District 13-4A Preview: Armed and Ready

District 13-4A is regarded as being one of the toughest districts in the county and potentially the state in this class.

The district, comprised of Cardinal Gibbons, Chaminade-Madonna, Coral Springs Charter, North Broward Prep, Pine Crest, Somerset and University School, features teams that can beat one another on any given day. Five of those teams — Gibbons, Chaminade, Charter, North Broward and Pine Crest — are perennial powers that have a long record of success on the diamond. Somerset and University School are building a tradition of excellence.

Each team will have the arms to give it the chance to win each game. Gibbons features ace Thomas Woodrey, a University of Miami signee. Chaminade has a pair of aces in Chris Flores and Brandon Burgess. Charter has its number one, Nick Scahill, back on the mound after a full recovery from Tommy John surgery. Casey Kopec and Kevin Fagan are the big arms North Broward will rely on, and Pine Crest coach Glen Pierson has a boatload of hurlers. Mike White will be University’s go-to pitcher, and Somerset has four solid pitchers, led by Etienne Latour, who will keep the Panthers in the game.

You can be sure this district is set to see more than its share of pitchers’ duels.

Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs

2011 Record: 10-9-2
Head Coach: Frank Pisani
Key Returners: Thomas Woodrey (P), Shane Sibley (2B/P), Tyler Norris (SS), Michael Hanke (P), Anthony Cerquozzi (3B), Richard Lang (C)
Newcomers to Watch: Grant Trower (DH), Ryan Bowman (OF), David Pedraza (OF), Dalton Jugovic (OF), Mark Nowatnick (P)
Team Strengths: Pitching
Team Weaknesses: Power

Our season will be a success if….

“We play good defense and can manufacture runs.”

University of Miami-bound left-handed pitcher Thomas Woodrey returns as the team’s ace. Woodrey went 4-3 with a 3.15 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 40 innings pitched last season.

Behind Woodrey is Michael Hanke, a senior right-handed pitcher who was 2-3 with 17 strikeouts in 30 innings last year. Hanke, who has committed to Flagler University, has a great command of three pitches, with the change-up being his best, coach Frank Pisani said.

Pisani also expects good things from “up-and-coming” sophomore right-handed pitcher Mark Notwatnick.

“He has probably the liveliest fastball on the team,” said Pisani, who expects Notwatnick to be the team’s closer.

Offensively, the Chiefs will be looking to overcome their shortcomings with power.

“We don’t have anybody who can consistently hit the ball out of the park, so we’ll have to rely on contact and speed and effective base-running,” Pisani said.

Woodrey hit .464 and Shane Sibley .364 last year.

Chaminade-Madonna Lions

2011 Record: 12-15
Head Coach: Mike Moss
Key Returners: Luis Guillorme (SS, Jr.), Chris Flores (P/1B, Sr.), Kevin Nader (3B, Sr.), Eddie Guardarrama (C, Sr.), Keith Oren (C, Jr.), Dustin Hanley (P, Sr.), Dalton McCabe (P, Sr.), Chris Comellas (OF, Sr.), Julian Pino (OF/1B, Jr.), Maurice Blanco (OF, Sr.)
Newcomers to Watch: Brandon Burgess (P, Sr.), Chris Garcia (OF, Sr.), Ronnie Socash (C/1B), Mitch Moormann (2B, Jr.), Danny Vitello (CF, So.), Brett Webster (OF, Jr.), Rashad Flerismond (P, Jr.)
Team Strengths: Excellent starting pitching and depth; very solid defense, particularly up the middle
Team Weaknesses: Lack of power on offense and mediocre team speed

Something people not around your program need to know about your team?

“We have a couple of outstanding players who have been ‘under the radar’ and are ready to break out and be recognized.”

Dominant pitching and a stingy defense will make the Lions a tough team to beat this season.

The pitching staff is anchored by the senior duo of Chris Flores and transfer Brandon Burgess, either of whom can be considered the number one. Flores went 7-6 with 71 strikeouts in 74 innings last year, and Burgess had a stellar year at South Plantation, going 7-4 with 80 strikeouts and a 1.27 ERA in 66 innings. Those stats earned Burgess a spot on the BrowardHighSchoolBaseball.com All-County Second Team.

“They’re two first-class pitchers,” said coach Mike Moss, who returns to direct the team after spending the past three seasons at West Broward. He previously coached at Chaminade from 2004-2008.

Behind Flores and Burgess will be Dustin Hanley, who Moss said will be “key for us in the third spot. He’s very capable, and he’s going to surprise people.”

Dalton McCabe, a 6-foot-7 sidearmer, is another pitcher Moss is expecting to help the Lions make it through their tough schedule.

The defense will be led by junior Luis Guillorme, who is the “best shortstop hands-wise I have seen in my 20 years in Broward County,” Moss said. “He makes good decisions and plays intelligent.”

Catchers Eddie Guardarrama and Keith Oren will strengthen the defense as will center fielder Danny Vitello and second baseman Mitch Moormann, two players new to the team this season.

Moss said the change to the BBCOR bat will accentuate the things Chaminade will do best.

“The new bat rules are going to play into our strengths, and the things we do well will be at a premium,” Moss said.

Coral Springs Charter Panthers

2011 Record: 16-10
Head Coach: Mike Higgins
Key Returners: Christian Khawley, Cody Woodburn, Colton Rogers, Joe McCrystal, Matthey Marek, Steven Kerr, Nick Scahill
Newcomers to Watch: Newil Guzman, Ryan Chuzid
Team Strengths: Pitching
Team Weaknesses: Depth on the bench

Our season will be a success if….

“We have to grow as a team with a new head coach and stay healthy.”

After sitting out last season to rehab from Tommy John surgery, Nick Scahill returns this season and told BrowardHighSchoolBaseball.com he is 100 percent and feeling good and ready to go.

Scahill, a senior, is the team’s ace with senior Colton Rogers filling the number two spot. Rogers, a BrowardHighSchoolBaseball.com All-County second-teamer last year, struck out 37 and went 4-1.

Wyatt Hawes also will be among the team’s top pitchers. Last season as a sophomore, he went 3-1 and struck out 21.

The Panthers also will be strong offensively with four big bats returning in Christian Khawley (.427 batting average last year), Rogers (.432), Cody Woodburn (.397) and Steven Kerr (.372).

With no easy games on the schedule, coach Mike Higgins said the team can only take it a game at a time and won’t overlook anyone. Higgins, a veteran coach who took over the team this fall after Jerry Albert departed for Miami Belen Jesuit, said the one-game-at-a-time approach is aimed at making the team always at its best. A good record will take a backseat to being ready for the postseason, he said.

“We hope to have a great record, but it’s not about the record, it’s about preparing the kids to be the best they can be come playoffs,” Higgins said.

Confidence is high that team will go far this year and possibly secure the school’s first district title in the sport.
“We think we’re good enough to have a great year and possibly make a run for it,” Higgins said. “But there’s five teams in our district like that, so there’s no guarantees. It’s going to be an all-out war.”

North Broward Prep Eagles

2011 Record: 21-10
Head Coach: Brian Campbell
Key Returners: Kevin Fagan, Casey Kopec, Anthony Valeo, AJ Fidalic, Kyle “Fenway” Parks
Newcomers to Watch: Hernando Sierra, Mack Nathanson, Drew Rangel, Mike Brenner
Team Strengths: Team defense
Team Weaknesses: Inexperience

Our season will be a success if….

“We can stay healthy and play team-oriented baseball.”

North Broward’s 2011 team went the furthest of any baseball team at the school by reaching the state semifinals. In preparation for making another run and trying for the program’s first district title, the Eagles are taking what coach Brian Campbell calls “a very blue-collar approach to the game.”

“If we’re going to win, we are going to have to have the attitude that we’ve got to roll our sleeves up and get down and dirty and work hard in practice.”

To get ready for a loaded schedule with few if any gimme games, North Broward is making defense a priority. In addition, the team that hit more than 50 home runs last year is taking difference approaches on offense and is preparing for many close, low-scoring games this year.

On the mound, Casey Kopec and Kevin Fagan are the top pitchers with AJ Fidalic also in the mix. Kopec went 3-4 with 45 strikeouts in 45 innings, and Fagan went 3-0 with 27 strikeouts in 26 innings. Fagan also hit .395.

Pine Crest Panthers

2011 Record: 14-12
Head Coach: Glen Pierson
Key Returners: Shea Parikh, Alex Perez, Chandler Cissel, Steven Goldberg, Sam Kava, Zack Kone, Michael Pozzuoli
Newcomers to Watch: Chris Koppenhaver, Michael Cabrera, Matt Rothenberg, Ben Fiedler, Adam Saks
Team Strengths: Depth at pitching, young but talented
Team Weaknesses: Inexperience
Our season will be a success if….

“We play fundamental baseball and allow our pitchers to keep us in each game.”

Pine Crest, where the P stands for pitching. Coach Glen Pierson said he has eight players who can throw the ball, a good attribute in this district.

Returning players Alex Perez, Steven Goldberg, Chandler Cissel, Sam Kava, Shea Parikh and Zach Kone will be joined on the staff by newcomers Chris Koppenhaver and Michael Cabrera.

Having a lot of arms will give the team definition as its many younger players develop this season.

“We have a lot of youth, but they’re talented and competitive,” coach Glen Pierson said. “They have some good skills. We graduated nine seniors, so I think most people will probably write us off and say it’s a rebuilding year, but we’re rebuilding with talent.”

In addition to preparing players on the baseball diamond, Pierson is proud of the program’s success in sending players to college and preparing them for the next level. Academics is as much a part of the process as is the baseball development.

“One hundred percent of players will attend college and be prepared for the academic rigors of a college curriculum,” Pierson said.

Somerset Academy Panthers

2011 Record: 9-17
Head Coach: Onel Garcia
Key Returners: Chris Medina, Casey Garcia, Yoni Rodriguez, Luis Mercado, Kida De La Cruz
Newcomers to Watch: Etienne Latour, Brandon Acevedo, Brandon Melendez, John Ham
Team Strengths: Pitching
Team Weaknesses: Hitting

Something people not around your program need to know about your team?

“We’re getting better every year. The whole program is improving.”

Those not expecting too much from Somerset this season should think again. Coach Onel Garcia has the team on the rise and said the team’s pitching and defense is a lot better than last year.

Garcia said the team has four really good pitchers in Etienne Latour, Bradon Acevedo, Casey Garcia and John Ham. Latour is expected to be the ace with Acevedo’s role primary will be closer. Garcia and Ham will be counted on as middle relievers.

Coach Garcia said he’s hoping a strong fall season in which the Panthers won 13 games carries over into the spring.

Kida De La Cruz and Luis Mercado return with their big bats from last year. De La Cruz hit .386 and Mercado .333.

Garcia said he’s familiar with many of the players in the district from coaching them on summer travel teams, and he identified Chaminade’s Luis Guillermo as the district’s best player overall.

He said he believes his team can do well in this district and maybe surprise some people.

“Everyone talks about this district as being tough, but I don’t think it’s that tough,” Garcia said. “I think we could possibly upset some teams.”

University School Suns

2011 Record: 18-8
Head Coach: Rich Hofman
Key Returners: Mike White (P), Sebastian Diaz (SS), JJ Cormier (C), Diego Perez (CF), Charlie Gomez (2B)
Newcomers to Watch: Andrew Denis (P), Shane Wise (P), Brendan McKendry (OF)
Team Strengths: Pitching
Team Weaknesses: Depth

Our season will be a success if….

“No one gets hurt and players buy into and execute the Hofball system.”

As Mike White goes, so will the Suns this season.
Coach Rich Hofman is counting on White to help guide the team this season as the ace. As a sophomore, he was 6-4 with 45 strikeouts in 47.1 innings. He also was strong at the plate, batting .443 with 20 RBI and five home runs.

“He’s considered the number one guy,” Hofman said. “He had a good summer and we’re counting on him heavily. He’s been recruited by major schools. He’s got some potential. I’m anxious to see what he can do. I thought he did a reasonable job as a sophomore. If he doesn’t get it done for us, we’re not going anywhere.”

Junior shortstop Sebastian Diaz returns after hitting .414 with 20 RBI and four home runs last year. Hofman said he has Division I potential. Catcher JJ Cormier, who brings solid defense, also is among the key returners as is senior Charlie Gomez, who hit .391 last year. Center fielder Diego Perez, the leadoff hitter, also will be counted on to be among the leaders this season.

Hofman also is looking for transfers Andrew Denis and Shane Wise to make a splash.

Hofman, who has been coaching for more than 40 years, is closing in on his 1,000th win. His record stands at 983-252-17. But if you ask him if that’s on his mind, he’ll tell you he’s more concerned with his team’s record than his.

“It’s not about me winning, it’s about us having a successful season,” Hofman said. “And if I do get to [1,000 wins], then the season has been a success.”

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