For the American High Patriots, a return trip to the state title game to defend their championship rests on the arm of ace pitcher Romie Gonzalez.
The University of Miami commit is off to good start and his stellar performance has all of his teammates on the same page.
Head coach Ricky Gutierrez said he has a talented team (5-2) and his players are starting to gel well, especially following a disappointing defeat against Westminster.
American led the game 5-0 but Westminster rallied and won 6-5.
“We fell apart in that game,” Gutierrez said. “It was a tough and frustrating loss. We didn’t play our game. We had only four hits.”
The Patriots bounced back last week against Southridge, beating the Spartans 6-3, in which Gutierrez said it was his team’s best game so far this season.
“We played as a team that day,” he said. “They played with a lot of energy and that’s good to see early in the season.”
Gonzalez is the face of the team with a good supporting cast.
“The team revolves around him,’ Gutierrez said. “He is our main guy.”
Senior pitcher Mike Rodriguez said this year’s team is actually better than last season’s championship squad.
“We are a better and completely different team,” said Rodriguez, who has allowed only three runs in 11 innings of work this season. “We should be fine.”
Senior pitcher Danger Guevara said the talent on the team should take them far this season.
“As a whole, we have deep talent from the first batter to the last batter,” he said. ‘Everybody does their own.”
American’s heavy hitters are senior second baseman Johnny Jones and outfielders Victor Cabrera an Michael Montez.
Despite a bulls eye on their backs for winning the state title last year, the Patriots remain focused on Fort Myers.
“We are playing for one heartbeat and that’s to get back to Fort Myers,” said Gutierrez.