District 3A-14 Preview: All Eyes on Coral Springs Christian

Although the district has solid teams throughout, the clear favorite this year appears to be a loaded Coral Springs Christian team.

Here is a preview of what to expect from the district competitors this season.

CALVARY CHRISTIAN EAGLES
2012 Record: 17-9
Head Coach: Gregg Mucerino
Key Returners: Andrew Liberty (SS/P), Stephen Barnett (OF), Nick Kumar (3B), Luke Poirier (1B/P/C), Andrew Gottfried (OF/P)
Newcomers to Watch: Keith Oren (C), Chris Meyer (P), Alec Berizzi (P)
Team Strengths: Well-rounded lineup with players that can help at multiple positions. Good team speed and lots of senior leadership. Depth is beginning to
come from development in the JV and Middle School programs.
Team Weaknesses: Still not sure where power will come from so the early focus will be on getting on base and creating as much as possible. Like most teams,
you can never have enough pitching.
Our season will be a success if….

“…we stay healthy and understand that our schedule is designed to make us better by the end of the season. We play some great teams and need to learn and grow from those experiences for post season.”

Calvary Christian has evolved over the past few years into one of the top small-school programs in the county.

It’s achieved that status under manager Gregg Mucerino by developing players in all facets of the game.

With only a handful of returning starters back, the Eagles find themselves busy in the development department, but there’s a feeling of optimism and belief that a solid season is ahead mainly because of a strong sense of camaraderie among the players.

“We’ve got a good bunch of kids,” Mucerino said. “They work hard. They get along real well together, and they work well together.”

The team lost ace Austin Sovay to graduation, leaving the team light in the pitching department. Andrew Liberty, who also is a short stop, will be counted on this year to lead the staff. Mucerino said he has offers from Jacksonville and Nova Southeastern.

“He has good command of his fastball on both sides of the plate, continues to get better with his change-up and he always has a decent breaking ball he can throw,” Mucerino said. “The key for him is protecting his arm if we’re still using him as a short stop because he’s got some offers on the table as a middle infielder and will be a good college middle infielder for sure.”
Liberty expects to be in the spotlight this year and to do even better than last year when he went 7-1 with 37 strikeouts and a 2.00 ERA in 35 innings.

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CORAL SPRINGS CHRISTIAN CRUSADERS
2012 Record: 19-8-1
Head Coach: Matt Cleveland
Key Returners: Touki Toussaint (Jr. OF/P), Alex Widdicombe (Sr. OF), Brandon Rodrigues (Sr. P), Pemron Burrows (So. OF), Ricky Miranda (So. P)
Newcomers to Watch: Abraham Alejandro (Sr. IF), Devin Meyer (Jr. P/IF), Joey DePalo (Jr. OF), Benito Santiago (Jr.), Colin Taylor (Jr. P/IF), Eric Hepple (Jr. P/IF), James Buckley (So. IF)
Team Strengths: Pitching, defense up the middle, solid lineup
Team Weaknesses: Big-game experience. Toussaint got a little bit of it last year, and Eric Hepple has some from Zion. But the rest of the guys are going to
have to learn in the fire. That’s why our schedule is loaded, because we want to play playoff caliber teams every game so we can learn how to win.
Our season will be a success if…

“I use John Wooden’s definition of success. Our season will be a success if we all have the self satisfaction that we made every effort to be the be best we can be. We have goals as a team (these are not for public knowledge), but baseball is a funny game. It’s a round ball and a round bat, and and the playoffs are one game and out, so we just want to focus on getting better every day, holding each other accountable, so that if we don’t reach our goals, we have no regrets and we know we put all of ourselves into this effort.”

Coral Springs Christian has gained respect as one of the top small-school programs in the county over the past few years.

It’s that favorable viewpoint throughout the baseball community that has allowed the Crusaders to bolster a team that saw the departure of eight seniors, including several of the top players in the program.

Exit senior leaders Ryan Cabreja, Zach Butler, Nick Lamberti, Billy Atkins, and Ryan Milner. Enter transfers Eric Hepple, Benito Santiago, Devin Meyer, Colin Taylor and Abraham Alejandro.

“Thankfully based on the reputation of our program, some people are wanting to come to our school. The school has become a place where student athletes can come, and they feel they’re going to get good academics and get good coaching and improve,” Crusaders coach Matt Cleveland said. “Really, what I did, I didn’t do much. There’s kids that want to come and play and we were blessed to get some good players again this year. We have a good group of freshman and sophomores, but some of them will be sprinkled in. We would have been competitive either way, but now we have a chance to be pretty darn good.”

Losing Butler to graduation as catcher was tough as the team found itself with a big void to fill, but fortunately for the Crusaders, former Flanagan player Benito Santiago joined the team and will start this spring.
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HIGHLANDS CHRISTIAN KNIGHTS
2012 Record: 4-20
Head Coach: Bruce Charlebois
Key Returners: Kirvin Moesquit, James McGrath, Chris Celeste
Newcomers to Watch: Tripp Geyer, Saul Valez, Jo Joe Ortiz, Deion Rosalia
Team Strengths: team chemistry

Highlands Christian once was one of the top small school teams in the county. The winners of seven district titles reached the state tournament in 2008 and 2010.

The current Knights are far from those standout teams as the program remains in a rebuilding stage is probably two or three players away from being competitive, manager Bruce Charlebois said. The Knights probably will be somewhat fast with questionable pitching depth and varsity experience for the bottom half of the order, he said.

“We’re a young team, but I think with the additions we’re going to have in the spring, we’re going to be a pretty good team,” sophomore pitcher/infielder James McGrath said. “We’re shooting for districts and maybe get to regional.”

The team, which is strong up the middle but light on the corners, has a solid foundation, Charlebois said, with six players who will lead the team this year.

Chief among those players is short stop Kirvin Moesquit, a five-tool player who has committed to the University of Miami as a junior. Moesquit, who is playing soccer this fall instead of fall ball, brings “international flavor” to the team, Charlebois said, as he’s from Curacao. The switch-hitter is projected to be drafted in the top 10 rounds.

“He is the glue that holds the team together,” Charlebois said.

Tripp Geyer, a transfer from Chaminade-Madonna, will move from his usual spot in the outfield to play catcher, a spot in which he’s unproven.
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SAGEMONT LIONS
2012 Record: 7-12
Head Coach: Wesley Morejon
Key Returners: Ashton Martinez, Brynn Martinez, Sean Iacono,Brian McCarthy, Edison Rodriguez
Newcomers to Watch: Stefan Revelo, Edgar Abreu
Team Strengths: Pitching depth, power
Something people not around your program need to know about your team….

“How hard they work, how great a group of kids they are, and not to
overlook our small-school size as a place without talent.”

Coach Wesley Morejon is in his first season as manager of the Sagemont Lions, replacing Tommy Martinez, who moved on after seven seasons with the Lions and building a very respectable program. Morejon is up to the challenge and looking forward to managing a group of talented and passionate players at Sagemont.

“So far it has been fun and challenging at the same time,” Morejon said.

He will be counting on the experience of his junior and senior players to help guide this young team during the upcoming season. Among the key returning players is senior outfielder Ashton Martinez, who at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, possesses an unmatched intensity, has a strong arm, very good speed and comes from a “baseball family,” Morejon said. Martinez will be working with Morejon on improving his hitting to all fields.

Senior right-handed pitcher Brian McCarthy is another key returner for the Lions. McCarthy brings a “bulldog” mentality of relentlessness in every game. His coach describes him as aggressive on the mound, with a great fastball, good changeup and a developing curve. Brian will contribute with his experience, confidence and his array of tools on the mound.

Junior outfielder/infielder Sean Iacono will also be a key contributor for Sagemont this season.

“Sean is a solid hitter with power contact, he has speed, good defense and a strong arm,” Morejon said. “He’s very athletic. We need him to stay healthy.”

Junior short stop Brynn Martinez is described by Morejon as having great speed, a good arm, solid defense.

“He’s a solid all-around player,” Morejon said. “Brynn is an intense player, who works very hard. If he can find his groove and flow he’ll be great.”

According to Morejon, the Lions have great camaraderie and unity as a team. If they can play together as a cohesive unit with the same level of intensity and continue to develop the fundamentals of the game, they are sure to become very competitive in their district.

WESTMINSTER ACADEMY LIONS
2012 Record: 16-9
Head Coach: Nick James
Key Returners: Daniel D’onofrio (Sr. RHP/INF), Zack Gonzalez (Sr. 1B), Blake Kidwell (Sr. RHP/OF), Weston Clemente (Jr. LHP/1B), Sam Etter (Jr. C/RHP/OF)
Newcomers to Watch: Jeremy Viveros (Jr. INF), Josh Viveros (Jr. OF), Andrew Gross (Jr. OF).
Team Strengths: Strong leadership and exceptional team chemistry
Our season will be a success if…

“…our boys control the controllable, continue to develop as learners and leaders, and enjoy the process of getting better each day they come to the park.”

Westminster Academy battled through a tough schedule last year and came out in one piece. The Lions didn’t have any superstars or a lot of senior experience. Still, they managed a 16-win season and a respectable finish of third in their district.

This year, the Lions are still young with few seniors again, but players and coaches there believe the team will hold its own just fine against its district and non-district competition alike.

This fall, manager Nick James finds himself with a group of determined players looking to perhaps regain some of those glory days the program saw under veteran coach Rich Hofman. The current program may not quite be as successful as those Westminster teams of about a decade or so ago, but these players are giving it their all.

“I’m just excited,” James said. “We’ve got some fantastic kids who get it done not only on the field but in the classroom as well. We couldn’t be happier with their effort, energy and enthusiasm.”

Westminster, which finished last season 16-9 and 4-4 in its district, lost key players Will Buschman, Joey Knight, Derek Borgeson and Daniel Burns to graduation. Buschman was a big contributor on the mound, throwing 25.2 innings and striking out 38 while posting a 1.36 ERA. Burns threw 34.1 innings and went 4-0 with a 2.65 ERA and 27 strikeouts. Buschman also was the team’s top hitter with a .361 average and a team-leading 22 runs. Burns hit .311, Knight .300 and Borgeson .283.

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