Sharks Resurgent Season Ends in Panama City

The Miami Dade College baseball team’s season ended after they dropped two of three games in a best-of-three series versus Gulf Coast State College in Panama City regional play. 

Miami Dade College won the first game 5-2, fell in the second match 12-0 before dropping the finale, 10-8, in the playoffs on May 4.

The loss capped off a strong 31-23 season for the Sharks, an improvement from the previous year when they were 28-26. 

“I think we came together at the midway point, when we were 13-15, and we just started playing a different brand of baseball,” said Sharks head coach Lazaro Llanes. “Without losing sight of the big picture, we worked on the little things, and we just got better as the season progressed.” 

The Sharks battled through a tough patch at the beginning of the season. After a lackluster 8-12 start, the Sharks regrouped and won 23 of their last 34 games. 

Despite the turnaround, they needed a three-game sweep of Eastern Florida State College in the regular season’s final series to qualify for the playoffs.  

“I just feel like we grew into one big family,” said outfielder Alejandro Sanchez. “We all had each other’s backs every day, and we’re looking to build off this momentum next year with the next group of guys.”

Outfielder Michael Petite led the team with a .367 batting average, a .547 on base percentage, and a .693 slugging percentage. He also added 12 home runs, 41 runs batted in and 22 stolen bases to be the team’s offensive catalyst. 

The sophomore’s efforts earned him First-Team Citrus Conference honors.

Right-hander Jordan Vargas led the Sharks on the mound. The sophomore finished the season with a 10-2 record, 63 strikeouts and a 3.90 earned run average. 

A bumper crop of freshmen also made a strong impression on this year’s roster. Infielder Cian Copeland led the team in home runs (15) and RBI (51) and he was second on the squad with a .367 BA.

Infielder Talan Beckford added seven home runs, 48 RBI, 17 doubles and seven stolen bases while outfielder Willy Mendez posted a .308 BA and 37 RBI. 

“We’re in the right position, the right mixture of players that are talented, but more importantly driven,” Llanes said. “We have a really good group of players coming in and a strong group returning.”

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