The Brito baseball team will take on Lake Worth Trinity Christian on Friday afternoon in the first game of a best-of-three series to determine who will advance to the state tournament.
The Panthers lost to Trinity in the regional final last season, but this year coach Pedro Guerra wants his team to play together to try to win the series.
''We discipline them to always play like a team,'' Guerra said. ``Some years you might have more talent than others, but if you play like a team, you'll have much better results.''
Brito will be on the road at Lantana's Santaluces High School to play a double header starting at 4 p.m., with the second game 30 minutes after the first game.
If the teams split, the third game will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at the same location.
The is the first time the Florida High School Athletic Association is playing a series to determine the regional final but will return to single elimination for the state tournament.
In high school baseball, the team's pitching can be limited at times, and playing a series might expose this weakness but Guerra seems to like the idea.
''This definitely has been a change for the better,'' he said. ``In other years, when you have a dominant pitcher, the balance goes to one side, but now you have more strategy, and the winner of the two games deserves it.''
Brito (20-5) finished ranked sixth in the class 1A state poll after sliding from third earlier in the season. Trinity (22-5) finished the season in third place, even though the Panthers are 2-1 against them this year.
Brito's program has enjoyed success over the seasons, winning five state championships in 16 years.
For Guerra, much of the program's dominance is not only fielding a talented team but also the great help he gets from assistant coach Lazaro Fundora.
''We've been working together for the past five years and break down all the decisions,'' Guerra said. ``I know a lot of people would like to have what we have.''
Guerra is relying a mix of senior and under classmen to lead the team to its sixth championship.
The Panthers are led by senior second baseman David Vidal, senior pitcher Lazaro Martija, sophomore catcher and defensive specialist Leo Rojas, senior pitcher Samuel Diaz and sophomore short stop Manny Machado.
Brito will send 6-2 right-hander Diaz to the mound Friday.
''He pitches over 80 mph, and when his slider breaks, he's almost impossible to hit,'' Guerra said.
Rojas is hitting a team-high .586, with eight home runs and 41 RBI. Rojas is described by Guerra as the defensive captain. The young catcher also has a great arm that makes him difficult to steal on.
Infielder Vidal is batting .567, with six home runs and 38 RBI, and shortstop Machado is hitting .486, with four home runs and 34 RBI.
LOCALS HONORED
Two Miami-Dade County athletes were chosen for the 2008 Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards for Sports.
Krop's Sara Louise Egozi won the gold award. Egozi is an AP student and a four-year water polo and swimming district champion. She will be attending Yale this fall.
The bronze award went to Westminster Christian's Rachel Fernandez. Fernandez was a first-team All-Dade volleyball selection and has a 4.0 GPA.
-- ANDRE C. FERNANDEZ
NEW COACHMonsignor Pace announced the hiring of former Southwest star pitcher Tiffany Ore as its new softball coach.
Ore, a three-time All-Dade first-team selection from 1999-2001, spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Sunset.
''I'm really excited about the chance to coach this team,'' Ore said. ``This is a blooming program that has the potential to become a state championship contender.''
Ore, 25, replaces Emilio Fernandez, who led the Spartans to the regional playoffs the past five seasons and a regional final appearance in 2004.
After her prep career, Ore played two seasons at Indian River Community College where she helped the team win a junior-college national championship. She then played two seasons at Florida International.
SUMMER BASEBALL
The Florida Bombers Organization will be holding tryouts Saturday for players ages 15-19 to play organized summer baseball. Any one interested can call the Bombers at 305-671-3699 or visit www.floridabombers.net.
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE
Krop's Jordan Heller, who plans to attend Cornell, made The Miami Herald's honor list for scholar-athletes.
