Somerset Sees Potential For A Memorable 2014 Season

Although every team has their share of concerns heading into the 2014 season, in the case of the Somerset Panthers the argument could be made that they only have uptown problems.

Following an offseason that brought in a glut of veteran talent, the Panthers enter the year with every opportunity to be a strong contender. It is a program that has been slowly building from within over the last few years, with a very strong crop of young players on the verge of busting onto the varsity scene. The addition of a large assortment of talented upperclassmen has left the roster loaded with players hungry and ready to make waves in Class 4A this season.

Somerset certainly has the makings of a team capable of making a run. While the club has normal concerns at certain positions, there are guys showing the capability to fill every role they will need. After graduating a group of 10 seniors who were much the pioneers for this program, the new roster has gelled well and the players have great chemistry together. There is energy and enthusiasm within the group, and plenty of talent to boot.

Manager Onel Garcia knows that nothing is a given. Even despite the opportunity this team is capable of creating for itself, he knows success is not automatic.

“I tell the kids continuous improvement, because the level of baseball just gets tougher and tougher,” Garcia said. “You have to get better every year, because everybody worked hard. Working hard is part of the game. The level of talent is not this way for nothing.”

Team chemistry is the crucial element that can keep everything in place. With so many moveable pieces in place on the roster, this year’s squad will have fewer positional players as guys will be used in numerous ways. Garcia knows it will be important for players to accept whatever roles they must for the team purpose, and also be ready for when those roles change over the course of the long season.

Coming off a 2013 campaign that fell short of the club’s hopes, Garcia enters his fifth year with six returning seniors who have not forgotten the struggles of their 12-15 season a year ago. Despite losing the core of that team, the returning players and the younger guys in the program eagerly pushed all through the offseason to help write better fortunes this time around.

Heading the returning group is junior Mike Van Degna, a fourth-year player who is poised for a breakout season. The first baseman has nice power and has gotten better at the plate, showing big-game potential. Van Degna hit .257 with 16 runs and 15 RBIs, and senior outfielder Yoni Rodriguez hit .293 to represent the most experienced hitters in the Panthers’ new lineup.

In replacing 75% of the offense, the Panthers have nice depth to build from. The program has a very talented junior varsity group, some of whom will most likely make their varsity debuts this year. Then the charter school saw an influx of transfers who just further bolstered the roster.

It began with shortstop Derek Cartaya, who came to the school from Monsignor Pace in Miami Gardens. His brother Carlos Cartaya also made the switch, as did brothers Christian and Jack Khawly in coming over from West Broward. Former Pembroke Pines Charter starters Alejandro Kan, P.J. Ximinies and Mark Bejar also joined the team, as well as former Cooper City Cowboys Juan Teixiera and David Guadalupe.

“Since day one when we got all these transfers in, including myself, we have had great team chemistry,” said Derek Cartaya. “Everybody works well together and that’s a great thing to have. We’re really tight and it’s just one team. “

The play and example set by leaders such as Derek Cartaya has already been instrumental in creating the team vibe. When the guys with the most ability on the team also set the tone by being the hardest working ones, it creates a ripple affect on the rest of the guys.

“I just try to give it my all when I’m out there, and I try to motivate the guys so we’re doing things right,” Cartaya said. “At practice we are always working 110% trying to do all the fundamentals right so that when the games come around we can get those wins. As a shortstop getting a lot of action, it is the leader of the infield, so I try to make a play on every ball that comes to me.”

The enthusiasm surrounding this club is very welcome, especially by its manager. Garcia feels that they must bring energy and enthusiasm to the ball park; that it needs to be a fun atmosphere. Successful baseball teams all the way up to the pro levels oftentimes are built on such identities.

For the Panthers, there is perhaps no personality larger and more contagious than that of their senior transfer Christian Khawly.

“Christian brings a lot of energy to this team,” Garcia noted. “He’s an old veteran who has been playing since eighth grade. He’s been an All-County player for years. We’ve got him in right field because he has a real good arm and he fields the ball so well. He’s just a pleasure to have around.”

The veteran Khawly enters his final high school season coming off a year in which he hit .423 with 17 runs, nine RBIs and seven stolen bases. Beyond his production, the senior has always been a high-character leader who connects with every member of his team.

“I just come out here and do my job,” Christian said. “For the young guys especially, I talk to them and make sure they know what they have to do. Just go out there and make sure they do things right. We have just come together as a family and everything has clicked. We come to practice to work hard, and in the games we just enjoy it. Everybody is picking each other up and it’s really fun playing with this group of guys. I consider them not just to be teammates, but family.”

The strength of this family seems to be on the mound. The Panthers return some experienced members of their staff such as Ben Hoffman, John Ham, Matthew Mogilevsky and Casey Garcia, and have been greatly bolstered by the addition of Kan, Ximinies and American Heritage transfer Anthony Molina.

The senior lefty Hoffman figures to lead the group, as he looks to build off a junior year in which he was 2-2 with a 3.28 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched. He had a strong summer and also recently committed to Lake Sumter Community College. The right-hander Ham is another guy who is used to pitching in pressure games, as well as manning a nice glove at third base on days he does not pitch. Mogilevsky also had a strong summer, and the senior will be a key asset out of the bullpen. Casey Garcia is coming off arm surgery that limited him last season, as he looks to bounce back and build off a strong sophomore year in 2012. The right-hander has a good curveball and a nice changeup, and he does a nice job of keeping hitters off their strides.

The new additions only make this team that more dangerous, particularly in a short series during the district tournament. Alejandro Kan has thrown a lot of varsity innings in his career, and the team will count on that experience in big moments. Meanwhile, Anthony Molina is one of the top-rated college prospects of the 2016 graduating class. The young sophomore has topped speeds at 95 and lives near 92, while consistently throwing all of his pitches for strikes.

“He’s only a tenth-grader, so we’re not going to overthrow him,” Coach Garcia admitted. “Our job is to teach him and keep him healthy. That way he is still a top draft pick come his senior year.”

Molina may get a chance to face his old squad, as American Heritage is one of many very tough teams the Panthers have scheduled this season. The school is playing perhaps their toughest schedule ever, and they are not worrying about what their regular-season record may be. The coaches are focused on making them better by playing the best competition possible, cultivating their talents and giving them the best chances to mold their abilities to hopefully move on and play college baseball.

Somerset also will face four-time defending state champion Archbishop McCarthy, a team which they have the recognition of having been the last ones to beat the champs late last season before the Mavericks went on their state-record title run.

“We want to be able to play with anybody,” said Garcia. “We want to get to a level of these programs by playing them and hopefully one day we get to that level. Those are great programs with great coaches and we want to be known as a top program in Broward County too. When people play us they know they are in for a good game.”

There is no question that this group of Panthers knows they are a part of something special. It is a balanced mixture of talent and confidence, determination and maturity in knowing what it takes to earn big things. There is also the added drive by their seniors, who realize that this is their last season and their final chance to make their mark in their high school careers.

“It started hitting me at the beginning of the fall that this would be my last time, so I am really putting more work into it than ever before,” Christian Khawly admitted. “Staying after and working with anybody who needs help, always being the hard-worker so they know they have to work as hard as I do.”

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