Hollywood Hills Going Into 2013 Senior Strong

Experience is something that could always make a difference to how well a team does.

At Hollywood Hills this year, that’s the best thing going as the Spartans return 10 seniors.

Veteran manager Charlie Cardinale and his staff have developed those players over the past couple of years and he’s optimistic about the season ahead with all of that experience returning but acknowledges it’s a “work in progress.”

“We’ve got a bunch of kids back, kids that we’ve had since they were freshman and sophomores and we’ve seen them progress and seen them get better. We’re hoping for some good things. We’re hoping the kids can hang tough with teams they had trouble with last year. Our goal is to get a couple of these guys to play college ball.”

Second baseman Austin Hille, who is going into his third year on the varsity team, said the year ahead is promising.

“I see us as a senior top-heavy team,” he said. “I see us going very far this season. We’ve been playing together for a long time, a lot of the seniors, and I think this year’s our year.”

To improve on last year’s 7-12 record, the Spartans, who also have a strong group of incoming freshman, are focusing on executing and eliminating the things that have held them back.

“To be competitive, we have to cut down on mistakes, mental and physical,” Cardinale said.

Junior utility player D’Andre Diaz acknowledged errors and lapses in judgement are some things that have hurt the Spartans.

“We’ve got to be strong and aggressive,” Diaz said. “We have to be smart, don’t be stupid, make good defensive plays and don’t make mistakes.”

Additionally, Hills will be looking to finish what it starts and not let games slip away.

“We haven’t figured out how to hold the lead and win,” Cardinale said.

Cardinale points to another good thing going for the Spartans this year, and that’s a desire among them to play well and put in the effort it takes to do so.

“We’ve got a good group of kids who come to work every day,” he said. “We’re really happy with them because they come out every day. They never have a bunch of excuses. We really love these kids.”

Cardinale said he expects the team to be solid on defense but questions surround the hitting and pitching.

Top defenders should be Frankie Wells at third, Tommy Grant at short stop, Hille at second base, Diaz behind the dish, and outfielder Chris Hernandez, whom Cardinal said is “very savvy and baseball smart with the best instincts on the team.”

Players who should carry the team offensively include Hille, last year’s RBI leader; Wells, another RBI producer; Wilbert Penai, who homered in summer ball; Hernandez; Anthony Devlin; and Diaz.

Jordan Hill has the livliest arm on the team, Cardinale said, and will be the top pitcher. To his credit is a win over Archbishop McCarthy over the summer. Grant, Hille, Diaz and Wells also will pitch this year.

In addition to improving on the field, the team is trying to improve their facilities and has cleaned up the field and surrounding areas and put down shells on the warning track. The team will do fundraisers and has acquired an announcer to add some pizazz to the home games.

Team chemistry is strong, with the players friends outside of the time they spend at the field. Cardinale noted that some of the players got together over summer break to join one of their teammates on a white-water rafting trip.

“We’re a family,” Diaz said. “We’re all friends. We hang out outside of school. We bond well.”

And as much as the players enjoy their time among themselves, they also enjoy the time they get to spend with the coaches, particularly Cardinale, whose background includes more than a decade of directing some of the best teams in the county at Cooper City. He’s been at Hills since 2010.

“He’s definitely a great coach and changed the program,” Diaz said. “He’s mainly one of the reasons why I came here. I transferred from American Senior High in Miami Lakes. I moved here to Broward and to a school I wanted to come to, and the school was in my area also.”

Hille said Cardinale is “a great coach, best coach I’ve ever had. He’s great with all of us. He teaches us what we need to be taught. He works with us, and he knows what he’s doing.”

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