Who's atop the first The News-Press/Naples Daily News Power Rankings to begin 2024?
Spring has sprung. And with that, comes America's pastime.
No, we're not talking about Spring Training with the Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox. We're talking about high school baseball, which has a host of competitors and talent across Southwest Florida.
As a former baseball player myself for 14 years, it's always welcoming when gloves are popping and bats are making loud contact. With plenty of quality competition once again this season, we could be talking once again about teams making it to Hammond Stadium in the Final Four.
Here are the first News-Press/Naples Daily News Baseball Rankings heading into the 2024 season.
1. St. John Neumann
Coach: Charlie Maurer (second season)
Last year: 23-9, made playoffs (lost to Lakeland Christian in Class 2A state semifinal)
Season outlook: Unless this team underperforms greatly down the stretch, there's no debating this one. The Celtics are by far Southwest Florida's deepest team this season, with the arms and hitting necessary to get back to a Final Four with potential to win it all.
Neumann has had tough schedules before, but this one is by far the toughest of all of Charlie Maurer's teams, along with the best team he's had. Fueled by ace Trevor Nikolis on the bump along with a lineup featuring a pair of ACC commits in Alex Kuenzle (Miami) and Ryder Woodson (N.C. State), this squad can do some serious damage against elite opponents.
Logan Baratta (USF), Mason Ceccarelli (Navy), and Nick Frontino give this lineup some necessary juice in the middle to be able to compete. On the mound, Nikolis went 7-0 with a 1.83 ERA last season over 45 2/3 innings, striking out 53 with a WHIP under 1. Expect Mitch Marlowe to be a reliable bullpen piece, as the right-hander made 16 appearances last year, logging a 2.40 ERA over 23 1/3 innings. Florida State commit Presley Woodson will also be a solid rotation arm behind Nikolis.
The Celtics will get their share of tests this season, featuring a schedule that includes four teams ranked inside the MaxPreps Preseason Top 25, including national No. 1 Stoneman Douglas, IMG Academy (3rd), Jesuit (6th), and Bishop Gorman (12th). That doesn't include Lowndes, that won a state title in Georgia, or a state semifinalist in Gulliver Prep, or two regional finalists in Dwyer and Archbishop McCarthy.
2. Bishop Verot
Coach: Casey Scott (sixth season)
Last year: 19-10, made playoffs (lost to Calvary Christian in Class 3A-Region 3 semifinal)
Season outlook: The Vikings may have lost ace Aidan Knaak to the college ranks, but Casey Scott's team is set to reload as it begins the 2024 season.
Grayson Carpenter (Dayton) and Jason Bello (USF), both News-Press All-Area First Team selections from a year ago, are slated to return and make contributions at the top of the Verot lineup. Ohio State signee Maddix Simpson is looking for a solid senior season at shortstop after being a Southwest Florida Baseball Player of the Year finalist as a sophomore. USF commit Owen Rardin is also making strides and will look to continue his offensive successes.
With limited arms relative to last year's team, Joey Lawson is poised to take on a more enhanced role on the mound. Coming off a strong freshman year in which he hit .321 with 25 hits and 24 RBI with no innings logged, Lawson threw four scoreless innings against Canterbury on Wednesday. Looking for that No. 1 arm is something Casey Scott hopes to have early on in the season, as replacing Knaak (9-3, 1.24 ERA, 116 K's) is going to be a tall task.
3. Naples
Coach: Jimmy Nocera (eighth season)
Last year: 20-8, made playoffs (lost to Jesuit in Class 5A-Region 3 semifinal)
Season outlook: As long as Johnny King is in the lineup and on the mound healthy, this team deserves to be ranked inside the top five locally. Couple that in with Brendan Murphy, and new addition Andrew Stillwell on the mound at any given time for Naples, and Jimmy Nocera might have the area's top rotation of starting pitchers, along with a strong arm out of the bullpen in Nolan Bittner.
King enters this year as the reigning Southwest Florida Baseball Player of the Year following a season in which he went 4-2 with a 1.11 ERA, posting 73 strikeouts over 38 innings pitched (13.44 K/7 ratio). King allowed just 25 baserunners for a WHIP of .657 and led the team at the plate with a .443 batting average, logging 15 extra base hits along with 27 RBI.
It'll be interesting to monitor the hitting on this year's Naples squad, with everyday starters in Michael Graziano, Isaac Palacios, Reilly Witmer, Oliver Lee, and Sevyn Williams having graduated. It's a lot of offense that Jimmy Nocera will have to replace but has the makings and potential to overcome those losses with a slightly younger group that has room to grow over the course of the season.
4. Island Coast
Coach: Clint Montgomery (16th season)
Last year: 24-5, made playoffs (lost to Osceola in Class 5A-Region 3 semifinal)
Season outlook: It's safe to say the Gators are going to take a hit from last season offensively after losing 10 home runs, three triples, 41 doubles, and 97 RBI to graduation. But with Clint Montgomery leading this group, the Gators should still be a solid contender in Class 5A.
Excited to see how his team competes, Montgomery likes how the makeup of his team is shaping up, describing it as a 'jack of all trades, master of none' type of team. "We aren't a team that excels in any one area, but we aren't awful in any area either," he said.
Mason Blackburn will give this Island Coast team a punch in the heart of their lineup, looking to compensate for the void that Emilio Gonzalez, Jake Mueller, and Kevin Martinez all left. Blackburn hit .404 last season, logging 40 hits and 31 RBI on eight extra-base hits. Florida-bound outfielder Jordi Guerrero will be the alpha in the lineup, coming off a season in which he hit .446 with seven home runs and 33 RBI. His glove in the outfield was valuable as well, committing just one error on 41 total chances last season.
On the mound, Anthony Ruiz will look to assume ace duties this season, coming off a year in which he went 6-1 with a 3.09 ERA. If Tuesday night's outing was any indication, Ruiz started on the right note, going 4 1/3 innings with 3 hits, two earned runs, a walk, and eight strikeouts in an 8-4 win over Lemon Bay.
5. Canterbury
Coach: Frank Turco (10th season)
Last year: 26-5, made playoffs (lost to St. John Neumann in Class 2A-Region 3 final)
Season outlook: Similar to Verot, losing an ace is tough. The Cougars will look to find a way have to replace one of their own in Austin Schrowe (9-1, 0.95 ERA, 104 K's). Like Knaak, Schrowe was a Southwest Florida Baseball Player of the Year finalist last season.
The returning arms that logged innings for Canterbury last year combined for a 3.44 ERA over 89 innings with a K/7 ratio of 5.42, as pitching will be a question mark for the Cougars. Sophomore Anthony Meady returns a 43 of those innings, pitching to a 2.28 ERA as a freshman against second-tier opponents behind Schrowe. Garrett McManus, Roan Hoefling, and Chris Risola will look to build off of their respective seasons from a year ago.
At the plate, Miami commit Evan Taveras will look to build off slash lines of .392/.552/.608, as the catcher finished with 10 extra-base hits, 29 hits, and 25 walks en route to News-Press All-Area First Team honors. Joseph De La Nuez, who led the state of Florida with 50 hits last year, will look to give Canterbury life at the leadoff position while J.T. Huether is poised for a solid junior year. After taking advantage of his plate appearances last year in a part-time role, Huether hit .471 with 24 hits, 15 RBI, and six extra-base hits.
6. Bonita Springs
Coach: David Sadler (second season)
Last year: 16-7, missed playoffs
Season outlook: The Bull Sharks have been building over the years. This squad is poised to take the next step and is expected to contend in a competitive Class 5A-District 12.
Outside of losing Colton Ide and Floyd McKenna who were No. 1 and No. 2 in innings pitched last season, Bonita is well-positioned to be solid on the hill once again. Landon Ide is back as is Donovan Hunt, who combined to throw for 42 innings last season. Sophomore Travis Holappa is poised for a more enhanced role, as is junior Elijah Hoaglund.
Behind the dish, Jacob Estrada will lead the Bonita Springs offense after hitting .373 with 28 hits and 14 RBI as a sophomore, logging a team-high eight extra-base hits. Ide and Hunt also hit for the Bull Sharks, batting .349 and .342 last season, respectively across a combined 136 at-bats.
Alan Palomino's move from South Fort Myers to Bonita Springs may be the biggest offseason move in Lee County, as Palomino hit .405 with a team-leading 32 hits, 23 runs scored, and 20 RBI. Palomino is also expected to give Bonita Springs another asset in what's already a solid stable of arms, as he logged a team-high 42 2/3 innings last season with 37 strikeouts for the Wolfpack.
7. North Fort Myers
Coach: Derrick Conatser (second season)
Last year: 13-15, made playoffs (lost to Jesuit in Class 5A-Region 3 quarterfinal)
Season outlook: Last year, North Fort Myers relied on its offense to play their way into the postseason. This year, expect more of the same but with a more established and seasoned rotation.
The Red Knights saw lineup contributions across the board, but no one more than Matthew Blasena. His sophomore season led to First Team recognition by The News-Press, hitting .419 with 36 hits, 40 RBI, and 14 extra-base hits. His slash line of .419/.495/.639 was the highest of anyone on the team last season.
Replacing key players in Blake Busbee (Lipscomb), Garry Kamphouse, and Dominic Rendon may be a smoother transition than initially believed, as Nick Tobia, Jakub Wagner, and Caedon Conn have found their way into the starting lineup as sophomores.
North returns their top five pitchers, headlined by Haden Staruk, Logan Divet, Harrison Kabel, Blasena, and Wagner, who combined to log 133 2/3 innings of the 178 North played as a team last year. Freshman Derek Hooker is another arm to monitor, making his varsity debut in a 5-2 loss to Bonita Springs on Wednesday in relief.
8. Gulf Coast
Coach: Pete Garcia (12th season)
Last year: 9-16, missed playoffs
Season outlook: Losing is not something that happens much at Gulf Coast. The Sharks will hope to move on from last year's 9-16 season against a strength of schedule that ranked ninth in the entire state, at 11.92 using the FHSAA's algorithm.
The Sharks were on both ends of the transfer portal in the offseason, gaining a trio of Palmetto Ridge standouts in USF commit Jackson Geiger, Vincent Mattei, and Jet Diaz. Gulf Coast however did lose N.C. State signee Ryder Woodson and Florida State commit Presley Woodson to St. John Neumann.
Geiger hit .354 last season for the Bears, posting 15 extra-base hits with 17 runs scored and 16 RBI. Mattei batted .329 with 17 RBI. Robert Hyatt returns as Gulf Coast's best bat statistically, having hit .271 with 16 hits. Michael Peterson also returns after hitting .270.
Mattei's usage on the mound will be paramount for the Sharks, who have long relied on pitching to win more often than not. With Mattei, Evan Garcia, Will Kramer, and Charlie Sundall among others, expect more of the same this year as Pete Garcia's group aims to make a run having moved down to Class 5A.
9. Barron Collier
Coach: Adam Johnson (second season)
Last year: 16-12, missed playoffs
Season outlook: All things considered last season, then first-year coach Adam Johnson did one of the better coaching jobs of anyone in Southwest Florida, revamping Barron Collier's roster and being competitive in all but five games last year after a vast majority followed former coach Charlie Maurer over to St. John Neumann.
The Cougars will also look to overcome losing three talented players. UCF commit Brody Graham and Braden Johnson (.368/.444/.526) are slated to be sidelined for the season due to football injuries suffered in the fall, while Dylan Mullan (.330/.404/.425) left for Neumann in the offseason.
Mikey Metcalf is a bat to follow for Barron this season, having hit seven home runs with a team-leading 23 RBI. Carson Felts is poised for a big junior season following a .319 season at the dish as a sophomore. Alan Overmyer took advantage of his plate appearances as a freshman and will look to turn in another solid season as a sophomore after hitting .389 in 18 at-bats.
Overmyer is expected to be the Cougars' ace as well, making him one of the more intriguing two-way players to monitor. Nate Kantor, Dylan Wiggins, Harry Zenisek, and Owen McGourty will join Overmyer, all being asked to throw strikes and letting the defense make plays. It's a young team that has a chance to make a real splash when it matters in late April and early May.
10. SFCA
Coach: Mike Klossner (third season)
Last year: 15-11, made playoffs (lost to St. John Neumann in Class 2A-Region 3 quarterfinal)
Season outlook: This King's team has potential to be promising. With no seniors last year, SFCA is poised to reload with their entire roster still intact and build off the program's best season since 2019. This team will win plenty of games this season, putting Mike Klossner's group in position to make the postseason once again.
Cole Ingole, Aidan Matyas, Tyler Miller, Lawson Polhill, and plenty of others return to the starting lineup, as the King's will look to build off a team average of .302 with 47 extra-base hits. The King's aggressive style resulted in 151 strikeouts over 653 at-bats last season, but expect that clip to go down with a more veteran group with a much higher contact rate on balls in play.
On the mound, Eli Moore returns as the team's ace, pitching to a 5-1 record as a junior. His first outing was solid, going four scoreless innings with one hit and five strikeouts against Oasis. Moore also hit just under .300 last year. Aside from Moore, Ingole, Logan Waldrup, and Miller are other arms that logged over 20 innings last season, giving this group plenty of potential over the course of the season.
First Five Out: Evangelical Christian, Gateway, Fort Myers, Riverdale, Estero
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Neumann, Verot, Naples, Island Coast atop first SWFL baseball rankings in 2024
