9A Road To The Final Four: Heavy Hitters At The Top
In some classifications of the state playoffs, it is easy to find some sleepers that could upset the favored teams and make it to Fort Myers. In Class 9A, that will be a tough task, as many of the states top teams reside in this classification. In all, ten 9A teams are in the HSBN Top 25, making the classification one of the most difficult to navigate in a quest for a state title. Let’s take a look at how each region breaks down heading into the playoffs.
Region One
District Two
Orange City University has been the class of District 2, compiling a #5 HSBN ranking, and a 17-2-1 record. While it would seem that Orange City has a clear path with that record, there could be some difficult times to navigate just to get out of the district. The Titans have tied Deland earlier in the season, and was beaten by Spruce Creek, a team that is no stranger to playoff baseball. With a 15-4 record, the Hawks are again poised for a deep playoff run. Deland and Seminole both have the ability to pull first round upsets and advance to regional play.
Jacob Molle, Timothy Dixon, Logan Allen, and Michael Harkcom will lead the offensive attack in the playoffs for Orange City, with each hitting above .450 on the season. Deland is led by Ben Rowdon and his .392 average.
Pitching, as is always the case, could be the difference in districts, with Logan Allen leading the way for the Titans, and Matthew Sadlon heading the Bulldogs staff.
District Three
This district is possibly the toughest district in the state for teams to navigate. West Orange has been near the top of the HSBN rankings all season, and their 19-2 record stands out among a host of top teams in the district. The two-headed monster of Cole Beavin and Tyler Baum have racked up over 70 strikeouts between them in 2016. Kole Enright and Ethan Joneslead the squad in hitting, both over .440.
While West Orange ran the table in district play, it by no means that a district title is a lock. Lake Brantley (17-5), and Apopka (18-4), will both serve as a tough district foes, whichever survives their grudge match in the district semis. Olympia is also hanging on the idea that they could upset West Orange in the first round.
Lake Brantley’s Mike Ruff is good enough to beat any team on any given day, with an ERA just over 1.5, and a district leading 51 strikeouts.
Cameron Stewart is at the top of the district with an ERA under .5, and 39 strikeouts, second only to Ruff. Stewart will likely be saddled with the task of taking the mound against Lake Brantley in the district semis.
District Four
District four appears to be a wide open race to advance to regional play. Boone, Cypress Bay, and Freedom have been jockeying for that top spot, but with equality among the teams reigning supreme, and of the three could come out of the district. Dr. Phillips and Oak Ridge are also looking to make some noise in the playoffs.
Whichever two teams come out, their first round of regional play is going to be tough sledding, with any of the top teams from District Three waiting.
Freedom has used a speedy attack to wreak havoc offensively, with Austin Davis and Brandon Madero combining for over 30 stolen bases. Davis also leads the district in hits (26), and OBP (.630).
Chris Jones has had a big year for Boone, hitting over .450 with a .550 OBP.
Dr. Phillips offensively will be led by Chase Cheek and Ricky Hidalgo.
Region Two
District Five
This quaint four team district will be cut and dry come playoff time. Osceola will be the favorite and will face off with the Gateway Panthers in the district semifinals. Haines City and Ridge is where the true battle will take place. The winner of their match-up will advance to regional play, making it among the most anticipated games of the district schedule in the area.
Regionals is where it may get difficult, with both Winter Park and Timber Creek expected to be looming.
Andrew Baker will lead the way on the mound for Ridge, with an ERA under one, and nearly 50 strikeouts. Haines City also has an ace in Edwin Serrano, who carries an ERA of two, and has 30 strikeouts.
Offensively, Marcus Judd, Andrew Baker, and Franklin James all have averages above or near .400 for Ridge. Angel Colon paces Haines City with a .440 mark.
District Six
This is one of the districts where it would take a major upset to keep Winter Park out of the regionals. The Wildcats have been the class of 9A-6 the entire year, and after running the table in eight district games, they seem poised to have their eyes not only on a regional appearance, but a state appearance as well.
The Wildcats are led by Freddy Torres, who has a bat that has been scorching all season to the tune of an average over .500, and Elijah Cabell and Jaisnon Heald, who both have hit over .400 in 2016.
While Winter Park is the favorite, Timber Creek can never be counted out. The Wolves can never be counted out at playoff time. To advance, Timber Creek will have to defeat Colonial, which they have done twice, and then beat Winter Park. It is a tall task, but one that can be accomplished with Preston Schumacher and Nick Allen leading the way on the mound.
University and Oviedo will be battling it out with a regional spot on the line in the semis. Fernando Diaz can provide some speed for the Cougars, while Diaz and Bodnar will try to slow down the Lions offense on the mound.
The winner and runner up of District Five will await whoever comes out of this district.
District Seven
Of all the districts in 9A, this one appears on the surface to be the one that is wide open for the top seed. Vero Beach has cruised through the regular season, winning all six of their district match-ups. The Indians have been led by a pitching staff with four pitchers, David Leuthje, Hunter Cooley, Hunter Patterson, and Robert Miller, that have ERAs under 2.5.
Vero may have an easy looking run on paper, but a deeper look gives hope to the four seed, Treasure Coast. The margin of victory combined for the two games was only six runs, leaving hope that the Titans could pull the first round upset.
The two versus three seed has the most intrigue in the playoffs, with Fort Pierce central and Centennial battling for a spot in regionals. The two teams split their regular season match-ups, leaving the playoff battle a toss up.
The two teams that advance through this district will face off with teams from the West Coast in District 8.
District Eight
While Newsome may have secured the top seed in this district, it is one of the few in the state where both semifinal games could go either way. Newsome will open with Palm Harbor University, the four seed, but that means little as the Hurricanes bring the best record of any four seed in the region at 13-8.
Alonso has been the perennial playoff team in this district, and although they come in as the two seed, some consider the Ravens as the favorites to win the district. Alonso is led by Jordan Butler and his .400 average.
Newsome, on the other hand, relies on the combination of Will Ohme, Matt Leslie, and Beau Nichols on the bump. The three have combined to lead the Wolves to the top seed.
The Riverview Rams are also a team to watch as a possible upset candidate, although they have struggled down the stretch.
Region 3
District Nine
Easily one of the most competitively balanced districts in 9A, anyone will be hard-pressed to find a favorite to advance here. Palm Beach gardens won what looks to be a crucial three way draw between themselves, Palm Beach central, and Jupiter, all of whom finished 4-2 in district play. The draw win makes the Gators the top seed, matching them up with fourth-seeded John I. Leonard. The Gators have handled the Lancers both times the teams played in 2016.
With Gardens need only to avoid the upset to move into regional play, it leaves PB Central and Jupiter to battle it out for the other slot. The teams split a pair of games, each winning 4-3 on their home field. The Brnocos will have the hole field advantage in the rubber match for the right to head to regionals.
PB Central and PB Gardens will bring the top four ERA pitchers in the district into the playoffs. Kameron Ouellette and Zack Brundage hold ERAs of 0.67 and 1.07, respectively for the Broncos. For Gardens, Sam Prince and Grant Patterson are both under 1.5. Patterson also is tied for the district lead i strikeouts with teammate Mason Hatch, at 56. Kody Gardere adds another 54 strikeouts to the Gators’ total.
Jupiter hasw four wins from Kyle McMullen and an ERA of 2.13 from Zac Sprankle.
Offensively, Sam Prince has done a bit of everything for Gardens, leading the district with 30 hits and a .448 average. he also leads the district in stolen bases with 11.
Jupiter is led by Andrew Martinez, and PB Central has the combo of Austin Burke and Brendan Power leading the offense.
John I. Leonard will put their upset hopes on the line behind team leading hitter Jose Garcia (.385).
The teams advancing from 9A-9 will face county rivals of some sort from 9A-10 in the regionals.
District Ten
Park Vista started out as the team that looked like they would take control in 9A-10 early in the season, but youth eventually caught up to the Cobras, and Boca was able to capture the top seed. The Bobcats struggled early, and then again mid-season, but they rebounded to go 5-1 in the district. They will face Santaluces in the semifinals, and barring a major upset, Boca could be headed to regional play.
As is the case with most districts, the intrigue comes from the two-three matchup. Park Vista and Lake Worth split their two regular season meetings, setting up a winner take all playoff tilt. Lake Worth will be looking to capitalize on Nelson Velazquez’s district-leading .478 average, and Tyler Vander Sande’s district leading 15 stolen bases.
Park Vista will hope Emanuel Fernandez, James Marion, and Hunter Brennan will be enough on the mound to surive the semis and move on to regional play.
Boca is led on the mound by the two-headed monster that is Jagger McCoy and Mitchell Singer.
The teams advancing from 9A-10 will face familiar foes from 9A-9 in the regional quarterfinals.
District Eleven
This district has one of the state favorites at the top. The Douglas Eagles dealt with the loss of ace Jesus Luzardo, and have not missed a beat. Outside of a tight 1-0 loss in the HSBN March Madness Shootout, Douglas has been nearly flawless in 2016. The Eagles went undefeated in district play, and have the top hitter in the district in Colton Welker (.524).
The Eagles also have Brandon Kaminer, who has filled in superbly for Luzardo as the teams ace through the second half of the season. Kaminer has an ERA under 1.5. Douglas will play the winner of the play-in game on Monday between Monarch and Deerfield Beach. The Bucks won the latest meeting between the two teams.
The two versus three match-up is one that has played over and over through the years. Taravella and Coral Springs have been rivals for decades, many times meeting in district play with the chance to end each others season, and that will again be the case next week. The winner will move on, while the losing team will be left contemplating what could have been.
Taravella is led by Henry Matias’ bat, hitting .434, and trailing only Welker in the district batting average race. On the mound, Preston Clark has nearly 40 strikeouts on the year.
Coral Springs has one of the most underrated pitchers in the county in Max Lazar. The junior has turned heads with some strong performances, including a semifinal win over Georgetown in the HSBN March Madness Silver Bracket. Austin Smith has added a .400 average for the Colts.
District Twelve
Flanagan has been the class of 9A-12 all season long, and they only improved their high profile state ranking with a victory last week over HSBN #1 Archbishop McCarthy. The Falcons have both the offense and defense to make a strong state title run, and their 8-0 record indicates they may not have much trouble getting out of districts.
The only thing that may make Falcon fans queasy is the way their first round match-up has played them this season. Western lost a tough 4-3 game to Flanagan early in the year, before going down 6-3 in the latter battle. The Wildcats are one of the few four seeds in 9A that have a legitimate shot at upsetting the districts top team.
Cypress Bay and West Broward have been the epitome of inconsistency in 2016. The Lightning and Bobcats have both at times looked like teams that could make a deep run in the playoffs. The inconsistency, however, has led to both teams approaching this regional play-in game with caution.
The district 12 teams that advance will both have tough match-ups with District 11 opponents in the regional quarters.
Region 4
District Thirteen
Hialeah Gardens has been one of the pleasant surprises in the 2016 season. The Gladiators will head into the playoffs with a perfect 8-0 district record. That record and their handling of district opponents makes them the clear favorites in 9A-13. Should Gardens get out of districts, that is where there may be some cause for concern, as they are only 5-5 in games played against teams out of their district. Their semifinal game will be against Dr. Krop.
The Gladiators are led by Allen Barrios and his .440 average. Barrios also leads the district in stolen bases with 13. Dr. Krop’s speed is provided by Jason Girardi, with nine stolen bases.
In the other semifinal, it will be American at Hialeah. They both are limping into the playoffs, with Hialeah 2-3 in their last five, and American having lost four of five.
Offensively, Jose Chavez leads the district with a .480 average for American. Hialeah’s John Venegas has been equally impressive, hitting .467.
On the mound, Marco Ruiz and Eddy Nodarse of Hialeah Gardens, and Tyler Morales of American, all have ERAs under two. Wesley Foster from Dr. Krop leads the district in Ks with 41.
District Forteen
While Hialeah Gardens has impressed, no team in 9A has surprised more than Coral Park. Manager Juan Carnicero’s crew has rolled along this season to the tune of a 16-7 record. The Rams’ 7-1 district record has them as the top seed. They will face Miami Beach in the semifinals. Erwing Hernandez, Bran Socorro, and Axel Gomez are hitting .451, .439, and .433 respectively. Edislandy Agusti has an ERA of 0.41 on the season. Anthony Vazquez leads the district with six wins for the Rams.
The other semifinal pits Miami Senior versus Coral Gables. The two teams both bring a little momentum into the playoffs, and both have improved since the start of the year. It would be of little surprise if one of these teams could sneak in and steal the district title away from Coral Park.
The two teams that advance out of District 14, are headed towards a collision with the top teams from District 13.
District Fifteen
The Columbus Explorers are the defending 8A champions, but they will not get to defend their title thanks to realignment. Instead, Columbus will try to be the first team ever to win a state title in 9A. In order to do so, the Explorers will first have to navigate a district that has several potentials for first round upsets. Columbus, the second seed in 9A-15, will face Braddock in the semis.
The Explorers will try to avoid a semifinal upset by sending ace Andy Arguelles to the mound. Arguellas holds a 1.08 ERA, and has a whopping 75 strikeouts. For Braddock, Nelson Alvarez has been a horse of his own on the mound, accumulating 56 strikeouts.
The other semifinal will feature Southwest, the top seed, and the winner of the Varela and Ferguson quarterfinal. Jason Grana leads the Eagles, as he brings an 0.24 ERA into the semifinal matchup.
Offensively, it is Varela’s Andres Artola that leads the district with a .387 average, exemplifying how strong the pitching in the district has been. Grana has been the offensive catalyst for Southwest as well, hitting .373. Danny Cruz leads the district with 27 hits for the Eagles.
District Sixteen
While District 16 may be the farthest South in 9A, it certainly may provide the most balanced and entertaining semifinal round. South Dade is currently the top team in Miami, and comes in at #5 in the HSBN Rankings. The Buccaneers have been a model of consistency, as they attempt to bring Manager Fred Burnside back to the state Final Four. With only two losses, there is not much room for error from any team looking to upset South Dade and send them home early.
Southridge is the team that is saddled with that task. If there is any team equipped with pulling the upset, its the Spartans, who handed South Dade one of their two losses. Southridge is led on the mound by a shutdown pitcher in Ralph Fernandez. Giovanni Fernandez, Alek Manoah, and Kendrick Pico from South Dade join Fernandez as the other pitchers in the district with ERAs under one.
The other semifinal match-up is equally intriguing. Killian will face off with Palmetto. The Cougars and Panthers took turn shutting each other out on their home fields. With the Panthers being host to the district tournament, it gives them the home field advantage, and they also are the two-seed, giving them the home advantage in the game as well.
Considered by many to be one of the top districts in the state, another crazy two semifinal games are expected next week down South.
***Editor’s Note: All stats used in this article were from the time of publication. They may have changed slightly since then.
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