Northeast Prepared To Defend Its District Crown

The honeymoon is over.

Northeast is coming off a season in which the Hurricanes won their first district title in over a decade. Yet as the 2014 season approaches, the buzz created from that achievement has all but worn off now.

The team graduated some key components from last year’s club that they now need to replace. Coming into his third season at the helm, Manager Kevin Carney is excited with the roster that they are putting together. They have a plan in place and the goal is to have things ready by the time the season gets going in the spring. Players know what they have to do and every week the team is getting better.

“It really was a high coming off of last season. The school is real excited and right now we have a lot of expectations,” said Carney. “We’re in a different position this year being the ones with the bullseye target on us. Last year we were the team trying to catch another team. So it’s a challenge for the coaching staff and everybody to move past last year and realize that this is a new year and a new team.”

Gone are eight players from a season ago, including six starters. The personnel that the team brings to the field this year is talented, confident and eager. The challenge will be in getting them to mesh together and become comfortable with their roles. Even despite a fair amount of turnover, the players are a capable group. The opportunity to build off of last year’s success is there, and it will be up to the guys to decide if they are willing to work hard enough to take this squad even further.

Northeast saw its season end for the second straight year at the hands of perennial power Nova in the regional quarterfinals. It was a tight and competitive contest that needed extra innings to determine a victor, and it helped to solidify the club’s growth and improvement. Now they must pick up the torch and carry it on towards even greater accomplishments and rewards.

“It’s a different feeling being the guys being chased,” said junior Isaiah Blackwell, one of the key members of the returning unit. “But we are excited and the guys want to win. We are hungry for it. Those guys before us, the things they said were all true. Now I’m finding myself saying the same things to the younger guys. I’m trying to step up and be a leader for them, to help show the guys how it works.”

The leadership and talent that Blackwell and his fellow pitchers bring to the table is the core strength of the squad. While the offense must replace several key hitters, the pitching staff returns the guys who won 10 of their 12 victories. Blackwell, sophomore Mke Rendina, and seniors Ralph Morel and Carlos Perez were the team’s top four pitchers in regards to ERA. Now they return even stronger a year later.

Morel emerged last year as the ace of the staff, posting 45 strikeouts in the same number of innings pitched, to go along with a 1.57 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. The righty took the hill in all of the team’s biggest games and took the reigns as their biggest threat on the team.

The emergence of Blackwell has given the team a solid number two, something that makes them very dangerous and confident in their chances in playoff series. Coming into his second varsity season, Blackwell has shown a ton of drive and a great work ethic. Coaches appreciate how coachable he is, how smart he is and how much he wants to get better. The right-hander has the chance to turn heads this year as he increases his workload and builds off of the skills he is rapidly harnassing.

Carlos Perez and Mike Rendina will be crucial to the team’s overall success, as they will man key defensive positions as well as logging important innings primarily coming out of the bullpen. The staff also gets a nice boost from incoming freshman Tyler Slanker, a hulky right-hander with a lot of zip and very strong mound presence.

Many players on the team have the ability to move around on the field and cover more than one position. This versatility is something that works well in their gameplan, and it also helps bring the players together as a unit as they learn how their roles fit in the team’s overall scheme.

“We like those hybrid guys who can do a little bit of everything,” said Carney. “As an example, we let our second baseman play some shortstop at practice. If you can play shortstop then you can play anywhere on the infield. You just have to show you have the range and the arm to do it.”

Another of these guys is senior transfer Angel Ramos, who comes to the school from Coconut Creek. Ramos is another guy who can pitch, while covering most any infield position. The newcomer is most comfortable at third base, a key spot on any infield defense and one that is largely open heading into the spring.

“I just challenge myself to get all those hard balls, and most hits to third base are hard hits,” said Ramos. “It makes me happy that I know the team can trust me and I know I can do my job here. I just want to do my best every time no matter where coach tells me t go. I came here and I just want to help them win a district title again this year.”

The infield defense is mostly settled, while the outfield has several potential candidates who are still competing and working to earn their shot out there. Blackwell will shore up first base when he is not on the mound, and sophomore Mason Crane has taken over behind the plate. Freshman Robert Robinson is competing with Rendina for the shortstop spot, with second base being the likely destination for either player as well.

The Hurricanes batted roughly .315 last year, and Morel also led the way there by leading the team in batting average, hits, runs and doubles. Perez posted a batting average just under .300, while representing the only other returning player who logged many at bats in 2013.

The offense expects many guys to rise up now that they are earning their chances. Leading the way with the strongest potential to emerge as a feared hitter is junior outfielder Jon Jarboe. Heading into his second varsity season, Jarboe has worked his way into the middle of the team’s lineup.

“He can really grind out an at bat,” said Carney. “He can take a strike, maybe two strikes in a count and not be afraid to hit with two strikes. He works deep counts, and we try to teach the guys all the time to be patient.”

Playing tough and gritty baseball has always been the nature of Northeast baseball, and it is also something that fits the makeup of the entire district they now compete in. With rival Monarch still in the fold, they also welcome Ely and Fort Lauderdale to the mix. These public schools are some which the Hurricanes have always held rivalries against, and teams they typically play every year anyway. Each club plays a similar blue-collar style of baseball, and these teams have a history of playing very close and intense contests whenever they meet up.

“Everybody is very patient in those district games. It’s a real grind,” said Blackwell. “You really have to focus and stay on your game, because you know it is going to be very close. Both sides really want it.”

The way this new district has come together has set up for great baseball in the county. These teams respect one another and appreciate the clean and competitive manner in which these big games are always played. Knowing this team is right in the middle of the battle and that they are armed with enough weapons to win the fight has produced an anxious and confident Hurricanes club.

“I’m sure these other teams will be hungry to beat us and we’re going to go toe-to-toe with these guys, and then we’ll see,” said Carney. “We’ve just got to coach these guys and be ready for that challenge. We’ve got to keep our poise and just play the game. We’re finding our identity and trying to establish who we are going to be. The kids are very eager, they’ve been extremely coachable and we’re excited to compete to retain our district title.”

Leave a comment using your facebook account!