If anything in Plant City comes close to matching the excitement of football season, it’s baseball’s opening day.
And with prep baseball season geared to get rolling next week, Durant, Plant City and Strawberry Crest high schools are all looking to make this year’s 7A-District 7 race as tight as ever.
By the looks of things, all area fans should have something to cheer for this season.
DURANT
The 2014 Cougars, as many probably expected, ended up atop the 7A-7 standings with an 8-2 district record after staving off tough customers in Brandon and Strawberry Crest (both 7-3). As the only team in the area with a total average above .300, it was tough not to like Durant’s odds of making it out on top, which it did with a 1-0 win over the Eagles in the district championship game.
However, Durant suffered a 5-3 loss at home to Sickles in the first round of the 7A playoffs, just five days later.
Another blow for the Cougars is that no team in the area is taking as big of a hit to the roster. The seven seniors that have graduated — Garrett Wright, Luke Heyer, Paxton Sims, Ryan Barfield, Jacob Scolaro, Corey Hamm and Tyler Long — all played prominent roles for this team.
On the bright side, head coach Butch Valdes has a knack for getting the most out of a roster. Last year saw the emergence of young guns like junior Jake Sullivan and sophomore Jonah Scolaro. Both are .350-plus hitters. And on the mound, senior Bryce Gainer looks primed to lead the rotation after a 42-strikeout, 2.52-ERA junior campaign.
Winning this district is a tall order, especially after big changes, but Durant can’t be counted out until it’s all over.
PLANT CITY
Injuries got the better of the Raiders in 2014, bringing the team to a .500 record and dashing its playoff hopes with a late cold streak.
That’s not to say there weren’t good moments. Thanks to the formidable arms of juniors Ryan Boyd and Billy McKay, the Raiders posted the lowest ERA in Hillsborough County halfway through the season. And at the plate, senior Connor Slagill batted .444 and led the offense in every category through 21 games.
Head coach Mike Fryrear now has what he feels is his best team since taking the Plant City job, bolstered in part by the addition of senior Jake Ralyea into the lineup, who transferred from Strawberry Crest.
Fans can expect Boyd and McKay, who combined for an ERA of 0.84, to serve as co-aces, though McKay will still see plenty of action as a reliever. And with senior Sawyer Dawson returning from a nagging hamstring injury, the batting order looks to have more bangers than base-stealers this time around.
If Plant City can stay healthy, it’ll be a real threat to get Fryrear his first 7A-7 title.
STRAWBERRY CREST
Crest enjoyed a good year in 2014, going 7-3 in the district and making it to the semifinal against Brandon. Much of the team’s success had to do with its pitching: Six Chargers posted ERAs below 3.00, and three of them were able to keep it under 1.60.
Although graduated senior Austin Boatright’s 7-2 record was the best on the staff, current senior Mark Moclair led the team with a 1.33 ERA and several shutouts. He also proved to be good with a bat in his hands, hitting .290 and leading the team with 17 RBI.
Crest lost starters Boatright and Ben Welch, along with several others, to graduation. And it lost Jake Ralyea by way of transferring schools. But head coach Eric Beattie has groomed some solid, young talent.
Junior hurlers Alex Kachler and Matthew Trzeciak looked good in over 40 combined innings of action, giving up only 11 earned runs and striking out 31 batters. At the plate, junior Logan Fernandez batted .293 with 15 runs scored and stole seven bases on eight attempts. Also returning to the lineup is senior Jeffrey Murray, who batted .312 with 18 runs and 11 RBI, and stole 10 bases.
Although Crest’s future isn’t the clearest on paper, it does have a pitching staff that can help an offense get comfortable. And perhaps make some noise in the district.
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME
Need to be in the bleachers on opening day? Plan now, because the first home games are coming soon.
Strawberry Crest: Feb. 6 vs. Wiregrass Ranch, 4:30 p.m. (at Plant City Preseason Classic); Feb. 13 vs. Riverview, 7 p.m. (home opener).
Plant City: Feb. 6 vs. Trinity Christian, 7:30 p.m. (Preseason Classic); Feb. 13 vs. Plant, 7 p.m. (home opener).
Durant: Feb. 20 vs. Brandon, 7 p.m. (home opener).