Rays Coach “Very Optimistic” After Scrimmage with FBA

The format was a two-hour scrimmage. The goal was to put as many players in as many different positions and situations as possible during those two hours. By that yardstick, Marco Island Academy’s scrimmage against First Baptist Academy on Tuesday, February 15, at Golden Gate High School, was a success. But the MIA players were not happy to leave the field, down 2-0 after six and a half innings when time expired. Their head coach understands.

“The competitive level in these kids is to play the complete game,” said Lazaro Ferro, new MIA head coach. "But in this instance the objective was to play within a timeframe and to get as much repetition in as possible. The competitiveness, the player in them, wants to go up to bat in the seventh inning. But it was made very clear that we were going to play only two hours. We got six and a half innings in.”

Ferro was happy with what he saw from his team during those two hours.

“We matched up really well,” Ferro said. "Our pitching was solid. Our defense, except for one error, was pretty good. I got to play all of my players. That’s the objective. That way they can actually show me what they can do on the field. I can make a better determination about who needs to be a starter and who needs to be a backup. Who needs to cover in certain positions defensively. We couldn’t score, we couldn’t capitalize. That’s what we’re going to work on tomorrow. Our hitting."

The Rays were playing without one of their top players, junior Shamus Coyle. Two sophomores, Chase Johnson and Ever Davis, were also out of action.

"Shamus is a very good player,” Ferro said. "He’s usually at the top of our lineup. He’s a great infielder and also a great pitcher. The other two are sophomores. We’ve got to develop them for the years to come.”

Ferro likes the way his team is coming together. He has a background with many of the players.

"We’re very optimistic,” Ferro said. "I’ve been very fortunate to have been involved with a lot of these kids who are now in high school. I was coaching them in little league baseball along with coach Erik Johnson. A lot of the kids you see here, we brought them up through the program. They know us and we know exactly what they can do.”

Transfers from Lely High figure big in Ferro’s plans. He also sees the island’s youth becoming more involved in baseball earlier in their childhood.

“We picked up some kids from Lely High School that transferred over to MIA,” Ferro said. "Overall, they're very good athletes and they will definitely have a positive impact on our team. There’s a lot of local kids on the island who are coming out. They’re becoming aware of the baseball leagues that are around and the programs that we’re providing for them at a younger age. We’ve got a couple of kids that will be coming up to us from Marco Island Charter Middle School.”

Ferro’s son is one of his leaders.

“My son is Zach,” Ferro said. "He was the starting pitcher today. Normally he catches, but he can also pitch. I’m trying to identify all the potential players at every position who can impact our game and know exactly where I can plug them in.”

Senior Joe Reisinger is Ferro’s captain. Reisinger also captained the Rays’ basketball team.

"Joe Reisinger is a phenomenal kid, a phenomenal athlete,” Ferro said. "Very inspirational and emotional about the game - any sport he plays. In every sport you have a particular kid who stands out as being a leader: that’s Joe. He plays with a lot of passion and emotion. The kids respond to him. They listen to him. He’s capable of making plays when the plays come his way. He’s a different player all around." 

Ferro feels his team has everything it needs to succeed.

“We’ve got a couple of kids who can hit with pop,” he said. "I have a good core of pitchers who also play infield. We have a lot of pitching, which is what you really need. Our outfield is pretty solid as well. We have good speed out there and strong arms.”

The Rays are coming off a 6-6 season under Saul Sotolongo. It was their best season to date.

Ryan Roberts, MIA’s director of athletics and student activities, likes what she’s seeing with this year’s squad.

“I’m very upbeat about our team,” Roberts said, “we have some very consistent pitching and overall, just really good young men."