Reading off some of the names that have played in the annual Saladino Baseball Tournament is like reading the list of a MLB All-Star team.
Carl Everett, Luis Gonzalez, Dwight Gooden, Fred McGriff, Gary Sheffield and Plant City High’s own Kenny Rogers are just a few of the former Major Leaguers to play in the high school baseball tournament, held annually in Hillsborough County.
Players at all three area schools will have that opportunity during their spring break, when they compete against the best the county has to offer in the week-long classic that will celebrate its 33rd year.
“Most of our coaches here at Durant played in it,” said Cougars head coach Butch Valdes. “You get to see a lot of teams that we wouldn’t usually get to see during the school year, but at the same time, we see some familiar district teams and go head-to-head. It’s a nice tournament that showcases everybody.”
Valdes played in the tournament with Jefferson and is now in his fifth year as head coach of the Cougars, following several years as an assistant at Durant.
The team has participated in Saladino all of those years and Valdes won back-to-back tournament championships as an assistant at Bloomingdale with his brother, Mike, as a standout pitcher.
“It’s a great tradition,” Valdes said.
Valdes’ top player, Tyler Danish, will have the opportunity to show off his skills against some of the best in the Tampa Bay area. The University of Florida commit also is projected to go in the early rounds of this summer’s MLB draft.
Danish struck out 12 and allowed just one hit in Durant’s 2-0 win Feb. 26, at Alonso. Entering Tuesday’s game against Brandon, Danish has recorded four of Durant’s five wins and has struck out 39 batters in just 23 innings pitched. He also leads the team with eight RBIs and has a home run. Luke Heyer currently leads the Cougars in hits.
Durant will open the tournament Saturday at 1 p.m. against Spoto at Brandon High.
Plant City has been steadily discovering what kind of team they are under new head coach Mike Fryrear, a former player at Durant who was named the
Saladino Defensive MVP in 2000. The Raiders were 4-2 entering Tuesday’s game with Spoto. Pitcher Kevin Long has been equally as impressive as Danish, accounting for three of Plant City’s wins, all coming in one-hitters.
“He’s been pounding the zone,” Fryrear said. “It’s fun watching him pitch.”
For Fryrear, success during Saladino comes down to hitting.
“If we don’t hit, we won’t win,” he said. “It’s as simple as that.”
Pitching staffs also will be tested, because teams will be playing multiple games in a short time frame, forcing some coaches to use pitchers they may not usually throw on the regular two-games-per-week season.
Plant City currently has a 0.80 team ERA, using just four pitchers.
“We will be battle-tested with those four guys,” Fryrear said. “Hopefully, we can spread them out.”
Long expects to get the start Saturday as the Raiders open against Jefferson, last year’s champion. The road won’t get any easier, because they will face a tough Alonso team Monday.
“This tournament will measure how tough we are as a team,” Fryrear said. “We start with two of the best teams in Hillsborough County. During the preseason, we weren’t ready for those kind of games, but now, I think we’re mentally and physically ready.”
For Strawberry Crest, head coach Eric Beattie hopes his young team will take some valuable experience away from Saladino.
“I want to get these younger guys some reps and have our older guys lead,” Beattie said. “So far, we’ve done a good job of that, and our pitchers have done well. We’ve been able to keep our pitch counts down.”
Tanner Thompson and Corey Smith have been leaders on the mound for the Chargers, while center fielder Jeffrey Murray and Matthew Collado have both been swinging the bat well, according to Beattie.
Like Valdes and Fryrear, Beattie also played in the tournament, winning the Tony Saladino scholarship in 2001 while playing for Riverview. He used the scholarship to attend the University of Tampa.
SALADINO TOURNAMENT
WHEN: March 9-15
SITES: Brandon, Jefferson, Riverview and University of Tampa will host the the opening rounds, while all games of the final tournament will be held at Brandon High School.
OPENING GAMES: Robinson-Strawberry Crest 10 a.m., at Jefferson; Spoto-Durant 1 p.m., at Brandon; Jefferson-Plant City 7 p.m., at Jefferson