Diaz heroics propel Stoneman Douglas to fourth straight baseball title; Dwyer, coached by ex-Marlin, wins its first championship
Stoneman Douglas senior Nick Diaz hit a base-loaded single to left field in the bottom of the eighth inning to score sophomore Cade Raley as the Eagles won their fourth straight state championship with a 3-2 victory over Windermere in Fort Myers on Saturday night.
Diaz hit a walk-off two-run home run the day before to lift the Eagles past Vero Beach in the state semifinal. The Eagles became the first public school to win four straight in state history, joining Archbishop McCarthy as the only program to accomplish the feat.
“We were up 2-0 and it was going well, I thought we were in control, and then we made a couple of mistakes in the infield, and they ended up getting two,” said Stoneman Douglas coach Todd Fitz-Gerald by phone. “It went neck and neck and both teams wound up getting out of base-loaded jams. We came back and won after Nicky worked the count and got the winning hit.
“This is really good,” continued Fitz-Gerald, who has four players who started from four years ago and will now have four rings. The class that has been with me from 2020-24, has gone 112-9, including a 59-game winning streak. It’s bittersweet because I am going to miss those kids.”
Stoneman Douglas (26-5) touched Windermere senior Cannon Feazill, a Clemson commit, for two runs in the bottom of the first.
UCF commit Alex Rodriguez laced a single to right and Devin Fitz-Gerald followed with a double down the right-field line to put runners on second and third. Senior Rylan Lujo, a Dayton commit, grounded into a fielder’s choice before senior Niko Benestad followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0.
Windermere (28-5) tied the game in the top of the fifth with two unearned runs off UF commit Jayden Dubanewicz on a two-run, bases-loaded single by Randy Ruiz. Both teams wiggled out of bases-loaded jams before the Eagles rallied in the bottom of the eighth for the victory. Dubanewicz, who pitched 6 ⅓ innings, struck out seven and gave up five hits and two walks. Junior Reliever junior lefty Luke Cherry made sure of that.
After a groundout, Fitz-Gerald singled to right field, and Lujo flew out to left field. Benestad singled down the third baseline. Sophomore Cade Raley was brought in to pinch run for Fitz-Gerald. UM commit Bennett Gary walked on four pitches and Diaz lined a 2-2 pitch for a walk-off single and a 3-2 win. It marked the first walk-off in a state championship game since 2019.
Gary and Fitz-Gerald were the lone Eagles’ batters with multiple hits.
Dwyer, coached by ex-Marlin, brings home school’s first baseball title
What better way for former Miami Marlins pitcher Jordan Yamamoto to make his high school coaching debut as he guided Dwyer to its first baseball championship in school history?
The Panthers (23-7-1) jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first two innings and rolled to a 10-3 victory over Gainesville Buchholz at Hammond Stadium at Lee Health Sports Complex in Fort Myers.
The Bobcats got one back in the bottom of the second before the Panthers plated one in the fourth and two in the fifth to up the margin to 9-2. Dwyer added one in the top of the seventh and Buchholz scored once in the bottom of the seventh.
“It is definitely a cool experience,” said Yamamoto by phone. He played for the Marlins from 2019-2020 and finished his career with the New York Mets in 2021. “When I retired, this fills the void of baseball. Being at the park every day gives you a place to be.”
“I think just being able to relate to the kids and having them understand where they could be made the most impact,” he continued. “Giving them the insight of the real world of baseball. It isn’t just high school baseball. I wanted to show them that baseball could be a life.”
Senior Jackson Miller, an Ole Miss commit, was 2 for 5 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Senior Bryce Jackson, who is headed to USF, was 2 for 4 with two walks, two runs scored, and an RBI. Anthony Wilkie led the Bobcats (24-9) with a home run but there was little offense beyond.
Dwyer senior Dawson Thrush, an Air Force commit, helped his cause as he went 2 for 4 with three RBIs. Senior Kody Morgan went 2 for 4, two runs scored, and an RBI, and Tampa signee Trevor Mair had three hits and an RBI, while sophomore Dom Pecoraro also went 2 for 4 with two runs scored.
Thrush went 6 2/3 innings and scattered five hits as he threw 61 strikes on his 86 pitches. He allowed three runs, and two walks and struck out three. Morgan came in in the top of the seventh and preserved the shutout.
Yamamoto believes several of his players are on track to get drafted in the amateur baseball draft in two months.
“They worked their butts off,” he continued. “We’ve been at it since last July. Winning the state championship was amazing, but it also sucked because I will never have another opportunity to coach those kids again. It was the greatest group of kids.”
American Heritage repeat bid falls short in 5A
Tampa Jesuit roared to a 5-0 lead in the first three innings and held off a late charge by American Heritage to win their second Class 5A state championship in two years, third in the past five years and seventh overall.
All but two starters for the Tigers (26-6) recorded hits in picking up a 5-2 victory in the championship game.
American Heritage (21-11) cut the deficit to 5-1 in the top of the fifth inning on an RBI by Tennessee commit Luca Ramirez as the Patriots loaded the bases. However, they could not draw any closer in the inning as reliever Wilson Anderson struck out Rafael Furcal and enticed an inning-ending pop-out by Zach Wilson.
In the bottom of the fifth, Ramirez led off with a double to right and came around to score on a two-out single by Furcal to cut the lead to 5-2. Ramirez finished the game 2 for 3 with a run scored and an RBI, while Furcal went 2 for 4 with an RBI.