Taravella Staring At The Future In The Present

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The program is on the right track.

Trojans Manager Alan Clark begins his second season at the helm and third overall with the program comforted by the fact that everything seems to be going according to design. Everybody is starting to understand what is expected. It is a talented and experienced team that returns in 2014, and one with many interchangeable parts.

It was an up-and-down season last year for the Trojans. The team got off to a fast start in opening 7-2, but struggled with inconsistency down the stretch to finish 10-12. They lost a few close games, including a tough nine-inning loss to Douglas in the district semifinals to end their season. Yet in that loss the players also finally began to click, and Coach Clark saw it coming together as he had hoped it would. Finally the team understood what they needed to do, and they have spent the entire time since preparing to come back and play their brand of baseball.

“They have some fire this year, that’s for sure,” Clark said. “Last year we started on fire, but then we seemed to hit a wall where we thought when we walked on the field people were just going to lay over for us. So I’m trying to get them to understand that just does not happen. You have to continue to play every game. It doesn’t matter who you play, treat it like you’re playing the best team in the state. We’re trying to avoid that hot start and cold finish.”

Many of the hard lessons were learned last year, and they are not easily forgotten. Since the Trojans only graduated one guy from that squad, essentially every player knows what it is going to take to write a better tomorrow. There is competition everywhere, which lets everybody know that they all have to work. Every starter returns, and they are focused to bounce back this year.

“We lost in extra innings to Douglas last year and we weren’t happy about it,” said Jack Kelley. “We’re going to come back better than we were and make sure we don’t lose it this year. I’ve never seen this team give up, and I have never seen the coaches give up on us. We have a chance this year, and I don’t see anything we’re missing. We have seven seniors who all want to leave with a district title.”

The biggest difference with this group is that all of them have experience playing varsity baseball. Whereas last season brought many new faces to the starting lineup, those guys have now been put to the test and they have learned from those tests. They have been around the game, and everybody who takes the field for the Trojans this year will have experience playing at the varsity level.

Even though the other teams in their district turned over a lot of their rosters, the Trojans understand that people are not talking about them as contenders. It is a tough district that includes local rivals Coral Glades, Coral Springs and Douglas, as well as Deerfield Beach. Taravella is seen as an underdog in this group, and they do not mind that fact at all.

“It’s better to be an underdog, because if you lose no one cares, but if you keep winning it makes it a real great thing,” said junior Justin Walker. “I love Coach Clark because he is a great coach and he knows pitching and hitting. We believe in him and he believes in us. We’ve got all of our coaches back and it’s going to be a really great year.”

Although the team is solid in every area, there is no question that their strength is on the mound. The Trojans have a staff that goes seven guys deep, and Clark has confidence in each and every one of them. They appreciate that they do not have to ride one horse the entire year and drag him through seven innings every night. Guys should be able to stay fresh, and this will help them immensely down the stretch.

The Trojans program has a history of producing very dominant pitchers, and this year Justin Walker is ready to step up and be that frontline guy for his squad. The right-hander is coming off a sophomore season in which he was 2-2 with a 1.97 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 32 innings pitched. He is excited and anxious to be the team’s big-game pitcher.

“You have to be a leader, and it feels good to be that guy,” Walker said. “Last year I got a little nervous out there, but this year I am not nervous at all. We have a great defense and its good confidence for when we pitch.”

The sentiment is felt identically by that defense, and rightfully so. Joining Walker in the rotation is Chris Verardi, who was 1-3 with a 1.59 ERA in 2013, Zack Pernick and Jack Kelley stepping up into larger roles, and newcomer Nick Sanders also showing some flash from on the rubber. Pernick saw little action last year, but he is expected to put in some quality starts with his strong arm and ability to throw multiple pitches for strikes. Meanwhile, Kelley hardly threw at all for the team in 2013.

“Coach Clark basically taught me how to pitch last year,” Kelley said. “He works on my mechanics and he focuses on mechanics a lot. We’re all looking good and we all have some good stuff. We hope to go far with that stuff.”

The area where the team has worked to improve the most comes in their hitting. Players spent a lot of time in the weight room this offseason, and everyone has gotten bigger and stronger. As a unit the team put up respectable numbers last season, but they all understand that they must get more out of themselves in order to accomplish their goals.

The team has a lot of speed in the lineup, and they intend to use that to their advantage. This starts with their leadoff man, Joseph Libio, who posted an impressive .507 on-base percentage with 17 steals and 11 runs scored a season ago. Clark notes that whenever Libio gets a single it feels like a double, since the speedster is so adept at stealing bases and moving around the diamond. He gives the team exactly what they could ask for from a leadoff guy, and they are counting on more of the same this year.

“I love that the team has so much trust in me, and I just have to live up to it,” Libio said. “The leadoff batter has to set things off for the rest of the batters. You’ve got to take some pitches and just go get it, to do whatever it takes to win the game. Getting a base hit, the first thing I am looking to do is to get into scoring position. Once I’m on base I look to see what the pitcher is going with and what his moves are, and then I just go. When you slide into second base and hear that umpire say ‘safe’ it is the best feeling. I love it.”

The lineup brings some big bats back as well. Julio Bautista led the group last year, when he hit .333 with five doubles and two home runs. Outfielder Brian Krebs is a nice compliment, coming off a season which he hit .318 with nine RBIs and seven runs in only 44 at bats. The order runs deep, with guys like Matt Ortiz, Manny Pantaleon and Lino Bravo providing more pop and Gavin Robinson complimenting that with more speed.

“We have seen a lot of improvement in our hitting,” Walker said. “Last year if we gave up a run, as a pitching staff, we’d get nervous. But now if we give up a run we’re not nervous at all. We know we can put up some runs.”

The team also enjoys depth at the most important defensive position, having three capable catchers to rely on. Bautista, junior Ryan Kelleher and senior Mike Fitschen all saw time behind the plate.

Part of the challenge for the coaching staff is to keep everything fresh. He understands that there are days where they may show up and be a little off, but that the goal is for the days where it doesn’t even feel like they had practice.

“They are kids, so the game still has to be fun for them,” Clark said. “They are all out there with a goal and they all want to play college baseball. You try to teach them and develop them so they can play at the next level. If you do all that right then the games take care of themselves. They learn what they need to learn in practice.”

Clark feels comfortable that he knows the right balance to employ with his team. Practices reflect that, as guys are loose and relaxed and yet focused and dedicated. They understand that game time means business, and that they are expected to come out and handle their business. Even for all their experience, most of these guys will also be back next year too. So everyone has to prepare themselves to play.

“At some point everybody needs to have some sort of experience,” Clark said. “You never know what’s going to happen, and everybody has to be ready to play at any given time. If their number gets called they have to be ready to play.”

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