Pace baseball team off to record start in quest for 7th state title

Sports Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Pace High School boys’ baseball team is perhaps off to the best start in school history, posting a 17-1-1 record during Spring Break. 

The Spartans’ lone loss came at the hands of Westminster Christian, which escaped with a 6-5 victory in the Falcon Challenge tournament in the third game of the season.

Since then, Pace has complied 16 straight wins by dominating most of their opponents, including rival Mater Lakes Academy (19-9), Calvary Christian Academy (18-2), LaSalle (14-2), Palm Beach Gardens (19-0), Key West (12-2), and St. Brendan (14-4). 

The Spartans extended their dominance to the 2017 HSBN Madness Baseball Tournament.
According to Max Preps, the team is ranked No. 6 in the state and No. 63 in the nation. 
The team is led by senior pitchers Brandon Cruz and Brandon Diaz, and senior outfielders Nicholas San Marty, Bryan Diaz and Jeter Down, who signed with the University of Miami.

Down has a .396 batting average, six home runs and 25 RBI., and Diaz is batting .388 with two homers and 14 RBI with 4 stolen bases. 

Pace is seeking its seventh state championship in baseball, winning it last in 2006.
The Spartans won the 2016 regional championship but lost in the state tournament.