6A-15 Preview: History Calling; Can Mavs Answer?

6A-15

Host: Archbishop McCarthy High School

Monday, April 22nd

7PM – Game 1 – (5) Stranahan vs. (4) Fort Lauderdale

Tuesday, April 23rd

4PM – Game 2 – (3) Hollywood Hills vs. (2) Pembroke Pines Charter
7PM – Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. (1) Archbishop McCarthy

Wednesday, April 24th

Rain Date

Thursday, April 25th

7PM – Championship – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner

Full stats for 6A-15 can be found on the 6A-15 Stats Page!

Overview – No team in Florida history has ever won four consecutive state titles.

Should Archbishop McCarthy again win the state crown this year, it would be a record-breaking accomplishment.

But first the Mavericks must take care of business in their district.

Behind the top-seeded hosts, things are wide open, and it figures to be a dogfight for that coveted regional berth. While each of the remaining teams has struggled for consistency, each has strengths that give it an edge capable of winning when it matters.

For Pembroke Pines Charter and Hollywood Hills, one victory stands between them and a spot in the title game. The Flying L’s and Dragons will have a much tougher path, needing a huge upset over the three-time defending state champions.

Mavericks Stadium has served host for many exciting district matches over the years, and this season presents the likelihood that there is more to come.

1. Archbishop McCarthy – The Mavericks are one victory away from their sixth-consecutive season with 20 or more victories, the last three of which ended with a state championship.

Such a victory would come against the winner of the quarterfinal contest between Stranahan and Fort Lauderdale, a win that would also put Archbishop McCarthy into the regional playoffs as well as the 6A-15 title game.

McCarthy won the district easily last year, and this year the team hosts the district tournament on a home field they have only been defeated on twice all year.

The Mavericks are every bit as good as can be expected of a team of this caliber, a team that hits, pitches and fields the ball the way it is taught. Fly balls do not as often find the ground against this defense, headlined by centerfielder Brandon Vicens; fat pitches are not watched into the glove, but rather smacked around the yard by sluggers such as Jonathan Quintana, Alex Rodriguez and Eddie Silva; and pitchers like Timothy Martinez, Andres Nunez and Brian Gonzalez own the inside corner of the plate.

Over the past six years Manager Rich Bielski and assistant Alex Fernandez have built McCarthy into a state powerhouse, and the team does all the right things to maintain winning traditions.

This tradition was founded upon by the passion and dedication of players such as Johnny Cole, Alex Fernandez and Nick Castellanos, and another postseason awaits those ready to answer the call and earn their spot in Mavericks lure.

2. Pembroke Pines Charter – The Jaguars have focused all year on the game directly ahead of them.

Should the team take care of business in its next contest, it will find its way back to the Class 6A regional playoffs for the second straight season.

Pines Charter has played its way to the second seed in the district tournament, a long road that involved numerous rainouts and make-up dates that then were also washed out. But the end result came as a great benefit, putting the team in position to return to the district title contest again this year.

The Jaguars won both tilts against the Spartans this year, an encouraging fact that should give the team plenty of confidence heading into the third go-around.

Pines Charter also gave the top-seeded Mavericks their toughest game of the season in playing to a 7-7 mid-season tie, in a contest that was suspended until the end of the year before the Mavericks finished it off with an extra-inning victory. But at the time the game was started, McCarthy was undefeated and on a roll, and the Jaguars had matched them punch for punch that day.

That is the sort of effort it will take, should the Jaguars get another go at a Mavericks squad that has since settled in to play to their highest potential.

Pines Charter does not have a lineup for of stars, but is a great example of a team that is the sum of its parts.

Leading the offensive charge for Pines Charter is Cody Fuchs, who leads the squad in hits and RBIs. Alex Monge-Rodriguez and Kevin Ellenbogen have hit for average to extend innings, while Jake Jacobs has hit for power in leading the way in extra-base hits.

Alejandro Kan and Derick Garcia have been the pitching tandem, eating up the majority of the innings on the mound. Patrick Mitchell and Danny Melgarejo have provided quality time out of the bullpen.

All year long Pines Charter has succeeded in staying grounded, never allowing it to get too high or too low despite any circumstances. The team just focuses on the next game and the next opponent in front of them, and right now that team is Hollywood Hills.

3. Hollywood Hills – The Spartans have experienced a bounce-back season after a tough 2012 campaign.

Hills is now set to play its biggest game of the year, a contest that rewards a regional playoff berth to the winner.

The Spartans were beaten twice this year by their semifinal opponent, Pines Charter. But the most encouraging sign comes in the fact that Hills actually led 2-0 until midway through their most recent meeting, an eventual 3-2 defeat.

So the team knows it is capable of beating the Jaguars, now it must just go out and actually do it.

Chris Hernandez and Anthony Devlin have been key offensive weapons in embodying the team concept to get on base and then use the team speed to work your way around the bases.

Jordan Hill has emerged on the mound to lead a young pitching staff, and the right-hander has saved his best performances for the team’s district games.

It is a veteran group that has gone through the trenches for years together, and this year could be that big breaking point for the team.

4. Fort Lauderdale – When you have an ace, you always have a chance.

The Flying L’s have exactly that, as the team has the luxury of knowing it has a dependable arm that wants the ball in these district playoffs.

Right-hander Brad Smith figures to be a big part of any success the team hopes to have, with the chance that he could even pitch twice during the district playoffs. This does not mean that Lauderdale Manager Terry Portice would dare start his ace twice on such short rest, but certainly Smith could be available for an inning or two of crucial relief should the team play itself into such critical a moment.

That is easier said than done, after all, and the Flying L’s have a very difficult road in needing two victories just to get to the 6A-15 championship game.

The team has played its best baseball down the stretch when it matters the most, winning 10 straight to close out the regular season while winning the championship of the Coral Springs Colt Spring Classic tournament in the process.

Smith has been every bit as good as advertised, with a 6-2 mark while averaging more than a strikeout per inning.

Meanwhile the team also has a perfect compliment in its number two, senior right-hander Jason Jeffrey. After throwing only 14 innings all in relief last season, Jeffrey emerged to start seven games and go 5-2 for the club.

Fundamentals are a key aspect of Coach Portice’s repertoire, as evidenced by the team’s 44 stolen bases this year. Since the team has not hit for a great average, it has relied heavily on manufacturing runs to support its strong pitching.

Alec Bryant and Matthew Gibson have led the team at the plate, and Hunter Kay leads the club in extra-base hits.

Lauderdale is not playing like a team in the four seed position, but now it has the chance to go out on the field and prove that.

5. Stranahan – The Dragons have doubled their win total over each of the last two seasons, an encouraging sign as the team strives to return the program to its glory days.

Manager John Drouet is a Stranahan alumnus, and he has made it his mission to restore the team to the power that it was in his playing days. This has proven to be a long-term plan, but the team has shown plenty of promise along the way.

Drouet has stressed defense, and the Dragons have worked tirelessly to improve in this department. Since committing six errors in a loss to Fort Lauderdale, the team had just four more errors over its final five games to close out the regular season.

With Fort Lauderdale up again the Dragons know they are in for a struggle, after the team handled them mightily in their two contests this year.

At the plate the Dragons have held their own this year, led by Austin Ford, Ariel Vargas and Jose Lopez to average almost .300 as a unit. The team has struggled to hit for power, which can be expected with a younger squad that has just two seniors on its roster.

Chris Ford, Lopez and Vargas have been the workhorses on the mound, combining to lead a pitching staff that has allowed 82 less runs than last season.

The history between Fort Lauderdale and Stranahan runs long, and at one time this was the marquee game in the county whenever it was played.

Slowly but surely it is working its way back in that direction.

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