Cypress Bay Loaded With Experienced Veterans
Greyson Fletcher leads a deep and dangerous pitching staff.
Every coach dreams of having problems like the ones that Lightning manager Paul Liotti has. The team is loaded with experienced, veteran players who have been in the system together for years. There is an abundance of talent, enthusiasm and excitement as they head into the new season together.
The team has also enjoyed the opportunity to begin playing on a fresh and newly refurbished baseball field, thanks to a long process of improvements that have been done recently. When Liotti took over as manager last season he envisioned having a facility that stood out as its own special stadium much like fellow programs at Flanagan, Archbishop McCarthy and Nova have. Thanks to a lot of hard work and dedication from the Lightning baseball family, Lightning Field has grown into just that.
“It’s awesome, because since I came here as a freshman I have seen the progression with the team and the field. Now it is really coming full circle,” said senior Devin Ramirez. “We have the halo behind the catcher and the dugouts are really nice, plus we are going to put some astroturf in them. The lights are going to be coming in for the batting cages and it is a really nice ball park.”
Playing on such a nice new field and getting to take advantage of the improvements they have been given has helped to motivate the team. They feel like they have to perform and reward everyone who is rooting for them. The parents and coaches are doing their part for them and they want to put that same dedication into the product on the field.
Practices have been very competitive this year as the older guys are challenging one another and the younger guys are pushing them as they work to try and earn their place on the team. It helps breed the type of atmosphere the program wants to have, and it has everyone focused on baseball. 
The strongest area the team has is in its pitching. A season ago the club used 13 different arms throughout the season, and this year could potentially see even more guys than that toe the rubber. The talent and depth of the pitching staff is incredibly rare for a high school squad, and the team has several guys who can go the distance and also numerous options to fill any other role needed. This team could be one of the few squads with the luxury of using specialist hurlers with specific tools used for specific matchups, just like a Major League team does.
Junior Greyson Fletcher has grown into one of the lead roles. Coming off a season in which he started the district championship the lanky right-hander is eager to continue to improve and lead his team even farther this time around.
“I’m hoping to be the ace this year and to help my team out as much as I can when I am pitching,” Fletcher said. “I just have to throw a lot of strikes and let my defense work. We have a lot of pitching behind me, so if I get into trouble I know they can help me out and help me get out of jams. We have a harder district now, so if we want to get back to that championship game it is important that our leaders step up and play well.”
Such dominance on the hill helps to take pressure off of an offense that is also capable of carrying the load when needed to. The lineup has a quality mix of speed at the top of the order, followed by good contact hitting that can keep the chain moving and get runners home.
“Our offense is really based on small-ball,” said senior, three-year starter Nick Orlando. “We’re not a team that is going to go out and hit a bunch of home runs every game or hit for six doubles. We are basically about singles, get the runners over and hit opposite-field to drive them in. That is how we live and die. But our offense has been really, really good lately and we have beaten some really good teams. We have really stuck through with our approach. Once one guy is hot, and then the next guy gets hot. It’s just a big domino effect and once one guy gets hot we are all hot.”
Excited by the facility they have at their disposal, most of the guys spend their free time perfecting their skills either in the cages or with extra pitching workouts. Another added strength of the club comes in the dedicated coaching staff that is right there with them, teaching, nurturing and challenging them while showing the willingness to also put in the extra time they need.
“I have seven coaches total and they work well with the guys,” Liotti said. “It allows me to delegate to them so I do not have to do everything. There is genuine care between coaches and players and I think that is important. We talk about being a family and that relationship we have with them is really important as far as trusting each other out there on the field. Guys like Devin Ramirez can come and suggest things to me, so we have that trust factor. That is important, and especially when you’re in that big moment of the game. I can trust Alex Rodriguez to call his own pitch or Raul Quintero to call the defense from shortstop. I know my coaches have worked with them and we have that mutual trust that is an important element for a championship team.”
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