High school baseball: District winner Jupiter No. 1 seed as 14 county teams head to regionals

When Kyle Young took over Jupiter High's baseball program this season, he was well aware of the expectations.

The Warriors were a force for years under longtime coach Andy Mook, winning a state championship in 2018, and Young said he expected nothing less.

So far, so good. Coming off their third consecutive district title, the Warriors were the only Palm Beach County team to earn a No. 1 regional seed when the FHSAA announced the state playoff field Saturday morning.

"This was our goal," Young said. "The kids have put in the work all year, and being the No. 1 seed shows it."

Jupiter (20-7) was one of 14 county teams to earn regional berths, either by winning a district title or earning an at-large berth, and will open Region 3-7A play at home Tuesday against No. 8 seed Santaluces (16-11).

The Warriors won the District 11-7A championship in dramatic fashion with walk-off victories against Royal Palm Beach and Wellington last week. In the final, Gavin Marchese's grand slam and Ryan Senecal's three-run homer in the seventh lifted them to a 9-6 win over the Wolverines.

"Those tough games are only going to help us in the regional," Young said. "We knew we'd have to work but we didn't know we were going to have to dig deep like that."

Jupiter faced Santaluces in the first week of the season, winning 3-1. The Chiefs, who struggled early in the season, won 11 of 12 games down the stretch before falling to Park Vista in the District 12-7A final.

"Their shortstop, Keaton Kangas, is one of the best players in the county," Young said. "They're very scrappy and they're well-coached. They want to upset us — everyone gives us their best."

Three others from the county are in the eight-team regional. No. 3 seed Park Vista (16-11) will open at home against No. 6 Wellington (13-14), and No. 7 Palm Beach Central (13-13) will visit No. 2 Vero Beach (21-4).

Park Vista, the defending regional champion, came on strong late in the season and has the county's best pitcher in senior left-hander Ethan Mattison. The Cobras are seeking a second consecutive trip to the final four in Fort Myers.

"We've all got a lot of similarities," coach Larry Greenstein said of the regional field. "I think we're all fairly even."

Elsewhere, Cardinal Newman (21-5-1) earned a No. 2 seed in Region 3-3A, behind only nationally ranked North Broward Prep. The Crusaders will host No. 7 Umatilla (19-8) in a quarterfinal game Wednesday. Also in the field are No. 3 Benjamin (15-10) and No. 6 St. John Paul II (11-14-1).

Other teams earning regional berths were Trinity Christian (4-2A), American Heritage-Delray (4-4A), Suncoast (4-5A), West Boca Raton (4-6A), Dwyer (4-6A) and Boca Raton (4-7A).

CLASS 2A

Wednesday

Region 4: Miami-True North Academy (2) at Trinity Christian (7)

CLASS 3A

Wednesday

Region 3: Umatilla (7) at Cardinal Newman (2); St. John Paul II (6) at Benjamin (3)

CLASS 4A

Wednesday

Region 4: Miami-Sunset (6) at American Heritage-Delray (3)

CLASS 5A

Tuesday

Region 4: Suncoast (5) at Hialeah Gardens-Mater Academy (4)

CLASS 6A

Tuesday

Region 4: Fort Lauderdale-St. Thomas Aquinas (5) at West Boca Raton (4); Martin County (6) at Dwyer (3)

CLASS 7A

Tuesday

Region 3: Santaluces (8) at Jupiter (1); Palm Beach Central (7) at Vero Beach (2); Wellington (6) at Park Vista (3)

Region 4: Boca Raton (5) at Miami-Braddock (4)

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: High school baseball: District winner Jupiter No. 1 seed as 14 county teams head to regionals