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Gaither's Permuy 1 win From Another Milestone

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By ADAM ADKINS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 26, 2009

Gaither High baseball coach Frank Permuy insisted Wednesday his players have no idea about the subplot for the Cowboys' big district game Friday night against Sickles. So, any of them reading this should gain some extra motivation to play well.

Permuy, who has been Gaither's coach since the program began in 1985, will go for career win No. 500 as a high school coach Friday night against the Gryphons.

Permuy, who in January was inducted into the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame and has a career record of 499-270, is vying to become just the third coach in Hillsborough County history to join the 500-win club. Former Jesuit coach John Crumbley (575 wins) and longtime Jefferson coach Pop Cuesta (538) are the lone representatives.

Reaching the milestone, however, isn't Permuy's top priority. He's more concerned about finding a way to spark Gaither's offense, which has averaged only 5.5 runs per game this season – and just 1.5 per game in their four losses.

"We just haven't been hitting the ball," Permuy said, "and it's just puzzling because that's one of the things we've always done."

To Gaither's credit, the pitchers they've faced in their losses have been among the area's best this season – Mitchell standout Patrick Schuster (twice), and Alonso's starting tandem of Ray Delphey and Thomas Dorminy. But with only one regular starter hitting better than .333 – junior OF Drew Doty (.379) – Permuy wants to see the Cowboys [8-4] take a much better approach at the plate.

EARNING A SPOT: Sophomore P Javaris Reynolds has just two career starts under his belt, but he's done enough in those two outings in the eyes of longtime King coach Jim Macaluso to earn a chance to be a regular in the Lions' rotation.

Reynolds tossed a gem Tuesday in a 4-1 victory over a solid Armwood squad, limiting the Hawks to five hits while walking one and striking out two in going the distance. It was the first complete game for a Lions pitcher this season, and it helped King [4-8] win its second straight following a seven-game losing streak.

"He's a talented kid," Macaluso said. "He's got a shot to be a good ballplayer."

CONFIDENCE BUILDER: Cambridge Christian performed very well last week at the Westminster Sunshine Classic in Fort Lauderdale – winning 3-of-4 games and finishing as the tournament runner-up – and it's something Coach Rick Shears believes will serve as a confidence boost for the Lancers.

"By winning and reaching the championship game, now they know they can go any place and have a chance to win," Shears said.

Junior OF/P Derek Self and senior IF/P Trent Tagliarini earned all-tournament honors, while sophomore C Andrew Widell earned the tournament's Golden Glove award.

EXTRA BASES: When Blake dealt Robinson a 3-2 loss Saturday, it marked the first time since 2006 the Yellow Jackets (2-10) have won multiple games in a season. The win also snapped a nine-game losing streak. … Plant has received tremendous pitching during its current five-game win streak, with the staff posting three shutouts during that stretch. Stan Rowe and Tanner Anderson combined on a four-hitter against Blake, Jake Lowe tossed a two-hitter against Robinson and Mychal Givens threw a five-hitter with 12 strikeouts against Hillsborough.

Reporter Adam Adkins can be reached at (813) 259-7616.

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