Through 11 games this summer, Spring Hill's talented Senior Boys (age 14) Dixie Youth League All-Star baseball team has passed 82 percent of its individual exams.
To date, Head Coach Mike Sollazzo's team is 9-2 overall and pocketed both the District 6 Championship at Wesley Chapel, but the Florida State Championship as well in Marianna.
One final, albeit huge hurdle remains, the 12-team, week-long double-elimination exam called the Dixie World Series beginning Saturday in Covington, Ga.
Spring Hill's initial series test is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday against McNairy Co., Tenn.
The remainder of the field includes: Newton County, Ga.; Pascagoula, Miss.; Ruston, La.; Paris, Texas; Auburn, Ala.; Columbia County, Ga.; Sumter, S.C.; Halifax Co., Va.; Columbus County, N.C.; and Ashdown, Ark.
On a tear at the plate
So what's the mood of the club prior to crucial opening-round tilt?
"We just want to keep it going," indicated Coach Sollazzo on the eve of his first World Series appearance. "What have we learned after 11 games? We're definitely hitting the ball. And we're hardly taking any walks. We're simply putting the ball in play. From 1-9, we're get contributions.
"I still think we're not hitting on all cylinders," Sollazzo said. "There's room for improvement, especially from the bottom third of the line-up. It's kinda a scary thought that we can still get better, but we can."
To date, Sollazzo's offense has produced 123 runs, or 11.2 runs per game.
Half of its 12-man roster is hitting .320 or better led by Springstead High's 6-foot-2, 200-pound Julian Perez. Perez, who hit .529 in districts, improved to .636 at states. He is 23-for-39 overall with 16 RBI and has scored 24 runs.
Central's Louis Colaiacomo is 17-for-37 overall (.459) while red-hot HCA frosh Ian Townsend is hitting .447.
Thomas Tambasco, who leads the team with five post-season homers, is hitting .400.
Defensively, Sollazzo points to a solid effort with the gloves, especially from catcher Mike Kodetsky.
"Nobody and I mean nobody has run on us because of Mike," Sollazzo pointed out. "He kept nailing people who strayed too far. It's like 'Go ahead and try, he'll throw you out.'
"Our defense is one of the big reasons we're here," said Sollazzo. "We're working on a lot on the little things (cutoffs, rundowns)."
Another key reason for success is on the mound, the Spring Hill pitchers have been led by the 1-2 punch of right-handers J.T. Simpson (3-0, 28 Ks in 22.2 innings) and Jon Gaffney (5-0, 16 Ks in 20 innings).
Series outlook
Despite the explosive offense and a lock down defense, Spring Hill's chances at an extended stay hinge on Simpson and Gaffney.
"We're gonna go as far as our two best pitchers take us," stated Sollazzo. "If either one goes down, that changes things. I told the guys were not gonna face guys that are much better than say, West Volusia.
"The 14s that we'll face aren't any better or worse than what we've already seen," Sollazzo said. "These kids are battle tested. We're not going on vacation in Georgia. We're coming to play ball. We're definitely going for it (Series title)."
How crucial is the first game?
"First game of any tournament is always important," Sollazzo said. "We're going into uncharted waters in the Series. But honestly, I don't see someone shutting us down. This team is so complete. I can promise you we will compete and if we get beat, it'll be by a better team."
HITTING STATS (thru 11 games)
NAME GP AB R H 2B 3B HR .AVG
Perez, Julian 11* 39 24* 23* 03 01 03 .590*
Colaiacomo, Louis 11* 37 24* 17 05* 02 01 .459
Townsend, Ian 10 38 15 17 01 03* 01 .447
Tambasco, Thomas 11* 40* 18 16 03 00 05* .400
Simpson, J.T. 11* 35 10 15 02 01 00 .429
Sollazzo, Dante' 10 25 09 08 00 00 00 .320
Woop, David 11* 29 07 08 01 02 00 .276
Kodetsky, Mike 10 22 03 06 01 00 00 .273
Asquith, Joey 11* 30 08 08 03 00 01 .267
Gaffney, Jon 08 19 04 03 00 00 00 .158
Fiocca, Anthony 04 05 01 01 00 00 00 .200
Scott, Trey 03 03 00 00 00 00 00 .000
Ruiz, Max 01 01 00 00 00 00 00 .000
TOTALS 11 323 123 122 19 09 11 .378
* Denotes team leader
PITCHING STATS (thru 11 games)
NAME GP IP H R BB KO W L
Simpson, J.T. 06 22.2 19 11 12 28 03 00
Gaffney, Jon 07 20.1 14 11 10 16 05 00
Woop, David 07 09.0 04 05 04 06 00 00
Kodetsky, Mike 02 06.2 13 07 03 03 00 01
Townsend, Ian 02 03.1 03 02 04 03 01 00
Sollazzo, Dante' 02 02.0 02 05 05 01 00 00
Asquith, Joey 01 02.0 04 04 00 02 00 01
Ruiz, Max 01 01.1 05 03 02 00 00 00
TOTALS 11 32.1 64 48 40 59 09 02
Road to the Show
SPRING HILL HEAD COACH: MIKE SOLLAZZO (RECORD: 9-2)
Date Opponent Result
06-25 Sumter* W 8-6
06-26 Wildwood* W 12-1 (5 inn.)
06-27 Hernando* W 13-3 (6 inn.)
06-28 Sumter* L 12-13
06-29 Sumter* W 18-8 (5 inn.)
07-19 Chipley# W 6-2
07-21 Okeechobee# W 7-2
07-21 West Volusia# W 12-2 (6 Inns.)
07-22 Messer Park# W 12-2 (5 Inns.)
07-23 West Volusia# L 8-9
07-23 West Volusia# W 14-3 (6 Inns.)
* Denotes District 6 Tournament game at Wesley Chapel District Park
# Denotes State Tournament game at MERE Complex, Marianna
COMING ATTRACTIONS
WHAT: Dixie Senior Boys (ages 14) Baseball World Series
WHO: Twelve teams including Florida (Spring Hill), Newton Co., Ga.; Pascagoula, Miss.; Ruston, La.; Paris, Tx.; McNairy Co., Tenn.; Auburn, Ala.; Columbia Co., Ga.; Sumter, SC; Halifax Co., VA; Columbus Co, NC; and Ashdown, Ark.
WHEN: Aug. 2-9. Double elimination format.
WHERE: Covington, Ga.
AT STAKE: Dixie Championship.
2008 Spring Hill Senior Boys (age 14) Roster
Name Position(s)
Joey Asquith OF
Louis Colaiacomo OF
Anthony Fiocca OF/1B
Jon Gaffney P/1B
Mike Kodetsky C/OF
Julian Perez 3B/1B
Trey Scott C/OF
J.T. Simpson 2B/SS/P
Dante Sollazzo 2B/SS/P
Thomas Tambasco C/SS
Ian Townsend C/OF
David Woop 1B/P
Head Coach - Mike Sollazzo.
Assistant Coaches - Vito Tambasco, Howie Woop.
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