Mavericks look to three-peat as Florida state champions with more gap-to-gap offense.
The 2012 Archbishop McCarthy team may not have the ability to mash the ball out of the park like last year's squad. Don't think that will hinder the Mavericks' chances of winning the Florida state title this year.
Photo courtesy of Mavericks Baseball
In terms of sheer accomplishments, Archbishop McCarthy will be hard pressed to equal the success it achieved during the 2011 season. The Mavericks won district and regional titles en route to a second-consecutive Class 4A Florida state baseball championship.
Several ranking organizations rated the Mavericks as the top team in the nation following the 2011 season. In the
final MaxPreps Xcellent 25 of 2011, Archbishop McCarthy finished at No. 5. That's also where they begin the 2012 season in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Preseason Rankings.
The Mavericks lose a considerable amount of power from their offense this season following the graduation of Jose Brizuela (Florida State), Alexander Fernandez (Miami) and Garrett Kennedy (Miami), all sluggers playing at the collegiate level.
Andre Martinez
Photo courtesy of Mavericks Baseball
Yet Archbishop McCarthy head coach Rich Bielski strongly believes the 2012 version of the Mavericks could be even better than its predecessor.
Why so optimistic? The Mavericks return a deep, experienced pitching staff that can stack up with any team in the nation. Left-handed senior Andre Martinez, the ace of the staff and a FSU signee, was the winning pitcher in last season's state final against Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.). Righthander Nick Travieso, who inked with Miami, played for the Team USA 18U squad during the offseason, and Illinois signee Ryan Castellanos gives the Mavericks three quality starting pitchers.
In the bullpen, 6-foot-2, 220-pound sophomore left-handed reliever Brian Gonzalez has wowed scouts with his potential, and Jason Morozowski, a former position player who showed enough of an arm in the offseason to earn a scholarship to Florida International without having pitched in a high school game, will step in as the closer.
The offense might not belt as many home runs this year, Bielski admitted, but it could be just as potent with its speed and gap-to-gap potential.
"The last two years, we've been a very powerful team as far as having big bats and changing a game around with one swing," Bielski said. "The complexion of our team offensively is going to be different, but as the season progresses, we could be even better."
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School Size: 6A (under Florida's new classifications for 2011-12)
Enrollment: 1,403
2011 Finish: 30-3 (Class 4A state champion)
Head coach: Rich Bielski
Nick Basto
Photo courtesy of Mavericks Baseball
Career record: 300-99
Years at school: 4
Notable players coached:Nick Castellanos (regarded as the top position prospect for the Detroit Tigers)
Gio Gonzalez (left-handed starting pitcher for the Washington Nationals)
Key returners:SS/3B
Nick BastoRHP
Ryan CastellanosOF
Adam DuarteLHP/1B
Brian GonzalezC
Michael HernandezLHP/DH
Andre MartinezRHP/2B
Jason MorozowskiUTIL
Brandon RobertsRHP/1B
Nick TraviesoKey losses:RHP/3B Jose Brizuela
RHP/2B Alexander Fernandez
C Garrett Kennedy
UTIL Ivan Santos
CF Chris Thompson
Key newcomers:UTIL
Jonathan Quintana{PAGEBREAK}
Garrett Kennedy (graduated), Andre Martinez and Nick Travieso.
Photo courtesy of Mavericks Baseball
Archbishop McCarthy dropped only three games during its 2011 title run. The Mavericks will have an opportunity to avenge a pair of those losses in a late-season, two-game homestand against American (Hialeah, Fla.) on April 10 and Gulliver Prep (Miami) three days later. Games versus Columbus (Miami), Belen Jesuit (Miami), West Orange (Winter Garden, Fla.), Monsignor Pace (Miami Gardens, Fla.), Hialeah, Florida Christian (Miami) and Key West, along with out-of-state matchups against Jenks (Okla.) and Calvert Hall (Baltimore), will test Archbishop McCarthy throughout during a rugged regular season lineup of formidable foes.
Nick Travieso
Photo courtesy of Mavericks Baseball
Local outlook: Pembroke Pines Charter lost two fairly close games to Archbishop McCarthy in 2011 and appears to be the lone team that could prevent the Mavericks from capturing their fifth-straight district title. In the region, Naples and Barron Collier (Naples, Fla.) present a more difficult path to reach the state tournament than in seasons past. Also, Mater Academy (Hialeah Gardens, Fla.), led by Miami signee and projected first round draft pick Albert Almora, welcomed a handful of newcomers into its program and could be the Mavericks' stiffest competition.
Overall outlook: Archbishop McCarthy may experience a power shortage in 2012, but don't expect that to derail its chances of a Florida state championship three-peat or its ability to maintain a Top 10 national ranking. With the pitching staff the Mavericks have cultivated, they might not need to score too many runs. Look for an aggressive approach on the basepaths from the Mavericks as they will have to generate more offense than in recent seasons.
Coach quote: "As tough as our schedule was last year, (Director of Baseball Operations and former major leaguer) Alex Fernandez even took it to another level this year. Every week, I think we play a team that has some kind of state or national recognition. We just try to go out and create the toughest schedule we can create because we feel it prepares us for the playoffs. That's our goal every year, to win a state championship. We're not really concerned what our record is at the end of the year, nobody remembers that anyway. The only thing anybody remembers is who won a state title."
– Rich Bielski
