Vote: Who will be South Florida’s top baseball senior?
Baseball season officially gets underway next week. What that means for high school seniors is, this will be their final Opening Day as prep players.
As always, South Florida is filled with standouts in all classes. Once again, the area boasts many of the top ranked seniors in the state, and in some cases, the nation.
Many Miami-Dade and Broward-county seniors already have college commitments. Marjory Stoneman Douglas, for instance, has 17 players already signed to play at the collegiate level.
SBLive Sports Florida will be tracking the action all season.
But before the games officially count, we’re asking you to help us out by voting on who will be the top South Florida baseball senior in 2024?
As always, our polls are intended to be fun, while providing recognition to as many athletes from as many schools as possible.
Voting ends March 9, 2024. Vote as often as you’d like, and spread the word!
Here are the nominees:
EJ Burns, SS/P, Taravella: An impact player at shortstop or pitching, Burns batted .413 as a junior, and as a pitcher, had a 0.89 ERA. He’s committed to Florida Gulf Coast University.
Anthony Ciscar, P, St. Thomas Aquinas: As a junior, Ciscar posted a 7-2 record and 2.51 ERA. The Miami commit’s velocity is up, and is primed for a strong senior season.
Cole Cleveland, OF, Calvary Christian Academy: A Florida International University commit, Cleveland batted .357 as a junior, while adding seven doubles, four triples and a homer.
Lazaro Collera, P, Westminster Christian: On the major national ranking services, Collera is regarded as one of the top players in the state. The right-hander has a fastball clocked at 98 mph, about a six mph uptick since last year. Collera (Miami) projects to go high in the MLB Draft.
Ronny Cruz, INF, Miami Christian: On a traditional state power team, the infielder hit .308 in 18 games as a junior.
Devin Fitz-Gerald, SS, Marjory Stoneman Douglas: Regarded as one of the top players in the state, the North Carolina State commit comes off hitting .410 with six home runs as a junior.
Rafael Furcal Jr., 3B, American Heritage: After missing the first half of the 2023 season, Furcal joined the Patriots for their stretch drive, and he was a factor in the Patriots winning the state championship.
Raymond Gonzalez, P/OF, McArthur: A speedster, Gonzalez (Florida State) plays all over the field. As a pitcher, his fastball has been clocked at 89 mph. Listed at 6-foot-2, 185-pounds, Gonzalez hit .279 as a junior, and he’s primed for a strong senior season.
Mateo Gray, P/INF, North Broward Prep: With a 93 mph fastball, Gray has seen his stock rise among pro scouts. The Central Florida commit had a 1.39 ERA a year ago, and batted .333.
Julian Irizzary, OF, Westminster Academy: A Pittsburgh commit, Irizzary had a dominating 2023 season, batting .472 with five home runs and seven stolen bases.
Riley Luft, 3B/P, North Broward Prep: Luft (Appalachian State) is a versatile player, who had a 1.43 ERA as a pitcher, while batting .378.
Rylan Lujo, 3B, Marjory Stoneman Douglas: The three-time defending state and national champion Eagles have arguably the best left side of the infield. Lujo (Dayton), who hit .415 with six homers, plays next to Fitz-Gerald.
Manny Marin, SS, Westminster Christian: Marin transferred into Westminster Christian from ESB Academy, and the Tennessee commit ranks among the best players in the state.
Ethan Puig, 3B, Westminster Christian: Another Miami commit, Puig paced his team in batting last year with a .451 average, and five home runs.
Anthony Quigley, 1B/P, Taravella: Pro scouts are paying close attention to Quigley, who has a commitment to South Florida. As a junior, he boasted a 2.65 ERA, and batted .319.
Lucas Ramirez, OF, American Heritage: Ramirez (Tennessee) is a left-handed power-hitting threat on a team with all the pieces to repeat as state champions. He had seven doubles, a triple and two home runs as a junior.
Alejandro Sardinas, SS, West Broward: Another impact bat at West Broward, Sardinas (Dayton) batted .343 during his junior season.
Jason Wachs, OF/P, West Broward: At the plate or on the mound, Wachs (Tulane) makes his presence felt. In 2023, the left-handed hitter batted .282 with four doubles and three home runs. As a pitcher, his ERA was 2.81.
