1. TYLER DANISH
If there’s one thing that Tyler Danish and “Animal House” character Bluto have in common, it’s this number: 0.0.
Danish, however, wasn’t flunking out of school. The former Durant pitcher posted a perfect 0.00 ERA in his senior season and struck out 156 batters. Those are wild numbers for a high school pitcher, especially considering that he only allowed 16 walks, and only five runs were scored while he was active in games. He always appeared to be a good player, but his 15-1 2013 season was immaculate.
In fact, it was good enough to get Danish drafted in the second round, 55th overall, by the Chicago White Sox — a move that surprised many baseball pundits, because he wasn’t on MLB.com or Keith Law’s Top 100 list. They were presumably turned off by his unorthodox throwing motion, which suggested he had an arm that wasn’t quite starter material.
The White Sox weren’t concerned, though: Similar things were said about Chris Sale’s arm, and look at how he turned out.
Pitching in the minors after graduation, the ERA rose a little bit. But, 1.20 between two teams is nothing to be ashamed of, and neither are his 28 strikeouts in 30 innings pitched. All signs point to a quick ascension through the minors.
2. MONTEL McBRIDE
Football is king in the Winter Strawberry Capital, and Montel McBride made his mark in 2013 like no one else on the gridiron.
After turning in an impressive offseason performance that landed him a football scholarship at the University of Alabama, all eyes were on McBride. There was only one question looming over his senior season, and it was simple: How would the Alabama offer affect his play?
If it did, mentally or physically, it didn’t show. McBride often commanded double-teams, even triple-teams, and usually overpowered them. At 6 feet, 4 inches tall and 330 pounds, he often made it look easy. His play helped Plant City’s front seven become the scariest in the district and arguably one of the most intimidating in the county.
But, his biggest impact may have been an indirect one, benefitting his teammates and others in the area. With the Alabama offer came the spotlight, like a Bat-signal for college scouts. Next thing you know, it was common to see scouts from Alabama, Florida State, Virginia Tech and other Division I schools hanging out on the Raiders’ sideline. Now that Plant City is on the map of more FBS scouts, the area’s football players have a better shot at getting to the next level.
3. ALIYAH GREGORY
Strawberry Crest’s girls have had their share of the Plant City-area basketball scene on lock for a while now, and a lot of that comes with the play of Aliyah Gregory.
The senior guard-forward came off of a 2012-13 season in which she averaged 22.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 5.8 steals per game, often looking like one of the most electrifying players in the county. She was also clutch in the postseason, namely in her 32-point, 12-steal game against Lakewood Ranch at regionals.
Entering the 2013-14 season, Gregory committed to the University of Central Florida and created the “Assist and Score” fundraiser in honor of her late aunt, Nicole Bush, to raise awareness about and benefit victims of domestic violence. She’s been wearing purple shoes, socks and accessories to support the cause, and the rest of the Lady Chargers have followed suit.
Although her current numbers aren’t as high as what she finished last season with, they’re still excellent. Her 18.8 points and 5.7 steals per game lead the team, and her four assists are second-most by a fraction.
As long as Gregory is active and sound of mind, this Strawberry Crest team can hang with just about anyone in the area.
4. CHELSEA BAKER
Speaking of Durant pitchers with national recognition, knuckleballer Chelsea Baker also had quite the year in 2013.
She was featured on the MLB Network’s first reality show, “The Next Knuckler,” in February. She got to pitch against the show’s five contestants, who were taught how to throw the pitch by Tim Wakefield, and struck out both the eventual winner and former big-leaguer Kevin Millar.
In August, Baker once again traveled to Japan to play in several exhibition games with high school girls teams. She pitched seven total innings of relief work.
She also played fall ball with Durant, seeing a lot more action. As a reliever, she pitched 17 1/3 innings and shut batters down — finishing with a 0.00 ERA. She’ll be back on the mound for the Cougars in the spring, having earned a spot on the varsity team.
Also as a result of her great performance, Baker has been invited to try out for the USA Women’s National Team. Only 40 women have been invited to try out for the team, which will compete in the 2014 Women’s Baseball World Cup in Japan. She’ll be in Boca Raton from Jan. 5 to 10 for the tryouts and, if successful, she’ll be back in Japan in August.
5. DIANA CORZINE
If any of these five athletes could get a “Most Improved Player” award, it would be Diana Corzine. She’s played soccer and ran cross country for much of her life, but 2013 was a career year for her in both sports.
Corzine led Plant City High School’s cross country team to the FHSAA regionals, on the heels of solid outings like her sixth-place finish in the Class 4A District 7 meet, and her 11th-place finish in the East Hillsborough County Invitational.
But, Corzine’s soccer game is what brings her to this list. Though the Lady Raiders were very good in 2012, they have been almost unstoppable in 2013, and no one on the team benefitted more from the new balanced attack.
Though a four-goal, five-assist season isn’t really a bad thing, it’s not a nice change from 10 goals, eight assists in 2011, and 16 and eight as a freshman. Whatever she’s doing differently in 2013 is working; it only took her three games to top her 2012-13 total. Corzine is on pace for a 20-goal season, and that’s exactly the kind of momentum she wants to build as she prepares to start her college career at Trevecca Nazarene University.