Jesuit: No. 2 in Preseason Xcellent 25 Baseball Rankings

The past two seasons, Jesuit has fallen in the Florida state title game to Archbishop McCarthy (Southwest Ranches, Fla.), which finished the 2011 season No. 5 in the final MaxPreps Xcellent 25 rankings.

Archbishop McCarthy again figures to be one of the top rated teams nationally in 2012.

The good news for Jesuit? Archbishop McCarthy is no longer in the same classification, thus eliminating a major road block to Jesuit's Florida state title hopes.  

Although with the players returning this season, it's a good possibility Jesuit could eliminate the Mavericks on the diamond without any help from offseason reclassification. As a result, Jesuit starts the season ranked No. 2 in the Xcellent 25 Preseason Rankings.



Jesuit, which finished 27-7 and placed second in Florida's Class 4A in 2011, returns virtually every starter from its state runner-up lineup, save for RBI leader Peter Alonso, who transferred to local Tampa rival Plant. Powering the way is an elite pitching staff featuring 11 players that have started on the mound for the Tigers. Righthander Lance McCullers, a University of Florida signee who has a fastball that's been clocked at 100 mph, could be the nation's top high school player. Junior righthander and North Carolina commit Spencer Trayner struck out 54 batters in 56.1 innings pitched and recorded a 1.74 ERA last season. RHP Conor O'Brien, who inked with North Carolina State in November, was 5-0 and the winning pitcher in Jesuit's state semifinal victory over Hernando (Brooksville, Fla.). Class of 2013 prospect John Kilichowski, a 6-foot-4 southpaw used effectively as a reliever in 2011, recently committed to Vanderbilt.

The batting order reads almost identical as well. Nolan Schultz returns at catcher after batting .431 with nine doubles, three triples and six home runs in 2011. So too does power hitter Max Beermann, who led the Tigers with eight home runs and has signed with Villanova. Add those bats to the hitting prowess of McCullers (.422, 7 home runs), Trayner (.342) and O'Brien (7 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs) and opponents will find few holes in the Jesuit lineup.

Local look: "I think they had at last count seven or eight Division I signees already, and they've already had some juniors commit to some nice schools. They're coached by Richie Warren, who played for me and coached with me. They've got a world of talent. They remind me of some teams that I fielded back in the day where we had guys at a backup position that could start for most of the teams in our area. They've got it going. Everyone's talking about the new stadium, the new talent they have. They'll have to be able to handle all of those expectations."
- Steinbrenner (Lutz, Fla.) head coach John Crumbley, who coached at Jesuit for 22 seasons and led the Tigers to three state titles (1994, 1997, 2000) before stepping down in 2006.
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School size: Florida Class 5A

Enrollment: 650 (All male)

2011 finish: 27-7

Head coach: Richie Warren



Career record: 126-27

Years at school: 6

Notable players coached:
Lance McCullers (MaxPreps Freshman of the Year in 2009; MaxPreps top player in Florida for 2012)
Bobby Eveld (Quarterback at the University of South Florida)

Key returners:
C/1B Joey Altieri
RBP/1B Max Beermann
C/3B/RHP Adrian Chacon
1B Anthony Hamlin
LHP John Kilichowski
OF Vincent Leto
SS/RHP Lance McCullers
RHP/OF Conor O'Brien
OF/1B/RHP Daniel Portales
C/3B Nolan Schultz
SS/RHP Spencer Trayner

Key losses:
1B/3B Peter Alonso (transferred)
C Alec Gutierrez
UTIL Justin Martin

Key newcomers: None
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Toughest opponents: Jesuit will be severely tested by a brutal four-game home stretch in early March against perennial Florida powers, beginning with Florida Class 5A state runner-up Lakeland (March 3). Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton, Fla.) will be looking for revenge March 7 after Jesuit's one-run victory in a regional semifinal playoff game last season. Bolles (Jacksonville, Fla.), which visits Tampa on March 14, missed the playoffs last season but is three years removed from a state championship and two years from a state final appearance. Capping what shapes up to be a pivotal span on March 17 is Gulliver Prep (Miami), a region finalist in 2011. The Jesuit Easter Tournament (April 10-13) will attract Catholic teams from around the nation to Paul Straub Field at Hyer Family Park, Jesuit's year-old, $2 million, 500-seat baseball facility. Backyard rival Tampa Catholic (home Feb. 25; away March 31) always provides a heated challenge in the regular season, although Jesuit swept both games last season.



Local outlook: Jesuit was 12-0 in 2011 against current district opponents, winning by a total margin of 129-12, so advancing to the regional playoff knockout stage should be a foregone conclusion. The region also sets up nicely for Jesuit following redistricting in Florida during the offseason. The only apparent team capable of preventing the Tigers from reaching the state tournament is Dunedin, which last year knocked off Jesuit 8-7 in the regular season.

Overall outlook: Few teams nationally can match the quality and depth of pitching Jesuit will field this season, and it starts with the ace righthander McCullers, who is ranked the nation's No. 1 2012 draft prospect by some publications. Provided the rotation stays healthy and the bats don't fall asleep in the playoffs, Jesuit is the odds-on favorite to capture its first Florida state title since 2000 and fourth overall.

Coach quote: "I think offensively we're pretty balanced. We have some guys that have legitimate power. We have guys that have gap-to-gap power. We have singles and bunt and move over guys. So we're pretty balanced one through nine. Then we have a heck of a bench. This is probably the most depth and probably the most talented team that we've had here in a long time."
– Richie Warren