By Dylan Olive
“The UF baseball team has no idea what’s coming.”
That’s what Key West High School baseball coach Ralph Henriquez said about the University of Florida’s baseball commit, Felix Ong.
Ong, a class of 2024 commit, is a starting pitcher for the Key West Conchs. He is 6’5”, 210 pounds, and has a career earned run average of 3.0 In 58.1 innings pitched, Ong struck out 86 batters and held opponents to a .243 batting average. He has eight career wins and two losses as a starter.
“Felix is a workhorse; he’s a guy who is never going to give up. … He’s going to outwork you,” Henriquez said. “He’s excited about being a Gator, pitching in the blue and orange and helping them win.”
Ong has played baseball for about 10 years and says playing at UF, his father’s alma mater, is a lifelong dream.
“It’s a great program,” Ong said. “I’m excited to learn from the great coaching staff and play in front of an amazing crowd.”
He wants to bring energy to the Gators and make an impact from his first year.
“I hope to get an opportunity to step on the field my freshman year and help them win,” Ong said.
When asked why he chose to commit to the Gators, Ong mentioned a specific comment made by UF head coach Kevin O’Sullivan.
“We started talking in the fall,” Ong said. “He told me I had an opportunity to earn a job, not just have one, and that meant the most to me … knowing I would have to compete.”
Local fans have tracked Ong, a Key West native, across the years and between the fields at the Clayton Sterling Baseball Complex. By the time he reached high school and its legendary Rex Weech Field, Ong had already developed a loyal fan base and several lifelong teammates.
“Playing in Key West is the best,” Ong said, “We get to play for our community and not just the team. … These guys are your brothers; you grew up with them. There is no transferring; there is nothing else but this, and that is the best part.”
However, being situated at mile marker 0, the southernmost point of America, makes it hard to be noticed.
“You honestly have to be better than the guys being recruited from other places,” Ong said. “Even if you are just as good as someone from a more known school, you probably won’t get noticed or seen. … You always have to be one step above everyone else.”
“We face our adversities down here in Key West, but I tell our kids, if you can play, they will find you,” Henriquez said. “You can only control how hard you work and what happens in between the lines.”
Ong’s advice for Key West kids who want to make it to the next level is simple: Work for it.
“Put your head down; work when no one is watching and believe in yourself,” Ong said. “You are only as good as you believe you are.”
Ong’s ultimate goal is to make it to the major league and become one of the best pitchers in the nation. For now, his focus is on finishing his high school career and preparing to make an impact in Gainesville.
