Washington: No. 9 in Preseason Xcellent 25 Baseball Rankings

Back at the helm: Steve Mandl scours what will be his everyday lineup and his eyes gleam. The legendary George Washington coach is back in the dugout again this spring after a one-year suspension for alleged recruiting violations, and he may be greeted by the greatest team he's ever had — certainly the best in the New York City area, and one of the best high school teams in the country.

As a result, George Washington begins the season ranked No. 9 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Preseason National Baseball Rankings.

Washington has a winning tradition that's seen the Trojans win the Manhattan A Conference 25 straight years during one stretch (interrupted by Normal Thomas in 2009) and win their conference title 27 of the last 28 years. But there is a peripheral concern Mandl harbors, just off center in the back of his mind as spring quickly approaches.

"Complacency, I would say right now, is my biggest worry," Mandl admitted. "We have so many kids coming back. We're a little more senior-heavy than usual, with more experience and leadership than we've had in the past. We have five coaches, and if they ever saw me get complacent, they'd kill me. But that's the only fear I ever have, being too complacent. We really want to push and get the best out of everyone this year, especially the seniors. They want to go out winners."



Mandl will have a little something to say about that, too. The feisty coach had his passion taken away before last season, when the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) said that Mandl had violated a league tenet that prohibits a coach from inducing a student to transfer schools for athletic purposes.

Under assistant coach Nick Carbone, the Trojans won the City Championship and finished 45-2 with Carbone winning City Coach of the Year honors by some media outlets.

Watching last year seems to have rekindled an even greater fire than Mandl ever previously had.

He also returns two of the nation's top players, catcher Nelson Rodriguez and outfielder Fernelys Sanchez, two probable high-round draft picks in the June professional draft.

"It's why we're going to constantly need to stay focused this year," Mandl said. "It's going to be more intense than normal because of a million scouts around, plus we're the defending city champions and people will be gunning for us even more. The mantra we go into each season with is 'Bust your butt until the season starts, and the season is a breeze.' No game can be harder than what we do every day. I press them. I don't like complacency. I'm constantly challenging them."

Local look: "They bring back most of their key players, including two All-Americans, and they're going to be a problem for anyone. This could be one of the best teams Steve has ever coached. It's hard to pitch to Washington. They were hard to pitch to last year. They gave us fits. Steve has kids on his bench that could start on most teams in the city. I know his team in my sleep, because they gave me nightmares every year. Coach Mandl is the best. He works real hard and works his kids real hard. They'll be there in the end."
- JP Nerva, former Norman Thomas coach
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School size: Class A

Enrollment: 563

2011 finish: 22-1 Manhattan A Conference Champions, Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL)

Head coach: Steve Mandl

Career record: 901-109

Years at school: 28

Notable players coached:
Manny Ramirez (Indians, Red Sox, Dodgers, White Sox, Rays)
Alex Arias (Marlins, Phillies, Padres, Cubs,Yankees)
Angel Salome (Brewers)
Henry Villar (Astros organization)

No. of starters returning: 8

Key losses:
P Yael Regalado

Key returners:
C Nelson Rodriguez - .452, 10 HR, 51 RBI
CF Fernelys Sanchez - .423, 38-38 SB, 5 HR, 22 RBI
2B Henry Rodriguez - .431, 6 HR, 25 RBI, 29-29 SB
SS Randy Rodriguez - .423, 35-35 DB, 4 HR, 38 RBI
RF Alexis Torres - .386, 21-21 SB, 6 HR, 30 RBI
RHP Kevin Torres - 11-0, 0.64 ERA, 79 K
LHP Reynaldo Hernandez - 8-0, 0.49 ERA, 81 K

Key newcomers:
RHP Edwin Corniel
3B Wesley Rodriguez
INF Marvin Campos
OF Yasmany Gomez

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Fernelys Sanchez, right, and catcher Nelson Rodriguez.

Photo by Denis Gostev

Toughest game: Norman Thomas (New York) is always tough, and the Trojans' traditional rival upset them in 2009, interrupting their run of 25 straight conference titles. Most of the players on Thomas come from the same neighborhood as the players from Washington. Highlighting Washington's tournament season will be the 16-team National High School Invitational in Cary, N.C., from March 28-31. This event is something Mandl is targeting hard. It features Sarasota (Fla.), Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.) and Brookwood (Snellville, Ga.). Then the Trojans will compete in an Easter tournament April 6-11 in New York City, followed by the Northeast Elite Inviational April 27-29 in West Nyack, N.Y.

Local outlook: Norman Thomas, Beacon (New York) and Tottenville (Staten Island), which lost in the Manhattan A finals last year to the Trojans, but beat the Trojans in the A semifinals the previous year, are all competitive teams that should again challenge Washington. But with the firepower the Trojans have this season, it appears the gap between those programs and Washington will be considerably wider this spring. Under Mandl, the Trojans have done exceptionally well in conference play, racking up a 373-18 Manhattan A Conference record. The Trojans will be going for their 28th league title in the last 29 years.

Overall outlook: Mandl has been doing this for a long, long time and this may possibly be his greatest team. "I like that we're really, really balanced," Mandl said. "We have some great arms and great offense. I can't wait to see this team play defense day in and day out. I haven't come against any weaknesses yet, but maybe complacency. We won the three big ones, the Northeast Elite, the Easter tournament and the city championship last year. We have more experience than usual."

Coach quote: "If we perform on the field the way we look on paper, I think if played 50 games, we could go 50-0, and that's with winning a national championship. I really wouldn't be surprised if we did that. We could be that good. We have so much depth. We know most of the positions that are filled. The kids are still hungry, very, very hungry. They're ready for this season. We wish the season would start tomorrow."
- Steve Mandl