Top talent returns to diamond
Three area teams won state titles last year, and that could be a trend.
- Story updated at 4:49 AM on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009
DISTRICT PREVIEWS
DISTRICT 1-6A Teams: Fletcher, Mandarin, Orange Park, Sandalwood and Gainesville Buchholz. Three to watch: Fletcher P Scott Sitz, Sr.; Sandalwood OF Dalton Dixon, Jr.; Mandarin P Tony Mollica, Jr. Outlook: This is a deep district that should produce consistent thrillers. Mandarin might be the most improved area team this year.
DISTRICT 3-5A Teams: Bartram Trail, White, Englewood, First Coast, Fleming Island, Lee, Parker and Wolfson. Three to watch: Wolfson SS/P Evan Edayan, Sr.; Parker P/OF Kyle Bright, Sr.; Fleming Island P/OF Chris Roper, Sr. Outlook: Wolfson and Parker appear to be the top two teams.
DISTRICT 3-4A Teams: Baker County, Bradford, Clay, Middleburg, Ridgeview, Alachua Santa Fe and Suwannee. Three to watch: Baker County SS Travis Tyson, Sr.; Middleburg 3B/P Tony Cannaday, Sr.; Suwannee SS Dalton Wigelsworth, Sr. Outlook: Baker County looks to make a strong push. The Wildcats welcome back infielder Chad Schroeer, who missed last season with an injury after a standout sophomore campaign.
DISTRICT 4-4A Teams: Bishop Kenny, Forrest, Jackson, Paxon, Raines and Stanton. Three to watch: Bishop Kenny P Neil McClellan, Sr.; Stanton P/C Garrett Bush, Sr.; Bishop Kenny OF Ben Gamel, Jr. Outlook: The defending state champion Crusaders are an overwhelming favorite to win the district title.
DISTRICT 5-4A Teams: Creekside, Matanzas, Menendez, Nease, Palatka, Ponte Vedra, Port Orange Atlantic and St. Augustine. Three to watch: Palatka P/INF Brandon Lee, Sr.; Nease IF Justin McKenna, Sr.; Creekside C Ladson Montgomery, Jr. Outlook: Palatka will try to recapture the chemistry of last year's final four team.
DISTRICT 4-3A Teams: Bolles, Baldwin, Bishop Snyder, Episcopal, Fernandina Beach, Trinity Christian, West Nassau and Yulee. Three to watch: Bolles OF Niko Fraser, Sr.; Fernandina Beach C Jeff Day, Sr.; Episcopal P Ryan Heinz, Sr. Outlook: Fernandina Beach, Bolles and Episcopal seem to have an edge over the field.
DISTRICT 6-2A Teams: Arlington Country Day, Hilliard, Providence, St. Joseph, St. Johns Country Day and University Christian. Three to watch: Providence P Kyle Webb, Sr.; Providence SS Bradley Goodson, Sr.; ACD SS Steve Brock, Sr. Outlook: Providence might be better than last year, when it rolled to the state crown.
DISTRICT 4-1A Teams: Eagle's View, First Coast Christian, Gainesville St. Francis and Mandarin Christian. Three to watch: Eagle's View C/P Austin Maddox, Sr.; Eagle's View IF Matt Bergquist, Sr.; Mandarin Christian P/SS Josh Tylski, Jr. Outlook: Eagle's View is the most dominant team in the state in its respective classification.
Six baseball teams in Florida won state titles last season. Jacksonville accounted for half of the total. Bishop Kenny, Providence and Eagle's View all hoisted championship trophies last year. The three squads combined to outscore their playoff opposition 165-41 in 19 games.
Will Jacksonville's strong grip on the state slip? Don't bet on it.
Bishop Kenny, the king of Class 4A, returns its top three pitchers in Neil McClellan, Weston Hoekel and Jason Jabour. The Crusaders outscored their opposition in the playoffs last season 46-12 in six games.
Providence scored 27 more runs (37-10) than its foes in seven Class 2A postseason contests. The Stallions bring back their ace in Kyle Webb, as well as sure-handed shortstop and heavy hitter Bradley Goodson.
Eagle's View romped to the Class 1A crown, outscoring its opponents 82-19 in six games. The Warriors welcome back bluechip talents in catcher/pitcher Austin Maddox and infielder Matt Bergquist.
It figures to be another banner year for each school.
"Some of the best teams in the state are right here in town," Bishop Kenny coach Tommy Edwards said.
Edwards' club will be aiming for its third state crown in eight years. The Crusaders won a state title in 2002. This season, BK seems primed to do what the '03 squad couldn't - repeat. McClellan, Hoekel and Jabour combined for 22 victories last season.
BK also brings back centerfielder Ben Gamel, who batted .475 with 23 RBI as a sophomore.
"Ben continues to get better and better," Edwards said. "That's hard to imagine after the season he had last year."
The same statement could apply to Providence's Webb. He posted a 0.80 earned-run average and had 10 victories.
"That win total is so misleading," Providence coach Mac Mackiewitz said. "There were several games where we jumped out to a big lead, and Kyle left after just a couple of innings. He wouldn't pitch long enough to qualify for the victory."
Joining Webb are returning pitchers Justin Russell and Tyler Martin, who combined to win 12 games. They'll try to pitch the Stallions to a third state championship in the past seven seasons.
Eagle's View relies on its high-powered offense. Maddox hit .511 last season with 68 RBI. Bergquist scored 50 runs and drove in 40. The duo helped Eagle's View average nearly 14 runs a game in the playoffs.
This season, the Warriors' quest will be to claim a fourth state crown in five years and pull off a three-peat.
"We're going to let our talent take us as far as it can," said first-year Eagle's View coach Terrance Freeman. "We going to see if we can three-peat."
hays.carlyon@jacksonville.com (904) 359-4377
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