BROOKSVILLE — Early in Tuesday’s grudge match against rival Springstead, Hernando got quiet. Leopards coach Tim Sims could see his players trying too hard to overcome a two-run deficit. So after two and a half innings, Sims told his team to relax and start seeing more pitches. His plan worked. ...
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Tue. April 16, 2013 at 10:51 p.m. | Matt Baker
SPRING HILL — Nic Pasarela had played baseball all his life without facing a situation like the one he encountered Thursday night. Bases loaded. Tie game. One out. Two strikes in the bottom of the ninth against one of Tampa Bay’s top teams. And Pasarela delivered the hit of a ...
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Thu. April 11, 2013 at 10:55 p.m. | Matt Baker
Baseball super seven Records through Wednesday 1. Land O’Lakes (17-4): The Gators rebounded from a two-run loss to Ridgewood by knocking off Wiregrass Ranch to claim Pasco County supremacy. 2. Hernando (15-5): Leopards star and UF signee Christian Arroyo is on a tear. He’s 8-of-11 with four home runs in ...
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Thu. April 11, 2013 at 3:56 p.m. | Matt Baker
Baseball super seven Records through Wednesday 1. Land O’Lakes (15-2): The Gators are no longer perfect, but maybe those two losses in Ocala will take some pressure off. Land O’Lakes has two big non-district games next week, against Wiregrass Ranch and Springstead. 2. Mitchell (16-3): The Mustangs’ six-game win streak ...
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Thu. April 04, 2013 at 2:04 p.m. | Matt Baker
Baseball super seven 1. Land O’Lakes (11-0): The Gators finally found one opponent they couldn’t beat. The rain, which washed out Tuesday’s showdown with Wesley Chapel. 2. Wiregrass Ranch (9-3): Standout pitcher Zach Drury took a rare loss in this week’s 4-3 Gaither victory. A tough Class 7A, District 9 ...
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Thu. March 21, 2013 at 12:02 p.m. | Matt Baker
Baseball super seven Results through Wednesday 1. Land O’Lakes (10-0): The Gators claim to win with pitching and defense, but their hitting’s not bad, either. Six regulars are batting at least .346, and four have double-digit RBI totals. 2. Mitchell (9-2): A six-game winning streak — including a 14-2 throttling ...
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Thu. March 14, 2013 at 5:04 p.m. | Matt Baker
Baseball super seven 1. Land O’Lakes (9-0): The victories aren’t coming as easily, with the last three wins by one run each, but they’re still rolling in. Josh Nissen, Alex Reynolds and Kyle Sheffield are all batting at least .500. 2. Wiregrass Ranch (7-1): Aside from a blowout loss to ...
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Thu. March 07, 2013 at 2:58 p.m. | Matt Baker
SPRING HILL — First-year coach Jim Diven was hired to right the ship for Springstead after a season of turmoil. So far, he looks to have the Eagles on the right track. Springstead improved to 4-1 with its 6-1 victory over Nature Coast on Thursday night, coming from behind to ...
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Thu. Feb. 28, 2013 at 10:59 p.m. | Derek J. LaRiviere
With winter sports wrapping up this week, baseball is swinging into focus. Here are the North Suncoast’s five biggest questions after the season’s first few games, plus a look at some of 2013’s top early performers: Five early questions 1. How will Land O’Lakes rebound from 2012? The Gators have ...
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Thu. Feb. 28, 2013 at 1:01 p.m. | Matt Baker
Springstead slugger Brandon Brosher signed to play baseball at Oral Roberts last month, former Eagles coach Frank Vitale said in a text message. Brosher has established himself as one of Hernando County’s top players. He batted .407 with 19 RBIs as a junior last season. He earned first-team all-North Suncoast ...
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Thu. Dec. 06, 2012 at 3:54 p.m. | Matt Baker
Joe Siegfried, who improved greatly as a senior at Springstead last season, has found a home to play collegiately at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La. The right-handed pitcher tossed a team-high 41 innings for the Eagles after not throwing an inning as a junior. He finished 2012 with a 1.81 ...
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Wed. Aug. 15, 2012 at 9:18 a.m. | Derek J. LaRiviere
Springstead has named Jim Diven as its next head baseball coach, pending approval from the Hernando County School District, Eagles assistant principal Steve Crognale said in an email Wednesday. “I just felt like I could do the job,” Diven said. “I feel like I can make a difference in Hernando ...
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Wed. July 11, 2012 at 1:07 p.m. | Matt Baker
Player of the Year: INF/P Collin Woody, Sr., Wharton Entering the 2012 season, Collin Woody had only thrown 6.2 innings for Wharton. Coach Scott Hoffman, though, promised Woody this was his year. “We knew he could throw last year,” Hoffman said. “I kind of held the reins back on him ...
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Thu. June 14, 2012 at 3:06 p.m. | Times Staff
Player of the year: Joe Koehler, Sr., Mitchell Why we picked him: Mustangs coach Scot Wilcox wasn’t sure how his star slugger would adjust to new bats this year. Koehler responded with the best statistics on the North Suncoast. “Gosh, he had probably the best offensive season we’ve ever seen ...
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Fri. June 08, 2012 at 6:25 p.m. | Matt Baker
Springstead reviewed allegations beyond a threat baseball coach Frank Vitale made last month and received almost a dozen emails of support and an apology from the student who led to Vitale’s dismissal, according to documents released this week. The Eagles fired Vitale on April 2, two-and-a-half weeks after he admitted ...
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Thu. April 26, 2012 at 4:57 p.m. | Matt Baker