ODA captures district title

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Sophomore pitcher Alex Horan transferred to The Out-of-Door Academy this year with one goal in mind: win a district title.

Last spring, Horan played JV for Lemon Bay and was responsible for all three of his team’s wins.

“It was kind of depressing,” Horan said of the atmosphere last year. “Lemon Bay didn’t have the best coaching staff. The coaches and the school here are so much better.”

Horan spent the preseason and a good portion of the regular season gaining confidence is his pitches and his ability to pitch deep into games. And his hard work is paying off. Horan is having the best season of his young career.

Most recently, Horan took the mound in the Class 2A-District 11 championship game. The right-hander threw a four-hit shutout, propelling the Thunder to a 1-0 victory over Shorecrest Prep.

“Alex Horan stepped up and pitched the game of his life in the biggest game he has ever been in,” coach Mike Verrill said. “He needed more confidence in his ability to go deeper into games and not lose his poise on the mound. I have worked with him all preseason and during the season to get him to that point, and the result of that hard work showed up in the district title game. 

With the win, ODA captured its second district title in three years. The district champion Thunder also earned a spot in the regional tournament. ODA played host to the Community School of Naples May 3 in the regional quarterfinals; however, results were unavailable as of press time Tuesday. Be sure to check www.YourObserver.com for the latest results on ODA’s regional tournament run.

ODA advanced to the district tournament after finishing the regular season with school records for wins (14) and district wins (six). The second-seeded Thunder drew a first round bye before hosting rival St. Stephen’s in the district semifinals April 26. ODA defeated the Falcons 6-3 to earn a spot in the title game.

With the game tied 0-0 in the top of the seventh, senior Ryan Kaminski hit a double to leadoff for ODA. Two outs later, junior Lucas Friss hit a double down the right field line to drive in the game-winning run.

In the bottom of the inning with one out and a runner of first, shortstop Brendan Bercaw and first baseman Jon Onufrak combined for a game ending double play, securing the victory for ODA.

“With the big games on the line, it is always the older guys who come through the most often,” Verrill said. “Great stuff by the real leaders of this team, and it’s because of them we win the title. I’m very proud of them. They have been the hardest workers on this team, and the most dedicated for years.

“I would hope the team goes deep, but no matter what happens I will be very proud of them,” Verrill said.

LAKEWOOD RANCH
Lakewood Ranch High coach Mike Mullen couldn’t have scripted it any better: His Mustangs were holding onto a one-run lead over top-seeded Seminole Osceola and were one out away from capturing the Class 4A-District 10 championship April 29.

But a few uncharacteristic mistakes late in the game derailed the Mustangs’ storybook ending.

With a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning, Osceola’s Scott Schlapinski hit a shot off the arm of Brett Hanewich to tie the game.

Seth McGarry came in to relieve Hanewich in the eighth inning, but McGarry’s first pitch sailed over the head of catcher Tyler Dauphinee and hit the backstop, allowing Jordan Ramsey to run home and score the winning run for Osceola.

“We made a couple mistakes that cost us, but it was a good, hard-fought game,” Mullen said. “The kid they brought in is a tough player, and he beat us. We battled, and we scratched across a couple runs. We had the lead, and (unfortunately) we couldn’t hold onto it.

“I expected us to be in the district tournament and win it,” Mullen said. “They were very disappointed, but it’s baseball, and on any given day, anybody can beat anybody.”

But luckily for Mullen, his team’s season isn’t over yet. As the district runner-up, the Mustangs traveled to Tampa Jefferson May 3 to face the District 9 champions in a regional quarterfinal; however, results were unavailable as of press time Tuesday.

If Lakewood comes up victorious, the Mustangs will play the winner of the regional quarterfinal between Osceola and Tampa Jesuit in the regional semifinals May 6.

“We’re happy to be playing and representing out district,” Mullen said. “Hopefully we can carry this a little bit further than we did last year.”

Last season, the Mustangs advanced to the regional semifinals.

This season, Lakewood has relied on its pitching and defense to carry it to a 23-6 record. As a team, the Mustangs have a .371 batting average and are averaging eight runs a game. Through 29 games, Lakewood has notched 314 hits and scored 239 runs with six players batting over .400 and another three batting over .300.
“Our starting pitching has been the biggest thing for us, but we’re also swinging the bat pretty well,” Mullen said. “We work pretty hard at it. We have 13 or 14 guys that deserve to play every day, but I can only start nine. The kids have done a great job of handling that, and I think the coaching staff has done a pretty good job of getting kids the opportunity.

“I expect us to (continue) to do well,” Mullen said. “We have to play well, and we’ll see what happens.”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].