Advertisement

State baseball capsules, Class 4A and 3A

 
Calvary Christian's head coach Greg Olsen relieves Nolan Hudi (14) during Wednesday's (5/10/17) region baseball semifinal game between Trinity Prep and Calvary Christian in Clearwater.
Calvary Christian's head coach Greg Olsen relieves Nolan Hudi (14) during Wednesday's (5/10/17) region baseball semifinal game between Trinity Prep and Calvary Christian in Clearwater.
Published May 24, 2017

Games Friday at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers

Class 4A

Calvary Christian (28-0) vs. Delray Beach American Heritage (23-8), 7 p.m.: The Warriors have advanced to the state tournament for the first time in school history. Their lineup is loaded with talent. Senior Graham Hoffman was used sparingly in Calvary's 3-2 win over Orlando First Academy last week after undergoing an appendectomy the week before. He is expected to be back to full strength by Friday. Sophomore pitcher Nolan Hudi (9-0, 0.47) has not slowed down and will get the start. Justin Bench has been versatile at shortstop and second base. Matheu Nelson (.400, five home runs) and Eric Kennedy (.556, three homers) have been tough outs. American Heritage is a district runnerup after a 12-5 loss to Palm Beach Gardens Benjamin. But don't be fooled by that. Freshman left-hander Nelson Berkwich is already committed to Vanderbilt and pitched for Team USA last summer. He is 5-1 with a 1.24 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 45 ⅓ innings. The Stallions only hit .246 as a team, so pitching and defense have kept them in games.

Class 3A

Bishop McLaughlin (22-8) vs. Fort Myers Canterbury (25-5), 1 p.m.: The Cougars are the defending state champions, so this is clearly a tough assignment for the Hurricanes. This is the second time in three years that Bishop McLaughlin has qualified for the state tournament. Dillon Morton has a .400 average to lead the team offensively. Cam Diaz (.376), Chris Berglund (.357) and Paul Coumoulos (.372) have also had good offensive seasons. Dominic Diaz pitched well last week in a 3-2 win over Cambridge Christian. He is 8-1 with a 1.36 ERA. The Hurricanes have a knack for staying in games, and they'll have to do it once more against Canterbury.

Sam Keating is a power pitcher for the Cougars. He has 93 strikeouts in 58 ⅓ innings. And they are full of hitters. Giovanni Digiacomo has a .488 average with three home runs. Keating (.400) and Cooper Swanson (.419) are also .400 hitters. Canterbury hits .377 as a team.