5A-16 District Tournament Preview

Host: Archbishop McCarthy

Schedule:

Tuesday, April 21st

4:00 PM (3) Cardinal Gibbons vs. (2) American Heritage
7:00 PM (4) Pompano Beach vs. (1) Archbishop McCarthy

Championship

Thursday, April 23rd

7:00 PM: Semifinal winners

Overview – The McCarthy baseball team is right back where it has been for the last several years. The Mavericks went undefeated in district play to lock up the top seed and home field advantage in a district tournament that is hosted at their field this season. The club has earned every bit the distinction as the top dog.

The three teams in the dance are stronger as a group than in years, and every bit as capable of playing its best baseball and grabbing the district crown. Since there are but a handful of players in the entire district that have ever known what it feels like to win a district championship, there is plenty of reason for any of these teams to have confidence that they can make this their year.

1. Archbishop McCarthy – Mavericks Manager Rich Bielski is ready to raise the stakes on his team. Coming into the year the program had a big group of newcomers who were thrust into prominent roles with the club. Now the expectations are that each guy knows their role and what is expected of them.

“That youngness, it is time to get over that now. You got a season under your belt now,” Bielski said. “But we’re still working. That margin of error is small and that is exactly our message, and especially to a young team, that those little things can be the difference in a ball game. Playing good defense, throwing strikes, hitting your spots as a pitcher, bunt defenses or steals, those are all very important.”

McCarthy has molded the new guys into form according to its brand of baseball. Now everyone is eager and excited at the chances to make their mark in program history. The postseason awaits, and this team wants to be a part of it.

“At the beginning of the season our team didn’t really have that much chemistry, but everyday at practice and games we come closer and closer with each other,” said senior Brian Van Belle.

2. American Heritage – Standards are high at American Heritage, and the club has put together a season it can be proud of. The Patriots played a tough schedule and fared very well in those games, and the second-seeded quad is simply hoping for another chance at a Mavericks team that it played very tight in both meetings.

Meanwhile, Heritage has a tough task at hand in dispatching a Chiefs team that is every bit its equal. Gibbons beat the Patriots in this same game a season ago, and the Patriots split the two games this year. The rubber match this year will be as big as any they have played.

Heritage has an equalizer to the Chiefs’ strong pitching with several capable hurlers of its own. Richard Cruz, Israel Cordero and Patrick Mitchell can all pitch big innings as needed during this playoff stretch.

The Patriot will count on some of the big bats to get the job done for the offense. David Villar and Justin Lamazares have been driving guys in, while Chase Reyes and Joe Perez have been among the top scorers. Luis Almanzar has been the team’s top overall hitter, and one of the top players in the county.

3. Cardinal Gibbons – The Chiefs have lots of momentum heading into the playoffs. Gibbons won the Catholic Challenge Tournament at Bishop Moore and has played great team baseball down the stretch. The Chiefs were a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs last year, and now they have a similar path open up in front of them.

“We have been playing real well,” said Manager Jason Hamilton, who enjoyed his 300th career coaching victory during the Catholic Challenge. “I have been very fortunate to work with great kids and mentors in my career, and I continue to appreciate the support of our parents and administration to make us as successful as possible.”

Nathan Pawelczyk and Karl Hirsch give Gibbons all the pitching it needs in the playoffs. These two prove hurlers are capable of beating anyone, and if both pick up a win it could mean a district championship. The way Gibbons has played in the second half, it certainly has shown it is a dangerous opponent.

4. Pompano Beach – The Tornadoes are not afraid of being underdogs. It is a role they have embraced in the past, and they know it only gives them more excitement to take into the action.

While Archbishop McCarthy is still a talented and lethal opponent, it is the Tornadoes roster that is full of guys playing in their third or fourth district playoff. Pompano is a team full of experienced veterans, and the squad is ready to prove it can make magic happen.

“We feel good about this game,” said Tornadoes Manager Joe Giummule. “We have shown we can play with them. Neither final score indicates how close either game was, and it is hard to beat a team three times.”

Giummule certainly knows a thing or two about that, as his club pulled off exactly that feat a year ago. South Broward went in to the district playoffs as a big underdog to Nova, but the guys played the game of their lives to pull out the win.

Pompano has some big leaders that are capable of leading just such a charge. Shotstop Garrett Hiott and left-handed starter AJ Marcantonio have been the main guys all season long, and they help bring out the best in the guys around them. Now is their last chance to make their careers at Pompano Beach something to remember.

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