Mike Ridaught
It was a banner year for the Buchholz baseball team in 2023.
The Bobcats were knocking on the door of their first final four in program history.
They were the No. 2 seed in the 6A-Region 1 Final, at home against No. 8 seed Winter Springs, and carrying an eight-game winning streak into the game.
However, it was the visiting Bears who would advance to their first state semifinal in school history by scoring two runs in the top of the seventh inning for a 10-8 win.
Buchholz, which won its first district title since 2015 with a 9-0 win against Fleming Island (Orange Park) in the 6A-District 3 title game, had rallied from an 8-3 deficit to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth inning.
“Our 2024 team is made up of players who have been through a ton of challenges over the last few years,” said Buchholz coach Ron Brooks. “We return a lot of pieces from our ’23 season where we made the regional finals.”
The Bobcats, who finished 21-7, return seven starters from that team and they are ready to take the next step.
Pitcher/1B Anthony Wilkie (Clemson), catcher Noah Hayes (University of Central Florida), and shortstop Cooper Collins (Davidson College) all signed their letters of intent in November.
Wilkie was an All Area selection last year after leading the Bobcats on the mound with a 6-1 record, a 1.20 ERA, and 64 strikeouts and only 12 walks in 46 innings pitched.
Hayse was an honorable mention selection after batting .312. He led the team with 11 doubles and was second on the team with 20 RBI.
Collins led the team with 15 stolen bases, finished with a .923 fielding percentage, and batted .284 with 23 hits, seven doubles, a triple and a home run. He finished second on the team with 24 runs scored.
They join senior P/1B/OF Austin Cardozo, senior 3B/P Conner Brown, junior CF Cedaris Smith, and junior P/RF JJ Gardner (Jacksonville University commit) as key returnees.
“We have a lot of leadership and talent returning,” Brooks said. “We will need to play well consistently throughout the year as we face some very talented ball clubs. I feel we are talented, but what I love most about this team is the type of young men we have in this program. They are fun to coach and believe in our culture.”
Buchholz lost its first game of the season, 4-2 in eight innings vs. 2A state runner-up St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park), last Wednesday. The Bobcats (0-1) will host Fleming Island at 6 p.m. on Thursday in a rematch of last year’s district championship game.
Columbia (Lake City) won the 5A-District 2 title last year and advanced to its second straight final four.
The Tigers, who lost to American Heritage (Plantation) in the 5A state semifinals, finished 24-6 in 2023.
Junior third baseman Ayden Phillips (team-high .452 batting average, 29 RBI, 2 HRs, 29 runs, and 9 SB) returns but the Tigers will be hard-pressed to return to the state semifinals after losing No. 1 pitcher Josh Fernald (UCF), catcher/pitcher Hayden Gustavson, shortstop Brayden Thomas (Savannah State), and outfielders Carston Palmer (St. Johns River), Matt Dumas (Lake Sumter State College) and Camdon Frier, who graduated in December so he could enroll early at Florida State to play football.
Gainesville (10-13) will also compete in the district along with Tallahassee schools Lincoln and Rickards.
GHS is 1-1 to open the season with a 12-3 win against West Port (Ocala) and a 13-2 loss at P.K. Yonge.
Santa Fe (Alachua) lost a heartbreaker, 1-0, in a 4A-Region 1 Quarterfinal at No. 5 seed Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville), which advanced to the 4A state championship game but lost to North Marion (Citra), 4-0, in the title game.
The Raiders were the top seed in last year’s 4A-District 4 tournament but lost to No. 2 seed Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine), 6-3, in the district championship game.
“Our expectations are to continuously get better throughout the course of the season and compete for the district championship,” said Santa Fe coach Travis Yeckring. “Once you’re fortunate enough to get into the playoffs anything can happen.”
The Raiders, who finished 18-10, must replace shortstop Zane Starling, among others, as only four starters return.
Starling, a University of North Florida signee, led Santa Fe with a .382 average, 34 hits, and 12 doubles. He also made 11 appearances on the mound, with 10 starts, and finished with a 2.66 ERA.
“Our challenge is going to be that we lost 79% of our innings pitched and 57% of our at bats from a year ago,” Yeckring said. We have a young and inexperienced team, so for us to be successful we’re going to need some underclassmen to step into some big roles and perform at a high level. Ultimately, I think it’s going to take a little longer than in the past for this group to find an identity and for roles to become defined.”
Santa Fe College signee Dylan Lovelace (6-1. 27.1 IP, 39 K, 12 BB, 2.31 ERA) hopes to fill the void on the mound.
P.K. Yonge just missed the postseason despite a 19-8 record.
The Blue Wave, who were the No. 3 seed in last year’s district tournament, lost to 3A regional finalist Trinity Catholic (Ocala), 10-0, in the 3A-District 4 title game.
Junior infielder/pitcher Micah Gratto (.442 batting average, 38 hits, 22 RBI, 40 runs, 25 stolen bases), senior center fielder Luke Sparkman (.328), infielder/pitcher Nick Roach (.309), and senior catcher/pitcher Mack Todd (2-1 as pitcher) return this season.
“This is a veteran team (10 seniors) capable of getting deep into postseason play,” said P.K. Yonge coach Rob Brunson, who enters his eighth season. “As always, how successful we become will depend on avoiding injuries and if our pitching depth keeps improving.”
Top seed Oak Hall defeated No. 2 seed St. Francis Catholic Academy, 11-1 in 6 innings, in last year’s 2A-District 4 championship game.
The Eagles (18-6), who lost at North Florida Christian (Tallahassee), 12-7, in last year’s 2A-Region 2 Semifinals, return twins Jackson Beach (.471) and Harrison Beach (.380), along with junior Gavin Jones (.426), among others.
The Wolves (9-14) have six starters back under new head coach Ryan Brown.
“The expectations are higher this year at Saint Francis,” said Brown, who noted pitching and defense would be a team strength. “There are a lot of new names and faces in our program, including mine, and I’m excited to see what the future holds. Though young in some spots, our roster is filled with depth and talent.”
Among 1A schools, Newberry edged Trenton, 1-0, in last year’s 1A-District 7 championship game and Williston defeated Glades Day (Belle Glade), 6-3, to win 1A-District 8.
The Panthers (16-9), who won the 1A state title in 2021, advanced to the 1A state semifinals before falling 1-0 in 8 innings to eventual state champion Chipley.
Braxton Brady, who tossed seven scoreless innings in the state semifinals, is back for his senior season. He led the Panthers in hitting last year with a .342 average.
Newberry, which defeated Chiefland, 7-4, in last year’s 1A-Region 4 Final, is off to a 2-0 start with a 4-2 win against Suwannee (Live Oak) and an 11-3 win at Oak Hall.
The Indians (14-9) have several key players back in Siosai Wilson (.329 avg, 9 RBI, 2 doubles, 1 Triple/ 47.2 IP, 1.32 ERA, 40 strikeouts), Trey Meeks (.333 avg, 11 RBI, 6 doubles, 16 SB), SS Taylor Brown (.857 fielding percentage), and Osten Jones (15 SB).
“Coming off of back-to-back regional appearances and falling just short, our 2024 team feels eager and ready to get going,” said Chad Brock, who enters his fifth season as head coach of the Indians. “We know that we lost a really talented senior class, replacing the pitching from the previous two seasons is going to be really tough. We will need a few guys to step up and compete on the mound for us in order to repeat success.”
It’s a very competitive district, which sent three teams to the postseason (Newberry, Trenton and Chiefland).
Joining Newberry, Trenton, Chiefland and Williston in the 1A state playoffs was Union County (Lake Butler), which lost at eventual state runner-up Lafayette (Mayo), 14-3 in 5 innings, in the 1A-Region 3 Final.
“We’re playing a pretty tough schedule this season but I’m mostly looking forward to returning to Williston on April 2,” said former Red Devil Jiwan James, who enters his second season as head coach of the Tigers (18-9). “We have to throw the ball over the plate and play defense. This is a really fun group to be around day in and day out. Should be a fun group to watch, as they play with a lot of passion and energy.”