HIGH-SCHOOL

Prep baseball 2012: New districts, new challenges for county teams

Stuart Korfhage
skorfhage@staugustine.com
Mike Mancini and Nease were 15-13 last season.

Bartram Trail

Coach: Tony Sowers

Last year: 11-15 (lost in district quarterfinals)

District: 5-5A

District opponents: Clay, Creekside

Players to watch: OF/P Connor Marabell, sr.; OF Michael Babb, sr.; P Clay Stowers, sr.; P Jay Stadius, jr.; C Alec Cotton, sr.

Glance: The Bears open the season with some youth at key positions (especially middle infield) but with enough talent to be optimistic. Although it will be hard to replace three-time All-County performer Beau Hilton, Bartram has some arms that will allow it to be competitive. Left-handers Clay Stowers and Jay Stadius will be important members of the staff. Probably the deepest position will be outfield. Michael Babb is coming off his second straight All-County season after batting .421 with six home runs as a junior. Connor Marabell is also back after being an All-County honorable mention pick last year.

Creekside

Coach: Luke Marabell

Last year: 19-9 (lost in district semifinals)

District: 5-5A

Players to watch: INF Reed Melcolm, sr.; P Sean Doyle, sr.; P Kade Rapoza, sr.; INF Patrick Rivera, jr.; OF/P Michael Gray, jr.

Glance: The Knights have just four seniors for the 2012 season, but they will still be as tough to beat as anyone in this small district. Creekside is going to be strong up the middle with shortstop Reed Melcolm returning after hitting .330 with 23 RBIs last year. Transfer Patrick Rivera (Bishop Kenny) will play second and lead off. On the mound, the Knights will be led by seniors Sean Doyle (5-1 last year) and Kade Rapoza. Creekside has won at least 19 games in every season of its existence.

Menendez

Coach: Lee Geiger

Last year: 15-11 (lost in district quarterfinals)

District: 4-5A

District opponents: Nease, Ponte Vedra, Matanzas

Players to watch: SS Avery Romero, sr.; INF Josh Pagliei, jr.; P/INF Aaron Dyson, jr.; INF Colby Ravan, sr.; P/INF Kyler Kazmierski, sr.

Glance: The Falcons are coming off their most successful season in school history and have the benefit of bringing back SS Avery Romero (.458 avg., 5 HRs), who is the best hitter in the county - and maybe North Florida. The problem for Menendez is that Romero will see few hittable pitches, so that will leave a lot of opportunities for hitters with Romero on first or second. Last year, Cole Piagno took advantage of a lot of those chances. The Falcons will need someone else to step forward this season. On the mound, Aaron Dyson and Kyler Kazmierski could emerge as aces.

Nease

Coach: Brian Thomas

Last year: (15-13, lost in regional semifinals)

District: 4-5A

Players to watch: INF Brandon Day, sr.; P/OF Mike Mancini, sr.; INF Andrew Hagaman, sr.; P/OF Trey Kennen, sr.; P/INF Brooks Calvo, jr.

Glance: Coming off a district championship season, a lot has changed for the Panthers. It starts with a new coach, Brian Thomas. He replaces Travis Chapman, who resigned to spend more time with his young family. Thomas has been in coaching for 28 years, including a two-year stint at Pine Crest. He'll have a good deal of talent back. Brooks Calvo (3-2, 2.89 ERA last year) and Mike Mancini (4-3, 2.95) should be the anchors of the pitching staff and help at the plate. Brandon Day (.320 avg. last season), Andrew Hagaman (.565 OBP) and Trey Kennen (.310 avg.) are all accomplished hitters and solid in the field.

Ponte Vedra

Coach: Tom Stanton

Last year: 17-10 (lost in district semifinals)

District: 4-5A

Players to watch: P Matt Deegan, jr.; P Nathan Allen, sr.; INF Nathan Rokosz, sr.; OF Jake Jacob, sr.; UTL Luke Parker, jr.; INF Brett Poling, jr.

Glance: The Sharks were disappointed to fall in the district tournament last season, but many of the players that helped them win 17 games are back. OF Jake Jacob is probably the most experienced. He'll likely bat leadoff and is coming off a season in which he stole 22 bases and scored 35 runs. Luke Parker, Nathan Rokosz and Brett Poling all hit better than .300 last season and are back. One addition to the lineup will be senior UTL Perry Orth, who has been the Sharks' quarterback in the football season but hasn't played baseball for Ponte Vedra before. On the mound, the Sharks will miss ace Elliott Warford. But Matt Deegan (2.71 ERA last year) and Nathan Allen (1.10 ERA) should pick up the slack.

St. Augustine

Coach: Lee McCool

Last year: 14-15 (lost in regional quarterfinals)

District: 4-6A

District opponents: Atlantic Coast, Columbia, Lee, Stanton, Wolfson

Players to watch: OF Dustin Nyberg, sr.; OF/P Alex Atkinson, sr.; P/INF Matt Morabito, sr.; OF/P Juan Narvaez, sr.; P Caleb Thomas, sr.; INF Sean Pheffer, sr; INF/P Hunter Thomas, jr.

Glance: Last season was a surprisingly exciting one for the Yellow Jackets. Coming off a three-win campaign in 2010, SAHS caught fire at the end of the 2011 season and advanced all the way to the district final despite entering as the No. 9 seed. Among the leaders of that team was P/INF Matt Morabito. He was one of the team's best pitchers (3.78 ERA) last year and an absolute beast at the plate, hitting .478 with 25 RBIs. OF/P Alex Atkinson was also solid on the mound last year and batted .345 with 18 RBIs.

St. Joe

Coach: Bernie Packo

Last year: 14-11 (lost in district semifinals)

District: 3-3A

District opponents: Oak Hall, P.K. Yonge, St. Francis, St. Johns Country Day

Players to watch: C Blake Benedict, sr; P/INF Brian Stecker, jr.; P/INF Sam Foley, jr.; OF Taylor Curet, sr.

Glance: Even though the Flashes have just a handful of players with much varsity experience, coach Bernie Packo calls this team one of his deepest in years. Many of the players he'll be counting on are underclassmen, so St. Joe could be in for a difficult start. But the Flashes should be very competitive by the time the district tournament rolls around. One position where St. Joe does have experience, though, is catcher. Senior Blake Benedict is back after batting .390 with 12 extra-base hits last season.

Beacon of Hope

Coach: LaVoy Newton

District: North District of FCAL

District opponents: Seacoast, Cedar Creek, Harvest and Parsons.

Last Year: 3-17

Players to watch: C/UTL Joseph Newton, sr.; INF Robert Wright, sr., OF Josh Pavilando, sr.; P/INF Daniel Holleman, jr.; INF/P Kerry Guyer, jr.; INF/P Connor Murphy, so.

Glance: The Eagles come off of a rough season after going 12-12 in 2010. The Eagles will look to turn things around with three seniors - Newton, Wright and Pavilando - who are all coming off seasons in which they hit .350 or better. Two new additions in Daniel Holleman and Kerry Guyer should add some pitching depth and bolster the offense. Third-year starter Connor Murphy should also be a key player for Beacon.