High School Baseball Network March Madness Black Bracket

The Black Bracket is loaded with teams who are young and looking to turn their seasons around with a tourney championship. Coral Glades comes in as the top seed, with several teams from Palm Beach and Miami also looking for a title. Here is the rundown of the seeding for the Black bracket…

Daily Schedule

1. Coral Glades (4-6) – Don’t let the 4-6 record fool you. The Jaguars have lost all but three games by two runs or less. They’re battle-tested after facing teams such as Cardinal Gibbons, Coral Springs, Taravella and Cypress Bay, not to mention their own district foes Atlantic and Spanish River. The Jaguars are 2-0 vs. Spanish River but 0-2 against Atlantic. Steven Godoy (.412), Preston Vegotsky (.400) and Alex Lara (.385) lead the offense. Vegotsky also has 20 strikeouts and a 1.52 ERA in 23 innings.

2. Miami Sunset (4-6) – Like the Jaguars, the Knights have lost four games by two runs or less and have played competitive ball this season against some top teams in Miami-Dade. For example, they lost by just a run to an 11-1 Goleman team. Erick Orbeta leads the offense, batting .364 with six runs and four RBIs. Kenneth Centeno is hitting .300 and Pablo Cabrera .278. PJ Kanakis has struck out 19 and has a 2.71 ERA in 19.1 innings. Cristhian Alba has 13 strikeouts and a 1.71 ERA in 12.1 innings.

3. American (4-9) – The Patriots also are a team whose record is deceptive. They’ve had five games where they’ve lost by two runs or less. They were just a run short against Monsignor Pace and also played Gulliver, Hialeah Gardens, Gulliver, Pine Crest and Taravella tough, so the Patriots have definitely seen their fare share of powerful opponents this season. Jose Chavez is hitting .500 with seven runs to lead the offense. Mike Montes is hitting .400 with six runs and Robert Menendez .370 with seven runs.

4. i-Mater (4-4) – In its second year of existence and first with a full schedule, the Knights are off to a solid 5-4 start. They’ve shown competitiveness by losing by just a run against Miami Lakes, Brito and Doral Academy. Top hitters include Michael Bell (.387, six runs, six RBIs), Joseph Vence (.364, nine runs) and Darwin Rodas (.273). James Montoya is 2-1 with 35 strikeouts and a 0.95 ERA in 22 innings. Rodas (2-2) has struck out 26 in 25.2 innings.

5. Ferguson (3-6) – The Falcons started the year off well with wins over Doral Academy and Killian, but they’ve had trouble maintaining that fire this season. However, they’ve shown they can play competitively with some of their district foes, such as Braddock and Varela. They’re coming off their first district win, 8-7 against Varela, so that might spark some more wins. Jonathan Fernandez (.417), Kevin Tucker (.333) and Daniel Irissari (.250) lead the offense.

6. Coral Reef (3-7) – The Barracudas are yet another team in this bracket who has played a tough schedule and is battle-tested coming into this tournament. They’re in a district that includes South Dade, Palmetto, Southridge and Killian, and the Barracudas have shown they can hang with those teams, losing by small margins, including by just a run against South Dade and Killian. They started the season 2-0 by beating Champagnat and Miami Jackson.

7. Reagan (4-7) – After going 1-6 to open the season, the Bison righted the ship by going 3-1. A 19-9 win over Miami Central sparked the turnaround. Reagan is coming off a 5-4 loss to Coral Park, however, and will be looking to get back in the win column Monday at Westland Hialeah in an 8A-16 clash. Benjamin Meza leads the offense, hitting .455. Robert Pena has driven a team-leading 10 runs. Pena also is leading in strikeouts with 23 in 18 innings.

8. Keys Gate Charter (5-7) The Knights are stuck in a district with heavy hitters Gulliver Prep and Key West and have done their best to hang with those powerhouses. They’ve also played competitively with South Dade and Doral Academy. Wins have come against Everglades Prep, Homestead, St. Brendan, Coral Reef and Somerset South. Ricardo Grajales is hitting .400 seven runs, and Alan Quezada (.278, 10 runs, seven RBIs) and Osmany Haya (.273, 10 RBIs, eight runs) also are leading the offense.

9. Miami Senior (3-8) – After a promising start with wins over Miami Jackson and Miami Beach, the Stingarees are slogging through their season with flashes of competitiveness as they battle through a tough schedule that has included teams such as South Dade, Palmetto, Goleman, St. Brendan and Coral Park. Gustavo Miranda (.400, six RBIs), Manny Garcia (.389, eight runs, seven RBIs) and Yiovanni Matias (.387, eight runs) lead the offense. Javier Alvarez has struck out 19 and Jose Barrios has fanned 17.

10. Coral Springs Charter (2-6) – The Panthers can’t be judged by their record. Just one look at their loaded schedule — their district alone, mind you — and you’ll see they’re not playing creampuffs. After an 0-6 start, they’ve won two in a row, so it appears the ship has been righted. Shane Magrann leads the offense, hitting .458 with six runs and five RBIs. Robert Robinson (.385, six RBIs), James Doherty (.333) and Zach Weber (.333) are other top hitters. Doherty is 2-2 with 18 strikeouts in 11.2 innings.

11. Dr. Krop (3-5) – It’s been an up-and-down season for the Lightning, who started the season 1-3 and have gone 2-2 since then. Wins have come against North Miami Beach, Miami Central and North Miami. A bright spot for the Lightning has been the pitching of Wesley Foster, who has struck out 41 in 27.2 innings. Nicholas Dimartino (.400, six RBIs) heads the offense. Other top hitters include Jason Girardi (.353, six runs), Jordan Landman (.333, seven RBIs) and Joss Gitlin (.333) are other top hitters.

12. Hialeah Educational Academy (3-8) – One look at the Bulldogs’ schedule and you would understand why they’ve won just three games. The record doesn’t reflect, however, the tenacity the Bulldogs have, especially against one of the toughest district slates in the state. Hialeah Education finally broke through for a big win over University School in its last game, so momentum is there. Marcial Hernandez (.400, seven RBIs), Ricky Jimenez (.364, eight runs), Raymond Mendez (.333) head the offense.

13. South Miami (3-9) – Although they’re 3-9, the Cobras have played competitively with several teams they’ve faced, so don’t count them out. They played Coral Park tough, losing just 1-0. Aaron Cox leads the offense, hitting .308 with five runs. Leandro Lopez follows at .250 with six RBIs, and Yonay Moreno is hitting .233. Deivis Jacomino has been a force on the mound, striking out 31 in 30.2 innings with a 0.23 ERA. Julio Romero has struck out 20 in 20 innings.

14. South Plantation (3-6) – With teams such as St. Thomas, Piper and Fort Lauderdale in their district, the Paladins have worked hard to hold their own against this tough schedule. The Paladins especially played well against Piper, losing just 1-0. Pitching has been a bright spot for South Plantation with Rhys Friedman and Zachary Birchall. Friedman is 1-2 with 25 strikeouts and a 1.40 ERA in 20 innings. Birchall is 1-2 and has 11 strikeouts in 13 innings.

15. Coconut Creek (3-8) – It’s been a while since Coconut Creek has been among the powerhouses in Broward County. Although the Cougars still are not in that class, it doesn’t mean this team isn’t working hard every day, especially against tough district competition such as American Heritage and Archbishop McCarthy. The Cougars also have welcomed strong competition from outside their district, playing teams such as Western and West Broward.

16. Boynton Beach (1-9) – The wins are eluding Boynton Beach this season, but everyday the Tigers are showing up, suiting up and giving it their all against some of the best teams in the county. They played their hearts out in a 14-3 win over Cardinal Newman on March 2. Jack Agnese and Bryan Ariza each had two hits, and Erik Dietrick, who is hitting .304, scored three runs. Luis Tavarez, Sean Ouellette and Kaelin Dunn each scored twice in that game.

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