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Senior Nick Palmi, who plays shortstop and pitches, returns to lead Osceola as it seeks a second consecutive district title. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Celebration, Harmony, Osceola and Tohopekaliga all come off a highly successful seasons. The Longhorns captured the Orange Belt Conference championship and the Kowboys made a deep postseason run.
The OBC tournament will be April 8-12.
CELEBRATION
Coach Ed Kuzma (5th year, 14-7-1 in 2023)
Outstanding talent returns both on the mound and in the field, including top pitchers Santiago Gonzalez, Sebastian Rivera and Cody Bergeron. That trio went 7-2 last season, with a combined sub-2 ERA. When not pitching, Bergeron was a starting at first base, where he hit .397 with 17 RBI. Alejandro Hernandez was one of the top hitters in the county (.542) while leading the team in runs (25) and hits (39) and will anchor the outfield. The Storm’s top newcomer is Venezuelan junior David Sevilla.
Kuzma: “We return our starting nine, but unfortunately we have added little depth in the off-season. We may add a few more players but we will continue to work to get the job done with what we have. If we can draw the best out of those returning players, we could establish some new school records. Staying healthy and maintaining our focus will be paramount to our success.”
GATEWAY
Coach Edgardo Vazqueztell (1st year)
A historically-strong Panther program has fallen on tough times (2-14 in ’23) . Vazqueztell hopes to reverse the trend but it may take some time as he will field one of the county’s younger teams. Middle infielders Diego Vazqueztell (SS) and Kaleb Bermudez (3B) return after starting as freshmen. Carlos Gonzalez will provide senior leadership in the outfield. Senior pitchers Jack Mauck and Kendall Weisberg averaged close to a strikeout per inning (46Ks in 53.1 IP) with little run support. Junior newcomers Romeo Delgado and Noah Golshan are versatile Panthers who could play several positions.
Vazqueztell: “As one of the younger teams in the county our main goal is to compete every night and continue building our program. We have a good mix of returning and new players and we will play hard every single game. Bringing Gateway back to one of the better teams in the county will be our longterm goal.”
HARMONY
Coach Heath Williams (5th year, 14-13, OBC champions, regional qualifier)
Longhorns pitcher/ shortstop Cade Scarborough (drafted 6th round by Texas Rangers) is a pro now. Top returners include All-County selections Cade Walter (.391, 15 RBI), Yathaniel Matos (.342) and Sam Castillo (.342, team-leading 31 hits). Evan Christ (5-0, 2.54 ERA) and Ismeal Rivera (2.33) return to the mound. Anthony Medina transferred back after a year at Lake Nona. Junior Alexavier Lebron saw limited action on the mound but could become a key contributor.
Williams: “We have an extremely focused group of returning players. We return all our defensive starters from last year, and have added some outstanding newcomers to compete for starting roles. Our pitching staff is solid, but just lack varsity experience. There are several good teams in the county this year, but if we stay healthy and compete to our potential, we could be one of those teams competing for the OBC title.”
LIBERTY
2023 Record: 11-11 Head Coach: Coach Zach Tayes (4th year, 11-11)
Two weeks before the start of the season Tayes learned four transfers were denied eligibility and four other potential starters left the team, leaving Tayes with just four players with varsity experience from 2023. Matt Sosa and David Jimenez, a pair of two-way players, will now lead the Chargers. Tayes, the 2023 OBC Coach of the Year, is hopeful some young players will step up and fill the void.
Tayes: “With 10 expected contributors leaving just before the start of the season for various reasons, we will have to call up players from the JV team to fill the spots. The majority of team will now consist of underclassman. Hopefully we are able to be compete and watch the younger players develop.”
OSCEOLA
Coach Nikko Martell (1st Season, 16-10 under Scott Birchler)
Longtime Kowboy Birchler stepped down and former Tohopekaliga manager Martell moved cross-town to replace him. A young team will still have talent, including senior Nick Palmi, who hit .383 with 13 extra base hits and 20 RBI. Catcher Yamil Santiago and infielder Jason Ramos (.429, 21 RBI) also return. The pitching staff was depleted by graduation, but Palmi can start or relieve (1-1, 4.34 ERA). He’s joined on the mound by Joshua Coloma.
Martell: “I’m I find myself ending every practice pointing out how hard the group worked that day and commending them for their commitment to improving daily. Every baseball coach knows that there is no escaping the occasional boring practice, but these players treat every practice the exact same and bring a level of focus and intensity that is contagious. We have set some team goals that are challenging but definitely attainable with the kind of work ethic these players display day in and day out. We want to continue the winning culture that has always existed at OHS while also focusing on our players academics, a goal set forth by Principal Santiago that I support whole-heartedly.”
POINCIANA
Coach Derek Petrangeli (3rd year, 2-14)
A young squad that does have some talent is led by junior 3B/P Francisco Rodriguez. Edric Perez appears to be the No. 2 pitcher; while junior Chris Dawkins and Angel Jiminez will join Rodriguez providing the bulk of the Eagle offense. A pair of freshmen—Diego Vellejo (2B/SS) and Angel Moreno (P/SS)–may not only make the varsity but battle for starting positions.
Petrangeli: “We graduated 10 seniors. This year’s team is a lot younger and we look to build on that both this year and the seasons to come. We also were blessed with sophomores and juniors who performed well for us last year and stayed with the program. We look to gain in our win column and get to .500. We also look to improve on our selfinflicted wounds like errors and missing base signs. Our off- season work was really improved, along with the added dedicated coaching staff so our goals are more than achievable.”
ST. CLOUD
Coach James Blackmore (4th year, 8-12)
Graduation hit the Bulldogs hard last spring and head coach, so Blackmore will construct his team around two-way sophomore Sebastian Echeverry, who got valuable varsity experience last year). Josh Bejarano and Damian Brooks are looked to help carry the offense. Javier Suriel will be the No. 2 pitcher. Newcomers Drew Kelley is expected to compete for an outfield spot while freshman catcher Sammy Echeverry could win the job. Blackmore: “We are a young team after graduating 10 regulars. Some talented transfers and some promising young talent should allow us to be competitive in the county. Our goal is to get better each week, each practice and each game.”
TOHOPEKALIGA
Coach Armando Perez (1st year, 12-7 under Martell)
Perez had a 10-0 season with the Tigers JV squad, leading Talented varsity players returning include Hudson Moberly (.537 BA) and Doug Pena (.438) and pitchers Tyler Sheffield and Eliah Urena. Newcomers Fernando Ferrer (3B) and Efran Blanco (SS) should be major contributors.
Perez: “Our program is young but we should be competitive on all three levels (freshman, JV, varsity). We have a lot of veterans who know what it takes to be competitive and we will be tested with a challenging schedule. Players are buying into our program and we are seeing a positive progress in changing the narrative.”
