Several South Florida high school baseball players made big decisions in their young lives on November 14, 2012 when they signed a National Letter of Intent with colleges and universities during Early Signing Day. The headline signings include six players who chose the University of Miami: Zack Collins (catcher, American Heritage-Plantation), Willie Abreu (outfielder, Mater Academy), Bryan Garcia (right-handed pitcher, Columbus), Laz Rivera (third baseman, Columbus), Danny Garcia (left-handed pitcher, Westwood Christian) and John Ruiz (Westminster Christian). Two others chose Florida State (Alec Byrd, P/1B, St. Thomas and Derek Fritz, C/1B, Douglas). Here is the list of players from the South Florida region as reported to High School Baseball Network listed alphabetically by county:
BROWARD
Player, position: Shaun Anderson, P School: American Heritage Signed with: Florida Player, position: Max Balter, SS/P School: Western Signed with: Tennessee-Martin Player, position: Alec Byrd, P/1B School: St. Thomas Signed with: Florida State Player, position: Zach Collins, C School: American Heritage Signed with: Miami Player, position: CJ Chatham School: American Heritage Signed with: Florida Atlantic Player, position: Brandon Diaz, 2B/CF School: American Heritage Signed with: Florida International Player, position: Derek Fritz, C/1B School: Douglas Signed with: Florida State Player, position: Stephen Goldberg, P School: Pine Crest Signed with: Lehigh Player, position: Matt Hardy, P School: West Broward Signed with: Nova Southeastern Player, position: Michael Hernandez, C School: Archbishop McCarthy Signed with: Nova Southeastern Player, position: Mac Hessney, 2B/SS School: Western Signed with: Palm Beach Atlantic Player, position: Tyler Keller, P School: Pompano Beach Signed with: Stetson Player, position: Stephen Kerr, IF School: Coral Springs Charter Signed with: Florida Atlantic Player, position: Andrew Liberty, P/IF School: Calvary Christian Signed with: Nova Southeastern Player, position: Danny Pardo, OF School: West Broward Signed with: Campbell Player, position: Dean Pelman School: American Heritage Signed with: Florida Player, position: Shaw Pinnell, SS School: Pompano Beach Signed with: Troy Player, position: Daniel Vasquez, C School: West Broward Signed with: Sienna Player, position: Andres Visbal, 2B School: Flanagan Signed with: Nova Southeastern Player, position: Danny Zardon, 3B School: American Heritage Signed with: Louisiana State
MIAMI-DADE
Player, position: Kevin Abraham, C School: Mater Academy Signed with: Florida Atlantic Player, position: Wllie Abreu, OF School: Mater Academy Signed with: Miami Player, position: Jose “Chiqui” Carrera, 2B School: St. Brendan Signed with: Manhattan College Player, position: Miguel Ceballos, SS School: St. Brendan Signed with: Virginia Tech Player, position: Luis Deville, P School: Monsignor Pace Signed with: Barry Player, position: JC Escarra, 3B School: Mater Academy Signed with: Florida International Player, position: Bryan Garcia, P School: Columbus Signed with: Miami Player, position: Danny Garcia, P School: Westwood Christian Signed with: Miami Player, position: Brandon Gomez, OF School: Monsignor Pace Signed with: Florida International Player, position: Michael Paez, SS School: Sunset Signed with: Coastal Carolina Player, position: Manny Pazos, C/IF School: Monsignor Pace Signed with: Pittsburgh Player, position: Anthony Penas, 3B School: Westwood Christian Signed with: Campbell Player, position: Chris Perez, C School: Columbus Signed with: Duke Player, position: Alex Pinero, 3B School: Coral Gables Signed with: Florida International Player, position: Laurent Polenghi, OF School: St. Brendan Signed with: New York Tech Player, position: Laz Rivera, 3B School: Columbus Signed with: Miami Player, position: Eddie Rodriguez, 2B School: Columbus Signed with: Lehigh Player, position: John Ruiz, SS School: Westminster Christian Signed with: Miami
PALM BEACH
Player, position: Michael Barash, C School: West Boca Signed with: Louisiana State Player, position: Cheyne Bickel, P/1B School: Dwyer Signed with: Mississippi Player, position: Joey Boyd, P/IF School: Palm Beach Gardens Signed with: Palm Beach State Player, position: Peter Castillo, P/IF/OF School: American Heritage Signed with: Florida Gulf Coast Player, position: Riley Colbath, P School: Palm Beach Gardens Signed with: Palm Beach State Player, position: Michael Cusenza, SS/2B School: Wellington Signed with: St. Louis Player, position: Brian Dolan, C School: Benjamin Signed with: Union College Player, position: Matt Harris, IF/P School: Benjamin Signed with: Elon Player, position: Hunter Hope, SS School: Dwyer Signed with: Tulane Player, position: Kyle Keatts, P/SS School: Jupiter Signed with: Tennessee Tech Player, position: Nick Lawrence, P School: Wellington Signed with: High Point Player, position: John McCarthy, 1B School: Jupiter Signed with: Army Player, position: Gage Morey, OF School: Palm Beach Central Signed with: Florida Gulf Coast Player, position: John Padich, P School: Palm Beach Central Signed with: Daytona State College Player, position: D.J. Paone, OF School: Benjamin Signed with: Elon Player, position: Zander Retamar, catcher/right-handed pitcher School: Pope John Paul II Signed with: Villanova Player, position: Kody Ruedisilli, OF School: Benjamin Signed with: Wofford

The Florida Heat closed out its inaugural season in style Sunday by winning the HSBN Boys of Winter tournament championship 7-5 over the Panthers Baseball Club. The Heat made the most of its opportunity in the eighth inning after the game went into extras with both teams tied at 2. Anthony Nagueiras hit a two-run homer, and Johnny Mendez drove in two more as part of a five-run eighth. Chandler Cissel and Zack Kone scored on wild pitches, and Chris Koppenhaver came in on a flyout for the Panthers in their half of the eighth, which was played with an interesting tiebreaker scenario. Each team got bases loaded with no outs to start its half of the inning. “You have to spin it positive,” Panthers coach Nick Manganaro said. “It was a good experience for our pitchers to get in a pressure situation and throw strikes. I thought we did a good job getting the first groundball, double-play out. It’s probably the best scenario you can have in that situation – to get a double play. We only gave up one run. We fell behind on the next guy. We were forced to put him on and not give him anything good. We went for the matchup ready and got behind and left one up and they took advantage of it. It kind of spiraled from there. Overall, it was a great game. I can’t be upset.” Down 2-0, the Heat tied it on Eric Hepple’s single in the fifth that scored Austin Crespo and Manny Rojas. Hepple, who has committed to the University of Central Florida and is one of eight players on the team to receive Division I offers, was named the tournament MVP. Hepple, who threw six innings Friday in a 5-1 win over the Flying L’s, pitched a scoreless sixth in relief Sunday. He also had a walkoff home run in 4-3 win over Xtremeline on Saturday. The Panthers scored in the first as Koppenhaver doubled in Kone, and relief pitcher Matt Rothenberg singled in Eric Collazo in the third. A play at the plate in the fourth turned out to be one of the most key plays of the game as Panthers catcher Alex Perez received a relay from pitcher Adam Saks in time to tag out the runner. A throw to home sailed wide, but Saks was able to recover it in time to help complete the play. “Our pitcher did a good job getting back there,” Manganaro said. “You never really see that play work out a lot, but he got it quickly and threw it to the plate and gave us a chance to get the out, and it was huge. It was one of those games where every out was going to be important. They’re a good team. We made most of our plays for the most part, and they made most of the plays. It came down to two very important innings, and we just left a couple of balls up and they took advantage of it.” Heat coach Danny Rouah said getting the run was crucial, so he decided to go for it. “We played aggressive and tried to get the guy to score and he got thrown out and we just have to play it from there,” Rouah said. The aggressive approach is one that has helped the team have such a successful first season. “The team played very well,” Rouah said. “We brought in a couple of new guys [for the tournament], a couple of young guys who really played well for us. One of them is the one who hit the home run in the extra inning. I thought they played very well together, played good defense, pitched well and gave the guys a chance.” Rouah and his coaching partner Josh Starr started the program this fall, recruiting players from around the state. The team played in four tournaments in October, winning brackets in the Perfect Game Underclass and the Perfect Game Qualifier. The Heat also placed in the top 32 in the Prospect Wire state championship. “Josh did a good job bringing guys into the program who are quality baseball players,” said Rouah, who’s also assisted by Albert Ayala. “We just wanted to focus on quality baseball players who like to play the game.” A successful fall is just the start the program needed as it looks ahead. “We’re going to continue to grow,” Rouah said. “We’re going to continue to expand the program. We’re going to have three teams in the summer. We just ask the guys to keep working hard during their high school seasons. Winning this tournament was very encouraging for us because in October we didn’t win any tournaments although we won brackets. This being the last tournament we’re playing in the fall, winning is very encouraging for the guys to see they are as talented as we think they are and what they’re capable of. Moving forward, we just look for the guys to get bigger and stronger and continue to win tournaments.” The players have enjoyed their first season together as much as the coaches have. “I’ve had a great time and it’s been a lot of fun,” Nagueiras said. Hepple said “this probably the best team ever honestly. We’ve got great coaches, great kids. It’s fun to be around, great atmosphere. I got a lot better on this team.” While the Heat savors its championship win over the holiday season, the Panthers will be thinking about how the outcome could have been different for them in the Boys of Winter tournament as well as the HSBN Fall Classic in which they also fell short, losing 4-3 to the Pembroke Pines Panthers on Nov. 20. “We came up short in both of these tournaments, so I think that’s something that our guys are going to have to work on, closing out games and taking advantage when we get up early,” Manganaro said. “It’s definitely something that’s going to eat at them, and hopefully they’ll use it to get better. But it’s been a great fall. We always look at it as a chance for our young guys to get opportunities and get added reps at the plate. That’s why we joined this league. We had a great showing in the fall and in this tournament. It’s really something we can build off of. We’re happy. We’re pleased. We know we can get better.”

View the Home Run Derby Photo Gallery here. Luis Diaz had a simple game plan when he went up to bat Saturday night in the High School Baseball Network 2012 Fall Classic Power Showcase Home Run Derby at Nova High School. “I just tried to hit the ball as hard as I can and see what happens,” Diaz said. The result? Diaz hit seven home runs in the championship round — including six in a row — and 10 overall to earn the derby title and a free entry into the 7th Annual International Power Showcase Home Run Derby being held Dec. 27-30 at Marlins Park. Diaz, whose single-season home run max is three during his sophomore year, said he hits about 200 balls a day and tries to get different types of hits. “It’s fun being with friends you haven’t seen in a while like Ryan Dodge, a good ballplayer who hits the heck out of the ball,” he said. Dodge, last year’s champion, returned to defend his title. He came close, hitting seven first-round homers — including six in a row — and five in the second round for an overall total of 12, the most for the event. His five second-round homers put him in second place overall. “It was questionable whether I would sign up [for the event], but I thought ‘I won it last year, so just go out and have fun,'” Dodge said. Dodge said participating in last year’s Power Showcase in Phoenix, Ariz. was “a good experience. It was a lot bigger field than Flanagan’s.” Diaz said he’s already looking forward to that same event next month at Marlins Park. “It’s an honor to be there, and I just want to show them what I can do,” he said. Diaz hit the second-farthest home run Saturday night. He had a 448-foot blast that ended up in the Nova High pool. He also belted a 429-foot shot. Three of his seven championship round homers were consecutive, and he also had two in a row in the first round. Dodge, who was hitting with an Exogrid bat, said events such as one Saturday night are good for players who want to play at the next level. “It gets you exposure,” Dodge said. “When colleges see that you won home run derbies, that’s a good thing. It shows you can hit the ball well.” Miguel Ceballos of St. Brendan hit six home runs in the first round but didn’t manage any in the championship round. He said he enjoyed Saturday night because of the camaraderie. “I think it’s great because it gathers a lot of different players from different schools and it gives them an opportunity the next time you play them to be like ‘Oh, I remember you were there,'” Ceballos said. “It’s a good thing and you have fun.” There were several blasts greater than 400 feet at the event. Michael Paez of Miami Sunset led the group with a 463-foot shot. Dodge hit four first-round homers of 400 feet or longer. He ripped one for 449 feet in the second round. Julian Pino of Chaminade-Madonna nailed one of 442 feet, and Ceballos hit homers of 438 and 421 feet. The competition included an eighth-grader from Royal Palm Beach’s Crestwood Middle School named Tarik Latchmansingh. He hit three homers in the first round and one in the final. Former Olympic Heights coach Brian Domenico, the president and CEO of the International Power Showcase Home Run Derby, manned the pitching machine all evening. About 40 players competed and got 15 outs in the first round. The top 10 from that round made it to the championship round and had 10 outs there. Players who made the championship round other than Diaz, Dodge, Ceballos and Latchmonsigh were Luis Corrales of Westland Senior High (four first round, three second round), Paez (4, 2), Robert Hernandez of Westwood Christian (3, 1), Alec Byrd of St. Thomas (3, 2) and Henry Perez of Hialeah (3, 3). The home run derby was the opening event of the High School Baseball Network Fall Classic starting today. Teams will square off at six sites this week with the winner of each round-robin competition and two wild cards moving on to next week’s second round. Semifinals are set for Nov. 19 and the final Nov. 20. There is a $5 entry fee for all games.