Teams envy Tritons’ continuity
Despite the losses of several cornerstone players from last season, the Mariner Tritons enter the 2010 high school baseball season with another strong foundation to build upon.
They look to continue their tradition of success, which includes back-to-back District 5A-15 titles and five regional appearances in the last six years, though veteran coach Steve Larsen stresses that his players must understand the work required to reach that level.
“We need to create our own identity as a ball club,” Larsen said, “and not rest on the success of this program as a whole from the past.”
Larsen is beginning his 14th year, leading the Tritons to a 282-132 record during that time and claiming nine state playoff appearances.
Talent has arrived consistently in recent years, but the Tritons have been able to develop those players while staying committed to their team goals.
The Tritons’ continuity is what other Cape area schools are striving for as they move forward, beginning with this season.
Both the Ida Baker Bulldogs and Cape Coral Seahawks have new coaches. Ryan Jackson takes over at Baker from Chad Turner after spending the previous two years as pitching coach for the JV and varsity teams.
A familiar name, Mike Gorton, steps in at Cape High for Chris Kelly. Gorton, 25, was a standout player for the Seahawks before graduating in 2003 and playing at Warner Southern. He was a key player for the Seahawks in 2001 when they reached the state semifinals and in 2003 when they advanced to regionals.
The Seahawks have had a handful of coaches since then.
“I feel confident about the steps we are taking to rebuild Cape’s baseball program and return it to the winning ways of the past,” said Gorton.
As the regular season begins this week, the Seahawks host the annual Early Bird Tournament at Terry Park in Fort Myers.
Cape vs. Riverdale and Gulf Coast vs. Oasis are the two games slated for 7 p.m. Tuesday. On Wednesday, Cape takes on Gulf Coast, while Riverdale meets Oasis.
The new season also means the start of play under the new FHSAA reclassification. Mariner, Cape and Baker are among the 10 teams in District 4A-11 along with North Fort Myers, Fort Myers, Riverdale, Cypress Lake, South Fort Myers, Estero and Lemon Bay.
This figures to be a highly competitive district. Estero (20-7), Cypress Lake (17-10), Riverdale (15-9), South Fort Myers (14-11) and Fort Myers (14-12) all are coming off winning seasons along with Mariner (24-5), and the majority of teams return standout players.
The Tritons graduated a significant group of seniors, which includes University of Florida recruit Mike Zunino, Angel Laborde, Anthony Santo, Bryan O’Connor, and pitcher Ryan Patton.
Senior Dan Alimonti, who batted .468 with five home runs and 35 RBI last season, returns to anchor the lineup, which includes seniors Audry Santana and Dan Cohill and juniors Alex Santana and Walter Cleary.
Sophomore Jason Carmichael, a transfer from Cape High, adds depth to the pitching rotation, which includes 6-foot-4 senior Taylor Walker.
Baker finished 11-16 last year after posting a 16-10 mark in 2008. They made strides under Turner, winning their first district tournament game last year.
Jackson hopes to build on that progress. He said pitching and speed are the Bulldogs’ potential strengths this season.
“This year’s team is a great group of hard-working kids,” he said. “We have lot of team speed and good arms on the mound. We will be looking to play a lot of small ball this year.”
Senior Mike Gulotta is one of the Bulldogs’ versatile leaders, contributing at the plate and on the mound. Senior centerfielder Jacob York and sophomore Justin Pinto also return to the lineup. Pinto cracked six home runs as a freshman.
The Seahawks finished 5-19 last year, but showcased a deep group of underclassmen.
Juniors Koji Spangler and Brad Kopale, and sophomores Cain Spangler and Brandon Marshall are among the players expected to lead the charge.
District 3A-12: The Island Coast Gators begin this season playing in a district for the first time.
They went 11-13 in 2009, a promising first varsity season, but second-year coach Clinton Montgomery said the motivation of having some clear goals makes a big difference. It already is evident in the Gators’ preparation.
“We had the best offseason I have ever been a part of in my five years of coaching,” Montgomery said. “Last year it was tough to motivate the players because we were basically playing for nothing.”
The Gators are in 3A-12 with Bishop Verot, LaBelle, Dunbar and Gateway Charter.
“We feel we can compete right away,” Montgomery said.
The Gators lose one senior, Marco LoSauro, but return many others, including juniors Jordan Moody and Taylor Renegar.
Bishop Verot must push on after losing several key contributors, most notably Bobby Borchering, who was selected 16th overall by Arizona Diamondbacks last year.
The list of returnees include Dan Vogelbach, Maxx Moore, Zach Haefeli, Tyler Bender, Tommy Dougherty and D.J. Schleicher.
“Although we are a very young team, lacking in varsity experience, we are a very talented team,” said Vikings coach Tom LoSauro, starting his 12th season. “In the words of Bobby Knight: ‘I would rather be talented and lack experience, than experienced without any talent.'”
The Oasis Sharks, guided by coach Mark Brooks, embark on their first full varsity season, after playing mostly a JV schedule last year.
Brooks said the Sharks returned all but one of their top players, which were mostly eighth-graders. They’ll play 22 varsity games as an independent.
“A lot of the schools we are playing are similar to our size,” Brooks said. “We are a very young team so our season can go either way. We have a lot of room for growth in the coming years and throughout this season.”
Being a newcomer, the Sharks are striving to be the sum of their parts, but they do return two captains in freshmen Ben Tracy and Joseph Polley.