Stoneman Douglas baseball program in national spotlight again with deep signing class

The honors keep rolling in for the Stoneman Douglas Eagles baseball program.

Last week, coach Todd Fitz-Gerald was in Chicago, where he was named National Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association.

The Eagles won the Class 7A state title last season. This preseason, MaxPreps has Douglas ranked third in the nation and first in Florida, regardless of class.

In addition, the Eagles lead the state with nine college signees among their senior class. And, among Eagles underclassmen, four of them have already committed to Division I colleges.

All of that has left Fitz-Gerald a bit concerned.

“They’ve had success,” Fitz-Gerald said of his players. “All of our seniors are signed. I want to make sure they stay focused.”

The Eagles have three players who could go fairly high in the 2022 MLB Draft: center fielder Roman Anthony, who has signed with Ole Miss; and pitchers Jake Clemente and Chris Arroyo, who both signed Florida.

Anthony, who bats leadoff and plays center field, was a MaxPreps Junior All-American last season, when he hit .362 with five homers.

“He’s getting a lot of attention for his lefty bat,” Fitz-Gerald said. “He’s got a great arm, and he runs well. We might bat him in the middle of the lineup to give him more RBI opportunities.”

Clemente, a right-hander, throws 92-97 mph. But Fitz-Gerald believes he will one day reach 100 mph because of his “effortless” delivery.

Arroyo, a lefty who went 9-0 last season, has a power fastball and a wipeout slider.

Douglas catcher Santiago Ordonez, a fourth-year starter and defensive ace who hit .398 last season, has signed with Florida State.

Douglas’ other senior signees are: right-hander Sammy Beir (Florida Atlantic); second baseman Cameron Harris (Wingate); outfielder Grant McDonald (Radford); third baseman Maddox Raley (Tallahassee Community); and right-hander Brandon White (South Florida State College).

The Eagles also have a strong junior class, led by left-hander Jacob Gomberg, who has committed to Florida; right-hander Christian Rodriguez, who has also committed to Florida; and outfielder Dillon Moquin, who committed to Appalachian State. Rodriguez, who went 8-0 last season, was named a MaxPreps Sophomore All-American.

Last but certainly not least is the coach’s son, Devin Fitz-Gerald, a sophomore who starts at shortstop. He has already committed to North Carolina State.

Todd Fitz-Gerald, who was also named the ABCA National Coach of the Year in 2008 at American Heritage and in 2016 at Douglas, believes the 2022 Eagles have the best pitching he’s ever directed.

The Eagles are the only Dade/Broward team invited to the 2022 National High School Invitational, set for April 6-9 in Cary, N.C. It’s a 16-team single-elimination tournament that includes elite squads throughout the nation.

Fitz-Gerald, 51, said he has received offers to coach in college, but he enjoys the high school game, and he wants to stick around for at least the next three years while Devin is still at Douglas.

“I love the school,” Fitz-Gerald said. “I love watching players develop physically, mentally and emotionally, making that transformation from freshman year to senior season.”