Young Pompano Squad Eager To Showcase Talent In 2014

Pompano Beach Manager Ryan Combs is trying to hold back his excitement for the upcoming season knowing what his team is capable over these next few years. The Golden Tornadoes are going to be a young team in 2014, and they are hoping their opponents will make the mistake of overlooking them due to this fact.

This is a squad that has always had a dangerous reputation, so there is little chance that anyone will take that bait.

There isn’t much that can occur that is going to rattle a team as strong-willed as the Golden Tornadoes. This is a team that is used to challenges, and they welcome anything that they must face. It is a resilient group of student-athletes whom make up this revamped roster in 2014. Yet despite the change in personnel the team mantra remains the same, and that approach is to be prepared.

Over the past two seasons the program has graduated the vast majority of its starters, including 10 players who have moved on after last year. Although the team returns very little varsity experience this year, they field a roster of players who are experienced in the game of baseball and who have been in the program for a long time. For such a young group, they are a confident and determined bunch eager to prove themselves at the varsity level.

“It’s exciting, because we are junior-young as opposed to freshman-young,” said Combs. “We’ve had these guys since they were freshmen, and most of the guys are now juniors who now know what we expect of them. We’ve got good kids, and it’s a good squad that is still just getting there.”

As with any young group, leadership will be the key to setting the tone and bringing the team together in the way they must in order to find success. Coach Combs has left the captain positions up in the air heading into the spring, challenging his veteran players to rise up and take the reigns of leadership. While players may lack the experience that comes with logging extended innings, they make up for that with the character and drive that has always been a staple of this program.

A great example of this character comes in the team’s leading returning hitter in AJ Marcantonio. The junior batted around .350 last season while also showing his versatility in playing all over the field, and he has embraced the opportunity for an expanded role. His example and presence on the field has helped to showcase the standard that the team wants set, providing a nonchalant demeanor that is not overly cocky while exhibiting his focus and confidence in what they are doing. Marcantonio has a natural body language that installs confidence and demands respect, ad his teammates have appropriately honored him with the nickname “Juice”. His example certainly does serve as the juice that this team thrives upon, and as much as his teammates have faith in his leadership so too does he believe in this young team.

“There’s no more taking a backseat to all the seniors,” said Marcantonio. “I have tried to follow their leadership and bring that to be a leader myself now that they are gone. If all of us follow in their footsteps, with the talent that we have here, if we do what they did, we have the potential to be a great team. We have a lot of talent that really didn’t have a position to play last year because of all the guys in front of them. They have their opportunities now and they are going to step up. There are a lot of positions open and there are a lot of guys ready to show what they can do.”

Coach Combs welcomes the natural competition that is festering with the club, saying that’s the way it should be with any team. The players know what is expected of them and they are working all the time to get better. The coaches are also pushing them to use the time leading up to the season to increase their physical conditioning in order to get bigger, stronger and faster. Coaches want to see what each player is able to do and not do, where they can best contribute to the team, and how well they can play together as a unit.

The learning curve is never easy for the Tornadoes, and the new district realignment has only made the road to victory that much more difficult. Even despite playing in some of the more challenging districts in the county in years past, Pompano Beach now finds themselves in a district that includes national power American Heritage, four-time defending state champion Archbishop McCarthy, local rival Cardinal Gibbons, and Coconut Creek and Dillard. The only way to truly get better is to play better, and this new district allows the team to do exactly that by competing against some of the best teams available.

Pompano is used to being an underdog, and in fact it is a role that the players tend to embrace and relish in. It serves as another motivator to bring out their best, especially now that they know a regional playoff berth is far from automatic. They have history on their side in knowing they have always given these opponents their best, which includes last season’s district championship when they had American Heritage on the ropes right up until the very end of a very tough and close loss.

“We know how it feels after that loss and that makes us that much more ready for the next one,” said Marcantonio. “We want to build off of that loss and make sure next time we play them we’re ready to come back and beat them. Whenever we play these teams, we give them everything we’ve got. We are always pumped to play these teams.”

How the team does against the Patriots and Mavericks will ultimately determine their fate in the district, and yet it is the Chiefs with whom the team is most anxious to face again. These longtime rivals have welcomed the chance to compete in a district again, and both sides thrive on the excitement that comes in facing a team full of players whom they have known and competed against for most of their lives.

The fact that many of the returning players were left on the sidelines during these pivotal games last season has served to make them that much hungrier now that their time has come. Their excitement is unmistaken, and guys are anxious to prove themselves.

One great advantage that the team has in the group of returning players is having most of the key positions covered. Although the team has just two seniors on the roster, they fill two very vital roles in having Andrew Perez leading the pitching staff and Christian Perez anchoring the defense from behind the plate. Andrew Perez represents the only returning hurler from a season ago, and he looks to build off of his 2013 achievements in which he posted a 2.33 ERA over roughly 20 innings of work. Christian Perez has been pushing himself to earn the team’s trust behind the plate, and the coaches have encouraged him to step up to become one of those vocal leaders who will set the tone they are looking for.

The Tornadoes are also strong up the middle of the field, where sophomore Garrett Hiott returns to man the shortstop position after playing second base for most of his freshman season. This key position has enjoyed incredible success in recent years, with previous standouts Kenny Harrell and Shaw Pinnell setting a standard that Hiott is rapidly working his way towards being the next guy in that lineage. Hiott is becoming a great leader on the field, while also greatly improving his plate presence to earn the leadoff spot in the lineup. The speedster sees a lot of pitches and does a great job of putting the ball in play, and the team is confident he will do a great job of setting the table for their hitters.

The outfield defense is also fairly settled, with the team counting on returners Vinny Costello, Kelsey Lunde and Thomas Fengler to mesh well with newcomer Frank Moschette to provide depth and ability. Costello started every game in right field last season as a freshman, which is also something that helps to motivate other young guys on the team to know they could be given the same chances should they earn them. With Lunde and Fengler both coming off injuries and working their way back, the addition of Moschette has been gladly welcomed.

Due to academic standards, high school transfers are a rarity at Pompano Beach. In fact, Moscette spent more than a year on a waiting list before he was able to complete his transfer to the school from Deerfield Beach. Moschette also provides a nice lift to the pitching staff, giving the team another left-handed presence in the rotation.

The presence of Marcantonio provides a huge advantage for the team as well, as he provides an excellent glove at first base, a strong arm to add to the pitching staff, and a reliable bat that hits near the top of the order. His willingness to play wherever he is needed not only makes the team stronger on the field, but it also sets a great example of the type of teamwork that will be vital to the team’s maturation.

On top of all the normal challenges that any team faces, Pompano Beach players also have the added responsibility of their extensive academic requirements. The school is one of the top academic programs in the area, and with comes a large and difficult workload in the classroom. This is just another challenge that helps to make them better both as baseball players as well as young men.

“In baseball, you have to have smart guys,” said Coach Combs. “When you have guys who have great grades, it also makes them that much more marketable to colleges. They are ready for college-level classes and they have the grades to prove it. Baseball is usually not a full-ride scholarship, so the fact that these guys could earn some scholarship money for their academics is definitely a positive. The academics part of it really helps with the baseball, because colleges know they can save some money that will free up more scholarship money that they can use towards other guys. They get guys who are great both on the field and in the classroom, and we have always been very successful in sending guys to college.”

Although Pompano Beach is recognized for their academics, the team is excited about the chances they have to show the type of baseball talent they have as well. The natural intelligence that these players possess also translates well to the baseball diamond. Baseball is a thinking man’s game, and this team is full of thinkers who can grasp the game and learn it quickly. Players also exhibit their discipline and strong work ethic in the way they balance their responsibilities.

“We’re all smart kids and we find ways to balance everything,” said Marcantonio. “It’s tough, but we get it done. We all know the game. We understand the mental part of the game and how to stay above it. It shows on the field; we don’t make mental mistakes, and that is how we win ballgames.”

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