District champs Deltona, NSB lead 5 Volusia-Flagler teams into FHSAA baseball playoffs
The Volusia-Flagler area is down to five.
Spruce Creek, Flagler Palm Coast, New Smyrna Beach, Deltona and Pine Ridge outlasted the rest of the locals and earned spots in the Florida High School Athletic Association playoffs. The brackets were released Saturday.
The regional quarterfinals for classifications 5A-7A are set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, followed by the semifinals Friday and finals May 13.
No area teams from 1A-4A advanced past districts.
Deltona and New Smyrna Beach punched their tickets with runs through their district tournaments. The Wolves were a No. 3 seed. The Barracudas were a four.
Spruce Creek, Flagler Palm Coast and Pine Ridge picked up at-large berths. The Hawks and Panthers finished as district runners-up.
Here is a glance at each of the three regions with Volusia-Flagler squads.
HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL: Spruce Creek, Deltona among 4 Volusia-Flagler teams in FHSAA playoffs
Spruce Creek, Flagler Palm Coast qualify in Region 1-7A
Local teams involved: Flagler Palm Coast (14-12), Spruce Creek (18-9)
Buzz: After a state semifinals appearance in 2023, Spruce Creek has been the Volusia-Flagler area’s top-ranked team all season. It kicked off its campaign with six straight wins and has remained strong all season. Currently, it sits 53rd in the state. As the No. 1 seed, the Hawks made it to the District 2-7A finals last week. They traded blows with No. 2 Lake Mary for 12 innings, with the Rams eventually snatching a 4-3 victory.
When at its best, Spruce Creek’s pitching staff has been virtually untouchable. Nine hurlers have earned run averages of 2.07 or lower. Junior Garrett Grant fronts the rotation with 61 innings and 0.46 ERA with 66 strikeouts. Another key pitcher (20 innings, 1.40 ERA), Devon Crown, possesses a team-best .322 batting average. Junior Lucas Badalato has tallied 27 RBIs.
Flagler Palm Coast captured the Five Star Conference Tournament crown last month as part of a dominant second half of the year. Beginning April 4, the Bulldogs rattled off seven wins in a row. They beat fellow regional qualifiers Spruce Creek and Pine Ridge during that stretch. Overall, they are 9-3 since the calendar flipped to April. Seniors Kevin Maya and Dalton Roberts have each tossed 32 innings and sport an ERA of less than 3.00.
Quarterfinal matchups
(8) Flagler Palm Coast at (1) Timber Creek
(5) Bartram Trail at (4) Spruce Creek
(7) Winter Park at (2) Creekside
(6) Lake Brantley at (3) Lake Mary
New Smyrna Beach represents area in Region 1-6A
Local teams involved: New Smyrna Beach (13-11)
Buzz: An eternal truth of baseball: Good pitching results in of victories. New Smyrna Beach knows that better than most.
Since April 5, the Barracudas have allowed more than three runs only twice. They lost both of those games. The other seven games? All wins, including four in a row. They surrendered just two runs across their three District 4-6A Tournament games and hurled shutouts in the semifinals and finals to claim the championship.
Sophomore Tate Haag and seniors Brody Kelly and Mattox Meeks have spent the most time on the mound this season. Each has eclipsed 35 innings and holds an ERA under 2.9.
Quarterfinal matchups
(8) New Smyrna Beach at (1) Buchholz
(5) Fleming Island at (4) Pace
(7) Tocoi Creek at (2) Chiles
(6) Oakleaf at (3) Hagerty
HIGH SCHOOL BEACH VOLLEYBALL: New Smyrna Beach will return to state tournament after beating Spruce Creek
Deltona, Pine Ridge make Region 2-5A field
Local teams involved: Deltona (10-15), Pine Ridge (15-11)
Buzz: After being bounced from the Five Star tournament in mid-April, Deltona held a 6-14 record. It is 4-1 since then, though, including a District 5-5A title. Coach Anthony Campanella said the Wolves are playing their best baseball of the season, and it started with the confidence boost of beating Lake Mary 6-5 on April 24. Senior Garrett Thompson leads the lineup with a .405 average and 18 RBIs. Sophomore Mason Draper, who hurled a shutout in the league finals, has been their go-to pitcher. He has racked up a team-best 47⅓ innings with a 3.11 ERA and 50 Ks.
Pine Ridge entered districts as the No. 1 seed. It advanced to the finals where it slammed into Deltona, but the Panthers did enough during the regular season to clinch an at-large berth. Junior Kenny Capria’s .403 average tops all Panthers with at least 25 plate appearances, and sophomore Sam Figueora reached a team-high 20 RBIs. Capria also has thrown 44 innings with a 2.55 ERA, forming a strong one-two punch with junior Loren Cheatham (48⅔ innings, 2.73 ERA).
Quarterfinal matchups
(8) Deltona at (1) Sebring
(5) River Ridge at (4) Lake Wales
(2) Cypress Creek at (7) Vanguard
(6) Pine Ridge at (3) Wesley Chapel
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: FHSAA baseball playoffs: Regional preview for Volusia-Flagler teams
