St. Thomas and NSU set to open college baseball season as Top-25 teams
Coach Jorge Perez, who has led St. Thomas University to the NAIA World Series three times since 2015, has another talented team as his Bobcats have a preseason ranking of No. 8 in the nation.
Meanwhile, Nova Southeastern University, coached by former Miami Hurricanes pitcher Laz Gutierrez, is ranked 22nd in the nation among NCAA Division II teams.
With NAIA and NCAA Division II starting regular-season baseball this week, here’s a local non-Division-I preview:
▪ St. Thomas: NAIA schools often don’t get much respect, but the Bobcats went 2-0 last season against the two NCAA Division II teams in Dade/Broward, beating NSU 15-9 and defeating Barry 7-3.
The Bobcats, who finished second in the nation in 2015 and again in 2019, are still seeking their first national championship. After finishing 41-19 last season, they will open on Tuesday night at home against 25th-ranked Keiser.
Bigger picture, the Bobcats have to figure out how to get past two teams from Polk County: Southeastern, which is ranked No. 1 in the nation; and Webber, ranked ninth.
Southeastern, the reigning national champs, went 4-0 against St. Thomas last season. Webber eliminated the Bobcats from the regional playoffs in 2022.
This season, a lot will depend on the health of left-hander Richard Sanchez, who was dominant for the Bobcats in 2022 with a 1.21 ERA in 11 appearances, including six starts. He will be a starter this season, but he still needs a couple of weeks to recover from tendinitis.
The rotation also two more lefties: Yordani Carmona, who started his career with the Miami Hurricanes, and Chase Chatman. Both of them are junior-college transfers.
Right-handers Crosby Bringhurst and Juan Marulanda, a Jackson State transfer, round out the rotation. The team’s hardest thrower is closer Luis Berrios, a junior-college transfer who throws 90-93 mph.
Offensively, the team is led by third baseman Robin Fernandez and second baseman Chris Schoeller, both returners. Fernandez last season hit .370 with 13 doubles, three triples, 11 homers, 52 RBI and a 1.101 OPS. Schoeller hit .339 with nine doubles, one triple, 11 homers, 55 RBIs and a .922 OPS.
The top newcomer to watch is center fielder Kendry Noriega, a leadoff hitter with great speed. He’s also a good defender.
▪ NSU: Last year marked Gutierrez’s first full non-COVID season here, and the Sharks started the campaign 17-0, ranked No. 1 in the nation.
The Sharks finished 36-17, qualifying for the NCAA South Regional at Tampa. NSU opened with two straight wins, against Valdosta State and host Tampa. But NSU’s season ended with a pair of one-run losses to Tampa, which has won eight national titles since 1992, most recently in 2019.
Tampa opens the season ranked third in the nation, Rollins is ranked ninth, and both teams join NSU in the Sunshine State Conference. That league is so loaded that Rollins is ranked fourth behind leader Tampa, No. 2 NSU and Saint Leo.
This season, NSU returns six of its nine starting hitters and three of its five starting pitchers.
The Sharks’ biggest stars are second baseman Duncan Pastore and starting pitcher Carlos Rey, both juniors.
Pastore led NSU in batting (.370), doubles (14) and RBI (527). He had a .989 OPS.
Rey went 6-0 with a 1.39 ERA in 16 appearances, including three starts. He beat Tampa in the regional playoffs as a starter.
The closer is Michael Dillon, who had a 1.80 ERA and led the conference with 14 saves. Left-handers Matt Cavanaugh (3-4, 5.68 ERA) and Cooper Omans (7-2, 4.08) fill out the rotation.
Offensively, the Sharks are loaded, even aside from Pastore. Lefty-hitting Daniel Irisarri has been converted from third baseman to catcher, and it should enhance his draft stock. He hit .340 with an .865 OPS last season, and he has above-average arm strength.
Left fielder Adam Frank, formerly of the Hurricanes and still recovering from injury, hit .333 with a .886 OPS last season. Third baseman Adam Smith hit .333 with an .856 OPS in part-time duty.
Shortstop Tyler Epstein is advanced defensively, and the Sharks added several top recruits including right fielder Ihosvany Castaneda, catcher Kristian Noriega, third baseman Derek Bermudez and center fielder Ryan Cainzos. Castaneda is the only non-freshman of the group, hitting .316 with an .882 OPS while playing for Barry.
THIS AND THAT
▪ Barry University, an NCAA Division II program, has been picked to finish 10th in the 11-team Sunshine State Conference. The Bucs slumped last season, going 18-31 overall and 9-21 in the league. This season, Barry is led by DH Joe Stella (.368, 3 homers, 37 RBI) and right fielder Sebastian Garrido (.459 as a backup).
▪ Miami Dade College coach Adrian Morales has won two Southern Conference titles and one state championships in two full seasons with the Sharks. Last season, the Sharks went 39-19 and were ranked 20th in the nation in the final poll for junior colleges.
▪ Florida Memorial, an NAIA team, went 25-22 last season – its first winning year since 2018. Florentino Burgos, who has coached the Lions since 2018, returns his top three pitchers: Samuel Briceno, Jamal Johnson and Joselito Baez.
