Stoneman Douglas headed back to baseball state final four as it aims for more history
Jayden Dubanewicz called it a “spiritual awakening.”
Call it what you like, about a month ago, the Stoneman Douglas baseball team was not its typical self.
But after 10 consecutive victories with the most recent coming Monday night in the Region 4-7A final against West Broward, the Eagles are not only back to form, they’re heading back to Fort Myers.
Dubanewicz, a senior and University of Florida commit, tossed a three-hitter, striking out six to blank the visiting Bobcats 3-0 and send Douglas to the state final four for the fourth consecutive season.
The Eagles (24-5) will face Vero Beach on Friday at 4 p.m. at Hammond Stadium as they try to add to their storied program by winning a fourth consecutive state championship. If Douglas achieves this feat, it would become only the second school in state history to do so, joining Archbishop McCarthy (2010-2013).
“We thought about it from the start, but being this close shows we can really make history and I think we can take anyone on right now,” Dubanewicz said.
Douglas beat West Broward (23-5-1), which was playing in its second ever regional final, for the 11th consecutive time and shut the Bobcats out for the second time this season after winning 12-0 in the BCAA tournament final on March 1.
It was also the Eagles’ 26th consecutive playoff win as Douglas - winners of three consecutive national as well as state titles - has not lost in the postseason since 2019.
Douglas has not lost a game since a 9-6 defeat at home on April 11 to Columbus.
“We played a murderous March and everyone thought after we lost a few games we were dead in the water,” Douglas coach Todd Fitz-Gerald said. “We had some injuries along the way so for us to bounce back the way we have the past 10 games is a testament to those guys and their preparation. They’re just a really confident group right now.
“(Doobie) went through a rough patch too and we all did. We just went back to work and grinded. We don’t care what happens on the outside. It’s about what happens on the inside. And we love each other and we’re going to do what we need to do to bring it home again.”
A week later, a walk-off victory against North Broward Prep followed by a dominant performance at Doral Academy pushed the Eagles back into typical form and they have not faltered since.
“There was a spiritual awakening. (Coach Todd) Fitz (Gerald) got on us at the right time and we flipped the switch and haven’t slowed down since,” Dubanewicz said.
Monday’s game featured a matchup on the mound between Dubanewicz and West Broward ace J.P. Querales.
Querales was also sharp early, but when third baseman Isaiah Del Valle couldn’t field a high-bouncing ball by Nick Diaz with two outs in the second. Douglas made the Bobcats pay for the mistake when Gio Rojas followed with a single and Ethan Askin doubled to right field to give the Eagles a 2-0 edge. Niko Benestad’s RBI single to score Devin Fitz-Gerald added a third run in the third.
Dubanewicz retired the first 12 batters he faced, carrying a perfect game into the fifth.
That’s when West Broward had its best shot to score after Alejandro Sardinas and Manny Sarcos led off the frame with back-to-back singles. A wild pitch put runners on second and third with no outs.
But when Ivan Sabater hit a sharp grounder up the middle, the Eagles defense made the play and caught Sardinas in a rundown between third and home for the first out of the inning. Dubanewicz then snared a line drive back to him by Del Valle for the second out. And then Reggie Rodriguez’s sharp grounder deep behind first was handled by Benestad, who threw to a covering Dubanewicz to end the inning.
“They make all the plays. They don’t walk people and they make every play,” West Broward coach Howard Stein said. “We tried to get momentum and every time we hit a ball on the barrel they made a big play. J.P. was as good as it gets out there, but they’re Douglas and there’s a reason they’ve won three national championships.”
Dubanewicz did the rest.
Clocked at 92 mph on his fastball even in the seventh inning, Dubanewicz kept West Broward in check during the final two innings to preserve the win and the Eagles from using any other pitchers.
Dubanewicz could theoretically pitch in the state final if Douglas gets there. Gavin Gargiulo could start Friday’s
“I knew as long as I went out there and did my job and hit my spots that we were going to win this game and that’s exactly what happened,” Dubanewicz said. “Every game is the same to me mentally. I just go out there and don’t do too much and stay within myself and let the defense work.”
This story was originally published May 13, 2024 at 11:25 PM.
