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Volume 2 • Issue 60
Mar 8 - Mar 22 2018
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Baseball Softball
Are Full Swing Featuring: Windermere Prep, Dr Phillips, Olympia and MUCH MORE...
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Page 2 Florida Sporting News • 3/8/18 - 3/22/18
Dr. Phillips Baseball Preview Kaden Bauer
wins against the Oak Ridge Pioneers on February 28th and March 2nd. The first time the teams met the Panthers thrashed the Pioneers in a 10-0 beating. The second time was not as big of a win but was still a comfortable 8-3 win for Dr. Phillips. Perhaps the most satisfying win of the season so far for the Panthers came against the West Orange Warriors on February 23rd. Last year they had their season ended by the Warriors in the first round of regionals when they lost 6-2. This year was much different. The Panthers came out with a vengeance and scored twice in the first inning and ended up dominating the rest of the game and came out with a 10-4 win. The Panther’s last game was the only one that came close and it was a 3-2 win in 9 innings against the Countryside Cougars. ORLANDO – The Doctor Phillips Panthers are led by head coach Mike Bradley and assistant coach Ryan Larson and they are coming to play. The Panthers have started the season 5-0 and they won both of their preseason games. The Panthers are not messing around and their score lines are showing it. In their preseason games, the Panthers beat the University Cougars 6-2 and
completely wiped the floor with the Lake Minneola Hawks in a 17-0 beating. While they were only preseason games, they were good indicators how just how well the Panthers could play. The start to their regular season was no different. In their first five games of the season the Panthers scored 38 times, almost triple to the 13 runs that they gave up. The Panthers completed back to back
The Panther’s next game will be a home game against the Lake Nona Lions on March 7th. If Coach Bradley can keep his teams momentum up for this game and the rest of the season, the Panther’s should have a very successful season and maybe even a deep run at the state championship.
3/8/18 - 3/22/18 • Florida Sporting News
Page 3
West Orange Baseball Struggles Early in Season Mark Korotetskiy
WINTER GARDEN- Unlike last season, the Warriors started this year with quite a struggle. This team does not look close to what they looked like last season. Last season, the Warriors went (26-4) and made it to the Regional Final in the FHSAA Baseball Championship Tournament. In that game, the Warriors, unfortunately conceded 2 runs to University and were knocked out. This year, the Warriors wanted to continue their winning ways. But this has not been the case so far in the season. The Warriors have already lost the same amount of games as they lost year. The only difference is that they have only played five games so far. The Warriors are (1-4) on the season, after defeats to Lake Brantley, Dr. Phillips, Ocoee, and Countryside. Their losses have come within small margins, three of those losses was decided by two runs or less. The other was a blowout versus Dr. Phillips, 10-4.
The Warriors season hasn’t been all terrible, when they got their first win versus Lake Minneola, which is (0-5) on the season. The score was swayed easily in one direction, as one team was clearly stronger than the other. The Warriors have an upcoming game against Miller, a team from Charlottesville, VA. This
will be a huge test to the Warriors, as this team had an impeccable season last year, with a record of (27-5) and a state rank of 2. This game will be played Tuesday, March 6th at 7:00, where the Warriors will be at home. It could be the turning point game for the team. They are much better than their record.
Page 4 Florida Sporting News • 3/8/18 - 3/22/18
Olympia Baseball is ready to Play Mark Korotetskiy
On March 5th, the Titans played the Evans Trojans at home. In the first inning, the Titans were able to put up two runs, giving them some confidence going into the next inning.
OLYMPIA- The Olympia Titans have a solid record so far into the season. Having played only five games, the Titans have accumulated a (2-2-1) record.
a 4-4 draw. It was an insane matchup, because the Titans had a response to the Grenadiers every inning. It was a never say die attitude and the team was fired up.
The Titans played Boone in their opening match in which they hoped to start their season in a positive manner. Convincingly, the Titans defeated the Braves 8-0. Their bats were on fire.
Unfortunately, the Titans suffered their first loss at the hands of Cypress Creek. With a score of 6-2, Cypress Creek improved to (4-0) on the season, but are currently (7-0). This could be the team to watch this season. The Titans fell to a record of (1-1-1).
In their next game versus Colonial, the Titans fought hard and pulled out
The downfall of the Evans team came in the bottom of the second inning. The Titans showed no sign of doubt, as they put up eleven runs. It was an amazing show of bat power in one inning. Evans, down 13-0, conceded three more runs at the bottom of the third inning, and scoreless at the top of the fourth. The game ended early, as the Titans put another win in their tough schedule. The Titans next match will be against Wekiva on March 7th at 4:00 PM.
3/8/18 - 3/22/18 • Florida Sporting News
Page 5
Foundation Academy Baseball Preview Kaden Bauer
WINTER GARDEN – The Foundation Academy Lions are breaking even so far this season, as they have for the past couple of seasons. The Lions are currently 2-2-1 with a .5 win-to-loss ratio. The past couple of seasons the Lions have been pretty consistent with this type of ratio, going 10-9 last year and 11-10-1 the year before. It is probably too early to tell what type of season the Lions will have just based off of their first five games and past seasons. The Lions, led by head coach Derreck Santiago, won their first two games in impressive
fashion. They beat the Jones Fightin’ Tigers 16-1 on February the 20th and then again three days later on the 23rd in another 16-0 beat down. From there the Lions faced off against the Master’s Academy Eagles on February 27th in a game that ended in a hard fought 6-6 draw. The next time the two teams met, the score was not nearly as close. The Lions fell hard in an 11-0 loss to the Eagles on March 2nd. The only other game that Lions have played so far this season was against the Ashville Christian Academy Lions from North Carolina in a game which saw Coach Santiago and his team almost
complete a last inning comeback in a tough 11-9 loss for Foundation Academy. The Lions next game will be against the Orangewood Christian Rams on March 6th. This is a very important fixture for Coach Santiago and the Lions as a win here would end their current two game losing streak and give them some momentum going forward. It is too early to tell just how well the Lions will do this season but the next few games, especially their upcoming one against Orangewood Christian, will set the tone for the rest of the season.
Page 6 Florida Sporting News • 3/8/18 - 3/22/18
Windermere Prep Baseball Set Themselves Up For Success This Year Greyson Everidge
be successful this year was big. Mental strength, intensity and a higher level of play were something that we brought to pre-season this year to set us up strong,” said Walsh. “Adversity is part of life and baseball, and we have to know that it’s not always going to go our way. Sometimes we are going to get bad calls but we can’t make excuses and we have to keep moving forward.”
WINDERMERE – The Windermere Prep Lakers Baseball team has really set themselves up for success this year, after taking last year in stride and continuing to build a team around core values which Head Coach Keith Walsh believes help make the team better.
some ups and downs, Walsh is feeling more confident this year. Last year, Walsh’s first season, was used to set up the team and set the expectations for where they wanted to be this year. He had his team working hard during the off season and they are ready to play.
After a “decent” season last year, which had
“Understanding what we needed to do to
Returning this year are some key players including South Carolina commit and pitcher Michael Bacica. Seniors, Corey Cannon and Jacob Janata are also impact players for Windermere, who each play both shortstop and pitcher. A new addition to the team this year, Tyler Kousaie, he plays first base and rotates in at pitching and will help out the Lakers this season. So far, the Lakers sit (4-1) and are having a great season. “We have to continue to play well and be tough to keep working through tough times. If we play as a team and stay mentally tough we will have a successful season this year.” said Walsh. Staying strong through adversity is the common theme for the Lakers, and it seems as if they certainly have what it takes to make this year one of the best ones for Windermere Prep in recent years. Look to see this team in the post season! Windermere Prep Tennis is on the Rise
It was another busy week on the tennis courts! The Middle School team showed their strength with decisive wins against The First Academy with the Boys winning 6-1 and Girls winning 5-2. The Lakers then took on Lake Mary Prep, and once again they won convincingly, Boys 6-1 and Girls 5-1. Reagan Parker and Lucas Ramey, our line one players, won both their singles matches convincingly! The JV teams played 2 matches last week. They played West Orange High School with mixed results as the Boys won 6-1 and the Girls lost 5-2. Their second match was against Olympia, which was challenging but excellent practice as both Girls and Boys lost 5-1 and 6-1, respectively. The Varsity team took on The First Academy with wins for the Boys 6-1 and Girls 5-2. Paula Stiegler won singles without the loss of one game! This week, the Lakers have a JV match against West Orange on Monday and two Varsity matches on Thursday and Friday versus Lakeland Christian School and Cornerstone.
3/8/18 - 3/22/18 • Florida Sporting News
Page 7
Windermere Prep Softball Strong after Rebuilding Year Greyson Everidge
WINDERMERE – Last year the Windermere Prep Lakers played a tough year which saw them fail to win a single game after bringing back the program. With a team of athletes who had never even played softball before, the Lakers went (0-12) but managed to keep spirits high despite being tested mentally over the course of the season. This team worked hard during the off season. This year, under the new head coach JD Wood, who was last year’s assistant coach, things are looking up. He has the team ready to play but most of all, have fun. “We have several returners from last year who have a better understanding of the game, and we added some travel ball girls to help lead the team this year.”
said Coach Wood. Joining the team is sixth grade pitcher Lexi King who Coach Wood describes as a “weapon” on the mound, and Mia Williams, a verbal commit to the University of Florida. Other key players include Maxi Graefe, who will be a junior this year and Grace Bennett who was out last year after she spent the year recovering from an ACL tear. Twins Madison and Meredith Workman also added two good batters to the lineup this year. So far, things have been going great. They are (3-3) so far and recently beat Celebration at home by a score of 15-4, which was the first win at home for the girls program in over three years. A huge accomplishment.
“Our pitching has been good, and we have an allaround strong team this year.” said Coach Wood. This season, Wood is hoping to compete in their very competitive district which has teams such as Legacy, Lake Mary and Foundation Academy. “We are hoping to win at least 14 to 15 games this season, and it’s a huge goal but we want to win the district championship.” Said Wood. At the very least, he is hoping to be runner up in the district tournament. Either way, the Lakers and Coach Wood should be very proud and have already accomplished an amazing feat in a short yearlong turnaround.
Windermere High Baseball Start Inaugural Season Greyson Everidge
WINDERMERE – The Windermere High Wolverines are now a few games into their inaugural season this year, and will go down in school history as the first varsity team under new head coach Eric Lassiter. Lassiter was previously the head coach at Apopka High School, and followed former Apopka athletic director Fred Priest, who also took a job at the West Orange relief school. Part of the reason Lassiter took the job at the new school was due in part to having the opportunity to start a new program from scratch. The Wolverines also have the opportunity to play at a brand new stadium, with new training facilities and Under Armour
uniforms and gear as well. In their opening game of the season, and first for the program, Windermere lost to Lake Mary Prep by a score of 8-0. Lake Mary are considered a strong team, and being the first game of the entire program it was not worrying under the circumstances. They went on to play away at Hagerty in their second game of the season and lost by a score of 7-2, putting up two runs against yet another established team and program. It is also important to remember that Windermere are playing the year without any seniors because of
the split with West Orange, and have a number of younger guys playing on the team this year. In their first home game of the season, the Wolverines beat Legacy Charter by a solid score of 10-0. In their next game, Windermere will face off against East River in their first district showdown of the year. Regardless of the score, or outcome of the season, it will be a success for Windermere who have a young team and a talent rich area to pull from to continue building their season are the school and kids who attend it age.
Page 8 Florida Sporting News • 3/8/18 - 3/22/18
Bishop Moore Baseball Preview Kaden Bauer
ORLANDO – The Bishop Moore Hornets have always been a team to watch out for in Central Florida and last year they even ended as the runner ups in the 5A State Championship. This year they look to complete the task they started last year and win a State Championship. The Hornets are coached by Tony Mehlich and have started the season with an already impressive 7-1 record. The Hornets started their year out by winning both of their preseason games comfortably. Their first was against the Edgewater Eagles in an 11-5 win and the next was a 5-1 win against the Winter Springs Bears which
did not see the Hornets take the lead until late in the fifth.
ended 4-2 and 2-0 respectively.
The combination of high scoring and a solid Besides a hiccup early in the season in which defense are very promising for the Hornets the Hornets lost 8-1 to the Lake Mary Rams, going forward. They have scored 10 plus Coach Mehlich and the Hornets have been runs in four of their eight games as well very successful this far into the season. They as two games in which they did not allow put up large amounts of runs against a multi- any runs and besides the Lake Mary game tude of different teams including 13 against has not let any team score more than 5 runs the Lake Minneola Hawks in a 13-0 win, 19 on them. The Hornet’s next game will be against the Trinity Prep Saints in a 19-4 win, against the Miller Academy Mavericks, who and 15 against the University Cougars in a are coming down from Virginia, on Wednes15-5 win. Bishop Moore’s other two wins day, March 7th at Bishop Moore High came against the Seminole Seminoles and School. the Lake Howell Silver Hawks in games that
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3/8/18 - 3/22/18 • Florida Sporting News
Page 9
West Orange Softball Hopes To Make It A Three-Peat Mark Korotetskiy
WINTER GARDEN- The past two seasons, the Warriors have gone on to the State Final match in the 2016 and 2017 9A Softball Championship. They came to play both times, winning two State Championships back-to-back. Last year, the Warriors tallied a record of (28-3). However this year, the Warriors already lost three games through seven games played. The Warriors started this season with a (4-3) record. Earning wins against Lake Brantley, Ocoee, Wekiva, and Olympia, the Warriors
seem like they are going to have an outstand- which was also another major blowout. Aling season. West Orange also has three loss- though they didn’t get run ruled, the Warriors es, two of which were major blowouts. lost by a score of 10-2. Against Palm Harbor University, the Warriors struggled greatly, allowing six runs in the second inning, and three runs in the fourth, caused the Warriors to be run ruled within five innings. With a final score of 100, the Warriors felt devastated because they were able to defeat them in the State Championship last year. The Warriors also suffered a loss to Apopka,
Looking forward in the season, the Warriors plan on continuing their successful ways and winning another State Championship. Their next game will be against Lake Brantley on March 6th at 7:00 PM. This is a very talented team that needs to get more motivated to continue the winning traditions at West Orange.
Page 10 Florida Sporting News • 3/8/18 - 3/22/18
Lake Highland Prep Baseball Looking Ahead To A Great Season Greyson Everidge
ORLANDO – The Lake Highland Prep Highlanders are looking ahead to a great season of
baseball this year after a successful season last year. Led by Head Coach Randy O’Neal and As-
sistant Coaches Ernie Angelastro and Bob King, the Highlanders have started the season with a record of (1-3) overall. In their district, they started the season with a win to give themselves a record of (1-0). As stated on their website, “The Lake Highland Baseball program is proud to produce student-athletes who represent future leaders in our community. Teaching and instructing the “Game of Life” through Baseball allows our players to build personal relationships to last a lifetime, while experiencing adversity and successes.” This is certainly true, as the Highlanders have become one of the most talented, respected and professional teams in the Orlando area for the last decade and the foreseeable future. In the last two years, the Highlanders baseball team has advanced to Regional play the last two years in a row. This season has started slightly slow, but is sure to pick up and as the Highlanders have countless times before. They lost 11-1 to Mount Dora in their opening game of the season, and then again in their second game to Orangewood Christian by a score of 5-2. They won their first game against Atlantic, from Port Orange, by a score of 5-1. Their next game is against The First Academy, who are a local Orlando private school and a good opponent for the Highlanders. TFA has built a strong team in recent years and will be good game experience for Lake Highland who are looking to win a district championship this year. With a strong team, returners and a good pedigree the Highlanders are sure to put up great competition for a title this year, and have the potential to advance into the Regional rounds yet again this year.
3/8/18 - 3/22/18 • Florida Sporting News
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