Stoneman Douglas baseball's Niko Benestad hits two home runs (Video)
DAVIE, FLORIDA – Add another title to Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ expansive trophy case.
The Eagles breezed to a 12-0 victory on Friday night against West Broward in the BCAA (Broward County Athletic Association) Championship Baseball Tournament at Nova High School.
In a dominant performance, Eagles’ first baseman Niko Benestad belted two home runs and collected three RBIs to power the offense.
Benestad (South Florida commit) finished with three hits, and was named the Tier 1 MVP.
Niko Benestad (center) was named MVP photo BCAA Tournament. He posed with Pat McQuaid (left) and Stoneman Douglas head coach Todd Fitz-Gerald. (3/1/2024)
Photo by Joe Frisaro
Stoneman Douglas (5-0) showed why it is the No. 1 in the state of Florida in the SBLive Sports Florida Top 25 rankings.
In their three tournament victories, the Eagles outscored the opposition, 24-1. The only time they were challenged came on Wednesday, when they edged Taravella, 2-0, on a night sophomore left-hander Gio Rojas struck out 18.
Rojas (Miami recruit) flirted with perfection. In fact, the lefty was one out away from a perfect game, before surrendering a hit.
In that game, Benestad came up big by delivering a key double.
Winners of three straight national titles, Stoneman Douglas is riding a 56-game winning streak, which will be put on the line at home on Thursday against state-ranked Tampa Jesuit.
On a stacked team, Benestad is one of the senior leaders, as well as one of the top hitters in the state.
The Stoneman Douglas baseball team celebrates its championship at the 2024 BCAA Tournament.
Photo by Joe Frisaro
“I said at the beginning of the year that he was going to have a monster year,” Douglas coach Todd Fitz-Gerald said. “He works hard, and he’s always been a really good hitter. He’s going to continue to do that, because that’s what he’s done his whole life. I couldn’t be happier for him.”
In the BCAA tournament, Benestad was 5-for-10 at the plate with two doubles and two home runs.
“We’ve been working on swinging it, and seeing the ball up,” Benestad said. “Passing the baton and hitting the ball hard whenever you can, and just play as a team.”
Douglas’ dominance is one of the top storylines nationally in high school baseball.
The Eagles ran the table in 2023, going 29-0. Benestad was a key contributor as a catcher during his junior season. Now as a senior, he’s playing mostly first base.
“I’m just trying to be a leader and getting the guys up,” Benestad said. “If you get out, just keep your head up. Baseball is the hardest game. I’m trying to see the ball up, stay back and don’t cast out, and finish over the plate. And just try to do damage.”
Stoneman Douglas’ entire lineup is capable of doing damage, which we saw on Friday with seven different players driving in runs.
Along with Benestad, Devin Fitz-Gerald, Bennett Gary, Gavin Gargiulo, Alex Rodriguez, Jake Rizzo and Drew Freeman each collected an RBI.
Throughout the tournament, Douglas’ pitching also was on point, allowing just one run in 21 innings.
Jayden Dubanewicz (Florida commit) threw three scoreless innings. Left-hander Luke Cherry tossed 1 2/3 innings with three strikeouts. And to close out the game, side-arm-tossing Christian Milliken recorded the final out with a strikeout.
Douglas capitalized on a West Broward error in the first inning, and scored three runs. Benestad connected on a two-run homer in the first.
Rain halted play for about 20 minutes in the bottom of the fourth inning. When play resumed, Benestad led off the inning, and crushed his solo shot to left-center.
“Just being able to try to get as many guys in the game as I could,” Fitz-Gerald said. “I tried to. You want to make everybody feel important on the team, because they are. The more guys you can get into a game like this, the better it is. And you keep your starters from getting injured, maybe. But the other guys work just as hard, and they deserve opportunities, too.”
TIER 2 CHAMPIONSHIP
CARDINAL GIBBONS 7, PEMBROKE PINES CHARTER 5
In the afternoon game at Nova, Cardinal Gibbons (4-1-1) held on for a two-run lead after the Jaguars rallied for five runs in the seventh innings.
Eddie Marshall went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs to lead the Chiefs’ offense. Jason Vazquez added two hits, and drove in a run.
Pitching in the Chiefs’ strength, and Frankie Russo tossed four shutout innings, while striking out two.
Things got interesting in the seventh inning, when Tanner Avino connected on a three-run homer. Alejandro Puig had a hit in the inning, and finished the game with two singles.
The Tier 2 MVP was Cardinal Gibbons’ right-hander Michael Kass (Central Florida commit), who threw five shutout innings, striking out seven.
