Baseball Team Prepares To Start Southern Conference Schedule
After starting the 2019-2020 season with a 17-6 record and a .329 team batting average, things looked promising for the Miami Dade College baseball team. But then their season was cut short in March due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
This year, the Sharks are navigating another complicated path.
In January, they were the 15th ranked team in the nation in the National Junior College Athletic Association preseason polls but fell out of the rankings after posting a 12-9 record in the first two months.
Now with the Southern Conference portion of their schedule slated to start on March 17—it runs through April 24—the Sharks are 18-9 and have their work cut out for them.
“When we compete in all phases of the game, whether it be offense, defense, and pitching, we are tough to beat,” said Head Baseball Coach Adrian Morales. “We need to get better at trying to get all three phases to be in sync.”
The team has won nine of their last 11 games—including a 10-0 victory against seventh-ranked Chipola State College on Feb. 20—and have a .287 team batting average.
In 27 games, the Sharks offense has been impressive. They have scored 185 runs and are third in the nation with 58 doubles. They have also won 12 games by four or more runs.
“We have prepared them with a really tough schedule so that when the conference starts, they’re ready. This is a veteran team,” Morales said. “I don’t need to prepare them or explain to them how important these next two months are. They know. All we will do is take care of the little things and focus on the small details because that can win or lose you a game.”
On Feb. 24, the Sharks lost starting third baseman Henry Wallen to a quad injury during a matchup against Florida Southwestern State College. Wallen had a .317 batting average, three home runs, 19 RBI and 18 runs scored. They expect him to return in early April.
Despite the key injury, three sophomores have continued to lead the charge.
Infielder Erick Orbeta leads the team in batting average (.371) and hits (36), outfielder Ian Jenkins leads in home runs (six), runs (28) and RBI (23) and outfielder David Crawford leads in doubles (eight) and stolen bases (seven).
Pitchers Jose Pichardo and Henry Ogando have 64 strikeouts combined in 59.1 innings.
Coaches and players are confident the team is capable of winning the program’s 16th Southern Conference championship and qualify for the State Tournament in Lakeland, Florida, May 7-11.
“I feel like winning a state championship is a very realistic goal for our team,” Jenkins said. “We are a very talented team and when we put it all together, we are dangerous.”
The Sharks next game is March 17 on the road versus Eastern Florida State College at Bruce Bochy Field in Melbourne, Fla. at 4 p.m.
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