Five Florida baseball programs with state championship aspirations
Some of the best baseball schools in the country are located in South Florida.
Broward and Miami-Dade counties have long been a hotbed for baseball talent. And, 2024 promises to be no different.
Among the usual suspects expected to compete for state titles are Marjory Stoneman Douglas and American Heritage Plantation. Both of those schools won state championships in 2023. Douglas dominated in Class 7A, and also was crowned national championships. Heritage got hot at the right time, and with a youthful roster went on to capture the Class 5A crown.
Look for both powers to challenge once again.
But they aren’t the only ones. Even when you take the area’s two defending state champions out of the mix, South Florida still is loaded with championship-level schools.
SBLive Sports Florida breaks down five other South Florida schools primed to make state championship runs:
Taravella, Class 7A-District 14: Coach Joe Giummule has a battle-tested roster filled with senior leadership and talented underclassmen.
The Trojans’ road to state, however, is an uphill climb in highly competitive Class 7A-District 14, which also features West Broward, Western, Coral Glades, Flanagan and Cypress Bay. The road gets tougher out of district play, because Douglas presents an obstacle in the regional.
EJ Burns is star for Taravella who will contribute at the plate, on the mound and at shortstop.
Photo by Joe Frisaro
Still, the Trojans have a roster capable of going all the way. Headlined by shortstop/pitcher EJ Burns (Florida Gulf Coast) and pitcher/first baseman Anthony Quigley (South Florida), Taravella has two of the top seniors in Broward County. Junior third baseman Jonathan Lopez (Florida Atlantic) is a left-handed hitting threat, who also pitches. And Jeancarlo Martinez, now a junior, paced the team with five homers last year.
“We’ve got six returning guys from last year’s lineup, which were our best six hitters last year, and five of them are Division 1 commitments,” Giummule said. “We expect to hit. And we return all of our arms that threw last year.”
Among the group, Quigley (39 2/3 innings), Mikael Ghann (26 2/3), Burns (23 2/3) and Anthony Tizol (23 1/3), each logged at least 20 innings.
Then there is Javier Miranda who threw 11 2/3 innings a year ago. The right-hander had his fastball clocked at 92 mph in the summer.
“A lot of teams ride two or three guys,” Giummule said. “We’ve got five guys who threw a ton.”
Taravella’s talent was on display during an intrasquad scrimmage on Wednesday. A handful of professional scouts were on hand, as was SBLive Sports Florida.
Burns hit two doubles, and on the mound, he recorded a couple of strikeouts in one inning. Quigley’s fastball reached 91 mph, and Miranda impressed in his inning of work.
Last year Burns posted a 0.89 ERA as a pitcher, and at the plate, hit .413.
“I’m EJ’s biggest fan,” Giummule said. “FGCU has landed a really talented kid that I feel will be a four-year starter there. When his college days are over, he will have a chance to play professional baseball. … I put him anywhere on the field and he’s arguably the most talented player at any position.”
As for Quigley, Giummule said: “Anthony right now is projected to go anywhere from like the third to the fifth rounds. The sky is the limit with him. He’s just figuring things out. He had a pretty good year last year, and he had a really good summer and really good fall. There were five or six [scouts] here to see him today. They stayed for three hours to catch every one of his at-bats. He made a leaping catch today. He scored from second on a ground ball. Those are things you can’t teach.”
Westminster Christian Miami, Class 3A-District 15: The Warriors feature two of the best players in the state -- shortstop Manny Marin and right-hander Lazaro Collera. Both transferred into the program.
Marin, who is committed to Tennessee, comes over from ESB Academy. The senior also played for Team USA’s 18U roster.
Collera (Miami) pitched at Florida Christian last season. The right-hander’s fastball has been up to 97 mph. As a junior, Collera struck out 88 in 54 1/3 innings.
Scouts are impressed with how Collera takes charge on the mound, along with possessing three quality pitches. Along with his plus-fastball is a hard breaking ball, and he’s shown good feel on his changeup.
Jose Lopez plays all over the field – third base, first base, catcher and outfielder. A year ago, he belted eight home runs to go with a .351 batting average. First baseman Ethan Puig (Miami) also posted impressive numbers -- .451 batting average and five home runs.
Doral Academy, Class 6A-District 16: The Firebirds’ bid for a repeat as state champions fell just short in 2023, as they lost in the semifinals, 3-0, to Viera.
Gone from a year ago are shortstop Adrian Santana, drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays, and left-hander Frank Menendez (Florida Gators signee).
Still, veteran coach Ralph Suarez keeps retooling, and he has a roster capable of winning another state title. The Firebirds were champs in 2022.
Doral manager Ralph Suarez should easily surpass 600 career wins in 2024. He stands just 11 shy of the milestone.
Suarez is closing in on a major coaching milestone. With 589 wins, he’s 11 shy of 600 in his legendary career.
The star of the Firebirds is outfielder/lefty pitcher Michael Torres (Miami commit). But Torres is just one of many college commits.
Infielder Evan Escobar, who played last year at Columbus, is a big addition. The shortstop has committed to San Diego State.
Others committed to Division 1 schools are: OF Jaden Nunez (North Carolina), OF Sebastian Berrios (Florida International), 3B Gabo Milano (Miami), C Hector Roca (Wabash), P/INF T.J. Socarras (Pittsburgh), P Marcelo Rodriguez (Arizona State), and 2B Ignacio Salaverria (Central Florida).
North Broward Prep, Class 3A-District 12: The Eagles fell to national power, Calvary Christian Clearwater, 9-3, in the state championship game. This year, North Broward Prep has an experienced roster and expects to make a push for another state crown.
In 2022, the Eagles won state, beating Tampa Berkeley Prep, 5-3, in the title game.
Staying healthy is going to be key. Right-hander Ryan McPherson (Mississippi State) missed time last year due to injury.
Mateo Gray (Central Florida) and Riley Luft (Appalachian State) are two of the top players in South Florida. Gray was 5-0 (1.39) while Luft was 5-1 (1.43).
Gray and Luft also are standouts in the field, and at the plate. Luft hit .378 with five home runs as a junior. Gray was a .333 hitter with 10 doubles.
Thomas Gramesty III posted a .321 batting average a year ago, while Nikolas Koorse hit .300 with three homers.
Westminster Academy Fort Lauderdale, Class 2A-District 15: The Lions reached the Class 2A state semifinals last year, falling 8-3 to St. Johns Country Day.
The Lions finished 16-10-1, claiming their regional title to go along with a final four appearance.
The ace of the staff is Colin Cartagena, who in December signed with the University of North Florida.
In 2023, the right-hander was 6-1 with a 2.48 ERA, striking out 46 in 48 innings.
Outfielder Julian Irizarry, a left-handed hitter, officially signed with Pittsburgh in December. At a Perfect Game event in September, his exit velocity was tracked at 98 mph.
As a junior, Irizarry posted a .472 batting average with a .561 on-base percentage, while scoring 34 runs.
