The five Volusia-Flagler baseball teams to make the Florida High School Athletic Association playoffs each took a different route to get there.
Spruce Creek remained atop the area in 2024. It fell in a dramatic, extra-inning district title game, but did more than enough during the regular season to earn an at-large postseason bid. The Hawks finished the year 19-10 and as the only local club ranked in the state’s top 100 (53rd). They also stayed alive longer than any Volusia-Flagler program, advancing to the regional semifinals.
Deltona (10-16) and New Smyrna Beach (13-12) entered their district tournaments with losing records, yet caught fire and emerged as champions. The Wolves upset Seabreeze and Pine Ridge to capture the trophy. The Barracudas shut down Lyman, Hagerty and Oviedo.
After a slow start, Flagler Palm Coast assembled a seven-game winning streak in April to get back on the right track. Its run included a Five Star Conference Tournament crown. The Bulldogs (14-13) secured an at-large bid like Spruce Creek and Pine Ridge.
The Panthers charged to the Five Star finals and grabbed the top seed in their district tournament. They closed the season 15-12.
Those teams, plus more, are featured on the All-Area list.
The Volusia-Flagler High School Sports Awards is proud to announce the player of the year nominees for baseball. The winners will be announced during the live show on Monday, June 3, at the Ocean Center.
The show is presented with the support of Halifax Health. This award is sponsored by the Daytona Tortugas.
HIGH SCHOOL BEACH VOLLEYBALL: Unveiling the 2024 Volusia-Flagler All-Area Beach Volleyball Team
During the live show, athletes of the year in 30 state-sanctioned sports will be honored. In addition, top teams, coaches and overall athletes will be honored as will a Courage Award winner.
Nominated athletes who RSVP will receive a complimentary ticket to the event here, thanks to sponsors: RSVP here for the 2024 Volusia-Flagler High School Sports Awards .
Tickets for the public are on sale here: 2024 Volusia-Flagler High School Sports Awards Tickets (enmotive.com) .
For more information about the show, including links to other sports nominees and to opt into email updates, visit its website and follow it on Facebook .
The Volusia-Flagler High School Sports Awards show is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards, the largest high school sports recognition program in the country.
Here are the nominees.
Nominees
CJ Asbill, P, Spruce Creek: As a junior, Asbill pitched to a 1.02 earned run average in 41⅓ innings. He went 3-2 with a 37:17 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Garrett Grant, P, Spruce Creek: The Florida Atlantic commit led the area in wins (eight), innings (67) and strikeouts (73) during his junior campaign. The right-hander posted a 0.73 ERA.
Mattox Meeks, P, New Smyrna Beach: In his final high school season, Meeks compiled 53 strikeouts and a 5-4 record in 39 innings. He walked just eight batters and sported a 1.08 ERA. He also helped the district champion Barracudas at the plate with a .280 batting average.
Zane Barron, C, Seabreeze: With six doubles, three triples and a home run, the senior built a monster 1.118 OPS. His on-base percentage was .536. He drove in 19 runs and scored 12 more.
Lucas Badalato, INF, Spruce Creek: Badalato was the area’s best run producer, leading all locals with 29 RBIs. He combined that with a .315 average, nine doubles, one triple, one dinger and 18 runs scored.
Devon Crown, INF, Spruce Creek: Crown scored 28 times, pacing the area and setting the table for the region semifinalist Hawks. He worked a .439 OBP with four doubles and 12 RBIs. The junior also provided on the mound, tossing 20 innings with a 1.40 ERA and 25 strikeouts to only six walks.
Luke Hoffman, INF, DeLand: Hoffman got on base at a .419 clip and ripped eight extra-base hits, good for a .964 OPS. He knocked in 17 runs and scored 18 more. He also pitched 11⅔ innings with a 1.20 ERA and 26:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Rustin Hurley, INF, Seabreeze: The junior racked up 11 extra-base hits, including three home runs, which tied him for first locally. Overall, he hit .295 with a .391 OBP, 18 RBIs, 16 runs and 19 stolen bases.
Lamar Edwards, OF, Spruce Creek: As a junior, the highly touted Duke commit hit .290 with a .394 on-base percentage. He collected 14 RBIs and 15 runs.
Alek Rentas, OF, Pine Ridge: Rentas capped his high school career with his best season: a .362 batting average, .950 OPS, four doubles, three triples, 17 RBIs and 21 runs scored.
Derek West, OF, New Smyrna Beach: The senior served as one of the area’s biggest threats on the basepaths. He registered a .477 on-base percentage, swiping 16 bags and scoring 21 runs. He also drove in 13.
Kenny Capria, UTL, Pine Ridge: Capria was a two-way standout for the playoff-qualifying Panthers. The junior batted .400 with a .505 OBP and 1.000 OPS. He amassed four doubles, two triple, 12 RBIs, 16 stolen bases and scored 26 runs. On the bump, Capria accumulated 45⅔ innings with a 2.45 ERA.
Other Athletes of Note
Miguel Cortes, P, Deltona: The senior was the Wolves’ most trusted reliever, totaling 22⅓ innings across 14 appearances. He struck out 19 batters while walking just four and had an ERA of 0.94.
Alex Low, P, Trinity Christian: Low dominated during his 26 innings as a sophomore. Opponents mustered just a .072 batting average against him, and his ERA was the lowest among locals who pitched at least 20 innings (0.27).
Kevin Maya, P, Flagler Palm Coast: The senior ate innings, 59⅓ of them, in 11 appearances for the playoff-qualifying Bulldogs. He finished with 51 strikeouts to 28 walks and a 2.48 ERA.
Garrett Thompson, C, Deltona: The senior batted .403 with a .495 on-base percentage and a .923 OPS. He produced 18 RBIs.
Angel Agosto, INF, University: At the plate, Agosto slashed .370/.500/.926 with 11 RBIs and 11 runs scored. He also completed 26⅔ innings with a 2.89 ERA.
Sam Figueroa, INF, Pine Ridge: As just a sophomore during his first varsity season, Figueroa didn’t need long to adjust. He hit .380 with a .479 on-base percentage. He also knocked in 20 runs, scored 14 more and stole 10 bases.
Ethan Jones, INF, DeLand: Jones ended his senior year with a .298 average and a .403 on-base percentage. He doubled five times, tripled once, driving in and scoring 12 runs apiece.
Derrick Walker, INF, Pine Ridge: As a senior, Walker remained a steady presence for the Panthers, who went to the region quarterfinals. He closed the spring with a .333 batting average and .423 OBP, smacking four doubles and a homer. He had 13 RBIs, scored 19 runs and stole 11 bases.
Jay Albizu, OF, Deltona: Albizu simply got on base — a lot. He led the area with a .571 clip. He notched a .343 batting average and a .935 OPS and scored 14 times.
William Martinez, OF, Deltona: The senior scored 22 runs after getting on base 39% of the time. He batted .304 with eight extra-base hits and 11 RBIs.
Nathan Ricko, OF, DeLand: A Stetson commit, Ricko clobbered three home runs, knotting him atop the area leaderboard. He hit .274 with nine RBIs and crossed the plate 13 times. He also made four starts on the hill, tallying 13 innings and a 2.15 ERA.
Brody Kelly, UTL, New Smyrna Beach: Kelly hit .302 with seven runs batted in. On the mound, the senior improved as the season progressed, holding opponents without a run during his final four appearances (11⅓ innings). Overall, he pitched 48 frames with 39 strikeouts and a 2.77 ERA.
Top Coach
Kyle Marsh, Flagler Palm Coast: Marsh’s Bulldogs (14-13) overcame a 5-10 start with a hot April that included a seven-game win streak and a Five Star Conference title. They went 12-1 against Volusia-Flagler foes, with their only loss coming against Spruce Creek in February. Flagler Palm Coast later upset the Hawks in the Five Star semifinals. It qualified for the state postseason as a wild card.
Honorable Mention
Atlantic: Dom Bloyen, Jackson Bowman, Preston Leech, Josiah Perez, David Strickland
DeLand: Derek Dejesus, Jaiden Palmer, Bryson Treichel, Jeremy Wright, Ethan Zagers
Deltona: Garnier Abreu, Matthew Chase, Jaden Colon, Mason Draper, Jayden Lochiatto, Brock Musson
Father Lopez: Spencer Beatrice, Westin Brownlee, Will Grim, Kenton Harrison, Jonathan Prentice, Jayden Rivas
Flagler Palm Coast: Marion Clayton, Jordan Gonzalez, Connor May, Dalton Roberts
Mainland: Ryan Allen, Eric Bell, Jordan Payne
Matanzas: Ben Apfelbach, Josh Cope, Wiley Conner, Nick Pandich
New Smyrna Beach: Landyn Abernethy, Tate Haag, Onz Wright
Pine Ridge: Loren Cheatham, Chris Kable
Seabreeze: Parker Bauknecht, Mason Sanders, Micah Sanders, Austin Upchurch
Spruce Creek: Tyler Boyesen, Andrew Ezell, Peyson Garcia, Shane Lavin, Lucas Tutunjian
Taylor: Drew Moyer, Alex Ramos
Trinity Christian: Richaun Amaro, Elijah Bagg, Quentin Berry, Reilly Oglageo
University: Alonso Delgado, Tyler Kniebbe, Collin Law, Victor Rios
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Unveiling the 2024 Volusia-Flagler All-Area Baseball Team
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