Douglas Claims 7A-13 Title, Fitz-Gerald Reaches 500 Wins

It seems like a new record is broken every time the Stoneman Douglas Eagles add to their incredible 46-game winning streak, but the latest milestone reached by the program is a major one for manager Todd Fitz-Gerald.

Douglas’ 12-2 district final victory over the Boca Raton Bobcats on Wednesday was win No. 500 for Fitz-Gerald, who has established himself as not only one of the best coaches in the state but nationwide as well. It only took 1,501 days for Fitz to get from 400 to 500, which is an absurd pace that also includes a lost season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and missed regular season games this year because of flooding in the area.

Despite some of the scorelines along the way, winning these last 100 games hasn’t always come easy for the Eagles. Fitz-Gerald manages to get the very best from his club every night out, but there was something special in the air from the very start on Wednesday. Four players went deep, including Fitz-Gerald’s son, Devin, in the second inning.

“It was (special),” Fitz-Gerald said before being showered by an ice-cold cooler. “Especially to do it with my son. I got 400 with Hunter, and I got 500 with (Devin), so it’s definitely truly special.”

Devin missed time last year with a thumb injury and is in the middle of his first true postseason run under his father as a junior. The North Carolina State commit was slashing .393/.524/.721 with five home runs coming into the district final.

Although he’s been solid all year, Fitz-Gerald rarely is the subject of praise after games. That was far from the case Wednesday night, though, when the senior Fitz-Gerald opened up about how proud of his son’s work ethic he truly is.

“He had a tough go last year,” Fitz-Gerald said. “He missed the whole last year and the whole summer. Really worked hard to get back this year, and nobody works harder than him. He’s at the gym every night after practice. He’s going to have a great career and play the game for a long time. Couldn’t be happier for him. You always give credit to other guys, but he deserves it.”

Fitz-Gerald’s big fly was a no-doubter off the bat, but he says he wasn’t sure the ball went out until the umpires began twirling their fingers in the air. Seeing his dad at third base as he rounded the bases during the playoffs was an unforgettable moment, though.

“I wasn’t trying to (hit a home run),” Devin Fitz-Gerald said. “I was just trying to see something up in the zone. He told me before, he said before the game, ‘Do something special tonight for my 500th,’ so it put a little — not pressure but motivation to do something good. I got a pitch up and I drove it.”

In addition to Fitz-Gerald, Christian Rodriguez, Matt Ossenfort and Niko Benestad homered as well. Rodriguez’s was the first of the night and served as the cork of the champagne bottle, so to speak. Once Rodriguez popped a ball over the right-center wall, the runs never stopped flowing, and it was certainly a celebratory occasion.

Rodriguez has had plenty of big moments throughout his four years in the program, but being a part of Fitz-Gerald’s 500th win will definitely be one of his top memories as an Eagle.

“It’s definitely a top-five moment in my career,” Rodriguez said. “I can call (Fitz-Gerald) my second dad. I’ve known him forever. Devin is like a little brother to me. It’s special, and knowing that this is the team to do it. We’ve had such a great year. It’s just like the cherry on top of everything. We came into this game with a goal: get Coach Fitz his 500th. He does everything he can for us, and we do everything we can for him in return. It’s a special feeling.”

Following a five-spot in each of the first two innings, Douglas began to sub in the reserve players. Rodriguez’s three runs batted in led the team and Fitz-Gerald and Rylan Lujo each scored a team-high three times.

Junior right-hander Jayden Dubanewicz got the start for the Eagles and struck out four while giving up one run on three hits. His night ended after just three innings, but that had more to do with the comfortable lead than anything else. Behind Rodriguez, Dubanewicz has been the team’s best arm. Both Florida-bound righties will be relied on heavily in the upcoming weeks to win a third-straight state championship.

Freshman Luke Cherry closed out the final two innings of the game for Douglas. He struck out the first four batters he faced but got a little wild in the bottom of the fifth and loaded the bases. A run scored on a two-out single to shortstop, but Cherry got a fifth punchout to keep the 10-run lead intact.

At the start of this game, Fitz-Gerald was as fired up as he’s ever been. That kind of emotion doesn’t typically come out until the team gets to Fort Myers, but it was evident that this one meant a lot to the veteran skipper. Of course, the team responded to his zeal accordingly. As a head coach, there’s no greater sense of pride than when your team delivers after you ask them to.

“It says they believe,” Fitz-Gerald said. “They believe in what we’re doing. They believe in what we’re talking about. They believe in what we’re teaching them. And more importantly, they’re just a really good group of kids. I wouldn’t have had 500 if I didn’t have players like this or coaches. My coaches are phenomenal. I have the best staff in the country. We’re just very fortunate right now and we’ve got a good thing going.”

Fitz-Gerald’s winning ways don’t appear to be coming to an end anytime soon, either. Douglas can reach the 50-win mark and close out a perfect season with another state championship, and the next generation of talent is looking just as good as the current roster.

“I think our freshman class is really good,” he said. “And the incoming class is supposed to be pretty good. We have a lot of tradition here at the school, and everybody wants to play for us. We just do a good job with our kids. We develop them, and I think that’s what parents are looking for.”

The road to No. 600 begins next week for Fitz-Gerald as Douglas continues its postseason run with the 7A Region 4 tournament. There’s no doubt that the team will celebrate the historic achievement over the weekend, but then it’s right back to business.

“Job’s not finished,” Rodriguez said. “It’s not finished until we get to Fort Myers and we’re holding up that trophy.”

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