Last Year They Won A State Title—Now You Can Tryout For The MDC Baseball Team

David Pereira has had to prove himself his entire baseball career.

During his senior year, he batted .297 and led Miami Killian Senior High School to the regional semi-finals as a third baseman.

But after high school, he did not have a baseball scholarship offer.

So when he heard about open tryouts at Miami Dade College, he jumped at the opportunity.

“I always have to prove myself to people,” Pereira said. “So I [knew] this [was] a chance to just go out there and show people how I play and the way that I play and how I go about things.” 

Pereira impressed. He made the 2019-20 MDC baseball team as a walk-on, posting a .313 batting average while learning a new position—catcher—during 17 games of action in a COVID-shortened season. 

Now, the Sharks are looking for their next David Pereira. The team is hosting open tryouts on Saturday, July 3 at 10 a.m. at the Kendall Campus, 11011 S.W. 104 St., baseball field.

“[We’re] looking for a player who’s going to either push and compete against somebody else for [a] job, or somebody that is deserving of a scholarship,” said Sharks’ Head Baseball Coach Adrian Morales.

The tryouts are free. Prospective players must bring a physical exam that has been taken within the past year and proof of insurance. They will also have to sign a waiver on the day of the tryouts. 

Players will run the 60-yard dash, field ground balls or fly balls and take batting practice—all for a chance to impress like Pereira did two years ago. After walking-on to the team as a freshman, Pereira was offered a scholarship the following season. This past season he posted a .267 batting average, added 19 RBI and three home runs while switching to left field. 

“He did such a good job for us that he deserved the scholarship, and this year, he helped us win a state championship,” Morales said.

For more information about the tryouts, contact Morales at amorale8@mdc.edu