Sharks Lose Two Of Three Games At State Tournament In Lakeland
The Miami Dade College baseball team’s journey for a national title ended at the State Tournament in Lakeland.
After winning their first game—4-3—versus State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota on May 12, the Sharks lost the next two games versus the College of Central Florida and Northwest Florida State College.
Miami Dade College finished the season with a 34-16-1 record including a 15-6 mark in Southern Conference play.
“It sucks to finish this way but that’s just a part of life,” said Sharks right fielder Wooyeoul Shin. “We can’t have everything we want but we came pretty far.”
In the first game of the tournament, the Sharks were paced by their ace, Herick Hernandez. The left-hander allowed three runs in 5.1 innings and struck out five batters. Relievers Miguel Gonzalez and Julian Hernandez added 3.1 scoreless innings.
The game ended in dramatic fashion in the ninth-inning with the bases loaded when second baseman Joseph Zamora beat out a double play and the Sharks walked off with a 4-3 win versus the Manatees.
On May 13, the Sharks bats went cold in a 6-0 loss to the College of Central Florida. Relievers Carlos Nolasco and Gonzalez allowed three runs in 0.1 innings of work to set up the tournament elimination game on Sunday.
In that game, Northwest Florida State College roughed up Sharks starter Ervis Solis. The left-hander was knocked out of the game, lasting only 0.2 innings and surrendering three runs.
Offensively, the Sharks bats were sharp. Shin led the MDC offense with three RBI and two hits, Zamora added two RBI and two hits and center fielder Max Galvin had two singles.
After falling behind 8-4 in the sixth inning, the Sharks mounted a comeback. They picked up two runs in the seventh and one in the ninth but fell just short, losing to the Raiders 8-7.
“We had a rough last few games,” Hernandez said. “[But] we were focused and played as a team.”
The Sharks struggled with consistency at the start to the 2022-23 season. They were 5-5-1 but eventually put things together winning 29 of their last 40 games including four winning streaks of at least four games.
Offensively the Sharks were led by a quartet of sophomores.
Shin had a monstrous season, hitting 15 home runs, producing 47 RBI and a .407 batting average and .772 slugging percentage. Shortstop Jose Hernandez had 11 home runs and 44 RBI, Galvin added six home runs, 41 RBI and a .400 batting average and Zamora contributed four homeruns, 33 RBI and a .326 batting average.
Freshman D’Angelo Ortiz, the son of former Red Sox legend David Ortiz, posted a .328 batting average and added 38 RBI.
Hernandez led the pitching staff with an 8-3 record, 90 strikeouts and a 2.86 earned run average. He was selected as the Southern Conference Pitcher of The Year. Reliever Kader Rabagh was 5-4 with 43 strikeouts and a .276 ERA.
Shin and Herick Hernandez were all selected First Team All-State. Galvin was selected to the second team.
Sharks Head Coach Adrian Morales was named the Southern Conference Coach of The Year.
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