- November 28, 2024
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The district tournaments start the week of April 22, with regionals shortly after.
BY MATT MENCARINI | SPORTS EDITOR
With the end to the regular season on the horizon, mistakes may soon start costing teams more than an inning or a run; it could cost them their season.
Seabreeze, as of April 9, holds the No. 2 seed in the district tournament. If the season were to end today, the Sandcrabs would play Deltona, the 3-seed, in the first round of the district playoffs.
But the seeding isn’t on coach Anthony Campanella’s mind. The way he sees it, his team, no matter its seed or opponent, just needs to win games in order to control its fate.
“You just never know (what will happen), and that’s what’s great about coaching high school baseball,” Campanella said. “You never know what team is going to show up and who is going to win.”
Father Lopez, by design, has faced a tough schedule all season. The Green Wave have played two state champions and four final four teams, going 2-4 in those games.
“I just want to continue to see toughness,” coach Trevor Berryhill said. “In order to win in the playoffs, you have to have a bunch of tough guys. You're going to see adversity at one point in the game and you have to have tough guys to overcome that.”
The district tournaments are scheduled for the week of April 22, and the first- and second-place teams will advance to the regional tournaments.
Sandcrabs find swagger in depth
The Sandcrabs recently won six consecutive games, but Campanella says they aren’t a finished product ready for the playoffs just yet.
There’s work to be done on defense, he said. The team needs to be more consistent about making the routine plays, to avoid giving opponents four or five outs in an inning.
He credits Dale Tanguilig, along with others, for keeping the team confident and on track while some players have slumped.
“You have your guys that you know are your guys, that you’re going to expect (big) things from,” Campanella said. “When you get production from the other guys, it boosts the whole confidence for the team.”
Tanguilig is one of those players. He’s also among the four seniors who will be recognized April 12, against Pine Ridge, on Senior Night.
Berryhill pleasantly un-surprised by individual performances
Trevor Berryhill, in his second season as the Father Lopez baseball coach, had a pretty good idea what kind of team he had.
He knew seniors like Zach Hawk, Tommy Roache and Matt Deluca were talented. And he saw some new talent, too, arriving to his program for the first time.
So it isn’t a surprise that his team holds the No. 1 seed in the district tournament — especially when some players have exceeded Berryhill's expectations.
Joe Skinner, a freshman, has a .386 batting average in the team’s leadoff spot. Initially, Berryhill wasn’t sure how a 14-year-old would play against 17- and 18-year-olds.
“I knew we had a good one, but you don't know what to expect,” he said. “So that’s been a bit of a surprise — the level he's been able to play at for the whole season.”
Pitcher Sam Shields, who transferred to Father Lopez for his senior season, has a 2.53 ERA through 36 innings pitched. He’s also recorded 35 strikeouts and three wins.
“I wouldn't say I was surprised by Sam,” Berryhill said. “I did some research and called some people, and it was nice to get a senior to come in and be solid.”
Roache has been the team’s biggest threat all season. He leads the Green Wave in batting average and pitching wins.
Before the season started, Berryhill challenged him at the plate to cut down on strikeouts and put the ball in play more often. He wanted Roache to become more of a contact hitter and use his speed to get on base. It's just one way Berryhill's team has made him proud so far this season.
