Plant City-area high school baseball and softball teams are looking to make some noise throughout the next few months.
Two things define the month of February in Plant City: the buildup to the Florida Strawberry Festival, and the start of prep baseball and softball season.
All six area high school teams will take to the fields with something to prove in early 2017, whether the goal is to get back into the playoffs or to establish a new culture. Softball season began earlier in the week, and area baseball teams will begin play next week.
What’s on tap for local teams?
DURANT
On the baseball side, the Cougars are expecting 2017 to be business as usual.
With its current run of four district championships and back-to-back state championship tournament berths, Durant coaches and players are determined to stay at the top of the 8A region once again. Helping the Cougars’ case is that the tools to make such a run are still there.
Though the program lost seven seniors to graduation, including all-star catcher Jake Sullivan, the team’s pitching staff was untouched. That means that ace Jonah Scolaro is back for one last ride before going to Florida State, and that teams have to account for guys such as Bryar Christian — who pitched well and got the 8-1 win in the last district title game.
Durant has long had a habit of getting the most out of any roster, but one player to watch in 2017 is senior catcher Alex Molinelli. Molinelli, who waited patiently behind Sullivan for several years, will be tasked with stepping in the shoes of one of Hillsborough County’s top catchers and has been getting praise from area coaches.
The softball team is looking to rebound from a 2016 campaign that didn’t end as well as the Lady Cougars would have liked.
After picking up six of their 11 wins in February, the Lady Cougars dropped 14 of their next 19, ending with a hard-fought 9-8 loss to
Riverview in the district tournament opener. The team then lost several key seniors, including Selena Bezares and Madison Farrell, to graduation, and head coach Matt Carter retired.
In coach Jessica Howton’s first year at the helm, Durant will look to rebuild a contender. This roster is one of the youngest in the area, with just four seniors and one junior to go with five sophomores and six freshmen.
PLANT CITY
Baseball head coach Mike Fryrear is always up for a challenge, and this season’s schedule reflects that.
In addition to facing one of the county’s toughest district gauntlets, Plant City will also be tested with an April matchup against nationally-ranked (No. 40) Alonso, and scheduled preseason games against powerhouse Jesuit and another ranked team in No. 25 Trinity Christian. But, the Raiders are set up to fare well.
Plant City has what Fryrear calls “the best defense I’ve ever had.” Led by outfielder Dalton Wingo, who signed with the University of Central Florida and could go in Major League Baseball’s draft, the defense also has college-caliber gloves in shortstop J.J. Gonzalez and Cade Shissler, and ace Parker Messick will slide over to first base when not on the mound.
The team did lose an ace in Billy McKay to graduation, but Messick is expected to pitch well in the role. As a freshman, he led all regular starters in 2016 with a 1.44 ERA in seven starts, and pitched two-hit ball through 3.2 innings in the district title game against Durant.
Plant City High’s other sophomore ace, Ashley Blessin, is ready to prove that her freshman year was no fluke.
Blessin, who led the team with a 1.13 ERA and 204 strikeouts, helped the softball team earn a 24-3 overall record in 2016, the team’s second under head coach Ashley Bullion. Though the team lost six seniors to graduation — four of whom had batting averages above .300 — the Lady Raiders will get one more year from top infielder Edmilly Molina, who finished 2016 with a .443 batting average, 32 RBI, seven doubles, four triples and two home runs.
STRAWBERRY CREST
The Chargers had plenty to be happy about in 2016, from a perfect district record in the regular season to a regionals trip that saw the team make it to the second round at home. Much success came from the team’s senior core, which included pitchers Brandon Harris, Wesley Tanner and Matt Trzeciak, and top hitters Alex Kachler and Korey Coffey.
This year’s Chargers team will likely be defined by the strength of its junior and sophomore cores, as the roster lists just two seniors and two freshman among five juniors and eight sophomores. One of those juniors, Damien Torres, could give the Chargers a steady presence on the mound. In his 10 appearances in 2016, Torres posted a 1.00 ERA, giving up just three earned runs in 21 innings pitched.
Crest was the only 8A-4 team with an overall record above .560 last season, and was the only team with a winning record in district play. Should Wharton, Freedom and Wiregrass Ranch not make big leaps of improvement in 2017, the district still appears to be the Chargers’ to lose.
The softball team is also going to work with a young roster.
The Lady Chargers added another district title to its trophy case in 2016, and also made it back into the state championship tournament with a 6-4 regional championship win over Oakleaf. Crest went to work with plenty of hot bats, most notably that of senior Kasey Locke, who batted .480 with 25 RBI, 11 doubles, three triples and three home runs.
Crest lost Locke, ace Scottie Todd, captains Kaylan Kelly and Ashleigh Vogt and first baseman Rebecca
Roberts to graduation. This year’s senior leadership comes from Rachel Peak, Stephanie Dwyer and Brandy Ashmore, who will guide four juniors, six sophomores and three freshmen through the season. The girls claim that, despite their young age, the team’s close bond and abundance of heart could lead to big things on the field — perhaps even another district title.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
