After graduation depleted the ranks of Harmony’s 2025 baseball team that reached the regional finals, Longhorns coach Heath Williams knew that returning players Jadiel Perez and Angel Medina would have to step up and carry the load for his talented but untested young team.
Both players put together great years, as Harmony repeated as Orange Belt Conference and district champions, and also winning a regional quarterfinal before falling to powerful Vero Beach in the semis.
Although both players were instrumental in Harmony’s success, Perez stands out as the Osceola News-Gazette Baseball Player of the Year.
“We lost so many good players from the year before and we got off to a rough start,” Williams said. “I really felt both Jadiel and Angel may have felt some pressure and thought they had to do it all. But after a couple of weeks, they instilled some confidence in younger guys and things started to click. I felt either guy could have been our MVP.
“Jadiel was just a great influence on our team. Led by example, worked his tail off and was a great teammate. He has a bright future.”
Perez posted good numbers, leading the team with 32 hits including seven doubles, four home runs and 21 RBI; while stealing 17 bases, scoring a team leading 32 runs and playing solid defense. “Other than the series loss to Vero, I really felt my senior year could not have gone better. We had some talented guys who were willing to work hard. To me the whole season was about having fun,” Perez said. “You can’t really excel at this game if you can’t enjoy playing it. That’s the attitude I took all season and I’m happy if it influenced our younger guys.” Perez will continue his career at the next level, having signed with Northwest Florida State College in Niceville—a solid program with a winning record. “The goal is to keep improving and get better,” Perez says. “The ultimate dream is to play professionally, and this is the next step.” Although Perez is the choice for Player of the Year, several other county stars certainly deserved consideration— including Medina. Playing next to Perez, the senior hit .318, knocked in 26 runs and stole 16 bases.
St. Cloud, who started the season with 12 consecutive wins, won 18 on the year and pushed the Longhorns to the brink in a regional quarterfinal (6-5 loss), had several candidates.
They included sophomore catcher Samuel Quijada (.397 BA, 1.041 OPS, .988 fielding percentage) and junior first baseman/DH Jose Alvarado (.394 batting average).
Bulldogs pitcher Rafael Martiez (1.81 ERA, 52 Ks in 38.1 innings) and Tohopekaliga shortstop and freshman Santiago Montero (.492 BA, 16 stolen bases) also received consideration.
Harmony led all county teams with six selections to the 20-man ONG All-County Team; St. Cloud had five. The team included 12 under classmen, including nine freshmen and sophomores.
All-County Baseball
Player of the Year: Jadiel Perez, Harmony, Sr., SS (.376 Avg., 17 SB)
All-County Team
St. Cloud:
Jose Alvarado, Jr., 1B/DH (.394 BA, 25 RBI)
Adrian Caradarro, So., DH/OF (.410 BA/18 RBI)
Jack Ewalt, Sr., P (2.20 ERA, 65Ks, 41.1 IP)
Rafael Martinez, So., P (1.81 ERA)
Samuel Quijada, So., C (.397 BA)
Tohopekaliga
Dylan Arroyo, Sr., 3B (.453 BA, 16 SB)
Samuel Isturiz, Sr., P/INF (.317 BA, 2.17 ERA)
Santiago Montero, Fr., SS (.492 BA)
Osceola
Josber Freitez, Sr., P (42 Ks/33 IP, 1.32 ERA)
Jeremiah Guerra, Fr., INF (.357 BA, 13 SB)
Jacob Ramos, P (38Ks/26 IP, 2.65 ERA)
Harmony
Trevin Bean, Jr., P (3 wins)
Riley Bonini, So., P (2.14 ERA, 3 Wins, 1 Save)
Angel Medina, Sr., 3B (.318 Avg., 26 RBI)
Elijah Ramirez, Fr., UTL (.314 BA, 22 RBI)
Raul Romay, So., P (3.62 ERA, 5 Wins, 2 Saves)
Gateway
Maicol Santiago, Sr., P (1.78 ERA, 90K/55 IP)
Diego Vazqueztell, Sr., P/INF (2-0, 9 SB)
Celebration
Derek Velez, So., UTL (.327 BA, .533 OBP)
Coach of the Year: Heath Williams, Harmony
