Seasoned Spartans: After past setbacks, St. Johns Country Day awaits baseball breakthrough

One at-bat at a time, St. Johns Country Day is applying the lessons learned in North Carolina to bring a baseball trophy back to North Florida.

Back in the final four for the third time in four years, St. Johns Country Day continues its chase for a first Florida High School Athletic Association baseball title in Monday's 10 a.m. semifinal against St. Petersburg Northside Christian in Fort Myers.

The Spartans reached the championship game in Hammond Stadium in 2021 and again in 2023 , one game away from a first trophy. They're still waiting.

But head coach Tom Lucas said the Spartans' March trip to the National High School Invitational in North Carolina, the annual 16-team showcase for elite high school programs nationwide, may propel them to the top.

The four-day, four-game tournament, which pitted St. Johns against opponents from California, Arizona, Washington and the District of Columbia, brought togetherness. It gave them experience against top-tier competition. And it reinforced the message that against the best, attention to detail matters.

"In those games, if you make a mistake, generally it's going to cost you, and it's going to cost you big," Lucas said.

There's no question about the talent for these Spartans, loaded with future college players. The list includes shortstop Kolt Myers (Florida), third baseman Seth Alford (North Florida), outfielder Kyle Boylston (Florida Atlantic) and pitcher Jack Ensell (Barry).

"One of the things about our lineup," Lucas said, "is you can have an off day and the next guy can pick you up."

Lucas particularly highlights the Spartans' resilience since the North Carolina trip. Apart from a 2-1 loss to St. Joseph in the district tournament, St. Johns is undefeated since the return, and they've gotten their wins the hard way more often than not.

How they got here: Trinity Christian, St. Johns Country Day win baseball regions

In last week's regional final, Tallahassee North Florida Christian blasted five home runs against Spartans pitching, the only time Lucas said he could ever remember giving up so many long balls. But the Spartans fought back, tying the score on Boylston's homer in the seventh and winning it on a walk-off blast from Flagler College signee George Gilson.

"We've been down the last few games and it doesn't seem to faze them one bit," Lucas said. "There's no panic in them."

CLASS 2A BASEBALL SEMIFINAL

St. Johns Country Day (23-6) vs. St. Petersburg Northside Christian (20-9)

When : 10 a.m. Monday.

Where : Hammond Stadium, Fort Myers.

Winner meets: Miami Christian or Orlando First Academy, Tuesday, time TBD.

How they got here : St. Johns Country Day defeated Gainesville St. Francis 8-1, University Christian 8-3, Tallahassee North Florida Christian 8-6; Northside Christian defeated North Port Imagine 11-0, Fort Myers Canterbury 7-0, Carrollwood Day 1-0.

Keys to watch for St. Johns: With 25 home runs and a deep batting order, St. Johns has a lineup that can hurt teams from top to bottom. George Gilson (.417, 4 HR, 24 RBI, 1.134 OPS) and Seth Alford (.308, 6 HR, 24 RBI, 1.032 OPS) are the top run producers, and junior Nick Bowden (.387, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 1.150) is rapidly emerging at the plate. No. 1 starter Jack Ensell (4-1, 1.77 ERA, 91 K, .930 WHIP) and reliever Trevor Bradley (1-1, 2.10 ERA) headline a solid pitching staff.

Keys to watch for Northside Christian : Three playoff games, three shutouts. The Mustangs are all about pitching, and they've got some good ones. Auburn commit Andreas Alvarez (10-1, 1.13 ERA, 104 K, .882 WHIP) and Nick Bertrand (5-2, 1.06 ERA) form a one-two combination on the mound, with Alvarez coming off an eight-inning, one-hit shutout against Carrollwood Day. William Gregory (.321, 8 2B) wields the most prominent bat on a lineup that hits .259 but usually drives in enough runs to get the job done, like the Blake Borges sac fly that won regionals.

They said it: "People see the talent here, but they don't see how hard we work. They really get after it, they're hitting the ball up there at 6:45 in the mornings, doing the workouts." -- Tom Lucas, St. Johns Country Day coach.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Seasoned Spartans: After past setbacks, St. Johns Country Day awaits baseball breakthrough