Competition As Fierce As Ever In 4A-13

This district is a tough one, with two-time returning champs Pope John Paul II and perennial powerhouse American Heritage-Delray leading the pack.

On paper, the Stallions are a team without any glaring weakness. In baseball there is no such thing as perfection though, and Manager Carm Mazza knows that there is always room for improvement. In particular, he would like to see more production from the bottom of his order and for the line-up to put more balls in play in general.

The Stallions are a hungry club chock full of experienced seniors who are eager to take advantage of their one last shot at a state title. But, before they can do that, they have to find a solution to the Pope John Paul dilemma. This rivalry has blossomed in recent years to be the primary headline in this district.

But that does not mean that other teams are rolling over. King’s Academy, St. Andrew’s and Cardinal Newman are all energized by new Managers, and all are capable of an upset. These programs have all enjoyed their fair share of success, and the distance from top to bottom in the district is pretty short.

2014 Record: 17-9
Manager: Carm Mazza
Coaching Staff: Manny Sanguillen (Asst. HC), Mike Murray, Greg Schmidt, Ricky Anaya(pitching)
Key Returners: Brendan Brundage, Chris Canavan, Jonathan India, Dylan Gordan, Hunter Bowling
Newcomers: Michael Malinchak
Team Stengths: Pitching, Base running

Carm Mazza and the Stallions of American Heritage-Delray have not lost a regular season game to a district opponent in about as long as anyone can seem to remember.

The streak goes back to at least 2012 and even last year, when they were bumped up to 4A classification and welcomed teams like Kings Academy and Cardinal Newman into the fold, they still managed a perfect 8-0 district mark. One would think that such a feat would be a source of pride for the long time manager and his team. They would gladly sacrifice such perfection if it meant getting back to the state tournament, an accomplishment last achieved after the 2012 season.

“You know what,” said Mazza, “the way it’s been going the last couple of years, we’re undefeated in the district, we’re the number one seed, and then we cant get over Pope in the playoffs. So, I don’t mind losing one if I know we’re going to get over Pope in the playoffs.”

Mazza was referring to the fact that in each of the last two seasons, they have been knocked out of the district tournament early. Both times, it was at the hands of Pope John Paul II, who they had swept in the regular season. In 2013, a controversial decision in a rain-delayed district final cost them the title. Last season, they were stunned by the Eagles again, this time when they were held scoreless on one hit in the district semi-final.

“The one seed doesn’t mean anything when you get knocked out of the playoffs,” said Mazza. “Our focus, our goal right now is to put ourselves in good position for districts and then get over the hump.”

If ever there was a time for the Stallions to get over that hump, it would be now. They only graduated three Seniors from last year’s squad and lost one more starter, infielder Lucius Fox, when he moved to the Bahamas in the offseason. Among the departed seniors is former team leader and center fielder Todd Isaacs, but taking his place will be Brendan Brundage, just one of a strong core of returning seniors.

“We all learned a bunch from him,” Brundage said about his predecessor. “He was a great teammate and we try to mold ourselves after him.”

Mazza thinks that the torch has been passed to a more than capable replacement.

“Brendan’s legit,” said Mazza about his new outfielder. “He’s a great defensive center fielder.”

Catcher Chris Canavan, who has been a starter since his freshman year, also recognizes what the team lost in Isaacs but is ready to assume the leadership position for himself.

“Guys like Todd Isaacs,” said Canavan, “People like that, who step onto our field and show such great leadership, that’s the kind of guy you want to imitate and kind of look after, especially when you take charge of that leadership role.”

Canavan is just as much of a leader on the field as he is off. He is one of four returning hitters who batted north of .300 last season. The others include first baseman Hunter Bowling, who led the team with a .378 batting average and is also developing as a pitcher, Zach Schneider and Jonathan India. All are seniors this season and India also clobbered four long balls a year ago to lead the team.

Even more encouraging is the pitching staff. In 2014, the team boasted four of the top five ERAs in District 4A-13. This year, all but one of them, Anthony Hotujec, returns. Brundage, Schneider and Dylan Gordon, also a senior, round out that group. Brundage in particular shined, posting a 1.02 ERA to lead the district.

“Pitching wins,” said Mazza, who considers his staff to be the strength of the team. “We’ve always been able to pitch. We’ve always been able to get guys out.”

Also look for the Stallions to be active on the base paths. Last season they had three of the district’s top five base thieves in India, Canavan and Tyler Frank. In all, they had seven players with double-digit steals and Mazza, who preaches “Smart-Aggresive” baseball, believes they will have at least five players with ten or more again this season.

“Oh yeah, we’re gonna steal,” said Brundage. “A lot of us have the green light. We all know we’re capable of stealing. We’re gonna steal.”

Cardinal Newman
2014 Record: 16-12
Manager: Sam Howell
Key Returners: Tyler Krull, Robbie Hoyt, Rudy Viton
Team strengths: Defense

For the past two seasons, Sean Comfort has been the man at the helm of the Cardinal Newman baseball program. Moving on to take a job in the central Florida area, the Crusaders were once again looking for someone to lead their program. In comes Sam Howell, an alumn of the school and program, who previously coached at Olympic Heights for the last two years.

Howell inherits a large core of the team that advanced to regionals in 2014 and knows he just needs to keep them on track. This year’s squad loses five players off the team from a year ago, highlighted by Bruce Steel and Anthony Zaleski. However, with the majority of last year’s core returning, the Crusaders will have a well rounded team when they take the field in 2015.

“All I need to do is just keep it on the right track,” Howell said. “It’s established, it’s one of the better programs so I need to keep us going in the right direction. It’s a good mix,” Howell said. “I have pitching, the defense is beginning to come around. We could hit the ball a little better. We’ve been hitting the ball alright just right at someone.”

Howell might be new to Cardinal Newman as the Manager, but he’s certainly not new to the game of baseball. He’s coached for over 30 years and at the end of the day, it comes down to fundamentals.

“I’m a big fundamentals guy,” Howell said. “Good pitching and defense wins you ballgames. You can always manufacture some runs.”

The roster fits nicely into Howell’s mindset and mentality. Key defensive players return for him off of last year’s team that can be the center pf the defense. At the top of the rotation there’s Tyler Krull who returns as the ace for his senior season. So does Robbie Hoyt at the corners and Rudy Viton behind the plate. With a roster of mostly returning upperclassman, it’s no wonder Howell knows his team will compete in 2015.

“I think we are going to be in the hunt with Kings, Pope John Paul, American Herritage and us,” Howell said. “It’s going to come down to who’s hot at the right time. That’s going to be the main thing.”

It’s not just Howell who knows what needs to be done, his players know what is expected of themselves this year as well and they know what the ultimate goal is.

“The goal is to get as far as we can,” Krull said. “States of course, but I just want to get as far as we can and play to our fullest potential.”

King’s Academy
2014 Record: 14-12
Manager: Brad Wilkerson
Coaching Staff: Nate Thomas
Key Returners: Matt Tucker, Clayton Morrell, Bobby Biskupiak, James Vaughan, Andrew Goodlett, Colin Valente, Ryan Arendas, Dylan Costa, Austin Sharkey, Jake Calabrese, Lobello
Team strengths: Hitting

In the space of a few minutes at practice, new King’s Academy Manager Brad Wilkerson went from checking the radar gun to directing his catcher how to use his eyes to help frame a pitch to helping a hitter understand the importance of his a consistent stride against either a right-hander or left-hander.

Wilkerson, who played eight seasons in the major leagues after a star-studded career at the University of Florida, is working with a very inexperienced roster. But that hasn’t dampened his spirit or his expectations.

The Lions, who reached the regional semifinals last season, lost five everyday players to graduation and an important returning player to injury.

“Other guys have to step up,” said Wilkerson, who was a first-round draft pick of the Montreal Expos in 1998 and a three-time first-team All-American for the Gators. “We’re not going to be a three-run home run team. We’re going to have to do the little things, bunt runners over. As long as we throw strikes and catch the ball, we’ll be in every game.”

The Lions will be without junior Sean Hart, a top returning starter and their No. 4 hitter. Hart, who batted .338 last season, tore an ACL in the Lions’ final football game in November.

Wilkerson anticipates the top of the rotation will be handled by seniors Matt Tucker, Clayton Morrell and Bobby Biskupiak, all left-handers. Tucker went 4-5 last season with a 2.81 ERA while striking out 38 in 52.1 innings. Biskupiak made 10 appearances last year, going 1-1 with a 1.14 ERA in 30.2 innings.

“I hope to pitch better than I did last year,” said Biskupiak. “Over the summer I worked out a lot and I’d say I’m better than I was last year.”

The Lions return just four players who had more than 30 at-bats, led by first baseman James Vaughan, who hit .392 (31-for-79) and led the team with 20 RBIs. The others are seniors Andrew Goodlett, Colin Valente and Ryan Arendas. Vaughan, a 6-foot-3, 183-pound right-hander, will also be the closer, despite not having pitched at the high school level.

“Coach Wilkerson said come give it a shot,” said Vaughan. “I like it. It’s fun to get back out there.”

Vaughan will depend on his fastball first and knows he has to develop other pitches to be more effective. Despite being a junior, Vaughan believes he is one of the team leaders, along with the seniors returning from last year.

“It’s weird being the guy others are looking at it,” said Vaughan. “It’s a little bit different. I’m still gonna be me. I’m still gonna be that goofy guy but I’ll strive to do more than I have in the past.”

A combination of Valente, Dylan Costa and Austin Sharkey will probably handle the left side of the infield while seniors Jake Calabrese and Ben Lobello are also expected to see significant playing time.

The Lions have reached the regional final four out of the last five years and Wilkerson wants that success to continue. They have won two state championships, the last in 2001. Nate Thomas, a member of the 2001 team, is one of Wilkerson’s assistants.

“The biggest challenge is getting them to buy into a work ethic, buy into a team,” said Wilkerson. “I want to make this important (to the players). “There’s a pretty good tradition here. I want to continue that tradition and make it better.”

Pope John Paul II
2014 Record:12-17
Manager: Peter Graffeo
Coaching Staff: Petey Graffeo (pitching), Ethan Peorla
Key Returners: Alex Bialakis, Evan Schaffner, Daniel Mayer, Johnny Sheridan
Newcomers: Andrew Garbarini, Cal Bochinno
Team Strengths: Pitching, Defense

The Pope John Paul II Eagles are a proud bunch, and with good reason.

When the 12 seniors that make up a majority of their roster first arrived on the scene as freshman, along with manager Peter Graffeo, the school barely had a baseball program to speak of. To make matters worse, their two district rivals were championship caliber programs. Summit Christian had won the state championship the year before and American Heritage-Delray made it to the state finals that season. In the midst of that, the kids at Pope felt like an afterthought.

Flash forward four years and the Eagles are the two-time reigning champions of 4A-13. The icing on the cake is that, despite being swept by them in the regular season, they upset Heritage in the playoffs both times. While the accomplishment allows them to hold their heads high, they feel like they have unfinished business after suffering a heart breaking loss in the regional quarter-finals last season. This year, they wont rest until they make it all the way to states.

“I believe that this is it,” said senior and team leader Evan Schaffner. “This our last ride. I feel like we have everything going for us. This is going to be a good year and I feel like we do have the capability of making it over to Jet Blue.”

His confidence is well founded. Playing together for so long under Graffeo’s supervision has resulted in undeniable chemistry. Practices are more efficient and productive than ever, allowing for more attention to detail now that the basics have all been thoroughly absorbed. For pitcher Alex Bialakis, this goes a long way towards building confidence.

“I know were everyone’s gonna be. I know that we’ve got the plays drilled in our head,” said Bialakis. “We know how everything’s gonna happen and we know that no matter what happens on the field we’re gonna come back here, we’re gonna be a big family and then next game we can build off of each and every one of us.”

That kind of togetherness and trust is exactly what Graffeo had in mind when he took the position all those years ago. From the start, he took his post seriously, refusing to hand out starting positions by anything other than merit alone. He strived to build a program that would prepare student-athletes for the next level by stressing principles like pride, team work and discipline. He wanted to win even when he knew the talent was not quite there yet and he expected his players to want the same. Most of all, he wanted to prepare them for the real world, and watching all the hard work come to fruition has been very satisfying.

“I try to teach them as a life lesson,” said Graffeo. “There’s going to be a lot of adversity in your life and I wish for all these kids it was smooth sailing but its not realistic. Your’e going to have bumps in the road in your life, baseball season’s gonna have bumps too.”

With a strong staff of five to six starting pitchers and solid defense, he and the Eagles hope that there wont be many bumps this season but they also know that Heritage will be out for revenge. They look forward to the challenge and enjoy the rivalry that, for many of Pope’s starting nine, is bigger than just Eagles versus Stallions. It goes all the way back to when they were 10 years old and has continued through to travel leagues and now high school. For senior pitcher Daniel Mayer, it goes even deeper than that.

“I see it as a pretty big rivalry because before our senior class got here, we were thrown away,” Mayer said. “No one really talked about us at all. But since our senior class came to this school, we’ve been on the come up. No one really trusted us to win a district title and we’ve done it back to back so I kinda see it as a rivalry between the whole district, not just Heritage.”

No matter the results against Heritage, or whether they make it to states, there is one thing all the seniors can take pride in. They have put John Paul Pope baseball on the map. They have created a legacy and both Bialakas and Mayer are excited about the potential they see in the youngsters they will be handing the torch down to after the season.

“It’s good that people realize that we’re kind of a force to be reckoned with,” said Bialakas.

After all, that was the plan from the start.

St. Andrew’s
2014 Record: 4-12
Manager: Billy Horn
Coaching Staff: Michael Thomsen (pitching), Johnston Hobbs (Catching/Hitting), Troy Hughes (Outfield/Hitting)
Key Returners: Richie Rocca, Matthew Glenn, Scott Gellman, Maxwell Costello
Newcomers: Nick Chiappeta
Team Strengths: Defense

It has been awhile since the St. Andrew’s Scots were relevant in the world of high school baseball. New Manager Billy Horn hopes to change that. He wants to be competitive in his first season, and while that does not mean he thinks the Scots will have an immediate return to the back-to-back 19-win seasons of 2010 and 2011, he does hope that he and his kids can raise some eyebrows and set the stage for a bright future.

“Everyone thinks that St. Andrew’s is going to be the doormat for the district because we have a lot of young guys and it’s a new program but I don’t like that philosophy,” said Horn. “I want to be white collar on the field, blue collar off the field and kind of go at these kids, you know, go at our opponents and compete. And we have team goals, you know, by next year and the year after we’re looking at much bigger things.”

Horn brings with him a plethora of experience that he has garnered through years of playing and coaching at both the collegiate and professional levels. On top of that, he has assembled a staff of assistants that he believes rivals any in the county. Together, they are trying to bring a collegiate-like environment to the program. It is an approach that stresses accountability and responsibility but is also laid back enough to allow the kids to still have fun.

“I’m a big believer in being a player’s coach and kind of understanding what’s going through their minds,” Horn said about his managerial style, “and you really have to feed off of their ability level.”

That “ability level” is something the manager is particularly excited about.

Richie Rocca and Scott Gellman will be counted on to lead the charge. Gellman batted .348 as a freshman in 2014 and Horn believes he may be one of the best players in the county in his sophomore campaign. As the team’s lone senior, Rocca is the Scots’ veteran leader and sports a .349 batting average over his three year career as a starter. He appreciates what his new manager brings to the team and is adjusting nicely to his new role.

“It’s different because I’ve never had this challenging role before, but it’s really not too hard with the kids,” Rocca said. “They all want to be out here, they always bring a good attitude, so they make it easy.”

On the mound, pitching coach Michael Thomsen has put together a strong throwing program and Horn believes his tutelage will pay dividends by keeping walks to a minimum. Rocco and Gellman will be joined on the pitching staff by sophomore Maxwell Costello and junior Nick Chaippeta.

In the field is were Horn predicts the team will really thrive, however. He is particularly excited about second baseman Matthew Glenn. Still just a freshman, Glenn already saw some varsity playing time last year and has an excellent glove. He is undaunted by the challenge of being a starter or, as Horn put it, “the shortstop of the future.”

“It’s just another year,” said Glenn. “It’s bigger now because I’m starting high school. These next four years are going to count a lot for me to maybe play college baseball. I have to get better each year so I’m hoping I got better since last year,” he continued before cracking a smile. “I guess I’ll find out during the season.”

Like Glenn, there is a lot the Scots will find out about themselves during the season. They are a young bunch and as much as they would like to compete with the big boys in their district, their ability to do so is still an unknown.

“We’re going to throw them in the fire and see how we do,” said Horn. “What we don’t do correct we’re going to work on, and what we do correct we’re just going to try and make it better.”

At this stage of the game for St Andrew’s, that sounds like a winning formula.

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