Widespread Talent Translates to Parity

The history of high school baseball in Hernando County includes a state championship (Hernando, 1967) and a Major League pitcher (Bronson Arroyo).

Yet the county may never have had a season with talent and success as widespread as this one.

Two county programs - Nature Coast Technical and Hernando Christian Academy - advanced to the regional semifinals.

Meanwhile, Springstead High recorded its first winning season in three years and though Hernando High finished at .500, the Leopards notched upset victories over Pasco High and Nature Coast and won a share of the county championship.

The 2008 Hernando Today All-County squad reflects that parity, with each club having multiple representatives.

Five Nature Coast seniors, catcher/pitcher Travis Murray, shortstop/pitcher Brandon DeRespiris, pitcher Joe Silvestri, second baseman Kenny Treverton and right fielder Chris Jones, represent the 21-7 Sharks.

Also included are three from Springstead, shortstop Tom Dwyer, third baseman/pitcher Bryan Nicolini and pitcher Mitchell Jacobs, as well as three from Hernando, pitcher Morgan Rogers, first baseman Andrew McNeal and centerfielder George Fribley.

Finally two from Class 1A, District 6 champion HCA, pitcher David Rotteveel and third baseman Ian Townsend, along with Central's catcher/pitcher/middle infielder Cam Kick round out the team.

Additionally, Murray repeated as the county's Player of the Year and Nature Coast's first-year Head Coach Bob Shepard took home Coach of the Year honors.

Sharks stay strong

Nature Coast lost two key members of its 2007 team that won 20 games and advanced to regionals for the first time in school history: ace Bryan Daniels and Head Coach Dan Garofano.

The program absorbed another blow when the first man hired to replace Garofano, David Brown of North Carolina, pulled out of the job just days before the beginning of the school year.

Shepard, an assistant on Garofano's staff, stepped in to fill the void and kept the Sharks on track. They repeated as Class 4A, District 8 runners-up to Pasco and defeated Harmony High for their first regional victory.

"It's an honor," Shepard said. "To be Coach of the Year with the other coaches in this county that I have a lot of respect for, a lot of them I've known for a long time, to be their representative is awesome. It's a privilege and I appreciate it.

"I have to thank Principal Tizzy Schoelles. Her knowing my love of the game and my coaching ability, to give a man a chance to prove himself made this award possible. For that I'm very grateful.

"It would have been very easy for her to go after someone with a strong resume or a name in the sport to fill the job after Danny left. But she went with a good assistant with a strong desire to succeed for the opportunity to lead a very good program into the future. For that any accolades are as much hers as mine."

DeRespiris, making his third all-county appearance, finished second to fellow three-time all-county pick Murray on both his team and in the county in hitting at .458. He also scored 31 runs and drove in 20, hitting nine doubles and one home run.

With Daniels gone, he also picked up the slack in the pitching department, going 5-0 with a 0.68 earned run average and striking out 31 in 31 innings.

"Brandon is a big part of our team," Shepard said. "He's our number three hitter. Kenny (Treverton) gets it started, Brandon keeps it going.

"Great shortstop, this year he came in and pitched and pitched unbelievably. He's a great kid. I'm losing a very solid group, five or six core, good ballplayers that anyone of them should be playing at the next level."

Treverton, a four-year varsity starter, is a repeat all-county selection after hitting .333, scoring 33 runs and driving in 24. He also led the team in stolen bases (23) and triples (4).

"Kenny has been solid since he was a freshman," Shepard said. "Great defensively. Probably the hardest worker, he works hard. It doesn't matter if it's practice or a game. He's the first one on, last one to leave. He hustles all the time and he's a great kid."

Silvestri, also a third baseman, hit a respectable .309 in 55 at-bats, but earned his second all-county nod on the mound. The right-hander went 5-1 with a 0.40 ERA. His 64 strikeouts, in 53 innings, led the team.

"Joey's a gamer," Shepard said. "He stepped up big this year. Ultimately he became the ace of the staff.

"...What I preach with all of my guys is every pitch has a purpose. Work each batter like you would whether it was the first time you faced him or the last time you faced him. Hit your spots and Joey battles people. More times than not, he won that battle."

Jones hit .372 and drove in 17 runs in his first year as a full-time starter, but also impressed his coach with his glove.

"Chris had a lot of clutch hits, a lot of great plays in the field, diving catches," Shepard said. "He saved a lot of games."

SHS, HHS nearly even

The three meetings this season between Hernando and Springstead proved how close the two clubs were. The Leopards took two tight regular-season meetings, only to lose in eight innings to the Eagles in the 4A-8 Tournament.

Springstead (16-11) sported a formidable left side of the infield with seniors Tom Dwyer and Bryan Nicolini, both repeat all-county choices.

Dwyer ended his final prep campaign on a 24-game hitting streak, and recorded a hit in 26-of-27 contests en route to a .417 average. He led the county in doubles (11) and home runs (7), while scoring 31 runs and tallying 23 RBI.

"He's a very quiet kid, he doesn't say much but as far as ability to play the game, he let's his bat do the talking," Springstead Head Coach Frank Vitale said. "He's a hard worker. He loves the game of baseball and he's been playing it for a long time.

"He was a shortstop the last three years. He'd be an outstanding outfielder and a better third baseman, but for lack of a better athlete he's been our shortstop. He's one of those kids that has the talent to play the game."

Nicolini transferred in from Central and hit .419 with three homers, 29 runs and 23 RBI. He also went 3-3 with a 2.65 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 42.1 innings on the mound.

"He was a nice addition to our club," Vitale said. "He fit right in, stepped in and did what he does best which is hit the ball.

"It changed our make-up tremendously. It added another solid bat to our line-up. He protected some of the guys in our line-up. Anytime you add somebody like that, it's going to help the team out."

Jacobs led the Eagle staff in wins, going 7-2 with a 3.53 ERA in his senior season. He also swung the bat well, hitting .329 with four home runs and 20 RBI.

"He was our number one last year, and then he hurt his arm," Vitale said. "He never really got his speed back, but he had a lot of experience from his other years on the varsity level. He used his change-up and curveball and spotted his fastball."

The fortunes of Hernando (13-13) rested heavily on the right arm of Rogers, a senior, who went 5-2 with a 2.25 ERA and struck out 65 in 59 frames. He was on the mound when the Leopards defeated Pasco and Nature Coast.

"He relies on a lot of movement," Hernando Head Coach Donnie Whitehead said. "He was a strike thrower with three quality pitches, fastball, slider and an above average change-up. He had the confidence to throw in any count, which made him effective.

"He threw 95 percent of our big games this year. He was invaluable. I wouldn't want to describe where we'd be this year without Morgan on the mound. We knew one game a week we'd run Morgan out there and be able to beat whoever we were playing."

McNeal, another senior, played a similar role for the offense, hitting .321 with six home runs and 22 RBI.

"It's not like our groups in the past," Whitehead said. "We were definitely limited in the power department this year. Andrew was the guy we knew was capable of supplying power. It was just a matter of allowing him to relax and let it happen."

The speedy senior Fribley hit .343 with 20 runs, two home runs, 16 RBI and 12 stolen bases, to make the all-county squad for the second straight year.

"He has the one skill you can't coach, he can run," Whitehead said. "Working the count, getting on base, starting the game off with intensity, he just sets the table."

HCA bounces back

In 2007, HCA failed to advance to regionals for the first time since joining the Florida High School Athletic Association. This year, the Lions returned to the state series, posting a 15-11 mark to go along with a district crown and a regional quarterfinal win over DeLand-Lighthouse Christian.

Rotteveel, a junior, played the role of ace, with a 9-3 mark including six complete games, a 2.95 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 64 innings.

A freshman, Townsend did much damage with his bat, evidenced by a .449 average, four doubles, five triples, two homers, 21 runs and 19 RBI.

"We could not have gone as far as we did this year without David," HCA Head Coach Scott Boer said. "He's a very smart pitcher. He knew exactly what he was doing, exactly where to throw the ball and more times than not he hit his spots.

"...Last year (Townsend) started as an eighth-grader. Just a phenomenal athlete. This year his mind grew into his body. He was more mature, more of a leader this year."

Central (7-16) had few bright spots, but could depend on the senior Kick in so many areas. He hit .384 with three home runs, while going 2-1 with a 1.40 ERA, and contributed in other ways.

"As a catcher he was a coach out on the field," Central Head Coach Mike Ellison said. "When he was pitching, he was just in charge of everything. He just brought a dynamic of control.

"He showed that number one, he could be a leader on the field. When he had the ball in his hands, we felt good about it."

Hernando Today's 2008 All-County Baseball Team
Name School Year Position
Travis Murray# Nature Coast Sr C/P
Andrew McNeal Hernando Sr 1B
Kenny Treverton* Nature Coast Sr 2B
Tom Dwyer* Springstead Sr SS
Ian Townsend HCA Fr 3B
Chris Jones Nature Coast Sr RF
George Fribley* Hernando Sr CF
Mitchell Jacobs Springstead Sr P
Morgan Rogers Hernando Sr P
David Rotteveel HCA Jr P
Joe Silvestri* Nature Coast Sr P
Brandon DeRespiris# Nature Coast Sr Util
Cam Kick Central Sr Util
Bryan Nicolini* Springstead Sr Util

Player of the Year: Travis Murray*, Nature Coast
Coach of the Year: Bob Shepard, Nature Coast
* Denotes two-time selection
# Denotes three-time selection