Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

The Gaither baseball team has one of the most successful traditions in Hillsborough County.

The Cowboys (10-7) have averaged more than 19 wins the last six years and have made the playoffs every season since 2005, a campaign that included a trip to the Class 6A state finals.

“I like our team, and I told them at the beginning of the year ‘Why not us?,’” said Frank Permuy, the only coach the program’s 27-year history. “We’re just as good as anyone, and it’s not because we don’t work. We have guys who’re capable of playing in the state tournament. We’re as good as we were in 2005.”

Senior designated hitter (DH), outfielder and pitcher Matt Frey also sees something special.

“I think we could be in the final four,” Frey said. “We have a lot of potential. There’s so much talent on this team and we have 14 seniors who have basically grown up playing together.”

Part of that belief comes from Gaither losing only three seniors, but two were pitchers Robert Johnson and Zach Jackson who had a combined 12-3 record in 92.1 innings.

“That’s hard to replace,” Permuy said. “We got Alex Milne back, who had an off year last year and is doing alright. Evan Gainey came out of nowhere, and he’s become a pretty good pitcher.”

Gainey is 4-3 with a 1.46 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 48 innings.

“We have some depth,” said Gainey. “Starting wise we could be a little more consistent throwing strikes, but I think we have great potential.”

Milne, a University of Central Florida signee, is in his fourth year in the starting rotation. He is 2-2 with a 2.75 ERA. Frey (2-1) has helped the rotation after only playing DH a year ago while recovering from left shoulder surgery.

Frey has also been a force in the lineup, hitting .405 with 11 RBI after batting .317 with 11 RBI last year.

“I feel more comfortable in the box,” Frey said. “Sometimes I feel it in the arm, but when it’s good I feel really good.”

Frey’s increased batting average is part of an overall change for Gaither. The squad hit .294 in 2011, which has risen to .319 this year with a .414 on-base percentage. Seven Cowboys with at least 25 at bats are hitting better than .275.

“It really speaks volumes of our coaching staff preaching about the approach we need at the plate,” said senior outfielder Hayden Kelley, who is hitting .370. “That’s the biggest thing that has helped me this year. Just going up to the plate and knowing what you want to do. Is it to get a guy over or in and what do you have to do to accomplish that. Even if you are out be a productive out.”

Junior shortstop Oscar Mercado, a Florida State University commit, has led the way at the plate, hitting.417. He also has 19 RBI and eight steals while shining as the infield’s leader.

“We had a young infield coming in,” said Mercado, who is in his third year starting. “Our first baseman was starting for the first time on varsity. Our starting second baseman broke his jaw, so we had to go with a young backup, and our third baseman is starting for the first time. I felt like I had to show them how to do things.”

Gaither is in Class 7A-District 9, which includes Chamberlain, Freedom, Steinbrenner and Wiregrass Ranch. Only the Chiefs are below .500, making the race for the No. 1 seed and a first round bye in the district tournament hotly contested.

The Cowboys hosted Middleton on April 2, but results were not available by press time. Gaither hosts Wiregrass Ranch on April 10 at 7 p.m.

–All stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches

By Kyle LoJacono

Academy at the Lakes softball is no stranger to the postseason.

The Wildcats (11-4) have made the playoffs every season since becoming fully eligible in 2008. The current squad has already stretched the streak to five straight, but this year the players are out to bring home the program’s first district championship.

“I thought we’d have a lot more experienced players this year,” said sophomore shortstop/pitcher Lauren Evans, a University of South Florida commit. “I knew it was going to be a good season, and I’m really happy to be playing softball again.”

The squad lost one senior, Kallie Shirling who signed to play at Thomas University.

The biggest change comes at the coaching spot, where Jerry English steps in for Jack Shirling, Kallie’s father.

English coached at Land O’ Lakes for 27 years, where he led the Gators to the state finals in 1995 and to three regional finals.

“The number of players is the biggest difference,” English said. “At Land O’ Lakes we had a varsity and junior varsity team. One year at tryouts I had 90 come out.”

Junior shortstop/pitcher Sydney Boynton said English has a more straightforward approach.

“I knew that coach English would go back to basics, which I thought was good because we had some players who could play but the fundamentals were off,” Sydney said. “Our coach last year was a really good coach, and he was actually my travel ball coach, and he was more used to coaching at a different level.”

English said he believes in focusing on fundamentals, especially given the diversity in the talent and experience of his players.

“This year what we have is a mixture of very good athletes who play travel ball to players who have never played before,” English said. “We had three girls learning how to pick up the ball and throw, but they’re young and working hard to get better.”

Those experienced players are also very young.

“I’ve got one senior, Amelia Oliver, and a few juniors,” English said. “Most are sophomores and freshmen, and I’ve got one eighth-grader. Sometimes I have to stop and remind myself how young the players are if they make mistakes. The great thing is they all want to play.”

The methods seem to be working as the Wildcats have clinched the No. 1 seed in the Class 2A-District 4 tournament, which includes a bye to the championship game. The squad twice defeated Hernando Christian, a team that reached the final four last year, to earn the top spot.

Evans has led the way offensively, posting a .644 batting average with 31 RBI, 10 steals, eight doubles and nine triples while striking out only three times. As a pitcher she has a 5-2 record with a 1.05 ERA and 54 strikeouts.

Sydney, who came to the academy as a sophomore from Wharton High, has a 6-2 record with a 2.00 ERA and 61 Ks while hitting .408 with 24 RBI. Her sister Skyler has a .412 batting average with 10 steals.

“I feel like we’re better, and I know our stats and record are better,” Evans said. “I feel like there’s more of a team feeling. I feel like we’ve bonded a little bit more, and it’s probably because we’re winning.”

The players are also excited because an old tormentor is no longer in the Wildcats’ district or region. Canterbury has beaten the academy all 14 times the squads have played, including four years in a row for the district title.

English points out it won’t be easy to make a deep playoff run just because Canterbury is somewhat out of the picture. He illustrated that by describing the Wildcats’ 5-3 loss to Bishop McLaughlin, a team they beat 20-5 earlier this season.

“We did things we shouldn’t and it cost us,” English said. “I told them after that we’re through sneaking up on people. We’ve played well, and now people want to beat us.”

The 2A-4 tournament is at Hernando Christian. The academy plays the winner of the semifinal between the event host and Lecanto Seven Rivers Christian for the championship on April 19 at 4:30 p.m.

–All stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches

PPAL Land O’ Lakes Gators signup

The Pasco Police Athletic League (PPAL), a youth football and cheerleading program, is having open registration for the 2012 fall season. There are programs for football players ages 5 to 15 and cheerleaders ages 4 to 15. Those interested can sign up at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex on Collier Parkway on April 14 from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. or by visiting www.lolgators.com. The cost is $200, with $75 due at registration and the remaining by June when equipment is issued.

Gators March student-athletes

Land O’ Lakes High has announced its student-athletes of the month for March. Gators athletic director Karen Coss selects the winners, who include:

–Baseball, Dylan Harris

–Softball, Ariana Bailey

–Boys tennis, Achintya Patel

–Girls tennis, Kavya Avancha

–Boys track, Darin Patmon

–Girls track, Hallie Grimes

–Boys weightlifting, Carlos Osorno

Harvey picks Webber International

Academy at the Lakes running back Jarrett Harvey has committed to Weber International University, according to Wildcats coach John Castelamare.

When Harvey signs, which is expected to happen in the next few days, he will become the first boy athlete in school history to sign a letter of intent to play in college for any sport. Harvey racked up 1,558 rushing yards on 100 carries while scoring 42 touchdowns for the Wildcats’ six-man football team as a senior.

Webber is an independent NAIA program in Babson Park. The Warriors went 4-6 last season.

Pair of Gators head to Marietta

Land O’ Lakes wide receivers Ricky Bowles and Nico Watts have committed to Marietta College in Ohio, a Division III program in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Bowles said the two visited Marietta during spring break.

“We loved the campus and football program,” said Bowles, who thanked his father for helping in the recruitment process. “We felt it was a good fit for both of us.”

Watts had 12 catches for 274 yards and two touchdowns last season while adding 78 yards on six carries and another score. He also played defensive back, where he picked off six passes. Boyles missed a few games due to injury as a senior, but managed five grabs for 56 yards.

By Eugenio Torrens

There were times it didn’t seem Leah Rios would be able to achieve her dream.

The Wiregrass Ranch cheerleader suffered back-to-back injuries in her fourth year of high school that could have ended her ability to compete.

Instead Rios persevered and became the first in the Bulls’ six-year history to sign a cheerleading scholarship on March 29. She will attend Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Mo., an NAIA program in the Heart of America Conference.

Rios said the decision wasn’t too hard once she visited and saw the school’s academic standards as well as the smaller teacher-to-student ratio and of course the fact that the college offered her a scholarship.

“With college, because cheerleading is an evolving sport, it’s an amazing accomplishment, not only for her — but for cheerleading in general,” said Wiregrass Ranch coach Kara Babij. “She’s making her dream come true.”

At points along her dream Rios could have slipped into a nightmare.

Last August Rios fractured her C1 vertebrae, the uppermost bone along the spine that helps connect it with the skull, on a botched landing doing a standing back handspring tuck.

Rios suffered another injury eight weeks later, this time fracturing her hand.

“That was really, really hard for me. Cheering is my passion,” Rios said.

She bounced back in time to compete in the spring season.

“She’s just an amazing, amazing person,” Babij said. “She came back every single time.”

For Rios, not coming back was not an option.

“I was like ‘No, I’m going to cheer,’” Rios said. “’I want to cheer. This is what I want to do.’ I’m just going to put this aside and keep moving forward.”

 

By Kyle LoJacono

Jerry English spent 27 years coaching the Land O’ Lakes softball team.

The veteran skipper was back at his old field on March 26, but this time he was representing the away team on the scoreboard — Academy at the Lakes.

“It brings back a lot of memories,” English said. “I’ve spent a lot of good years in the dugout here.”

The current Gators (4-14) were more interested in the now, winning the contest 8-3.

The game started out promising for the Wildcats (11-4) as they pushed across three runs on four hits in the first inning.

Land O’ Lakes answered with four in the bottom of the frame. Senior catcher Meghan Sfraga, who has committed to Georgian Court University in New Jersey, drove in her team’s first two runs on her first of three doubles.

“The energy was really good,” said Sfraga, who finished 3-for-3 with four RBI. “We were down, but everyone was positive. Just going up to bat we had that feeling that things were going to work out.”

Sfraga also threw out Maria Aumaitre trying to steal second for the first out of the fourth.

“She does great behind the plate and is a really good hitter,” said first-year Gators coach John Clapp. “You always count on her getting on base.”

Clapp was also happy with how his squad battled back.

“They do hit well, but they’re still a young team, and they’re still learning,” Clapp said. “They’re aggressive with the bats and the defense is solid.”

Land O’ Lakes senior pitcher Alyssa Christian shut the academy out for the final six frames.

“After the first inning I started to settle in,” Christian said. “I was feeling really good after we took the lead.”

The Wildcats did load the bases with one out in the fourth. Christian got University of South Florida commit Lauren Evans to pop out, setting up a two-out matchup with the opposing pitcher Sydney Boynton.

Boynton hit a rocket that struck Christian in the leg, but she composed herself enough to get the out at first before worrying about any potential injury.

“I saw it come back and I thought it was going to hurt, but I didn’t feel it because I was thinking about getting the out,” Christian said.

Sfraga is hopeful the energy the squad played with will transfer to their remaining games.

“I’m very proud of how we played tonight,” Sfraga said. “We haven’t had that extra burst to push us to wins. Tonight we had that.”

The Gators host Fivay April 10 at 7 p.m., while the academy hosts Calvary Christian April 5 at 4 p.m.

By Jeff Odom

Laker/Lutz News Correspondent

The Steinbrenner baseball team knew it had to set the tone early if it wanted to get past Gaither in a key Class 7A-District 9 contest on March 30.

Mission accomplished.

It only took one pitch in the first inning for the Warriors (11-6) to get its offense rolling when shortstop Stone Ramsey led off the game with his fourth home run of the season. Steinbrenner had the Cowboys (10-7) playing catch up the rest of the way and won 6-4.

Warriors’ pitcher Chris Williams, who battled through the stomach flu leading up to the game, tossed six solid innings giving up just two earned runs while striking out four batters.

He said it felt like his best outing of the year despite the illness.

“I honestly have no clue how I did it,” Williams said.

Williams was nearly perfect through the first four innings and his offense helped out with big hits with runners in scoring position. After Ramsey walked on four pitches to lead off the third inning, center fielder Kevin Merrell put down a bunt to move the senior to second base and got aboard himself after Gaither pitcher Evan Gainey committed a throwing error.

Second baseman Christian Diaz advanced both runners on a sacrifice bunt before third baseman Gerald Bautista brought home a run with an infield single. Sophomore Cole Gordon drove in Merrell a single to right field.

Bautista, who finished with three RBI, said it felt good to finally get the hits when it counted.

“It feels great; I just tried to put the ball in play,” Bautista said. He then added, “I’ve been trying to do too much lately in the past, but it feels great to drive the guys in.”

In the fifth inning with his team trailing 5-0, Gaither senior outfielder Hayden Kelley doubled to the wall in center field to drive in Eddie Pestrana to cut the lead to four.

The Warriors snagged an insurance run from Bautista in the sixth inning to stretch the lead to 6-1, but Gaither began to rally in the bottom of the seventh.

With Williams’ night done, Bautista was brought in to close the game. He sat down Jacob Gowen on strikes and forced Cody Robinson to pop out to start the frame, but Gaither strung together three straight hits including a two-RBI double by Florida State University commit Oscar Mercado, and the Cowboys climbed within two runs.

The comeback came up short as first baseman Jose Gonzalez flew out near the warning track in center field to end the game.

Gainey took the loss for Gaither in a complete game performance which included four walks and seven strikeouts.

“I faced Evan Gainey and he’s 4-3, but he should be like 7-0,” said Williams, who improved his record to 4-0. “That guy is just a stud. He’s had some rough times with his defense and stuff, but he’s a great pitcher.”

The win gives the Warriors a shot to clinch the No. 1 seed going into the 7A-9 tournament April 23-26, something Williams said gives them momentum.

“It was a great team effort tonight,” Williams said. “We’re on a roll baby and it looks good.”

By Kyle LoJacono

The winning streak for Wiregrass Ranch boys tennis stands at 29.

It includes almost two perfect regular seasons and two wins in the playoffs last year. It stretches back to the regional finals in 2010 when the Bulls (14-0) dropped a 4-3 match at Daytona Beach Mainland. They haven’t lost in the regular season since falling to Land O’ Lakes 4-3 on March 2, 2009.

“We take a lot of pride in that,” said Bulls coach Dave Wilson. “You can lose when it comes to tournament format at districts and state, but we’ve got a pretty good run going.”

Wiregrass Ranch does everything possible to stay focused during matches even though it is close to its second straight perfect regular season.

“Regardless of the match, whether we think it’s going to be easy or not, you have to do your best,” said senior Jaime Feliciano. “That’s all you can really control, and that’s how you get beat by just thinking you’re going to win.”

That dominance forces the Bulls to compete with each other to stay at top form.

“There’s a lot of competition amongst each other, but that’s really great,” said junior Koustubh Ramesh. “Basically we’re all fighting for the No. 2 spot, and I have that right now and want to keep it. Competing for No. 2 helps the whole team be great.”

Ramesh went no farther than competition for No. 2 because the top spot is basically set in stone for Courage Okungbowa. The junior is 32-1 in singles play since his family moved to the area from Virginia last season, losing his first match at states last year.

In fact, the Class 3A tournament was unkind to Wiregrass Ranch a year ago. Only Daniel Helfrich won a match at the event, but the trip gave the Bulls insight into the level of tennis needed to win a state championship.

“We learned that we have to play more competitive matches,” Courage said. “I think we took everything too easy, and then when we got to states the competition was great. We played Jesuit and won this year, and they’re a really competitive school, so we’re hoping that’ll help us.”

The trip to states was the first for the program in its six-year history. Jaime said the squad was a bit wide-eyed just winning a regional championship.

“It was insane,” Jaime said. “We knew we were a good team, but we could barely believe we won regionals to get there.”

The squad graduated only its No. 2 Spencer Ong, but the team is very different because of the additions of two freshmen. Jaime’s brother, Alejandro, is playing No. 3, while Courage’s brother, Foresight, is manning No. 5.

In addition, Ramesh went from playing only No. 2 doubles to second individually.

“We’re definitely above last year,” Wilson said. “I think our depth is much better. We have a lot of guys who can play. We didn’t really skip a beat, but the thing is they’re really focused this year. They come to practice for two hours and go with their other coach for another two. They know it’s going to take a lot to get through potentially Plant and Wharton just to get to state.”

Wharton and Plant are in Class 4A-District 6, the grouping Wiregrass Ranch would face if the program makes the playoffs. Wharton has made the playoffs each of the last four years, including three state championships from 2008-10, while Plant has made the postseason three of the last four seasons.

“The hardest thing is going to be just getting to states this year,” Wilson said. “Wharton and Plant are always in it for the state championship, so if you get through this region you may have a shot. Even then it comes down to your draw. At least this year they’ll know what to expect if we get to states.”

The squad relishes the opportunity to go through programs with established traditions so places outside Pasco County talk about the Bulls when thinking of high school tennis.

“In Pasco County I think if you asked anyone who’s the top tennis program the last four or five years our team comes up, but outside of here we really haven’t made a mark,” Wilson said. “If we can do that and get back to states then they’ll start to know about Wiregrass.”

The Bulls will play in the 4A-5 tournament hosted by Newsome at Riverhills Golf & Country Club, 3943 New River Hills Parkway in Valrico, April 2-3.