The Laker/Lutz News

MLB Draft

Several local athletes taken in 2021 MLB Draft

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Aspirations of playing professional baseball may soon become a reality for a handful of athletes from local high schools and colleges in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

The Major League Baseball (MLB) 2021 first-year player draft spanned 20 rounds (and 612 picks) from July 11 through July 13.

The draft is held every summer by conference call among the 30 Major League clubs.

The clubs take turns selecting players in reverse order of their won-lost records at the close of the previous regular season.

Generally, a player is eligible for selection if the player is a resident of the United States or Canada and the player has never before signed a Major League or Minor League contract. Residents of Puerto Rico and other territories of the United States also are eligible for the Draft.

The basic categories of players eligible to be drafted are:

  • High school players, if they have graduated from high school and have not yet attended college or junior college
  • College players, from four-year colleges who have either completed their junior or senior years or are at least 21 years old; and
  • Junior college players, regardless of how many years of school they have completed.

Representing the highest selection from the local community was Sunlake High alum Tommy Mace, now a fourth-year junior from the University of Florida.

Sunlake High product Tommy Mace has been an impactful right-handed pitcher for the Florida Gators baseball program the past four seasons. He was selected 69th overall by the Cleveland Indians in the 2021 MLB first-year player draft. (Courtesy of University of Florida athletics department)

The imposing 6-foot-6, 230-pound right-handed pitcher was taken 69th overall by the Cleveland Indians — in Competitive Balance Round B between the second and third round.

The recommended bonus slot value for that lofty pick is just under $1 million, at $929,800.

If and when Mace signs, he’ll join another local product in the Indians organization — Gaither High product Oscar Mercado, who earned a call-up with the big league club in June.

Mace, 22, very well could’ve turned pro last year, but opted to return to school with hopes of further improving his draft stock.

This past season at Florida he posted a 4.38 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 113 strikeouts in 90.1 innings pitched, along with a 6-2 record.

Across his four-year college career, Mace compiled a combined 4.37 ERA, 1.279 WHIP and 258 strikeouts in 269.2 total innings pitched, with a 22-7 mark.

Mace was ranked as the No. 45 draft prospect, according to MLB.com’s 2021 pre-draft rankings.

He exhibits a four-pitch mix — fastball, slider, curveball and changeup. This includes a sinking two-seam fastball that is viewed as his top offering, touching 96 mph with cutting action, according to various scouting reports, including MLB.com.

MLB.com’s draft profile on Mace otherwise states: “Mace has gotten a bit bigger physically, which could help with consistency of velocity and stuff. He’s always been good at throwing strikes, but has been more a contact, ground ball kind of pitcher, rather than one who misses tons of bats. He did increase his strikeout rate while continuing to fill up the strike zone in 2021.”

Mace has been highly-regarded since his prep days at Sunlake, where he was a three-year varsity letter winner.

As a senior, Mace tallied a 1.29 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 77.2 innings, with an 8-2 record in 11 appearances — guiding the Seahawks to the Class 7A regional finals.

He won 19 games during his high school career, posting a combined 1.65 ERA and 196 strikeouts in 165.2 innings.

Mace was rated as No. 72 prep player in the class of 2017 by Perfect Game and No. 15 overall prep player in all of Florida — including the fifth-ranked, right-handed pitcher in the state.

Wharton High senior baseball standout Zach Ehrhard, left, won Hillsborough County’s 2021 Wade Boggs Athletic Achievement Award on the basis of athletic, scholastic and community achievements. Ehrhard was picked by the Boston Red Sox in the 13th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. Also pictured here is Boggs, middle, and Ehrhard’s older brother, Drew, who also won the award in 2017. (File)

Among other accolades, he was named MaxPreps Second Team All-American and National High School Coaches Association All-Southeast Team.

Mace previously was drafted out of high school in the 12th round (347th overall) by the Cincinnati Reds in 2017.

He, of course, didn’t sign with the Reds, instead opting to pitch for the Gators, which had then come off a 2017 College World Series crown — the first national championship in the program’s history.

Others drafted in later rounds
Mace was one several area players taken, albeit those in later rounds, on day three of the baseball draft.

Wharton High School senior Zach Ehrhard — an Oklahoma State University signee — was picked by the Boston Red Sox in the 13th round (367th overall).

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound switch-hitting shortstop batted .438 this season for the Wildcats, with three homers, 12 doubles, 29 runs scored and 21 RBIs, along with 26 stolen bases.

Ehrhard was this year’s recipient of the Wade Boggs Athletic Achievement Award, which honors a high school baseball player in Hillsborough County on the basis of outstanding athletic, scholastic and community achievements.

Baseball talent runs in the Ehrhard family.

His older brother, Drew, received the same prestigious county award in 2017 and went on to play collegiate baseball at the University of Tampa.

Another area prep position player, Gaither High senior A.J. Graham, was taken with the first pick in the 18th round (523rd overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The 6-3, 180-pound right-handed shortstop batted .346 with two homers, seven doubles, 18 runs scored, 14 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in 78 at-bats across 23 games this season.

Also picked in the 18th round was Saint Leo University left-handed pitcher Jimmy Burnette, landing 542nd overall to the Toronto Blue Jays.

This season the 6-foot-2, 205-pound redshirt senior led the Lions in innings pitched (45.0), wins (three) and strikeouts (53) to go along with a 5.80 ERA and 1.53 WHIP and a pair of complete games.

Burnette appears to have emerged in the inaugural MLB Draft League, a summer showcase for top draft-eligible prospects providing exposures to scouts, coaches and advanced baseball technologies.

Gaither High/University of Texas third baseman Cam Williams was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 19th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. (Courtesy of University of Texas athletics department)

Playing for the league’s Mahoning Valley Scrappers in Niles, Ohio, Burnette posted a 3.09 ERA, 1.4 WHIP and 44 strikeouts in 23.1 innings pitched.

A Chicago native, Burnette transferred to Saint Leo from the University of Illinois this past season.

Gaither High/University of Texas third baseman Cam Williams was taken in the 19th round (559th overall) by the Kansas City Royals.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Odessa native starred for a Longhorns squad that had a third-place appearance at the 2021 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

The fourth-year senior led Texas with 20 doubles and was second with 12 homers, to go along with .295 average, 42 runs scored and 51 RBIs spread across 61 starts at third base.

Prior to college, Williams led Gaither to the 2016 7A state championship his senior year and was named Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American.

He was drafted out of high school in the 39th round by the Seattle Mariners, but didn’t sign, opting for Dallas Baptist University and San Jacinto College before transferring to Texas.

Williams’ father, Reggie, played four MLB seasons with the Anaheim Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers.

(Note: While slightly outside our coverage area, Fivay High/University of Mississippi product Gunnar Hoglund went in the first round (19th overall) to the Blue Jays. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander from Hudson was viewed as one of the draft’s most polished arms, but slipped slightly after having Tommy John elbow surgery in May.)

Robust draft history
It’s not uncommon for at least a few ballplayers from area high schools and colleges to be drafted each year.

In 2020, Steinbrenner High/Florida State University right-handed pitcher CJ Van Eyk went to the Blue Jays in the second round (42nd overall), and Wesley Chapel native/Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High/University of South Florida right-handed pitcher Carson Ragsdale went in the fourth round (116th overall) to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Saint Leo University left-handed pitcher Jimmy Burnette was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 18th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. (Courtesy of Saint Leo University athletics department)

(Though slightly outside our coverage area on the west side of Pasco, Trinity native/Mitchell High catcher Jackson Miller went in the second round (65th overall) to the Reds.)

The 2019 MLB Draft also yielded a trio of area selections.

Land O’ Lakes High/St. Petersburg College second baseman Dustin Harris was selected in the 11th round (344th overall) by the Oakland Athletics; Pasco-Hernando State College/University of Tampa pitcher Tyler Beck was selected in 30th round (899th overall) by the Minnesota Twins in the; and Steinbrenner High/Mississippi State University pitcher Cole Gordon was selected in the 32nd round (958th overall) by the New York Mets.

Prior drafts yielded several community picks as well, including four in 2018 and six in 2017, respectively.

Locals picked in the 2021 MLB Draft

  • Sunlake High/University of Florida pitcher Tommy Mace (Cleveland Indians, Comp B, 69th overall)
  • Wharton High shortstop Zach Ehrhard (Boston Red Sox, 13th round, 376th overall)
  • Gaither High shortstop A.J. Graham (Pittsburgh Pirates, 18th round, 523rd overall)
  • Saint Leo University left-handed pitcher Jimmy Burnette (Toronto Blue Jays, 18th round, 543rd overall)
  • Gaither High/University of Texas third baseman Cam Williams (Kansas City Royals, 19th round, 559th overall)

Published July 21, 2021

2020 had shining moments in sports, despite COVID-19

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New recreation facilities opened, prep teams competed for state titles and local athletes accomplished memorable achievements, despite challenges imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Here is a look at some of the top moments in sports, from across Pasco and Hillsborough counties, in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area. (This is part one of a two-part series.)

Upon winning the Gasparilla Classic 8K women’s race, 11-year-old Elli Black poses for a photo with long-distance Olympic medalists Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi. (File)

Land O’ Lakes youth sets race record
Land O’ Lakes Elli Black didn’t just win the Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic 8K women’s race on Feb. 21, she became the youngest winner in the event’s 40-plus year history, at just 11 years old.

Black clocked 30:57 in the 4.97-mile course to best more than 2,200 female participants in the popular annual race on Tampa’s Bayshore Boulevard. The second-place female finisher, St. Petersburg’s Mary Beth Layfield, 37, timed 32:23.

On becoming race champion and making history, Black said: “It’s a really big accomplishment and I’m really proud of myself, and I just know that I’ve been very blessed with a God-given talent, and I’m just really happy to be able to use it to the fullest.”

Previously, the event’s youngest winner was 13-year-old Ellie Pleune, who won the race in 2017, with a time of 31:13.

A home-schooled student, Black runs for Cambridge Christian School’s varsity girls cross-country and track teams.

The Sunlake High varsity girls weightlifting won its second consecutive state crown at the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) Class 2A State Weightlifting Championships in Panama City Beach.

Sunlake girls weightlifting repeat at states
For the second straight year, the Sunlake High School varsity girls weightlifting program cemented itself as the state’s top dog at the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) Class 2A State Weightlifting Championships in Panama City Beach.

Coached by Denise Garcia, the Seahawks tallied 28 points to edge second-place finisher Navarre High School (26) and third place Winter Springs High School (24) — to become back-to-back state champions on Feb. 15.

The Seahawks program experienced another milestone — as two weightlifters earned individual state titles in the same year: Seniors Gianna Levy (139 pounds) and Juliette Pacheco (169 pounds) took first place in their respective weight classes. Pacheco also set a state record 225-pound bench press in her weight class.

All told, five of Sunlake’s seven state lifters earned points with top-six finishes in the bench press and clean-and-jerk aggregate lifts.

  • Madison Guincho, junior — second place, 119-pound (180-160 — 340)
  • Gianna Levy, senior — first place, 139-pound (175-180 — 355)
  • Juliette Pacheco, senior — first place, 169-pound (225-185 — 410)
  • Brianna Caban, senior — third place, 183-pound (200-170—370)
  • Antoinette Farmer, senior—second place, 199-pound (210-190 — 400)
Land O’ Lakes High varsity boys basketball coach Dave Puhalski

Land O’ Lakes hoops coach retires after 31 years
Land O’ Lakes High School varsity boys basketball coach Dave Puhalski was finally ready for a timeout.

After 31 years roaming the Gators sidelines, barking orders, drawing up plays, and molding boys into young men, the longtime coach announced his retirement following the 2019-2020 season, which ended Feb. 25.

Puhalski’s swan song was a memorable one — sending off eight seniors to the tune of a 21-6 mark, a 5A-7 district title and an appearance in the 5A regional semifinals.

He exited as one of the longest-tenured and among the most-decorated coaches in Pasco County sports history.

Puhalski compiled a 479-349 career record since taking over the Gators program in 1988.
The coach frequently emphasized “rebounding the ball, taking care of the ball and defending the ball.”
He was particularly well-regarded for his defense-first mentality — a philosophy that centered heavily on the man-to-man variety, with little regard for zone defenses.

“We play man to man,” Puhalski once told The Laker/Lutz News. “In 31 years (at Land O’ Lakes), we’ve probably played a minute worth of zone.”

In total, Puhalski spent more than 35 years coaching hoops.

Before taking over at Land O’ Lakes, Puhalski was an assistant at state champion Ocala Vanguard for three seasons and an assistant at University of Tampa for a year.

He put the meaning of his retirement into perspective: “After 35 years, I’ve never had a Christmas vacation, (or) a Thanksgiving vacation; the month of June is all summer league, kids playing, so really, it’s just time.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) on April 20 announced it would cancel all FHSAA-affiliated events, including the state series and championships events, for spring sports.

Spring sports axed amid COVID-19
There was a glimmer of hope the 2020 Florida high school spring sports season would resume following its mid-March postponement, even through coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19).

But, optimism vanished when the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) on April 20 announced it would cancel all affiliated events for the remainder of the school year.

The cancellations included the state series and championships events, for all spring sports.

Affected FHSAA-sanctioned spring sports included baseball, flag football, lacrosse, softball, tennis, track & field, boys volleyball, water polo and boys weightlifting.

The statewide sports organization also then announced no additional eligibility would be granted for spring sport athletes, including seniors, “under the guidance of the Florida Department of Education regarding grade level retention, and upon review of Florida Statutes and FHSAA Bylaws.”

Just like that, high school senior athletic careers abruptly came to a close.

Several local athletes weighed in on the decision with The Laker/Lutz News, like Land O’ Lakes senior tennis standout Courtney Piltaver, a two-time Sunshine Athletic Conference East Girls Tennis Player of the Year who was poised to shine in her final high school tennis season.

“I was pretty upset because it was my senior year, and it really sucks that I didn’t get to enjoy the full season with my team and my coaches, and kind of just close out,” said Piltaver, who had signed a college scholarship with NCAA Division II University of Montevallo in Alabama.

Back on March 31, the FHSAA issued a statement that left open the possibility of a spring sports season, saying they could run from as soon as May 3 through June 30.

The FHSAA also indicated if a spring sports season is canceled altogether, it was working on a solution to create additional athletics eligibility for students who were unable to participate.
However, as days and weeks pressed on, many saw the writing on the wall that spring sports would not return this year, due to the pandemic.

A trio of locals were taken in the 2020 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft, broadcast nationally on June 10 and June 11.

Locals taken in 2020 MLB Draft
Childhood dreams of playing professional baseball became a reality for a couple athletes with ties to The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

The Major League Baseball (MLB)’s 2020 first-year player draft was shortened to five rounds and 160 picks, from the usual 40 rounds in previous years, due to COVID-19.

The consolidated draft, however, didn’t stop some locals from hearing their name called — and seeing their bank accounts richen significantly  —  on Day 2 of the nationally televised draft on June 11.

  • The highest-drafted local was Steinbrenner High/Florida State product CJ Van Eyk, taken by the Toronto Blue Jays in the second round, at pick No. 42 overall. The 6-foot-1, 198-pound right-hander signed with the Blue Jays for $1.8 million.
  • Trinity native/Mitchell High catcher Jackson Miller was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the third round (65th overall). The 6-foot, 195-pound lefty signed with the Reds for $1.29 million.
  • The Philadelphia Phillies selected Wesley Chapel native/Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High/University of South Florida product Carson Ragsdale in the fourth round (116th overall). The 6-foot-8, 225 pound right-handed pitcher signed with the Phillies for $225,000.

All three players are expected to begin their pro careers in the minor league ranks come 2021.

Swimming & diving was one of six fall high school sports allowed to return to action on Aug. 24, following an FHSAA board decision to resume athletics, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Florida high school sports make fall return
After months of inactivity amid the COVID-19 pandemic, high school sports practices and games returned to action when Florida High School Athletic Association’s board members (FHSAA) voted 11-5 to allow member schools to begin fall sports on Aug. 24.

It signaled a long time coming, as prep sports had been in a sort of holding pattern since mid-March or so.

The FHSAA decision to all but immediately ramp up fall sports was far from easy — taking more than two hours of heated dialogue among board members during an Aug. 14 meeting at the Best Western Grand in Gainesville.

The contentious meeting was live-streamed for public viewing.

The organization’s decision contradicted a unanimous recommendation from the FHSAA’s 14-member Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC). That committee strongly advised sports not begin in any part of the state until the coronavirus is controlled, and declining in state and local regions. They also wanted to be able to study the impact of reopening schools on the COVID-19 infection rate, for at least a few weeks.

A majority of board members, however, voted in favor of bringing sports back for the fall, citing an overwhelming amount of support from student-athletes, parents, and even sport officials and school superintendents, from their respective district.

That point was emphasized when Jamie and Tami Kent spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting.

As parents of a Tampa Cambridge Christian High School football player, they created an online petition titled “Let Us Play” attracting over 40,000 signatures urging the FHSAA to begin the fall sports season this month.

Those voices were heard, by the end of the day.

FHSAA executive director George Tomyn perhaps best summed up the board’s decision, which came at his recommendation.

“I’ve always thought of what can we do for our member schools, not what we cannot or will not be able to do,” Tomyn said at the meeting.

“I’m a firm believer in flexibility, especially in this challenging, challenging time that we’re in. I’m a firm believer in parental choice, and I’m a firm believer in local decision-making.”

Published December 23, 2020

Local pitchers delay pro careers for college

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Two of the area’s top pitchers are postponing their pro careers — for now.

Sunlake High School’s Tommy Mace and Steinbrenner High’s CJ Van Eyk — both selected in the middle rounds of June’s MLB Draft — have opted to forgo professional baseball contracts, and instead attend in-state Division I programs.

Sunlake High’s Tommy Mace, who was drafted in the 12th round of the 2017 MLB Draft, will pitch at the University of Florida.
(File)

Mace, drafted in the 12th round (347th overall) by the Cincinnati Reds, will pitch at the University of Florida, which last month won the 2017 College World Series — the first national title in program history.

Van Eyk, drafted in the 19th round (577th overall) by the New York Mets, will pitch at Florida State University, which reached the College World Series, but was later eliminated by Louisiana State University.

The draft-signing deadline was July 7; the draft featured 40 rounds and 1,205 picks in total.

Besides higher education, Mace and Van Eyk have a chance to further develop their pitching skillets with advanced college instruction.

Typically, that results in an improved draft stock — and larger corresponding signing bonuses.

Based on MLB guidelines, Mace and Van Eyk will be draft-eligible again in three years — players at four-year colleges and universities are eligible three years after first enrolling in such an institution, or after their 21st birthday (whichever occurs first).

Mace, a lanky 6-foot-7, 200-pound righty, was ranked by MLB.com as the No. 144 overall prospect in the 2017 draft.

The site lauds his projectable 94 mph fastball, and usable three-quarters breaking ball.

One of the more effective prep arms in the Tampa Bay area, Mace tallied a 1.29 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 70.2 innings, with an 8-2 record in 11 appearances — guiding Sunlake High to the Class 7A regional finals last season.

During his three-year varsity career, meanwhile, Mace won 19 games, posting a 1.65 ERA and 196 strikeouts in 165.2 innings.

Van Eyk was equally dominant throughout his prep career.

Steinbrenner High’s CJ Van Eyk, who was drafted in the 19th round of the 2017 MLB Draft, will pitch at Florida State University. (File)

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound righty was ranked by MLB.com as the No. 120 overall prospect in the 2017 draft.

In addition to a blistering 95-mile-per-hour fastball that displays movement and sink, Van Eyk features an effective curveball and changeup.

His senior season, however, was cut short due to arm soreness. In limited action, he posted a 0.73 ERA and 56 strikeouts.

But, throughout his three-year varsity career, Van Eyk was virtually unhittable, tallying a 0.60 ERA and 250 strikeouts in 173.2 innings, and winning 24 games.

Van Eyk surged onto the national spotlight last summer as a member of the USA Baseball 18-and-under team’s pitching staff, helping the squad win gold at the Pan American Championships.

Also in 2016, he led Steinbrenner to its first state baseball title in and was crowned the Florida Dairy Farmers’ Class 8A Player of the Year.

Van Eyk wasn’t Steinbrenner’s only drafted player.

His teammate, first baseman Patrick Morris, was selected in the 14th round by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Morris, however, opted to turn pro, inking a signing bonus in excess of $200,000.

Published July 19, 2017