Riverview High baseball hopes to keep momentum high

Look no further for an example of baseball’s fickleness than the Riverview High Rams.

After a senior-led team in coach Jeremy Schmidt’s first season as Rams skipper, which went 15-11 and but lost to Alonso High 9-0 in the district semifinals, Riverview is young. Six freshmen and sophomores made the team’s opening day roster, and more have been called up since because of injuries. As a result, the Rams started slow, going 1-4 and being outscored 37-10.

Then, Schmidt said, the season’s trajectory changed. The Rams started hitting. They beat North Port High 8-4, giving them momentum heading into the 34th-annual Sarasota Baseball Classic, held March 18-21, a tournament known for tough competition. The Rams had won the tournament once in program history. That was in 1999, when the Rams toppled Sarasota High in the title game. Schmidt was himself pitching for the Sailors in that tournament.  

“The tournament means a lot,” Schmidt said. “It reveals the quality of a team.”

The Rams won their first Classic game 3-0 over Palm Beach Central High without recording a hit. Three Palm Beach Central errors and a few walks were enough to complement seniors Devin Shannon and Nikki Thorin’s combined shutout on the mound. The bats got going in the second round when the Rams beat Port St. Lucie High 10-0. Sophomore Kameron Ligon had four RBIs and sophomore Jaxson Crump threw a complete-game shutout.

Then came a tough test in the semifinals: Lakewood Ranch High, which entered the game undefeated.

The Rams scored six runs in the first inning against the Mustangs, a stunning and statement-making start.

Lakewood Ranch would attempt a late comeback, but it wasn’t enough. The Rams won 6-5, thanks to RBIs from six different players. Freshman pitcher Brandon Viera, who started the year on junior varsity, pitched the final two innings in relief. Viera would also start the championship game against Treasure Coast High, which entered the game with one loss. He held Treasure Coast to two runs over five innings. Senior center fielder Tyler Russin had a three-run home run. Riverview won 7-2, and that meant, for the second time in history, they were the Classic champions, however improbable that result seemed at the beginning of the week.

“It is part of building a program,” Schmidt said. “Learning how to finish games. We need to come to play every day with a purpose. Attack every game.”

Junior second baseman Billy Wilds, who had RBIs in the final three games of the tournament, said the tournament games were full of chatter in the dugout, which leads to more energy. That can seem insignificant to fans, but Wilds said it helped the team “find a groove” offensively, a lesson the team needs to carry with it throughout the season.

On March 26, the Rams were shut out at home by North Port, the team Riverview beat to start the hot streak, 3-0. Wilds said the team didn’t bring its best effort and needs to go back to the energy of its tournament games. Schmidt said consistency will come with experience, and that the loss was a reminder of the day-to-day nature of the game. Riverview, now 6-5, will look to develop consistency in time for the district tournament, which starts May 6.

What the tournament championship does provide, other than a lifelong memory for everyone involved, is a glimpse of the program’s potential. Schmidt said JV call-up Pip Smalley, a freshman shortstop, has been a double-play-turning machine with Wilds up the middle. Ligon and Viera have made big contributions. Clay Russin, a freshman and Tyler’s brother, was penciled into the Rams’ lineup until an injury suffered during batting practice forced him out six to eight weeks.

Schmidt, who led Booker High to a district title in 2016, knows it is just a matter of time until similar success comes to Riverview.

“Everyone sees the progress,” Schmidt said. “The future is bright here. We’re going in the right direction.”