Pasco Tribune baseball preview

Teams to watch

1. Pasco: The Pirates stunned many through a down year by pulling out a district runner-up title, only to lose 4-3 to Brooksville Hernando in the region quarterfinals. However, Pasco returns a wealth of talent, mostly in the form of junior players. In the new, but deep Class 5A-District 8, the Pirates are the team to beat.

2. Land O' Lakes: Bringing back youthful defense, the Gators hope to build some more pitching around their Division I, left-handed pitcher. It'll take the offense solidifying from a relatively new lineup to score runs and keep pace in a small, but deep 6A-10 district that features Tarpon Springs, River Ridge and Mitchell.

3. Mitchell: The Mustangs look to defend their district title, but will do so with returners that will need to step up and "play the game 'right' this year" according to coach Scot Wilcox. Mitchell does have a strong defense returning to its infield, but, like Land O' Lakes, will battle the other teams in the new 6A-10.

4. Bishop McLaughlin: Coming off one of the best seasons in program history, the Hurricanes bring back a veteran leadership and experienced bats, plus add a catcher, shortstop and right-handed pitcher, as well as a championship coach. Bishop should dominate the weak 3A-8 district, and has a legitimate shot at advancing to the region final, as it did in 2010.

5. Wiregrass Ranch: The lone Pasco County team in 7A-9, the Bulls now have to compete against the likes of Steinbrenner and Gaither. However, Wiregrass brings a team that's speedy on the base path, but shallow on pitching depth. The Bulls look to compete against the top teams in the area, but will have to find a sound rotation to do so.

Be Careful

Fivay: A team that came on strong at the end of the season and finished 12-13 in its first season and brings back its entire roster. The Falcons, who are deep, can easily compete for the district title and probably line up as the second-best team behind Pasco in 5A-8.

Ridgewood: New coach Julius Matos takes over a 12-14 squad with a solid pitching staff and team speed on hand. The Rams will be trying to keep pace at the top of their district, and Matos is expecting big things out a veteran core of returning players.

River Ridge: Led by a Division I pitcher, the Royal Knights were just 11-15 last year, but have pitching depth to keep teams off the board. However, youth and inexperience have to take over key positions, so there might be a learning curve throughout the season.

Sunlake: The Seahawks boast a deep pitching staff — "Six guys who can throw strikes," coach Dick Rohrberg said. — but key positions are filled with youth and inexperience at the varsity level. Shore up those, and then perhaps the Seahawks can progress the run scoring.

Wesley Chapel: The Wildcats fell short after putting up an amazing 23-3 season, but lost a lot of the experience and talent that gave Wesley Chapel the best record in the county. Coach Chuck Yingling Sr. has a challenge ahead of him to fill in those empty spots, but the Wildcats can compete with the likes of Ridgewood, Fivay and Pasco.

Fresh faces

Tom LoSauro, Bishop McLaughlin: The new coach of the Hurricanes takes over a 21-8 team that was a region semifinalist and brings a wealth of postseason experience on his resume. While at Fort Myers Bishop Verot Catholic High School, he took the Vikings to a Class 3A state championship, a 28-4 record and a top-15 national ranking by Baseball America. Last season, he had two players selected in the top 70 of the June MLB Draft and was named 3A FHSAA Coach of the Year.

Keep an eye on ...

Austin Ferlita, 3B, Bishop McLaughlin: Batted a team-high .471 with 33 hits, 22 RBI and seven doubles.

Tyler Cooler, SS, Bishop McLaughlin: Speedy infielder scored 33 runs, stole a team-high 13 bases, plus drove in 14 RBI on 46 hits.

Andy Olaniel, OF/RHP, Bishop McLaughlin: 4-3 in 11 appearances on the mound, while putting up a 3.50 ERA, then batted .438 in 32 at bats.

Kevin Faulkner, 1B/RHP, Fivay: A power hitter that batted a team-high .429, with 30 hits, 26 RBI and a pair of homers.

Andrew Meyer, UTIL, Fivay: This multi-position player scored 20 runs, but also drove in 15 runs on 24 hits.

Brad Hencke, LHP, Land O' Lakes: The University of Tampa commit had a 2.64 ERA, a team-high 64 strikeouts and a 5-0 record in 12 appearances.

Josh Nissen, 2B, Land O' Lakes: The Gators top returning hitter: .364, 13 RBI and two dingers.

Trey Dudley-Giles, RHP/SS/OF, Pasco: Athletic and speedy, he brings back great offense (.455 BA, 13 RBI, four triples, home run), baserunning (16 SB), pitching (2.50 ERA, 20 K) and exceptional defense to the outfield.

Joe Koehler, 2B/P, Mitchell: All-around player brings a big bat (.448 BA, 46 R, 30 RBI, 5 HR), speedy baserunning (18 SB) and strong arm (1.75 ERA, 1 save, 8 K, 8 IP) to the Mustangs.

Cobi Johnson, C/INF/P, Mitchell: Strong defenisve catcher had 21 assists behind the plate, plus a .375 BA, 20 runs and 16 RBI batting.

Tommy Peterson, River Ridge: This USF commit threw a team-high 67.1 innings with a 2.18 ERA, 4-6 record with 78 Ks.

Robby McCabe, SS, Ridgewood: The Rams best returning bat: .444 BA, 14 RBI, 6 doubles, 2 triples and a homer, plus a threat on the bath path with seven steals.

Mike Mateyka, INF, Sunlake: Drove in a team-high 19 runs while batting .312 with a homer and seven doubles.

Zach White, OF, Wesley Chapel: Looks to duplicate impressive 2011 numbers: .442 BA, 42 hits, 33 runs, 24 RBI, six doubles, 2 homers and 12 stole bases.

Zach Drury, OF, Wiregrass Ranch: Put up great numbers as a freshman (.351 BA, 19 RBI, 8 doubles), but looks to utilize speed and pick up more steals (2) and runs (14).

Michael Barrone, OF, Wiregrass Ranch: While batting .364, drove in 16 runs with 28 hits, a triple and homer.

Harry Olsen, INF/P, Wiregrass Ranch: Bulls top returning pitcher with a 3.68 ERA in 26.2 innings pitched, plus drove in 11 runs at the plate.