Thunder bounce back after back-to-back losses

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Talk and excitement had been swirling around The Out-of-Door Academy campus for weeks.

No team in the school’s history had completed a perfect season, let alone a team that was filled with youth. But 12 games into the season, the Thunder baseball team was en route to do just that.

Emotions were running slightly higher than usual when senior pitcher Zach Hoppe and the rest of his teammates took the field March 27, for their district game against rival Cardinal Mooney. Not only was it an opportunity to extend their perfect season, but also it was a chance for the Thunder to further extend their lead atop the district standings.

“I don’t think about pressure,” Hoppe said. “Yeah, it’s there, but I put it in the back of my mind and try not to think about it.”

Hoppe had yet another successful outing on the mound, striking out 11 batters. Except on this particular night, the host Thunder fell to the Cougars 2-0, suffering their first loss of the season.

“We had our chances, but we didn’t get the big hit that that we usually get,” ODA coach Billy Dietrich said. “They came out maybe a little pumped up more than usual and emotions were high. For the loss, we played great and pitched really well. We just didn’t execute the bunt correctly. A hit here or there, and it’s a different game.”

However, even with its district loss, ODA still controls its own destiny. The Thunder still remain atop the district standings after defeating Cardinal Mooney 8-1 earlier this season and will clinch the top seed in the district tournament if they can take care of business against St. Stephen’s April 10.

“It was nice while it lasted,” Hoppe said. “(The loss) definitely relieves some of the pressure, but we’ve still got to play well. Nothing has changed in terms of how we go about games and get ready.”

“This school has never had a team go undefeated, and for them to be so young and to have experienced success early on was (somewhat surprising),” Dietrich said. “Now the monkey is off our back, so to speak. One day, they’re losing, and they’re joking around the next.

“I’m very proud of the way they played,” Dietrich said. “Our kids can use this as a learning experience. That’s the biggest key for them.”

When the season began, the Thunder never envisioned a perfect season. Instead, the team’s version of perfection was winning a district title and competing in the regional tournament.

It wasn’t until the wins slowly began to pile up that the idea of a perfect season began to surface. But no matter how many games landed in the win column, the Thunder never lost sight of its main goal.

“We’ve really worked hard this year, and we all know what it takes to be successful,” Hoppe said. “We just want to win out the district. It’s never been about staying undefeated. We just want to play our type of baseball, which relies on solid defense, pitching and clutch hitting.”

With a perfect season now in the rearview mirror, ODA returned to action to in a spring break tournament in Fort Lauderdale. The Thunder opened the tournament with a 3-2 loss to 2009 state champion Eagles View from Jacksonville. Alex Horan pitched seven innings, allowing no earned runs in the loss and striking out nine.

ODA had the lead heading into the sixth inning when three defensive errors led to two runs for Eagles View. Jimmy Kuebler, Carson Jungers, Hoppe and Justin Fischer led the way offensively for the Thunder.

The Thunder followed up their second consecutive loss with a 5-3 victory over St. Albans from Washington, D.C. Kuebler earned his first victory on the mound, pitching 5 1/3 innings. Austin Hoppe pitched the final 1 2/3 innings. Tyler Dietrich, Desmond Lindsay and Joey Grano led the way offensively for ODA.

“We’ve had a fantastic season so far,” Billy Dietrich said. “It hinges on our pitching. We’ve had fantastic pitching and defense as well. Those are the keys to our success, and if we have those, then we’ll be in every game.”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].