Douglas Sets Sights On Taking That Final Step

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Douglas Manager Todd Fitz-Gerald is ready to knock the final door down.

The past two seasons the Eagles have been one game away from a state berth, twice falling to Park Vista in the regional finals. Fitz-Gerald knows his guys are capable of getting back there, and it is the last opportunity for some seniors that have been a big part of the program’s success to get there and win that game and build momentum towards a state title. The Eagles know they will have to go through some good teams to do that, but those teams will also have to rise up in those moments.

Douglas brings as many as 12 seniors to the field this year, and the team is loaded with talent and depth. There is a unique chemistry between the guys, and a strong sense of pride in being part of the program. now in his fifth year at the helm, Fitz-Gerald is pleased with the way the team has grown together and with how the program has developed through all age levels.

“I love our team and I love the chemistry,” Fitz-Gerald said. “The kids on the team work hard everyday and there are no egos. Even my two biggest guys are out here working hard everyday and being leaders. They are involved and the kids really get along well together. It is fun to see because at practice it is a lot of fun. The kids push each other to get better and they are all in it for the common goal.”

They always emphasize on being a family and all the seniors are supposed to teach the younger guys the ropes. The teams all practice everyday together and they are with each other more than they are with their families. The younger ones fit in well though, and they treat everyone like they are all the same age. Guys have bought in to being a premier baseball program, and for the seniors it is a tough reality that this is their last season to add to their legacy.

“It’s bittersweet to be a senior. I want to be able to succeed in my personal achievements, but I also want to win a state championship,” senior ace Jesus Luzardo said. “That is a our main goal and we haven’t been able to accomplish that yet, and that is the top priority on my list. I am still rooting for the team more than I am for myself. Colton Welker and I have been on varsity for four years now and we are really good friends with everybody on the team and I think it is going to be a good senior year.”

Both Luzardo and Welker are All Americans signed to play at the University of Miami, while 6’4″ slugger John McKenna is signed to play at Army. The lineup is dangerous with guys like Chad McDaniel and Josh Miaskowski, guys with speed and power. The goal is to get the bottom of the order on base to keep rolling things over and feeding the big hitters. There is a lot of speed from guys like Kyle Shay, Ivan Nunez, Luis Acevedo and Brandon Auerbach, which also benefits on the defensive side.

Fitz-Gerald does not anticipate they will need to score a lot of runs on a regular basis thanks to a deep pitching staff led by Luzardo. Seniors Jordan Hill, Brady Norris and Jeremy Szozda and sophomore Connor Brady have all earned Fitz-Gerald’s confidence on the mound. Like the rest of the guys, the pitchers are all in to work for a state title this year.

This is a group that just wants to be coached and they believe they can win. Fitz-Gerald has learned a lot about how to handle kids from being a teacher in the classroom, and he applies that to the baseball program. While most schools put a lot of emphasis on the varsity team, all the coaches are involved with the junior varsity and freshmen teams too. The kids all understand and know the system and they are all integrated into the program with all of the coaches.

The staff is as close as any. It is a big group that includes assistant Rich Hofman, a coaching legend, as well as Drew Medina, Elliott Bonner, Dave Taylor, Danny Core, Joe Hoey, Von Stertzbach and Tony Stravino. With such a large group of coaches it allows for the guys to get plenty of personal attention to their specific roles, and the system works excellent because the coaches communicate so well together.

“They are just as close as we are as players,” Luzardo said of the coaches. They hang out everyday and they mess around with each other. They are like our dads. We talk to them like they are our friends, but at the same time it is really strict. We know when it is serious and when we have to be serious. We have a lot of discipline on the team but we have a lot of fun. I think it’s a good mix, a good balance of fun and being serious when we have to be serious.”

The overall goal is to get to Fort Myers and jetBlue Park. That’s the goal every year, and this could be the season that it happens. Even if it is not, the next kids coming up now will be chasing the same thing. Each class of student athletes is eager and excited to be a part of the Eagles program and work with these coaches and learn the system.

“We are all coaching the kids the same way and saying the same things,” Fitz-Gerald said. “They hear the same voice and the same message, and so when they young guys do reach us at varsity you don’t have to reteach or change anything. It just keeps feeding itself. We have it going on here, and we have good and hungry young players. There is a lot of competition and at the end of the day the best players will play and the others will have to just keep coming along.”

Fitz-Gerald divides the season into three parts. The first part is to see what their identity is, the second is to get opportunities for everyone on the team and the third stretch is when the lineup is settled with the guys who will lead the way into the playoff run. By that point every guy will have a role they understand and will be ready to play their part as needed.

Douglas always has a tough schedule to get prepared for the playoff run, and this year will be no different. Last year the club won 23 games even with a very competitive schedule, and Fitz-Gerald attributes that to the time they put in at practice all season.

“We preach fundamental baseball,” Fitz-Gerald said. “We do not have a lot of trick plays, so whatever we do we have to be good at. The focus is now on quality at bats and that is what the kids compete for now.”

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