos have lost in the semifinals to the Gators in each of the past two seasons, and now they hope that the third time will be the charm that propels them into the district championship and regional playoffs.

4. Wellington – The Wolverines are tired of landing in the play-in game. For the third straight year Wellington has found itself in the toughest position to make a run for the district title. The frustration is more valid than ever this year, after the club finished in a three-way tie with Gardens and Central at 4-4. Tiebreakers pushed the team into their current slot, which could serve as great motivation for the club to prove it is capable of beating any of the other four squads in this bracket.

The Wolverines have certainly proven that in their quarterfinal play-in contest, as they swept both games against the Hawks by a combined score of 8-1. While it is very tough to beat the same team three times in the same season, Wellington has showcased such strong pitching talent this season to trust it can do exactly that.

Leading the pitching staff has been starters Spencer Stockton and Phil Sieli, both of whom have pitched deep and quality starts and proved to be incredibly tough to hit against. The pair made a habit of tossing shutouts this year, and gives their team a ton of confidence every time they take the mound.

The offense has not been as successful at scoring runs in support of their pitching staff, but has come through in big moments to provide just enough offense to lead them to a 17-8 overall record. Jake Summey has been the key guy in the lineup, leading the club in batting and runs scored. Jacob Koos and Danny Bigtree have also been major producers in the batting order.

Although it has been some time since then, the Wolverines are the only team in this district that has won a state title before. It is a program that has enjoyed sweet success in the past, and a roster full of guys who are eager and able to make this season something special as well.

5. Seminole Ridge – The newcomers to this tough district landed at the toughest spot in the bracket even despite a strong showing this year. The Hawks got off to a hot start this year, then hit a rough patch before rebounding and playing solid consistent baseball the rest of the way. The club played a very tough schedule and performed well, including a great showing in the Florida League Invitational Spring Break tournament. Even despite this and also some big district victories, the Hawks found out just how tough 8A-9 is.

Last year Seminole Ridge made a deep playoff run that included a big road victory over Palm Beach Gardens. This year the team has proven that it was not a fluke, as it has put in its best season in some time to establish itself as a true contender.

After earning the win over the Gators in last year’s regional quarterfinals, starter Jake Paez returned even stronger to lead the Hawks pitching staff in 2014. The right-hander went 5-2 to lead the team, and also tossed the most innings and posted a 2.43 ERA. As a whole Seminole Ridge has gotten excellent starting pitching, as Jason Aponte and Richie Cotromano have both emerged to provide the starting unit with a lot of depth and reliability. The bullpen has been equally tough, led by Tommy Dulin and Kyle Farjad.

The Hawks offense has also come a long way this season. This veteran group has evolved from a small-ball mentality to provide a lot of pop with the bats, smacking 48 extra-base hits and batting .323 as a unit. From one to nine the batting order has been explosive and productive, with Tyler Murley and Carmine Cioffoletti emerging as the big hitters. The pair tied for the team lead with 23 RBIs, and Murley led the club with 25 runs. Mark Kuhner, Aponte and Alex Aristy have all been a big part of the offensive attack.

Compared to the rest of the district, Seminole Ridge has stood at the forefront as far as offensive power and production. Each of the other four clubs in this field rely more on pitching and defense, and the Hawks know that if they can crack through against that approach they can make another run in 2014.

*Staff Reporter Jake Perry contributed to this report.

Leave a comment using your facebook account!