Marjory Stoneman Douglas Senior Spotlight: Baseball, Softball & Piccolo Award

Seniors From the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Baseball Team. {MSD Baseball}

Marjory Stoneman Douglas recognized their seniors and honored their spring sports athletes, while several more received awards.

Baseball

The baseball team honored Devin Fitz-Gerald, Niko Benestad, Rylan Lujo, Alex Rodriguez, Jayden Dubanewicz, Gavin Gargiulo, Brayden McCluskey, David Goldapper, Christian Milliken, James Smith, Reese Burton, Mickey Case, Riley Muslin. Fitz-Gearld, Benestad, Lujo, and Rodriguez have all been on the varsity team since freshman year and have won three straight State and National Championships.

“It’s been an amazing run with this group of seniors, and I hope we can go out in style,” Head Coach Todd Fitz-Gerald said. “They have given their all to this program over the years and couldn’t be happier with all of their success. The job’s not done yet. We gotta finish it off one more time.”

Currently ranked 16th In the nation, the Eagles recorded a 7-1 win over Neumann behind six dominant innings from Dubanewicz. He earned the win with eight strikeouts before McClsusley stuck out the side in the seventh. Offensively, Devin Fitz-Gerald hit a two-run homer to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead. They went on to five in the fourth, with Bennett Gary plating two. Nick Diaz and Michael Ossenfort also had RBIs to help the Eagles improve to 18-5.

They closed the regular season out with a 9-0 win-win over Westminster Christian on Wednesday, with Gargiulo, Breylynn Courtney, David Doldapper, and Luke Cheery combining for the shutout. Rodriguez and Lujo each had two RBIs, while Diaz drove in one. MSD will play the winner of Monarch and Coral Springs High School in the second round of the District Championship on Tuesday, April 30.

Softball

The softball team celebrated Senior Night with an 11-1 win over J.P. Taravella on April 16. The Eagles honored Isabella Silva and Victoria Diaz. Silva recorded two hits, while Diaz had an RBI and pitched a complete game, allowing only one run and seven innings. Lily Torres led the team with two RBIs, while Amanda Dang, Carrisa Marvel, and Myah Boleen scored runs to help the Eagles record their 12th win.

Victoria Diaz and Isaeblla SIlva. {MSD Softball}

MSD, led by first-year coach Sami Kelly, previously had wins over Western, Fort Lauderdale, Monarch, King’s Academy, Somerset Academy, Westminster Academy, and South Plantation High School. The Eagles were also in a tournament, outscoring their opponents 65-11 with victories against Ferguson, Lourdes Academy, Chaminade Madonna, and Keys Gate.

They then went on to compete in the Big Eight Championship, which featured the top eight teams in Broward County. The Eagles lost 4-0 in their opening game before losing 17-8 in their consolation game against Cypress Bay High School.

Volleyball

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas volleyball team held senior night and is 4-9 this year. They have beat Coral Glades, Northeast, Highlands Christian, and J.P. Taravella but have played five-set matches against McArthur, Chaminade Madonna, Western, Deerfield Beach, and Pembroke Pines Charter. The Eagles also won a set in every match except against Cypress Bay High School.

Awards

The Broward County Athletic Association announced the finalists for the Brian Piccolo Award, honoring senior athletes for their outstanding achievements in football, academics, and community service.

Named after the late NFL player and South Florida native Brian Piccolo, Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ Jeremy Fishkin was named one of 41 finalists. He played various sports, including soccer, baseball, lacrosse, basketball, and flag football. However, he started playing tackle football during his junior year and competed in his first game against Western in the preseason under Head Coach Quentin Short. He is set to attend Florida A&M University to play collegiately.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas also had three students receive awards during their 37th annual BCAA Scholar Athlete Award banquet at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Coral Springs Hotel & Convention Center.

Gaby Caro and Macy Meis received the Chris Hixon Foundation award, and Caro was also named female athlete of the year in the North Region. Devin Fitz-Gerald also won the BSN Sports Award. Fitz-Gerald, Muskan Amin, Gaby Caro, Annabella Civalero, Gracyn Haynes, and Yusuf Sajil were named scholar-athletes.

Jeremy Fishkin of Marjory Stoneman Douglas Signs to Play College Football

Jeremy Fishkin {Top Shot Media}

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Matt Rothman

Matt Rothman is a 2018 graduate from Florida Gulf Coast University receiving his bachelor’s degree in journalism and then graduated from the University of Florida as a graduate student. He also works for the Mohave Valley Daily News in Bullhead City, Arizona covering high school sports.