Sharks’ ‘Gutsy’ Baseball Season Continues At State Tournament This Week
State Tournament play kicks off for the Miami Dade College Sharks baseball team on Wednesday at 4 p.m. versus Polk State College at the Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland.
The Sharks, who captured their 16th Southern Conference title in late April, are 32-16 with a 14-7 mark in conference play this year.
“I would describe this year as gutsy,” Sharks’ Head Coach Adrian Morales said. “[This is] a team that continues to compete no matter what the adversity is.”
Despite having an 11-9 record through the first month of the season, the Sharks bounced back, winning 11 games in a row between Feb. 27 and March 24. They went 12-1 in March—losing only one game to Palm Beach State College (4-1) on March 26—to position themselves at the top of the Southern Conference standings.
However, the Sharks were unable to maintain their consistency in April. They sported an 8-6 record during the month. Part of the team’s uneven play this season can be attributed to a spate of injuries it had.
On Feb. 24, sophomore third baseman Henry Wallen suffered a partial quadriceps tear that kept him out until April 24. On March 20, freshman pitcher Nolan Santos sustained a broken hand and sophomore outfielder Christopher Patterson went down with a pulled hamstring.
Santos hasn’t had a game appearance since sustaining the injury. Patterson played three games between April 13-16 against Palm Beach State College, posting two hits and one run in eight at-bats.
Sophomore outfielder Bryan Sanjurjo, who returned to the team after beating cancer last year, has missed substantial time due to numbness in his left hand. Redshirt sophomore outfielder Ian Jenkins will miss the rest of the season after suffering a sprained knee on April 3. He had 32 runs, 27 RBI, 11 doubles and six home runs through 31 games.
However, several sophomores have stepped up since those injuries to keep the team afloat.
Second baseman Erick Orbeta leads the Sharks in base hits (67), runs (42), doubles (12) and batting average (.358); third baseman Sujel Arias-Auzon is first in RBI (37), second in doubles (11) and third in runs (34); and outfielder David Crawford is second in runs (38), base hits (59) and batting average (.349).
Two freshmen have also contributed to the Sharks’ offense. Infielder Wooyeoul Shin and catcher Juan Gonzalez have 52 RBI and 38 runs combined.
“Our expectations, just like every year we go to states, is to compete,” Morales said. “It’s eight really good teams that are gonna get there and it’s about who’s hot at the right time and who can execute situational hitting.”
The Florida College System Association State Tournament is in Lakeland, Florida from May 5-9.
