North Broward Squad Focused To Be Its Brother’s Keeper

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Coming off a magical season that carried the team all the way to the Class 4A state semifinals, North Broward Prep Manager Brian Campbell is not looking simply to replicate the same success in 2015. The Eagles survived an incredible gauntlet first through District 14-4A and on through their region before ultimately seeing the ride end following a crazy 8-7, extra-inning marathon in the state semifinal. Now the goal is to turn that final corner.

“I want to put these guys into knowing what it feels like to win the last game of the season,” Campbell said. “Obviously we’ve got a ton of work to do before we can even think about doing that, because we’re a long ways away right now. The good thing is we’ve got some time. But I don’t want to be happy with last year. I told them last year is over and it doesn’t matter anymore. Nobody cares what you did last year; nobody cares what you did yesterday. It’s what can you do today and get yourself ready for what you can do tomorrow. Our expectations as a program are to be better year in and year out, and if we want to be better we need to do better than just replicating getting there. We need to win.”

The keys to winning in this program are for each player on the roster to be their brother’s keeper. When guys come to practice Campbell wants them to ask themselves “What can I do to make my teammates better?”, and not “what can I do to make myself better?” Last year’s group took hold of that belief and ran with it, and with most of those guys back this year Coach Campbell is hopeful they’ll run with it again this season. It’s a lot of responsibility, and when they put that responsibility on them it makes the players feel like it is their program and they want it to do well. It’s not just the coaching staff that’s in charge of it; all of them are. It forces them to work, and that’s one thing Campbell is most proud of is that for the most part his kids work hard.

“It’s one of those things that gets the most out of these guys to make them take some ownership in this program and take some ownership in getting their teammates better,” Campbell said. “When I took over the program the biggest thing I wanted to do was to teach kids how to work. If you’ve got a good work ethic and you’re not afraid to grind it out a little bit then you’ll be amazed at what happens. Plus when you put that much time in it makes it a little harder to accept losing. When you get all guys on the same page like that it can be pretty special. At least you give yourself a shot, and that’s all you can really ask for.”

One thing about the Eagles that Campbell appreciates the most is that the team ended up having twelve games decided by one run last year and they won nine of them. Even more than the state tournament, being able to go back and remember how to win one-run ball games is the most important part of being successful in this game. Being able to figure out ways to win those games is the most important part. Last year’s squad figured that out and Campbell is hoping they can continue that and get a little better every day.

Once one gets a taste of that ultimate goal that everyone works so hard for, there is no way to describe the drive inside to get back there and finish the job.

“Now that we know what it takes to get there from last year, we’re ready to have our guys be pushing to get back where we were and go even further by hopefully executing and coming together like we did last year,” said veteran infielder Jared Schwait. “Now that we know that we can do it even more so from last year, even though we already knew it, we have been there before. So we know that we will have the drive and we have the ability to do it. Hopefully we will make it even further.”

While the team graduated the middle core of its lineup and also its top ace from a season ago, it returns eight seniors and a lot of experienced players who know how to stay within the system. Brian Fagan and Kevin Thomas figure to supplant the void in the middle of the lineup, an area that the program has always excelled at finding production. Adding to this veteran squad is the addition of several solid transfers such as infielders Franco Comacho and Nick Bohrer, as well as pitchers CJ Roth and Ryan Mash. The key during the fall has been to get everyone on the same page early, so the unity and team cohesion can take affect right away.

“What we really saw last year was that when we work together as a team we accomplish more than we ever felt we could,” senior pitcher Max Tannenbaum said. “So this year we think we’ve got some pretty good talent and we’re trying to sell that very early to get everybody on the same page.”

Tannenbaum is one of the veteran hurlers the team will turn to, as well as junior left-hander Anthony Masiello, who recently committed to the University of Miami. With so many capable arms readily available, it helps to take the pressure off any one individual to have to always be dominant. This program has always excelled at using its pieces well, and particularly in regards to its pitching staff.

“We definitely have a lot of pitching this year and we have a lot of guys that can start and relieve. We all still have to interchange positions obviously, but we’re pretty confident that everybody is solid wherever we put them,” said Tannenbaum. “I’ve got a lot of faith in our field this year. Our coaches are tremendous. They’ve helped us everywhere from pitching to hitting; they’ve upped our game more than we ever felt we could. They have us anticipating everything that happens on the field so we always know where we’re going. They just help us a ton.”

Campbell admits he feels good about their pitching, and that he also knows his veteran coaching staff will get the guys ready to go out there and make plays. He knows he is blessed to have really great coaches working with him and he trusts that they will put those pieces in the right place. It may take a little while to figure it out, but he is confident they can get it done.

“To tell you the truth it is too early to tell,” Campbell admitted. “We had injuries in the fall, which is kind of how we started the spring last year. I do feel confident that we have a good number of arms to throw out there on the mound, but other than that it’s too early to tell. I’m fairly confident that we’ll have time to put a good product out there on the field. We’re not ready yet, but as long as we’re ready by April I’ll be happy.”

The one area they already know they are ready is their unity. The Eagles are a family, an they have truly embraced hat it means to be their brother’s keeper.

“We all really knew we are a family and that we have each other’s backs, and that is what Coach Campbell is always telling us is to have each other’s backs,” Schwait said. “Because of that we know we can depend on anyone at any time, so when we come up to the plate or have that play on the field we just know that kid will have our backs. That really gets the nerves off and it makes it so much easier to produce and get us to that next round.”

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