Led by another Gio Rojas masterpiece, Douglas secures sixth state title in a row
A lot of teams in sports often say they’re a family.
Adversity on and off the field made the Stoneman Douglas baseball team truly band together like one.
And on Saturday night, they capped a challenging season like one, and finished it just as they have the past six years - as state champions.
Led by ace and elite MLB draft prospect Gio Rojas, the Eagles edged Venice, 2-1, to win the Class 7A state championship at Hammond Stadium.
Douglas (28-6), a five-time national champion, took down a Venice squad that entered the game ranked No. 1 in the country by multiple polls, in order to extend their state-record streak to six consecutive state titles.
“These guys wanted this one and I think we cemented our legacy in stone,” said Douglas coach Todd Fitz-Gerald as he fought back tears postgame. “I couldn’t be prouder of these guys. It’s been a tumultuous year. I missed a lot of time and these guys really picked up the slack for it, and I couldn’t be happier.”
It’s been a tough year for Fitz-Gerald and his family.
His wife, Colleen, was diagnosed with brain cancer and has been undergoing treatments in recent months. Fitz-Gerald often missed time with the team in order to be at his wife’s side. He even drove back from Fort Myers to Broward County on Friday night after the Eagles’ win over Oviedo Hagerty and then drove back Saturday morning to rejoin the team.
Fitz-Gerald wore a wristband in her honor throughout the season, and the school supported the family in multiple ways including a GoFundMe to help with her medical expenses.
Douglas starting pitcher Reid Dadic’s mother has also been battling cancer during the season, according to his teammates, which has also been a source of inspiration.
During the celebration on the field Saturday, members of the team carried with them a burgundy-colored banner ribbon, displaying a ribbon with the word “Fighter” on it.
“We flipped the mentality going on. People might have thought we were the underdog going for the sixth, but we said Venice was and we had to pounce on them and all the pressure was on them,” Douglas senior Jake Rizzo said. “We did that throughout the playoffs and that really helped us fight for Coach Fitz and Colleen and Reid’s mom, who is going through a tough time too.”
The Eagles made a team decision heading into the week that Rojas, a University of Miami commit, would not pitch in Friday’s semifinal in anticipation of a matchup in the finals against Venice.
They even consulted with ChatGPT to test probable outcomes of this course of action.
“We kinda had the idea already and (center fielder) Lorenzo (Laurel) put it on ChatGPT and ran it. He’s our stats man,” Rojas said.
As usual, Rojas didn’t disappoint.
The lefty, who is a projected top 10 pick in this summer’s draft, struck out 12, and allowed just one hit over his 6 2/3 innings.
Venice shortstop Graham Houston mustered the lone hit against Rojas with a leadoff single in the fourth. After moving over to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jonathan Mauro, Rojas retired Randall Riley on a ground out and struck out Beau Daniel to end the threat.
“I approached it knowing it was my last seven (innings),” Rojas said. “With the team I have behind me, I have trust in them so I can pitch to contact and they’ll make the plays. We did the job and got that sixth one.”
Rojas couldn’t notch the shutout, however, because he reached the state’s 105-pitch limit after striking out Maddox Volk for the second out of the seventh inning with Douglas leading 2-0.
Junior Ben Bianchi entered in relief of Rojas. Venice designated hitter RJ Shields crushed Bianchi’s third pitch over the right field wall for a solo home run. It was the first home run of the entire tournament to that point.
Bianchi settled in and struck out center fielder Carter Cox to seal the victory.
Douglas showed off its depth and versatility once again Saturday.
Rojas drove in their first run in the first inning when he executed a perfect bunt single between first base and the mound to score Cade Raley after he drew a leadoff walk.
“It set that tone and showed we could score in any which way,” Rojas said. “With me in the 4-hole, I think they didn’t expect me to do that. It was very important to set the tone and put them in that pressure situation where they have to chase.”
Then in the top of the seventh, designated hitter Ander Elorriaga came through when he laid down a perfect squeeze bunt with one out to score Rizzo and bring in what proved to be a needed insurance run.
Douglas needed it after leaving the bases loaded three times and leaving 11 runners stranded overall.
Elorriaga stepped up in both games. On Friday, he took over in center field after Laurel was ejected and later drew a key walk, which led to a run. Elorriaga started Saturday as Douglas shuffled its lineup with Laurel forced to serve a one-game suspension.
“I knew the situation and we talked before my at-bat to be ready for anything and nothing better in practice than getting down a squeeze bunt,” Elorriaga said. “If you don’t, you hear about it. So I just had all the confidence right there.”
