Florida: High school baseball roundup

As the 2009-10 baseball season comes to end in Florida’s south region, many area teams prepare for their chance at a state championship within their respective classifications. Three teams from the region are ranked among the state’s top 10, according to Maxpreps Xcellent 25 Baseball Rankings presented by the National Guard.

American Heritage (Plantation) represents the region as one of the top programs in the country. The Patriots (20-5-1), ranked No. 5 in the state, have won five out of their last seven games while averaging seven runs per game throughout that stretch. Juniors Brandon Sedell and Jimmy Nesselt are huge parts of the Patriots' success this season. Sedell (6-foot, 210 pounds), a catcher and one of the nation’s best, put up some impressive numbers this year for Heritage, including a .658 batting average (48 hits in 73 at bats) with 39 RBI and eight home runs. Nesselt (6-2, 230), a righty, has an ERA of 0.91 with 68 strikeouts (53 2/3 IP) and an 8-1 record. The Patriots are not strangers to the national stage after cruising to a 31-2 record, including the Class 3A state title and a mythical national championship in 2008. Heritage will play the winner ofthe Pompano Beach-Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale) game on Thursday in District 14-3A championship.

Flanagan (Pembroke Pines), one of the region's top teams, won back-to-back Class 6A state championships in 2005 and 2006 and is currently ranked No. 7 in Florida. The Falcons (19-2) enter district play coming off a five-game win streak, while outscoring its opponents 30-16 throughout the run. Senior centerfielder Geoffrey Jimenez leads the way for Flanagan with a total of 28 runs scored and 13 stolen bases this season. Senior pitcher Justin Machado is also a big part of the Falcons’ success this season after recording a 7-0 record by pitching 37 1/3 innings with 42 strikeouts and a 1.3 ERA. Junior first baseman Michael Melendez has also contributed with a .475 batting average and 28 hits out of 59 at-bats. The Falcons play Western (Davie) in their first District 12-6A game on Tuesday.

Florida Christian (Miami), ranked No. 9 in the state, just saw a nine-game win streak snapped in a 3-4 loss to Doral Academy. The Patriots (20-3) were one of the top teams in the region this year, while defeating some of the area’s most notable programs, including Columbus (Miami) (3-0) and Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale) (2-1). Senior pitcher Bryan Radziewski is one of the top pitchers in Florida recording 89 strikeouts (leads Miami-Dade County) in 48 innings with an ERA of 0.57 and a 7-1 record. The Patriots are also ranked No. 23 in the nation, according to the Maxpreps Xcellent 25 Baseball National Rankings presented by the National Guard.

Gulliver Prep (Miami) is also one of the top teams in the region. The Raiders (20-5) enter district play with one of highest-scoring programs in Florida's south region, averaging close to 10 runs per game. Sophomore standout Chris Chinea (5-10) leads the Raiders with a .627 batting average (No. 2 in Dade County) with 31 RBI and six homers. Centerfielder Ricky Eusebio, also a sophomore, has done his share in helping the Raiders succeed with a .500 batting average, 19 RBI and 18 stolen bases.

Notable players: Manny MacHado, Brito (Miami), .689, 11 HR, 49 RBI; Nick Castellanos, Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale), .530, 36 RBI, 19 stolen bases; Gabby De Varona, West Broward, .632; Tyrone Beasley, Norland (Miami), 33 stolen bases; David Thompson, Westminster Christian (Miami), 12 home runs; Andy Suarez, Columbus (Miami), 78 strikeouts; Ronald Lozada, Ferguson (Miami), 75 strikeouts.

The Dr. Krop (Miami) girls tennis team won its fourth straight team state title on Monday. The team swept the Class 4A quarter and semifinals, in team singles competition, and also won both of its quarterfinal matches in doubles to seal its fourth consecutive state title. Aikemi Maehama, Sonya Latycheva, Shea Brodsky, Cassie Pough and Sara Pravder all contributed to the win.

After reaching the 1,000-strikeout milestone, South Walton standout Shelby Watson continues her dominance on the mound as her team secured its District 2-2A championship last week. Watson, a senior, pitched a 10-inning one-hitter with 17 strikeouts to solidify the defense as Sam Snider, a junior, complemented Watson’s performance by hitting the game-winning home run in the 10th inning. It was Snider’s first home run of her career.

This week’s top individual performance award goes to Coral Glades standout Adam Bosworth. Bosworth, a senior, helped the Jaguars to a 10-0 win over Hallandale in one of the rarest fashions in baseball history, on any level. Bosworth, who mainly plays second base, aided his team’s win by playing all nine positions that night.