Sharks Fall Short Of Expectations
The Miami Dade College baseball team finished the season with a whimper, losing the final two games of the year to Broward College, officially slamming the door on a lackluster season.
It was a season that had more ups and downs than an elevator. The team failed to gain any real consistency, finishing with a 25-22 mark, a year after they came within one win of a National Championship.
“The record shows our inconsistency,” said assistant coach Victor Gomez. “One day we were good at pitching, others we were good at hitting. We couldn’t put that together.”
The season opened full of optimism. The team had nine returning players and 14 promising freshman. However, the Sharks soon found out this year would be rougher than the previous; they lost five of their first eight games.
Eventually, the Sharks showed signs of life, winning five of their next eight games to pull even at 8-8, but they were never able to find any really consistency. The team was swept by its opponents four times during this year.
“We were average hitting and we were below average pitching,” said assistant coach Kevin Long. “When you have those two things, it is really difficult to be extremely successful in baseball.”
One big issue the team faced was injuries. Jonathan Bermudez had Tommy John surgery and he was unable to play this year. Right handed pitcher Matt Perez underwent shoulder surgery and only made five appearances and right handed pitcher Jerrison Beaumont’s nagging elbow injuries relegated him to seven appearances.
“A lot of players were hurt and that made us lose hope,” said third baseman Carlos Nunez.
The team did have some bright spots. Utility player Jonathan Morales, who played every infield position for the Sharks except first base, lead the team in hits with 75 and a batting average of .389 while belting two home runs, stealing 11 bases and providing 30 RBI. Morales was named Player of the Year in the Southern Conference.
Sophomore outfielder Deivy Palmeiro led the team in home runs (three) and RBI (34) while boasting a .354 batting average.
Righthander Colyn O’Connell successfully overcame Tommy John surgery, leading the Sharks in wins with five. His fastball reached 93 miles-per-hour on the radar gun. O’Connell received a scholarship to play at Florida Atlantic University next season.
Next season is all the Sharks have left. With rest and recovery this summer, they hope to bounce back to their winning ways. Open tryouts start June 16 on the baseball field at Kendall Campus.
“You learn more in failure than in success, if you are willing to learn,” said Miami Dade College Head Baseball Coach Danny Price.
