Editor’s note: Instead of spotlighting one player, we have decided to honor the entire roster of the Plant City Little League machine pitch Pool Master Tiger Sharks.
The Tiger Sharks went 26-0 this spring and won their league tournament, as well as the Tournament of Champions, in Haines City, going undefeated in both. The team, comprising 6- to 8-year-olds, will celebrate their undefeated season June 14, with a team party. We spoke with Kelvin Lugo, head coach of the Tiger Sharks.
Going into the season, did you think going 26-0 was possible?
Absolutely not. We just wanted to go out there and play hard and make sure we had fun and did the best we could.
How did this team come together?
Going into the draft, I was looking more for athletes than just baseball players. During tryouts, it’s hard to judge the boy by just a couple of pitches and a couple of ground balls. I was just looking for speed and hand-eye coordination. The way I look at it, you can teach a boy how to hit, catch and throw a baseball, but having that coordination is important more than anything.
Tell me about the individuals on this team.
We had a couple boys that came in with solid experience and they helped carry us at times, but the great thing was that some days when they would struggle, the other boys would pick them up. We would have times where the bottom of the lineup hit better than the top of the lineup.
What were some strong suits of the team?
The main thing for us was that we hit the ball really well. There was some times (during which) some of the other coaches would say that there wasn’t a play they could make out there as well as we hit the ball. It was fun. Every boy got a lot better as the season went on.
What was the practice schedule like?
We definitely pushed the kids. There was a lot of running and lots and lots of fundamental work. We did a lot of bare-handed drills, which I think are important, because it teaches them to use two hands. Normally, you throw a baseball at a boy or any person, and they’re going to use two hands and then you put a baseball glove on a kid and they forget about the other hand, so we did a lot of barehand drills, and it helped out.
Are any of your players playing All-Stars?
We have five. Gavin Dean, Seth Hogan and Chase Mobley are all playing for the Warriors, while my son, Anthony Lugo, and Alex Machado are playing for the Bulldogs. I’m one of the coaches, and Michael Palestrini is the manager for the Bulldogs.