For the first time in history, all three Keys baseball teams captured district championships in the same season.
Key West, seeded first in FHSAA’s 4A Region 4 District 16, secured its 34th district championship by defeating the second seed, Belen Jesuit. Marathon picked up its third district title, the first since 1979, by toppling the top-seeded Fort Meade in the 1A Rural District 8 championship game, and Coral Shores, which drew the top seed in 2A District 16, beat Keys Gate to win its first district championship in the school’s history. Now the teams each face a three-game series in hopes of moving on to their respective state tournaments.
The Conchs enjoyed the home field advantage, playing longtime rival Belen Jesuit on April 16 in front of a packed crowd. Freshman Kade Maltz singled with one out in the first inning, then progressively made his way home on a hit batter and a pair of walks. The Conchs then held on for dear life, fueled by a dialed-in Vinnie Moline and backed by an error-free Key West defense.
Moline went the distance on the mound, striking out eight, walking one and surrendering just two hits to blank the Wolverines and capture the Conchs’ 34th district championship. Auggie Davila and Sam Holland had one hit each to make it three for Key West, but it would be enough to secure the hardware and stay alive in the hunt for their elusive 12th state championship.
The team’s next step came on April 21, when they faced District 13’s runner up Satellite Scorpions in game one of a three-game series (results not available at press time). The Conchs and Scorpions also faced off the following night and will once again on April 24 should a third game be required to determine the regional quarterfinal champion. Key West will play at Rex Weech Field, earning the home field series via power rankings.
Also playing for a district title on April 16 was Coral Shores. The Hurricanes avenged an earlier 8-7 loss against Keys Gate by defeating the Knights for a far better prize than a regular-season win. The ’Canes earned their first-ever district championship in a 12-6 victory over the Knights. Donovan Thiery carried the load for Coral Shores, on the mound and at the plate. The Hurricanes’ ace fanned a dozen batters, walked one and surrendered seven hits for the win over five and two-thirds innings; Campbell Lavoie collected the save.
Thiery’s bat was on point, driving in four runs off two home runs and a single. The junior’s strong performance last week boosted his slugging percentage to a whopping .848 thus far, and Thiery leads the team in that category as well as in RBIs with 37. Lavoie and Riley O’Berry added two hits each to the team total of 13.
Now 19-3-1, the Hurricanes face a formidable opponent in FHSAA’s 2A Region 4 quarterfinals. Despite winning their district, the ’Canes received the number eight seed in the region, pitting them against top-ranked Cardinal Newman. The Hurricanes played the Crusaders in West Palm in the first two of a three-game series on April 21 to determine who moves on and who goes home (results not available at press time). Should the series require a third game, the Hurricanes would host.
The Crusaders, ranked third in Florida’s 2A classification and 13th overall, boast some of the highest-caliber talent in South Florida, but don’t count the ’Canes out just yet. The team’s spirited season has proven their grit and tenacity, enabling them to do what no other Coral Shores baseball team has done, and under the helm of first-year head coach Joe Szymanski, the Hurricanes have exceeded expectations. Szymanski did not hesitate to put a finger on just what is driving the team’s success this season.
“The leadership of our upperclassmen and the group of assistant coaches we have,” he said. “They are amazing.”
Marathon fans had to wait an extra day to see how their first-ever foray into the FHSAA Rural classification would be. On April 17, Marathon made the long trip to Fort Meade to take on the Miners. Marathon, seeded second behind Fort Meade, pulled off a fantastic upset, scoring two runs in the first frame and holding on for the final six, giving up a single run in inning three to secure the district title.
Mason Thornton lasted six and two-thirds innings on the mound, leaving the game only when his pitch count expired. The 6’5” senior struck out four, walked seven and gave up just two hits against the Miners. With the possibility of their first district championship since the Carter administration on the line, Dylan Williams took the ball from Thornton with two outs and two runners on base. Despite the Miners doing their best to rattle the sophomore hurler with creative baserunning, Williams proved his nerve, and with a catch by center fielder Jason Stubblefield, a flyout ended the game and sealed the championship. The Dolphins managed just three hits, but it was just enough. Gabe Leal had two while Williams had one to take down Fort Meade and bring home the hardware.
Marathon is now in the hunt for a state title with just 15 other teams. The smaller Rural classification playoff brackets place the Fins directly into the regional semifinals on Monday and Tuesday, April 28 and 29 with a rubber match on May 1 if needed. Marathon will enjoy the home-field advantage in the first two of the three-game series and this time, it will be Fort Meade that gets the long road trip. The teams will face one another again to determine who gets a shot at the winner of a Trenton-versus-Chiefland matchup in the regional finals the first week of May.
