Archbishop McCarthy Wins HSBN First Pitch Elite Title

For Archbishop McCarthy and North Broward Prep, 2024 represented what was likely to be two different paths to a possible state title run. The Mavericks came into the season with a young, inexperienced team, expected to take some lumps early as they build towards a title run.

North Broward Prep, on the other hand, is loaded with returning talent that has been on the biggest stage and has succeeded, some of whom winning titles already with the Eagles.

So that backdrop makes what happened on Saturday afternoon all the more noteworthy. The Mavericks went on the road in the championship game of the HSBN First Pitch Elite tournament and looked like the more veteran and poised team, defeating North Broward Prep 5-2, capturing the tourney title.

“I am proud of the way our guys played all week, and especially today,” said Mavericks Manager Aaron Vorachek. “That is an excellent team over there, a team that is going to win a state title this year. So to come in here and keep the pressure on like we did, it was a great way to start the season.”

The Eagles played an uncharacteristic game, making four errors on the afternoon. For a team that has traditionally played great defense and came up with timely hitting, the game seemed more like an outlier, than one that will become the norm.

“Very uncharacteristic game for us today,” said Eagles Manager Brian Campbell. “It’s very hard to beat good teams when you give them four or five outs an inning. They did a good job capitalizing on our mistakes today, and they played better than us. They deserved to win the championship today.”

The Mavericks used a trio of young pitchers on the afternoon to keep the high powered NBL offense off balance. German Ferreira went 2.2, allowing only one earned run. He then was relieved by Nick Miller, who carried the Mavericks through the middle of the game with 3.2 of three hit ball. Miller struck out four.

Sophomore Robert Kerns came in and closed the game out by throwing the final 2/3 innings.

“The guys on the mound did a tremendous job today,” said Vorachek. “Those are young guys that haven’t been in those situations before. So to see them come through like they did, was exciting.”

The Mavericks had their share of exciting games in the tournament, opening up with an 8-5 win over perennial Palm Beach power American Heritage-Delray. They then went and defeated Miami Christian, a team that has won three state titles in the past six years, 11-6. In North Broward Prep, the Mavs defeated a team that has been to three straight state final fours, winning two of them.

The most impressive part of the first week run for Archbishop, is they won all three games against these powerhouse teams, on the road.

“I would be lying if I said that seeing this week’s schedule, I would have predicted this outcome,” said Vorachek. “I knew we had a young talented team, but when you see a line of state champions, you never know what to expect from a young team. These guys had a great first week, and it is a good way to set the tone for the rest of the season.”

On the other side, Campbell understands that the season is a marathon, and not a sprint.

“We didn’t win today, but we had a week where we went 2-1 against some top competition, so I will always take that as a positive” said Campbell. “It’s a long season, and for us, getting to the finish line healthy and playing our best baseball at the end is always the goal. Having a game like this early can maybe help get us refocused on the fundamentals and what it takes to compete at the highest level.”

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