Shorecrest Prep Begins Long-awaited Chance at Redemption - The Crusaders baseball team has waited nearly a year for a chance to get back to the state championship game. That journey begins this afternoon.
Last year, the Shorecrest Prep baseball team came one step from winning the Class 2A state title, losing in the championship game. This season, the Crusaders have spent the entire year preparing to erase that mishap. The journey finally begins tonight. At the Class 2A-11 district at Sarasota Out-of-Door Academy, Shorecrest will host Northside Christian at 4 p.m.
With a win this afternoon, Shorecrest will secure a berth in the Class 2A region, five wins from a state title. With another win Friday to secure a district title, Shorecrest will begin region play with a home game May 3.
It's at this point of the season that Chargers coach Don Reed doesn't know if he is more excited than his players or not. "Oh, for sure," Reed said. "This is what you look forward to. This is where you have the most fun during the season, that's for sure."
Of course, with such a lofty goal so seared in high school players' subconscious for so long, it's easy to think of buckling under pressure. Fellow classmates, friends and perhaps family matters can add to the weight but Reed dismisses that. "I feel this way: The only people that can put pressure on you is yourself," Reed said. "You just have to play every game hard as you can and if you do that, these games will have no more pressure than any regular season game. That way, in my opinion, you just have to focus."
It's not like the Chargers aren't entering the post season with limited talents. Junior Marc Brakeman, heading to Stanford when he graduates, the ace of the Chargers staff. Spencer Heath, the gritty catcher and leader of the team, Jordan Lindsay, who on many other high school teams would be the ace of the staff, Brent Rasmussen, a talented shortstop who recovered from a nasty concussion where he missed nearly a month of the season to provide solid defense and clutch hitting.
Despite the talented roster, accidents can happen. Like a loss in the district tournament. Reed knows this all too well. "I think Out-of-Door Academy and [Bradenton] St. Stephens, those are two teams that can cause trouble," Reed said. Reed also spoke about how Northside Christian advanced to today's game by winning in a 10-run rule. "They are young but you cannot take anyone lightly that's for sure."
With a win this afternoon, Shorecrest will secure a berth in the Class 2A region, five wins from a state title. With another win Friday to secure a district title, Shorecrest will begin region play with a home game May 3.
It's at this point of the season that Chargers coach Don Reed doesn't know if he is more excited than his players or not. "Oh, for sure," Reed said. "This is what you look forward to. This is where you have the most fun during the season, that's for sure."
Of course, with such a lofty goal so seared in high school players' subconscious for so long, it's easy to think of buckling under pressure. Fellow classmates, friends and perhaps family matters can add to the weight but Reed dismisses that. "I feel this way: The only people that can put pressure on you is yourself," Reed said. "You just have to play every game hard as you can and if you do that, these games will have no more pressure than any regular season game. That way, in my opinion, you just have to focus."
It's not like the Chargers aren't entering the post season with limited talents. Junior Marc Brakeman, heading to Stanford when he graduates, the ace of the Chargers staff. Spencer Heath, the gritty catcher and leader of the team, Jordan Lindsay, who on many other high school teams would be the ace of the staff, Brent Rasmussen, a talented shortstop who recovered from a nasty concussion where he missed nearly a month of the season to provide solid defense and clutch hitting.
Despite the talented roster, accidents can happen. Like a loss in the district tournament. Reed knows this all too well. "I think Out-of-Door Academy and [Bradenton] St. Stephens, those are two teams that can cause trouble," Reed said. Reed also spoke about how Northside Christian advanced to today's game by winning in a 10-run rule. "They are young but you cannot take anyone lightly that's for sure."
