Miramar’s Family Atmosphere Brings Out Their Best

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Experience is something that cannot be taught, but can only be learned.

The majority of the guys on the Patriots roster are juniors, and nearly all of them have been playing on the team for the past two seasons. The first year as a group of freshmen the game was too fast for them, but now the guys are really starting to adjust to the game and they are playing well.

Now the Patriots understand the flow of the game.

Manager Mario Rodriguez enters his eighth season at the helm more comfortable than ever with his players. Since so many of them have been around him for so long, they understand there are no personal attacks and there is no reason to be nervous around him or the other coaches. There is nothing they are going to hear Coach Rodriguez say for the first time.

“We try to make that family atmosphere. If you only focus on winning its not a whole lot of fun,” said Coach Rodriguez. “When I can brag about kids going to school and vocational schools and getting real good jobs out of high school, that’s where I’m successful and what I’m proud of. One of these days we’re going to beat some of those teams. Until then, that is what we’re going for.”

The team has not been to the district playoffs in a long time, and the goal for this club this season is to make the district playoffs and belong there by playing and being competitive. The Patriots have always been in a very tough district, and Coach Rodriguez jokes that they were not able to sniff the playoffs against those monsters. But once they can get in, it is not a best-of-five or best-of-seven series; they only need to win one game to beat a team.

“We’re trying to make it into the playoffs and get that first win,” said senior Ed Sanchez. “This team hasn’t gotten a playoff win in a long time so we’re trying to get that for our school. There’s a chance that we can get there, and it feels great being with these power teams and we are still with them inning after inning. We just keep fighting, we just never stop fighting.”

Sanchez is a four-year starter and also has been the team captain for the past three years. Ever since he was bestowed with the honor as a sophomore, Sanchez has been an excellent leader who takes the team under his wing.

“I always lead these guys and help teach them how to play the game,” Sanchez said. “My coach taught me very well the last four years and its great teaching these guys. I’m trying to guide them in the right direction. This is my senior year so I hope we have a great year and that I do too. This team is together and we are ready to go. We’re backing each other up and we are after each other. If you make a bad play, we’ve still got your back. It’s the same thing for three years.”

Sanchez holds the hot corner at third base, while returning veteran Alex Rodriguez anchors the defense at shortstop. The defense should be very good this season, which will help keep them in games while the offense develops. The goal is to stay in the game in the seventh, so they always have a chance to win.

The biggest reason the team believes they can handle that goal is that they have a good pitching staff that is capable of shutting down an offense. Veterans Elin Cancel and Adrian Martinez-Alvarez have progressed well, as has new lefty Julio Gonzalez. At the head of this pack is junior Michael Rodriguez, who is Coach Rodriguez’s nephew and also the returning veteran workhorse for this squad.

Michael Rodriguez had a strong sophomore campaign, posting a 1.67 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP with 28 strikeouts in 37 innings pitched.

“He has a live fastball and a real good changeup. I don’t allow ninth and tenth-graders to throw a curveball, so he’s starting to develop a curveball too,” Coach Rodriguez said. “He looks really good, his arm looks strong and we expect him to be tough. When he’s on the mound I think we’ll be tough to beat. When the guys know he is on the mound it’s a whole different level. They understand that he throws a lot of strikes, he puts the ball into play and he pitches to contact and off balances.”

The fact that Michael Rodriguez is actual family increases that bond, but the rest of the players also share the family atmosphere alike. Coach Rodriguez is a family man, who has been married to his high school sweetheart Kimberly for 27 yeas. His wife and their daughters spend much time with the team, such as on the Saturday before the season when the team played host to their alumni players for a scrimmage contest.

The current squad won 7-5 over the alumni, and they also went 2-0 during the preseason. Players are focusing on remaining grounded and not letting early success make them overconfident. The wins and alumni celebration has helped to bring the club together right on the verge of the season’s first pitch, and the guys are excited to come out and surprise some teams this year.

“We talk about baseball a lot,” Coach Rodriguez said. “We have to hit, we have to field and we have to pitch if we want to challenge teams like Flanagan, Cypress Bay and West Broward. They are not talking about us on their schedules, but I’ve been around baseball a very long time and I’ve seen some crazy things. We’re hoping that definitely works in our favor.”

The skipper tells his guys to stay focused and play the game the way it is supposed to be played. He knows they could be primed for the best season he has seen since he took over the program. While how many wins that could translate into remains to be seen, he hopes the experience they have now will help them overcome those instances where they found ways to lose in years past.

“We want people to know not to take us soft and do not take it easy, because we are going to come after you guys,” Sanchez said. “We’ve got a lot of pitching that we didn’t have before. This is something we are looking forward to.”

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