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Sports | Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Pace High earns seventh state baseball championship

After ‘complacent’ 5-4 start, young team goes on 14-game winning streak

MIAMI | “If you take care of the program, the program takes care of you.”

It’s something Coach Tom Duffin likes to tell his Msgr. Edward Pace High baseball team. Once the Spartans came to that realization, they started a path of dominance that led to the school’s seventh state championship.

The Spartans won 14 in a row to win the Class 5A state championship June 2 in Fort Myers. Pace beat Jacksonville Bolles 10-4 in the finals, avenging a 1-0 2016 state-final loss and preventing Bolles from winning its third consecutive state championship. Victor Mederos sparked an eight-run sixth inning with his three-run triple, giving the Spartans their first state title since a Class 4A crown in 2006.

Msgr. Edward Pace High School's baseball players raise their trophy after their Class 5A state championship win over Jacksonville Bolles 10-4. It marked the school's seventh state championship, and the first since a Class 4A win in 2006.

Photographer: COURTESY

Msgr. Edward Pace High School's baseball players raise their trophy after their Class 5A state championship win over Jacksonville Bolles 10-4. It marked the school's seventh state championship, and the first since a Class 4A win in 2006.

 

HOMAGE TO HISTORY

“It was definitely redemption for the 2016 team,” Duffin said. “It makes 2016 not as hard anymore. We graduated 14 seniors last year, and a lot of them made the trek back for the championship game.”

He said that the 2016 team had a lot of seniors who had started as freshmen. Going back to 2013, Pace had gone to a youth movement. That youth movement began to pay off in 2013 when the Spartans advanced to the Class 4A state title game. They missed the playoffs in 2014 and 2015, then made it back to the state final.

“I look back at that group and have to be thankful to get Pace back into the playoffs and continue the tradition of excellence,” Duffin said. “Nothing should be taken away from the 2018 team, but part of this was for the guys who put us back on the map.”

Kenny Gonzalez and Alex Dominguez are the only two players remaining from that 2016 team. Dominguez was an infielder for the 2016 team, but he converted to pitcher this year. He went 1-0 with a 5.42 ERA in 10 1/3 innings. Gonzalez, whose birthday present two years ago was that state final loss, hit .348 with six home runs and 28 runs batted in. Gonzalez was a designated hitter in 2016 but moved to the outfield this year.

Pace had jumped out to an early lead against Bolles. Then they struggled to get clutch hits. They left runners on base. Bolles took a 4-1 lead after a two-run homer in the sixth.

“I’m sitting myself saying I can’t believe this is going on,” Duffin said. “We had eight hits to their three, and here we were losing it. I told my kids, ‘We gotta clutch up.’ When that happened, we had our big inning.”

Pace chased starter Nathan Skinner during a one-run fifth inning. In the sixth, the Bulldogs were one pitch away from getting out of the inning without allowing a run. But then they loaded the bases and walked in a Pace run. Another Spartan scored off a wild pitch, then they reloaded the bases. Mederos then hit a shot off the wall for a three-run triple.

Also the starting pitcher, Mederos returned to pitch the sixth. “You could tell he was laboring,” Duffin said. “He’s not the fastest of guys. I told our pitching coach to keep an eye on him, because it was 100 degrees on the field. He was gassed.”

With two outs in the sixth, Mederos gave way to Luis Gonzalez. The junior pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings to post his sixth save.

 

VETERAN HITTERS, YOUNG ARMS

Pace had 12 players who either signed or committed to Division I colleges, several who either signed with the University of Miami or have committed to the Hurricanes. Miami signee Luis Tuero led the Spartans at the place, hitting .462 with one home run and 16 RBIs. Roberto Moya and Kenny Gonzalez each hit a team-high six home runs for a team that hit .333 and had 29 home runs altogether. Michael Montes de Oca hit .441 with five home runs and 29 RBIs.

That firepower supported a pitching staff that was led by sophomores and juniors. Carmona, a junior University of Miami commitment, went 9-1 with a 1.33 ERA and 110 strikeouts. Mederos, a sophomore who also committed to Miami, went 6-1 with a 1.93 ERA. Albert Hernandez went 4-0 with a 2.76 ERA. Luis Gonzalez had a team-high six saves in relief while posting a 2-2 record and a 1.86 ERA.

“We knew Carmona was going to be our big gun,” Duffin said. “He was the most seasoned of arms. We had some players. With that core group of guys, when they’re all going together, good things happen.”

Duffin had several transfers, so his goal was to build continuity. He said the Spartans had a lot of talent, but most of it rested in the junior and sophomore classes. Despite the turnover, Pace entered the season ranked as high as No. 5 in the country in some polls.

Starting out the season 5-4 smacked Pace out of its complacency.

“When you have that much talent on your team, there’s going to be a conflict if things aren’t going their way,” Duffin said.

That inconsistency continued until after the Spartans went 2-2 in the IMG tournament. “At the IMG tournament, they started to realize that if we’re going to be successful, we have to put personal desires and goals aside and worry more about our team goals,” Duffin said. “I have a phrase I’ve used for 23 years: If you take care of the program, the program takes care of you. You do the right things for the team, and the coaches work very hard to put the kids in the right positions to move to the next level.

“Winning will draw the collegiate and pro scouts. They want to recruit winners. If they do that as a team, it’ll draw them out.”

Duffin said that once they saw the results of that mantra, the magic started. The players jelled, so responsibility shifted to Duffin and his coaches to uphold their role.

He said up until that point, he had struggled to find the right lineup. He tried several combinations without repeatable success. But the trip home from the IMG tournament showed him something.

“I previously had seen finger-pointing and murmuring about who was at fault,” Duffin said. “It stopped. I took a page out of the script of ‘Remember the Titans.’ I took the kids and mixed up the rooms. I took them out of their cliques and roomed them with kids they weren’t familiar with.”

The benefits rolled in their next game, a 12-0 win against Immaculata-La Salle. That ignited a 14-game winning streak that left teams such as Mater Lakes and Gulliver Prep in their wake.

 

HISTORY SNEAKS UP ON DUFFIN

Pace’s 4-2 regional quarterfinal victory over Miami Gulliver Prep carried additional significance. The victory was the 400th in Duffin’s career. Duffin said he isn’t one to beat his chest extolling his own achievements. Defending a legacy the 1985 Pace alum helped build as a player, and seeing the players achieve their goals, means more to him.

“We all know or should know that one day our playing careers will come to an end,” he said. “In the grand scheme of things, it’s a game. Here at Pace inside the classroom, the teachers, administration and community are trying to instill morals to take out into the real world.

“If they’re fortunate to play pro ball, they can be great role models. If you don’t make it to the bigs, you’re going to do that profession with the highest integrity. After the state final, I had several former players come back with their little kids. I’m looking at them, and they’ve gone on to be a successful lawyer, doctor or teacher. They’re running a clean life and a productive one. That’s what we pride ourselves on.”

With most of the Spartans returning, Duffin told the players to enjoy their state championship for a couple of weeks. Once August arrives, a new season begins — and a quest for another title. He told the players that once next year starts, they have to forget about what they’ve accomplished.

“No one remembers what you did last year,” he said. “It’ll be tougher because you have the title ‘state champions’ on you. We’ve always had a strong team. But if you’re still patting yourself on the back, you’ll get yourself disappointed very quickly. They have to stay hungry and work harder to repeat.”

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