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John DiBenedetto

Academy at the Lakes gets a new baseball coach

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Just two months after guiding Carrollwood Day School to the state final four, Ken Akins looks to achieve similar results at another local private school.

Akins is the new head baseball coach at Academy at the Lakes (AATL), replacing John DiBenedetto, who left the Wildcats program after three seasons for an athletic director position at Mother of Teresa Calcutta Catholic School, a kindergarten through eighth grade school in Lutz.

Ken Akins is the new head baseball coach at Academy at the Lakes. This past season he guided Carrollwood Day School to a 24-4 record and state final four appearance. (Courtesy of Academy at the Lakes)

Under DiBenedetto, AATL achieved its first winning season in program history, a 12-10 record and 6-4 district mark in the 2A ranks. He exits as the program’s winningest coach with 29 career wins.

With a solid foundation in place, Akins is tasked with taking the Wildcats program to even greater heights — like he did at his previous stop.

Carrollwood Day went 24-4 and reached the Class 3A state semifinals — its best finish in program history — in Akins’ lone season as head coach. Moreover, all six of his graduating seniors on that squad signed to play college baseball. Prior to that, Akins previously served as an assistant coach at the school for five seasons.

Akins, however, said the AATL position “was one that I just really couldn’t turn down.” He also noted a “tighter community” and “stronger academics” for his two children.

“We did have success at Carrollwood Day, but I love to build programs, and that opportunity on the baseball side was very, very inviting,” Akins said. “The thought process of putting a two-to-four year program together is extremely exciting for me.”

An initial goal is increasing overall participation for the program’s varsity roster, while establishing full-fledged junior varsity and middle school teams, said Tom Haslam, AATL’s athletic director.

The Wildcats had just 13 players on the 2018 varsity roster. Four of those players were middle-schoolers.

“We need that roster right away,” Haslam said, acknowledging that’s usually a challenge for smaller schools like AATL. “Baseball is one of the hardest sports to build because you need a number of players.

“There’s a big difference in having 13 players on your varsity roster and 20 players on your varsity roster,” he said.

Academy at the Lakes baseball celebrated its first-ever winning season with the help of a roster chock-full of young players, including, from left: freshmen Jack Teeter, Andrew Kilfoyl and Spencer Boynton. It will now look to build upon that success with new Wildcats head coach Ken Akins. (File)

To solve this dilemma, Akins said he plans to tap into baseball connections throughout Hillsborough County to find more players and encourage kids already enrolled at AATL to try out for the team.

“There’s no question that we’ve gotta build the numbers at Academy,” Akins said. “It starts with getting the Academy name out there in the community. I think spreading the word inside the hallways is a great way to get it going.”

Another designated goal for Akins is drumming up more support for an on-campus baseball field.

Last season they played their “home” games nearly 45 minutes away from the school campus, at Northwest Little League near Leto High School. They also hold practice at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex.

“There is no question that Academy needs its own home facility,” Akins said. “You build facilities and kids will come. You put a quality facility out there and that just adds to the complete package that Academy can offer.”

Meantime, Akins is focused fielding a quality team come springtime, and, perhaps competing for district crowns in the crowded 11-team District 5-2A.

The Wildcats appear to have talent to do so someday, provided most of the players from last season return, aside from its two graduating seniors.

In 2018, the team batted a collective .347 with a .455 on-base percentage, setting a program record in about every offensive statistical category, from home runs (nine) and doubles (34), to RBIs (144), runs scored (171) and stolen bases (94).

The pitching staff combined to post a 3.94 team ERA and 179 strikeouts in 126 innings pitched that season.

“You’ve gotta buy into the program,” Akins said of building a top-notch contender. “The bottom line is the kids need to, obviously, understand what the goal is and then to be able to buy into the daily routine, which in turn, creates success.”

The school’s athletic director believes Akins is up to the task — citing his overall baseball acumen and dedication to coaching.

“He’s just a grinder,” Haslam said of the new baseball coach. “He’s one of those guys that just works hard all year round and that’s what we needed. It’s one thing to be a good coach in-between the lines, but there’s so much that a small-school high school coach has to do year-round to promote his program and build something, especially if it’s not an already established program.

“We’re not starting from scratch, but we’ve basically been in the middle of our district for the last several years, and we think Ken, with his passion and work ethic year-round, can get us to that next level and vie for district championships, consistently.”

Published July 25, 2018

Big player, bigger game

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Darin Kilfoyl has been on a tear this season.

The Academy at the Lakes junior right-hander is sporting a 1.84 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched — statistics buoyed by an incredible performance on March 3, when the 6-foot-8 flamethrower fanned 19 batters in a complete game, one hit shutout against Victory Christian (Lakeland).

“All my stuff was working,” said Kilfoyl, who once recalled throwing a one-hitter (which turned out to be a home run) in Little League. “I was throwing really, really hard in that game…and the batters couldn’t catch up to it.”

Equipped with a four-pitch arsenal — fastball, curveball, changeup and cutter — the rangy righty has the ability to keep even the area’s top hitters off-balance.

Academy at the Lakes junior ace Darin Kilfoyl is in the midst of a breakout season, sporting a 1.84 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched. The 6-foot-8 right-hander is drawing interest from several Division I college baseball programs. (Courtesy of Thomas Haslam)
Academy at the Lakes junior ace Darin Kilfoyl is in the midst of a breakout season, sporting a 1.84 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched. The 6-foot-8 right-hander is drawing interest from several Division I college baseball programs.
(Courtesy of Thomas Haslam)

Despite having a sturdy assortment of pitches, Kilfoyl powers the strike zone mainly with his fastball, which ranges from 86 mph to 88 mph.

His pitch speed has jumped considerably since his sophomore year, when inactivity and recovery from a broken leg led to his primary pitch topping out at “only” 79 mph.

“Before last season…I hadn’t done anything for a few months, so all my (pitching) mechanics weren’t how they were supposed to be,” Kilfoyl explained. “I went back to my pitching coach after the school season last year and got everything back set. In the summer, I was getting back into the low 80s, and at the end of the summer, I was throwing mid-80s; it’s been going up since.”

His performances on the mound have started to catch the eye of several Division I college programs from all over the country.

Blue bloods like the University of Virginia and the University of Florida have shown interest in the towering righty. Academic powerhouses like Dartmouth University and Stanford University are also intrigued by Kilfoyl’s size, potential and GPA.

“They said they know that I can already get so much better because of how big I am,” Kilfoyl said about college coaches’ interest. “They also like that I have really good grades, so the academics will help their team GPA, or help me get more scholarship money for school.”

His high school coach, John DiBenedetto, noted Division I coaches were fascinated by Kilfoyl’s stature and his ability to further develop.

“He’s still extremely raw,” DiBenedetto said. “He can grow; he’s going to get better. That’s the scary part about it. He’s finally starting to grasp certain things…on the mound, where he’s starting to thrive.”

Kilfoyl’s long stride and release point from his 6-foot-8 frame makes it difficult for opposing batters to catch up to his pitches or make solid contact. As opposed to shorter pitchers, Kilfoyl’s length allows him to release pitches closer to home plate from the mound, causing throws to jump on hitters more quickly.

“When I was at the (University of) Virginia camp, coaches were saying how because of my length and how weird the (pitching) angle was, my fastball — even though it was only about 84 or 85 when I was there —played out at 89 to 90,” Kilfoyl said.

Currently, Kilfoyl is working to fine-tune his accuracy, and improve his athleticism with the hope of getting stronger to increase his velocity. He said coaches at the Academy have given him tips along the way that have helped him “a lot” in those areas.

This summer, Kilfoyl will have the opportunity to showcase his skills in travel ball. The pitching standout is set to play for the Atlanta Blue Jays, an elite travel club for 15 year olds to 18 year olds.

The experience should buoy Kilfoyl’s development and help him become noticed by more college programs, especially since he plays prep baseball at a smaller school.

Since it’s inception in 2003, the travel club, led by Anthony Dye and Steve Loureiro, has produced several first round picks in the MLB Draft, including Tim Beckham (2008), Delino Deshields Jr. (2010) and Touki Toussaint (2014). According to its website, 90 percent of Blue Jays’ players have either received collegiate scholarships or signed to play professional baseball.

“Their (travel club) is different…because they have only one team per each age group,” Kilfoyl said, “because they want to focus on those players and get those players to be the best they can be, whereas other (travel clubs) will have multiple teams for their different ages.”

Kilfoyl is also a standout basketball player for the Academy (9.1 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game in 2015), but said he prefers America’s pastime, knowing his college future is likely tied to the latter sport.

“Baseball has the edge. I feel a lot more confident, and I feel I know the game of baseball much better than basketball, because I started basketball later,” said Kilfoyl, who’s major growth spurt occurred after he started high school. “Baseball is just who I am and what I excel at.”

Published March 30, 2016

Young coach leads Academy at the Lakes baseball

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Just a few years removed from playing college baseball, John DiBenedetto already is thriving in his first varsity baseball head-coaching gig.

Over the summer, DiBenedetto, 24, was hired as the new coach for the Academy at the Lakes baseball program.

Previously, he assisted Carrollwood Day School’s varsity baseball program.

Twenty-four-year-old John DiBenedetto is the new baseball coach for the Academy at the Lakes Wildcats. (Courtesy of John DiBenedetto)
Twenty-four-year-old John DiBenedetto is the new baseball coach for the Academy at the Lakes Wildcats.
(Courtesy of John DiBenedetto)

DiBenedetto heard about the job opening when he was helping out at a baseball clinic last summer.

“I didn’t even know what Academy at the Lakes was, to be completely honest,” DiBenedetto said, “because I’m a Hillsborough County guy, all the way.”

“It was a long two-month (hiring) process, but it worked out great. I couldn’t be happier,” he said.

In high school, DiBenedetto was a standout catcher at Newsome High and Blake High. His skills afforded him the opportunity to earn a college baseball scholarship, where he spent two years apiece at Division II Saint Anselm (New Hampshire) College and Division III Rivier (New Hampshire) University.

With his playing days nearing an end in college, DiBenedetto had an interest in coaching.

“At the end of my junior year, I knew this is what I wanted to do. I kind of got into it my senior year,” he said, noting he started analyzing game situations more closely and talking to others about the profession.

Being the Academy’s fourth head coach in as many years, DiBenedetto quickly realized he had a massive challenge on his hands, since the program recently suffered from instability and coaching turnover.

Even at the varsity level, several players still hadn’t yet grasped some of the game’s fundamentals — such as knowing how to run bases, how to bunt or take a sign from third base.

The young coach said the biggest initial struggle for him has been changing the culture of the once “broken” program.

For DiBenedetto, changing the culture consists of having players “buy in” and show up to practice every day ready to work.

“Before I came in, practices just consisted of warming up, throwing a little bit, hitting some BP (batting practice) and going home,” said DiBenedetto, whose father, John Sr., also helps out with the day-to-day program operations.

“Now we have the organization where we’re working on specific situations all the time, and everything we do at practice is for a reason. It’s not like we’re just out there just to hit. Everything is very structured, time-based.”

The results are beginning to show.

The Wildcats already have three wins, which ties as many as they had all of last year.

With a 3-6 record as of March 14, DiBenedetto hopes the team can finish close to .500 by season’s end.

“Our main goal from day one is to give us a chance in April in districts,” DiBenedetto said. “It’s very reasonable. It can be done.”

Though it takes time to build a sustainable high school program, DiBenedetto is excited about the team’s prospects over the next few years.

This year’s squad features a unique mix of youth — four seventh-graders and an eighth-grader have played in a varsity game — and experience, highlighted by seven seniors.

“All of these kids had been going to school here, and I had to kind of go in and recruit them,” DiBenedetto said. “A lot of them just played travel ball, and had no interest playing on the high school team because of the struggles and the coaching turnover. When I was able to be here every day…I was able to have conversations with kids.”

Perhaps the most intriguing player on the roster for this season and next season is junior pitcher Darin Kilfoyl, a towering 6-foot-8 right-hander who sports a 1.84 earned run average.

In the team’s most recent win on March 3 against Victory Christian, Kilfoyl struck out 19 batters in a complete game, one-hit shutout.

While still “extremely raw,” Kilfoyl is drawing interest from several Division I coaches due to his lengthy frame and skillset.

“He’s got a very good curveball,” DiBenedetto said. “He throws 86 to 88 (miles per hour). He powers the strike zone.

“The thing the D-I coaches have seen is that he can get better; that’s the scary part about it,” the coach said.

Offensively, Kilfoyl leads the team in home runs (two) and RBIs (eight).

But, it’s Kilfoyl’s intangibles that really stand out to his head coach.

“He’s a great teammate,” DiBenedetto said. “He’s a leader. He works hard every day. He shows up, and he communicates.”

For Kilfoyl and the rest of the team, “the success is starting to come,” DiBenedetto said.

Published March 16, 2016