District 16-7A Preview: Parity Will Make For Good Competition

The makeup of newly formed District 16-7A is a hodgepodge of teams from three of last season’s divisions. Although McArthur, Plantation and South Broward were familiar foes in last year’s District 11-6A, they’ll be joined by Cooper City (District 12-6A) as well as Nova and St. Thomas Aquinas (District 16-5A).

Something will have to give as three of these teams (McArthur, Nova and St. Thomas Aquinas) were all postseason qualifiers a year ago.

Per usual state series rules, only the top two teams (district champion and district runner-up) will advance to regional play.

Cooper City Cowboys

2011 Record: 8-13
Head Coach: Chris Hinely
Key Returners: Chris Guerra (2B/P), Evan Goodwin (1B/P), Chris Couvillon (C), Kevin Couvillon (OF/DH), Bobby Cargill (P), Eric Davis (OF), Danny Daubar (INF), Matt Brady (OF/P), Evan Santiago (3B/C), Chris Beaton (OF)

Newcomers to Watch: Brian Cohen (1B/C), Barry Jones (P)

Team Strengths: Hitting, veteran team

Our season will be a success if….

“Our pitching holds up and can keep us in ballgames.”

Cooper City coach Chris Hinely likened his team to the University of Oregon’s football team: a quick strike offense that can hurt the opponent in a multitude of ways.

“Get three outs quick so we can get back to the offense,” Hinely said. “Most of our starting lineup is back. Most contributed, and I think having had them play pretty much every game last year, hopefully that experience and what they saw will translate into a much more mature and well-focused team this year.”

Leading the way is senior second baseman Chris Guerra, who Hinely labels as a hard worker and good student, and someone who has his act together and is always out there taking extra hacks in batting practice.

After an initial slow start, the left-handed-hitting Guerra picked up his consistency and proved to be a valuable, high-percentage on-base player.

“If he stepped to the plate, you knew something good was going to happen,” Hinely said.

Senior outfielder Chris Beaton is likely to resume duties as the leadoff hitter. Although he struggled to reach base at times last season, all indications are that he’s on the way up.

He’s been mentioned as one of the most improved players on the team because of his lower volume of fly-ball outs and more lined shots and balls hit on the ground. Plus, his arm strength is noticeably better.

Another left-handed bat with similar work habits as Guerra is found in senior Evan Goodwin, who might hit in the second spot in the order. Senior Kevin Couvillon (OF/DH) should bat cleanup after displaying typical power from that spot in the order.

Senior left fielder Eric Davis could be one to watch as well. He was effective in a small-sample size as he hit around .500 in limited at-bats last season.

That hitting and the hope that the pitching will be able to step it up leads way for optimism.

In the Cowboys’ 13 losses last season, Cooper City was outscored 156-48 because of a high volume of walks and hits allowed. Many times, Hinely said these games began close and then simply got away from the team in the later innings.

“We jumped on Cypress Bay in the first inning last season. Then, later in the game, we would walk the first three batters, and that was all she wrote. And, when we ran into a top-tier pitcher, we struggled. That’s the one area where we need to improve. We need to be able to muster something from time to time.”

Hinely says he may use anywhere from two to four pitchers a game. The picture of who remains muddled.

Guerra appears to be the only one with a firm grasp of a significant role on the hill.

Junior left-handed pitcher Evan Santiago switched back and forth on the JV and varsity teams and eventually was brought up permanently about midway through the year.

Bobby Cargill, working mostly out of the bullpen last season, is one who may slide into the rotation, but he only started in one game.

Depending on his arm strength, Goodwin may or may not receive innings.

And, junior left-handed pitcher Barry Jones may have to wait a little while before he can begin playing because he’s still competing on the wrestling team, and that overlaps with the baseball season.

McArthur Mustangs

2011 Record: 14-8
Head Coach: Brian Clark
Key Returners: Kevin Rosario (Jr. SS), Javier Aguilar (Jr. 3B), Dylan Segula (Sr. OF/P), Micheal Bosco (Jr. OF/P), Junior Ortiz (Sr. P)
Newcomers to Watch: Dario Polanco (Sr. P), Daniel Santiago (So. C)
Team Strengths: Returning position depth, hitting, speed.
Our season will be a success if….

“We consistently throw strikes and play good defense.”

Welcome new McArthur coach Brian Clark.

Clark knows a thing or two about the St. Thomas Aquinas program. Clark graduated from the school in 1992. He spent 17 years as an assistant coach on the junior varsity, freshman and varsity teams. His wife and his mom went to St. Thomas.

Now, with the district reshuffled and Clark accepting the position for head coach of the Mustangs, he’s put in a peculiar spot.

And it will happen very early as St. Thomas will play at McArthur on Feb. 21. It will be just the Mustangs’ second game of the season.

“It’s going to be a weird feeling,” Clark said. “I get along so well with the kids over there. I know them better than they know themselves. It’s [The St. Thomas program] taught me how to be a coach. I’ve learned from Ed Waters and Bobby [Lawson]. In those years, I picked up a lot from all those people. And, at McArthur, I hope to bring the same tradition here.”

For Clark, it gets even a little more enticing in that he inherits a Mustangs’ team that is coming off a District 11-6A championship.

“Everybody is pretty equally matched in the district,” Clark said. “All of these schools have pretty good baseball traditions. The coaches that I know are good coaches.”

The Mustangs will have to make due without their No. 1 pitcher from a year ago, Tyler Henning, who graduated.

The next pitcher in line is Junior Ortiz. He’s been working back slowly having thrown one inning during an intrasquad game last Friday. He had an elbow injury during last season’s regional quarterfinal against West Broward.

Senior left-handed pitcher Dario Polanco could make an impact. He pitched only two-thirds of an inning last season. But, the 6-foot-2, 240-pounder throws 87-88 mph and has draw interest from Broward College and Polk State College.

Junior shorstop Kevin Rosario, expected to slot into the three spot, is probably one of the most powerful hitters. Junior third baseman Javier Aguilar should bat fourth and also will come out of the bullpen if needed.

Another plus of the Mustangs will be their team speed.

Leadoff hitter Michael Bosco has been called the best all-around player between his hitting, fielding, pitching and his arm strength. Center fielder Dylan Segula should bat second.

“We’re going to be exciting,” Clark said. “We’re going to run and play hard. I have two rules. One, you be on time. Two, you hustle. If we do those two things, we’re going to have a fun season.”

Nova Titans

2011 Record: 20-3
Head Coach: Pat McQuaid
Key Returners: Troy Massaro, Trent Monaghan

Nova coach Pat McQuaid firmly believes that it’s important that his teams take a trip and see other places that they have never seen before and compete against high-quality opponents.

“It gets them motivated for the season,” McQuaid said. “We’ve been to Baton Rouge and then we take them to see LSU. We’ve been to Birmingham and go see the University of Alabama. We’ve been to Atlanta and we see Georgia Tech play. We went out to Phoenix, Arizona, and played and we took the kids to the Grand Canyon. The kids raise the money for it and it’s just a nice reward. It teaches them to be responsible, too. This year, we’ll see the University of North Carolina play Wake Forest.”

On that North Carolina trip, the Titans will face Leesville (went 23-4 in 2010) in Raleigh on March 30 and then East Rowan (went 31-2 and were North Carolina 2009 state champions and went 19-9 in 2010) in Salisbury on March 31.

Other out-of-state opponents who are planning to play Nova include Dunwoody (Georgia) on April 4 at Nova and West Branch (Virginia) on April 11 at Nova. Dunwoody went 24-9 last year and won the Georgia state championship in 2009 while West Branch was 18-4.

During his tenure at Nova, McQuaid has produced his own lofty results with a 25-17 state tournament record, two state championships (in 2004 and 2005) and four state final-four appearances. The school’s field is even donned in his name.

Needless to say, he’s seen many players over the years and he believes that senior left-handed pitcher Troy Massaro has a chance to be what he described as special.

Massaro already signed early with the University of Central Florida. He’s capable of throwing between 88 and 90 mph and exhibits command of the strike zone with a sharp curve ball. Massaro’s win on an elevated stage against Bartow in a championship game of a tournament last season (a two-hitter) has given rise to much confidence from the Titans’ staff.

Senior left-handed pitcher Trent Monaghan (Air Force signee) and junior right-handed pitcher Dean Pelman (velocity between 86-88 mph) are others in line for a heavy workload.

Others vying for work on the mound include senior Ryne Saxner and juniors C.J. Chatham and Gabriel Valverde.

Plantation Colonels

2011 Record: 9-14
Head Coach: Albert Destrade
Key Returners: Mark Ramcharitar (Sr. P/IF), Anthony Birchall (Sr. OF), Adam Shorr (Sr. OF), Gus Cinquino (Sr. P), Daniel Vasquez (Jr. C), Jhulian Spaulding (Sr. IF), Felipe Garcia (Sr. IF), Matthew Costa (So. 2B).
Newcomers to Watch: Oniel Mejia (SS), Peter Almeida (P)
Team Strengths: Fundamentally sound, quality at-bats, fielding, pitching.

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

“These kids are hungry and motivated to compete this year.”

Pardon Plantation coach Albert Destrade if he’s feeling a little short changed considering the numerous injuries his Colonels endured last season.

To give some perspective, Plantation did not have its full projected starting lineup until the opening game of the district tournament.

The proverbial “if only we could have stayed healthy” saying crept into Destrade’s voice.

“We had close to about a dozen of injuries to players who missed multiple games,” Destrade said. “We felt like last year there was a lot of parity in the district. Now, we’ve got perennial powers in the area in our district with Nova and St. Thomas. But, we have a senior-laden team, and I think our guys are coming in with a chip on their shoulder. They won’t be intimidated by the name on the jersey.”

And with only two graduated starters removed from the mix, Plantation is banking on its experience.

The talent is there as well with three players already signed to play on the next level.

Among them are senior pitcher/infielder Mark Ramcharitar (Coker College-Division II), center fielder Adam Shorr (Western Oregon-Division II) and first baseman Felipe Garcia Vennison (Ohio-Division III).

Ramcharitar is looking to regain his sophomore-season form where he had a solid performance against Douglas and was near the top of Broward County in strikeouts.

“Mark thrives in big spots,” Destrade said. “He wants the pressure. He’s that guy who in the big moment, wants the ball in his hand. Even at the plate, he seems to come through.”

The switch-hitting Shorr is the leadoff catalyst of the team who sets the tone while Garcia is dubbed the powerful grinder who has become put in the extra work to make more contact at the plate.

“We have some players with aspirations to become players on the next level,” Destrade said. “You don’t want to play a cupcake schedule. We want to play the best. And I think this is one of the toughest ones in the area.”

South Broward Bulldogs

2011 Record: 12-9
Head Coach: Joe Giummule
Key Returners: Casey Hayes, Colin Tindal, Makana Gilliland, Kenny Rasor, Dylan Weichhan, Zack Roberts, Bryan Mugione
Newcomers to Watch: Matt Cohick, Mike Cohick, Guilermo De La Cruz, John Maginnis
Team Strengths: Pitching

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

“We are a scrappy, hard-nosed team that will do all the little things well. We didn’t hit one home run last year and might not hit another this year. But we will get hit by pitch, advance on dirt balls, bunt for hits and battle to the last out.”

Proudly displayed in a banner that drapes along the side of a South Broward dugout, coach Joe Giummule’s name is listed as the seventh head coach in the 67-year history of Bulldogs’ baseball.

Although South Broward has yet to win a postseason game, the Bulldogs have become a much more familiar face come playoff time having reached regionals five times in the past 10 seasons. The previous most in any decade had been three appearances during the 1980s and 1970s.

Giummule, now in his third season, will be looking to get back there for the second time in three years by hanging his hat on pitching and mistake-free baseball.

“The one thing that we have that maybe some of these teams may not necessarily have is that we’ve got a lot of pitching,” Giummule said. “And our top two arms are good enough to not only beat anybody in this district, but probably in the state. Now, whether they’re healthy or if they’re playing remains to be seen.”

Those arms that Giummule is referring to are senior Casey Hayes, whose injured elbow ended his season last year prematurely, and junior Colin Tindal.

Although Hayes’ availability is still in doubt because of lingering elbow soreness, he’s put together impressive performances and has a formidable size. At 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, Hayes will be seeking to rekindle his sophomore zing when he struck out 12 batters in eight innings against West Broward.

Tindal has drawn interest from Division I schools and is another mid-to upper-80s pitcher with a biting slider.

At the top of the hitting lineup, junior shortstop and leadoff hitter Makana Gilliland was called by Giummule as the best all-around player on the team. Overall, the team is young with three likely returning seniors.

Two transfers enter from Nova. Sophomore pitcher/center fielder Mike Cochick and his brother Matt, a junior utility player, are expected to make an impact.

“He’s [Mike Cochick] got more movement that anybody I’ve seen in high school,” Giummule said. “Nothing is straight. His brother will be batting in the three hole for us. We’ve got two good players.”

St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders

2011 Record: 13-10
Head Coach: Robert Lawson
Key Returners: Alec Byrd, John McNamara, Enrique Finol, Jimmy Wright, Byron Pitts-Howard, Joey Couture, Brock Disney, Dante Gentile, Jon High, Mike High, Austin Lewis, Ryan Pena, Tyler Robinson
Newcomers to Watch: William Arpin, Connor Barton, Patrick Brundage, Evan Morales, Richie Naylor, Peter Nicoletto, Frank Richardson, Frank Rubio, Edward Salomon, Chris Schloss, Ben Siegel, Alec Spano

Team Strengths: Pitching depth

Our season will be a success if….

“We are able to consistently play fundamental baseball. If our
pitchers throw strikes, make the routine plays consistently on defense, timely hitting, and selfless leadership, we have a chance to have a successful season.”

What’s the reason for excitement around St. Thomas Aquinas this season?

Coach Robert Lawson said it’s the depth of his pitching prospects.

“I think we’ve got three or four guys that could be good starters, and then we’ve got three or four who could come into any situation and give us a chance. I don’t think we have any dominating pitching. But from what I am seeing, they’re throwing strikes and getting outs. But I’m not going to put my finger on ‘Ok, this is gonna be the guy because something happens when the lights come on.”

Lawson added that all will get opportunities, and it will depend on simply who will step up and deliver.

Among the possibilities are seniors Jimmy Wright, Joey Couture and Tyler Robinson, and juniors Alec Byrd, Richie Naylor, Eddie Salamon and Willie Arpin.

“My philosophy has always been you got to pitch well and play defense,” Lawson said. “I remember a couple years ago we faced this kid from Palm Beach. That was a year we hit 50 home runs. But here, this kid shut us down. We ended up winning 3-2, and it was a timely hit. It was defense. It was getting a sacrifice bunt down. Those are the kind of things when it’s all said and done that’s what you got to be able to do. I don’t think teams are going to go out and put up 16, 17, 18 hits against good pitching.”

On the offensive side of things, Lawson said the team is moving in the right direction. But nobody has been blasting the ball on a consistent basis, which has caused Lawson to remain unsettled on a concrete lineup card.

But the best way to describe the Raiders?

“Blue collar,” Lawson said. “No superstars. Nothing flashy. Hard-working. Get nasty. That’s us. We’re just gonna keep coming at ya. Like Rocky. And if you let us stay around long enough, we’re going to catch ya with one.”

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