Sharks make huge strides in Year 2

By EMILY NIPPS
Published May 1, 2005

BROOKSVILLE - Nature Coast first baseman Mike Dudek, like most of his teammates, remembers the pain of last season.

Most on the first-year team didn't know each other well, but they quickly realized they had at least one thing in common: They played for a horrible team.

With mostly freshmen and sophomores, the Sharks lacked size and maturity and went 2-22. "Mostly the local schools, like Central and Springstead, gave us a hard time," Dudek said. "They said a bunch of stuff, like how we didn't even belong on a baseball field."

With so many losses, many blowouts, the Sharks couldn't help wondering if their adversaries were right.

"It felt pretty bad," Dudel said. "But it built a lot of character."

The Sharks worked hard to shed the bad feelings during the offseason, getting plenty of at-bats during summer and fall leagues and hitting the weights at least four times a week. They entered this season familiar with their opponents, which made a huge difference. "Last year, they hadn't seen the type of pitching you see in high school ball," coach Dan Garofano said. "Most of them were coming from little league ball."

Things have changed for the Sharks (8-13) as the county has learned. The Sharks beat Central three times this season and played Springstead tough. Garofano has seen improvement in every player, including leading hitter Alex Angulo (.328 average) and Dudek (.312). Second baseman Kenny Treverton has been solid on defense, and outfielder Josh Ortiz leads the team in stolen bases (13).

Senior catcher Mike Edwards had three or four passed balls per game last season. This season, if one gets by, "it's shocking," Garofano said.

Seeded fourth in this week's Class 3A, District 6 tournament, the Sharks are hoping to get past No.5 Wildwood and get a shot at top-seeded Pasco in the semifinals. Getting to the final from there would be difficult, but no one can count out Nature Coast.

"When you get into one-game elimination," Garofano said, "anything can happen."

That kind of optimism didn't exist last season. Dudek, as well as his teammates, can attest to that. And it's only going to get better, he said.

"I expect a big year next year," he said. "I think we'll get better as all of us grow up a little."

[Last modified April 30, 2005, 23:58:09]