June 2021
Brandon/Winthrop Edition
Page 33
BULLSEYE: BLOOMINGDALE BASEBALL HITS THE MARK, WINS FIRST STATE TITLE The Bloomingdale High School baseball program made history, winning its first state title. The Bulls defeated Fleming Island High School 5-1 in the FHSAA Class 6A State Championship on May 22 at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers. “I instantly felt a rush of adrenaline as soon as he hit the fly ball my way, and once it was in my glove, I just thought, ‘We did it,’” said senior outfielder Marlon Bowen, who took home MVP honors with his 4-for5 weekend. “It was only excitement going through my head.” Bowen, who was arguably the heart and soul of the Bulls, was in the middle of the order, hitting fourth with a .382 batting average and a team high 25 runs batted in. It was Bowen’s first season as a starting varsity player after sitting behind star slugging outfielder Dominic Gonnella. He started the season hitting at the bottom of the order before later breaking through in a big way. He had the key hit against Fleming Island with a triple over the left fielder’s head, driving in two runs and extending the Bull’s lead to 4-0 in the third inning. After beating St. Petersburg High School 3-2 in the district championship, Bloomingdale (24-6) had a string of close wins leading up to the state final. They had a 7-4 comeback victory against Gaither High School after trailing 4-1 early on, defeated Mitchell High School 2-1 and finished off
very complete; if they are not mentally tough and have the heart, it really doesn’t matter,” he said. “When we got to the playoffs, we were very complete, but so were all the teams we played. These kids just wanted it more, and nothing was going to get in their way.” The Bulls got a The Bloomingdale Bulls Varsity Baseball team won their first state boost from an unlikechampionship. “This team didn’t need coaches to keep them focused, the ly source—junior relief team encouraged each other,” said Coach Wilson. pitcher Chase Chappell, who hadn’t been tapped Gulf Coast High School 4-3 to claim their first regional title since 2014. The Bulls in nearly a month prior to the regional final. used stellar defense, great base running and He recorded saves in two straight playoff timely hitting to beat Dwyer High School wins leading up to the final. When he was to reach their first state title game since called upon in relief of senior Florida Interthe team came up a little bit short against national University signee David Eckaus in South Dade High School in the 2014 state the fourth inning, he promptly got out of a jam with runners on first and second with championship game. Fourteen-year Head Coach Kris Wilken no outs and an inherited 2-0 count. He said that he had his most complete team recorded the last 12 outs to preserve his this season in all facets of the game, in- team’s 5-1 victory. Wilken said that Chapcluding pitching, defense, base running and pell fixed something in his mechanics during hitting. The 2021 Bulls had more wins (24) a team scrimmage before the regional final, than any other team led by Wilken. He said and that, along with his cool demeanor and that his team’s mental toughness is what competitiveness, gave Wilken the confidence to use him as his number one reliever. made the difference. “My mindset going into the game was to “You can have teams like that that are
get outs and compete like I know I can,” said Chappell. “My goal was to get out of that inning with the least amount of damage done, and we did that as a team. It was a little nerve-wracking going in, but I knew we could do damage control and get out of it.” Catcher Wyatt Strickland, who helped lead the pitching staff all season long, calling almost every pitch, also went 2-for-3 in the championship game. He was impressed with Chappell’s poise in the biggest game of the year. “I had no doubt that Chase was going to finish the game,” he said. “His curveball and fastball were really working for him. Our pitchers were consistent throughout the season and were dominant on the mound, and our hitters were locked in throughout the playoffs.” The Bulls are expected to make another run for the title next season with 16 returning players, including shortstop and Clemson University commit Colby Shelton, ace pitcher and Stetson University commit Jack Owens and leadoff hitter Drake Harman. “Next year’s seniors sure have a hard expectation to live up to, because this year wasn’t easy at all,” said Bowen. “With that being said, I know that they can overcome anything if they stick together and build a bond with each other.”
