After winning GMAC title, the Braddock baseball program poised for a playoff run

The Braddock Bulldogs aren’t nationally ranked.

They don’t have the baseball tradition of some of their local rivals, especially private-school powers such as Columbus or Westminster Christian.

But the Class 7A Bulldogs, who were 8-1 when last season was scrapped because of COVID-19, play with grit. They proved that again on Saturday by winning the GMAC championship, which is normally held later in the season. Braddock beat TERRA 17-0 on Wednesday, defeated Coral Reef 13-6 on Friday and Columbus 19-2 on Saturday.

“We have a team of late-bloomers, guys with chips on their shoulders because they have been overlooked by travel-ball organizations and big-time universities,” Braddock coach Wesley Morejon said. “They want to make a name for themselves.”

Braddock has produced stars in the past, especially infielders such as Sean Rodriguez, who has enjoyed a 13-year MLB career; ex-Hurricanes standout Harold Martinez, who is now a Bulldogs assistant coach; and Yohandy Morales, who is in line to start at shortstop this year as a freshman for the Canes.

“Yohandy played all four years of his high school career with us, at a public school right in his neighborhood,” Morejon said. “He didn’t go to one of the private schools that was tugging at him, and he still gets to live his dream of playing for the Canes.

“He comes back to Braddock and hits with our guys. They see that what he did is attainable.”

There is nobody as high profile as Morales on this year’s Braddock roster, but the Bulldogs do have competitive players such as senior third baseman Kader Rabagh, who doubles as a pitcher; and senior right-hander Carlos Colunga, both of whom have signed with Miami Dade College.

Rabagh, Braddock’s fiery on-field leader, hit .500 last season and also went 5-for-5 on saves, striking out 10 in five innings. Colunga went 3-0 with a 1.24 ERA.

Senior lefty Chris Orduna, who went 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA last season, signed with Barry University. And senior shortstop Jose Hernandez, who hit .370 last season, is also drawing interest from Barry and MDC.

“Our goal is to become the best public-school option in this area,” Morejon said. “It’s an uphill battle against the private schools, but we want to show we can offer just as good of a baseball program and academics, and it’s all free.”

MORE CLASS 7A

▪ Columbus is led by a core group of 10 seniors, including shortstop Ariel Garcia (Hurricanes recruit); outfielder Kainen Jorge (Wake Forest); catcher Diego Prieto (Fordham); and first baseman Tony Casanova (FIU).

▪ Coral Park is building with talents such as sophomore shortstop Enrique Noriega, sophomore pitcher/outfielder Zack Gonzalez and junior outfielder Leduar Perez.

▪ Southwest catcher Alberto Rigual has a strong arm — his “pop time” to second base ranks among the top one percent in the nation, according to Perfect Game website.

▪ Krop is led by senior pitcher Brendan Katz.

CLASS 6A

▪ Doral Academy, ranked No. 22 in the nation by Perfect Game, has seven D1 recruits — five to the University of Miami, one to North Carolina State and one to North Carolina A&T. Leading the way is senior Gabriel Gutierrez, a Hurricanes recruit ranked the second-best outfielder in the state.

▪ Goleman is led by sophomore right-hander Brandon Olivera, a Hurricanes recruit who is being touted by Baseball America as a potential first-round pick. Goleman also boasts a pair of senior outfielders in James Hernandez and Janiel Castilla, who also pitches.

Other 6A teams of note in the county include Hialeah, Mater Academy, South Miami, American, Miami Beach, North Miami and Homestead.

CLASS 5A

▪ Belen’s Dorian Gonzalez, a senior shortstop, is a Hurricanes recruit. Six other Belen players have also committed to colleges.

▪ Other 5A teams of note in the county include Killian and Southridge.

CLASS 4A

▪ Miami Springs is led by junior 1B Jason Torres, a Hurricanes recruit.

▪ Other 4A teams of note in the county include Sunset, St. Brendan, Mater Lakes and Hialeah-Miami Lakes.

CLASS 3A

▪ Westminster Christian, ranked 45th in the nation by Perfect Game, is led by senior catcher Jayden Melendez (FIU recruit); junior third baseman Sal Stewart (Vanderbilt); and junior shortstop Rene Ramirez Jr., a switch-hitter who has yet to choose a college.

▪ Pace has junior 3B Adrian Dominguez a Canes recruit. In addition, three Pace seniors have committed to colleges: outfielder Ephraim Bravo (Nicholls State); lefty Luke Rier (Manhattan); and outfielder Emilio Portes (Bethune-Cookman).

▪ Gulliver Prep is led by senior third baseman Luis Aparicio, no relation to the former MLB star of the same name. Freshman infielder Ethan Puig, a Hurricanes recruit, is a potential future star.

▪ Ransom Everglades boasts five seniors who can all pitch and play the field, including shortstop Chris Basile.

▪ Palmer Trinity is led by senior pitcher/outfielder Jeremy Shodell.

CLASS 2A

Miami Christian, the two-time reigning state champion, is led by a pair of seniors: shortstop Andrew Estrella, a Stetson recruit; and catcher Jose Torres (Marshall recruit).

The Victors’ junior class includes shortstop Bryant Zayas (North Carolina State); center fielder Freddy Oquendo (FIU) and outfielder Jameson Caro (FIU). And the sophomore class includes pitchers Eduardo Fernandez and Chris Diaz, both Hurricanes recruits.

Miami Christian’s local competition in 2A includes Champagnat, Brito and Archbishop Carroll.

In addition, Riviera Prep boasts sophomore shortstop Eric Fernandez, a Hurricanes recruit who hit .400 with seven RBIs and six steals in 15 at-bats last season.

This story was originally published February 23, 2021 at 12:09 PM.