'A big chip on their shoulder:' How Buchholz baseball will grow after reaching new heights in 2024

A boxing adage often used is you need to take some beatings to win the ultimate prize.

Buchholz baseball coach Ron Brooks hopes the message will ring true for his squad.

The Bobcats fell 10-3 to Dwyer Saturday afternoon at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers in the Class 6A state title game.

The loss ended the greatest season in ‘Cats history. They won a Regional Championship for the first time in program history and run-ruled Bloomingdale in the 6A semifinals.

It still ended one win short of the grand prize as the Panthers won their first state title in school history.

“They did a great job of representing Buchholz High School and the baseball alumni,” Brooks said. “At the end of the day, we’re happy, but we’re not satisfied. We’re going to keep working.”

What legacy are the seniors leaving?

Step one in the Bobcats offseason will be replacing the squad’s six seniors — Cooper Collins, Anthony Wilkie, Austin Cardozo, Noah Hayse, Conner Brown and Austin Middleton.

All except Middleton were consistent starters for Buchholz this season. Wilkie led the team in home runs and Hayse in hits.

Brooks said their hard work was rewarded with their finish this season.

“They’re leaving the program in a great situation,” Brooks said. “They can be really proud, and as we keep improving, they can sit back and know they were a huge part of where this program is going.”

Three of the six will head to Division I programs next season. Wilkie heads to Clemson (which currently ranks fifth in the country), Hayse to UCF and Collins to Davidson.

That’s an impressive feat for a public high school in North-Central Florida.

“It’s a credit to their hard work,” Brooks said. “Of course, you need to have natural ability, but you don’t get to that point without putting in the work.”

Buchholz, of course, has a long history of sending players to the next level. Most notable is Andrew Miller, who departed for UNC from Gainesville in 2003 and eventually played 16 years in the MLB.

Brooks believes success is imminent for the team.

“I have so much confidence in them, not because of the players they are, but because of the people they are,” Brooks said. “They’re going to battle their tails off and really help their ballclub.”

Who’s next in line?

Fortunately, Buchholz has gobs of talent returning to the roster. It begins with the rising seniors such as JJ Gardner, Kai So and Cedaris Smith.

Smith led the team in BA until he got injured in mid-April, and Gardner hit a team-leading 13 doubles.

“There’s some tough kids with a big chip on their shoulder,” Brooks said. “I’m not going to have to worry about them wanting to get better. It’s all about, as a coach, putting them in the right places to succeed.”

Rising juniors include Blake Brewer (team-leader in runs and stolen bases) and Aidan Kastensmidt.

Kastensmidt, especially, could be in for big junior and senior seasons. He became the ace toward the end of Buchholz’s season and outdueled Hagerty and USF commit Brayden Toro in the Regional Final to win 1-0.

"He's got great baseball attributes. He does not like to lose," Brooks said. "He's going to keep getting better, and that's the scary part for opponents."

Regardless, the new upperclassmen will be prepared to take the torch because of the lessons from the outgoing seniors.

"They were very accepting of the younger kids," Brooks said. "It was a very positive experience for the younger guys to be around the older guys because of their nature and their leadership."

Noah Ram covers Gainesville-area high school sports and University of Florida athletics for The Gainesville Sun. Contact him at Nram@gannett.com and follow him @Noah_ram1 on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Buchholz baseball falls to Dwyer in FHSAA Class 6A title game