-
Osceola shortstop Nick Palmi will be one of the cogs in a young Kowboys lineup. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Last year, Osceola High dominated the local baseball scene, going 8-1 against the county and sweeping through the Orange Belt Conference championship tournament. The Kowboys would ride that momentum to a district championship.
The regular season opens this week, and it promises to be a wide open affair, as graduation and injuries have leveled the playing field and bring several schools into OBC contention.
Here’s a county-wide look:
HARMONY LONGHORNS Head Coach Heath Williams – 2022 Record: 11-16
The Longhorns return one of the top hitters in the state, Cade Walter. He burst on the scene last year with a .515 batting average, 35 hits, 18 RBI, 10 extra base hits, a.598 on base percentage and a .735 slugging percentage—all tops among county players.
Freshman starter Sam Castillo returns from injury healthy and could join outfielder Yathaniel Matos as key everyday players. Angel Ramos, a transfer from the Miami area, will play shortstop.
Seniors Caden Scarborough and Trace Loeding anchor the pitching staff. Junior transfer Justin Negron and sophomore Clayton Williams could also be factors on the mound.
“If our pitching staff stays healthy, we have a chance to be pretty good,” Williams said. “We do have a lot of young players and we will take on an incredibly difficult schedule. The main thing I want to see is improvement on a day-today basis and a willingness to compete against the better opponents.”
OSCEOLA KOWBOYS Head Coach Scott Birchler – 2022 Record 21-6 (OBC, District Champions)
Graduation struck Osceola hard — Danny Ramirez, Blake Birchler, Edwin Melendez and Chris Palmi have moved on. And, projected ace ntonio Melendez went down in the fall with an arm injury and will not play. But Birchler remains optimistic.
“The good news is we have never paid a lot of attention to the regular season – other than to use it to get ready for the playoffs. We don’t have to be good in February and so we have time to mesh everything together for April and May.”
Birchler will count on strong-armed junior shortstop Nick Palmi (.250, 2 HR, 21 RBI) to lead. With the injury to Melendez, Palmi may also see considerable action on the bump, but Birchler is also hopeful Carlos Negron can develop into a top pitcher and that newcomers Josh Coloma and John Rodriguez will form the remainder of the staff.
Jason Ramos and Luis Rodriguez return as dependable starters; while Luis Vargas and Yamil Santiago are a pair of sophomore catchers who have shown promise both behind the dish and at the plate.
“With the injury to Antonio, we have a long way to go,” Birchler said. “It will take some time for this team to come together.”
TOHOPEKALIGA TIGERS Head Coach Nikko Martell – 2022 Record: 10-9
Optimism abounds after Martell led the Tigers to their first winning season in school history last season, and has set the bar higher for ’23.
“With the talent we have coming back, a 15win season our first postseason win is not only a goal but an expectation. We did lose a few talented seniors to graduation those guys were great leaders and became role models for the younger guys. They did a great job preparing them to lead this squad.”
Position players Justin Diaz (.485), Jose Montalvo (.303), Deric Cruz (.333) and Anthony Paradiso (.260) will be regulars, while Montalvo and Tyler Sheffield will anchor the pitching staff. Martell said sophomore newcomers Christian Viali (OF) and Jack Kook (LHP/1B) should also contribute.
“We had a huge turnout for tryouts and a lot of talent came out,” Martell said. “For the first time ever we are going to field a freshman team. Our program is definitely on an upswing.”
LIBERTY CHARGERS Head Coach Zach Tayes - 2022 Record: 15-11
After his school went through eight losing seasons, Tayes needed just two years to turn fortunes around. He hopes to continue building on last year’s momentum.
Although leading hitter Edwin Diaz has transferred and all-county players JC Santos and Yandel Gonzalez have graduated, Tayes returns outstanding players Kenal Crespo (OF), Jay Aponte (P), Omir Santos (C), and Armani Colon (P). Transfer Dylan Hernandez could replace Santos at shortstop and sophomore Adrian Cuadrado appears ready to step in and become an everyday player.
“Our goal is to get to 15 wins again and make some noise in the district tournament,” Tayes noted. “But we don’t want to accomplish that just for ourselves, we want to do it for the school too. Fifteen wins in baseball, it could help change the recent culture and show that the school not only has some good athletes but can also field winning teams.”
CELEBRATION STORM Head Coach: Ed Kuzma – 2022 Record: 9-13
Several promising new players, including Sebastian Rivera (P), Joander Leon (2B/OF), Javier Alcantara (OF/1B) and Luis Velez (3B, P) could become major factors as the Storm hope to improve.
There is some veteran talent returning also, including sophomore catcher Ciro Yanez, the top returning hitter (.308). Cody Bergeron is a veteran that will help the Storm on the mound when he is not starting at first base. Santiago Gonzalez is another arm that will factor into the pitching rotation.
“Because of transfers, we always seem to be rebuilding,” Kuzma said. “This is a good group with no seniors starting opening day. About our only goal and expectation is to give maximum effort and win the inning. If we keep our focus simple, I think we may be happy with the outcome
ST. CLOUD BULLDOGS Head Coach: David Blackmore – 2022 Record: 6-18
St. Cloud did not have a senior in its starting lineup last year, something Blackmore says helps explain last year’s record.
“We were incredibly young last year and lacked some leadership,” Blackmore says. “Those players are now a year older and battle tested, which should definitely make us more competitive.”
Ben Segura returns as both the leading hitter (.339) and top pitcher; while infielders Jorge Vicioso (.288) and Ed Garcia (.273) also return. Freshman Sebastian Echeverry has been impressive in the preseason and will become an everyday contributor for the Bulldogs either on the mound, third base or catcher. Logan King saw significant time at first and on the mound as a freshman last year and will do so again. Also look for pitcher Ayden Hampton to contribute.
“We will be relatively young again and our in a tough district, but I know we will be competitive,” Blackmore said.
GATEWAY PANTHERS Head Coach: Hal Keene – 2022 Record: 4-14
The Panthers will be a “really young team this year” with the entire left side of infield being manned by freshmen: Kaleb Bermudez and Diego Vazqueztell. They will also start freshman Jomar Torres at catcher.
Returning regulars include Kendall Weisberg, Evan Hartsell, Jack Mauck and Andres Champagne.
“Our goals for this year are going to be learning to do the little things right and compete every game.” Keene said.
POINCIANA EAGLES Head Coach: Derek Petrangeli - 2022 Record: 1-16
Top returning players are two-way players Chris Rodriguez and Freilly Parejo (pitcher/infield).
