First-Year Travel Ball Team Finishes Third in State

Twelve young Dunedin baseball players came into the league as relative unknowns but certainly turned some heads.

The first-year 12-and-under Dunedin Diamondbacks placed third in the state.

The travel team faced tough competition at the three-day Nations Florida State Baseball Championship Select Division tournament held at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater from June 3 through 5.

“My biggest thrill was just watching them progress and improve,” coach Rick Kroeger said. “It’s pretty tough competition. … Most of the teams have been established for three or four years, and most of the kids have been playing together since they were 9 years old.”

Kroeger started the team in September. He began coaching high-school-age pitchers and catchers in Cincinnati before moving to Dunedin, but has been coaching for 20 years.

Here is the coach’s recap:

The Diamondbacks rallied from an early deficit against the St. Pete Stingers in round one. It began with Cameron Kroeger’s leadoff double, followed by Dylan McMonigle’s scrappy at-bat, which resulted in a walk to extend the inning. Kylan Franjesevic, Ryan Connolly and Garrett Morrison each RBIed, stretching the Diamondbacks' lead to 4-1. Tyler Heath pitched five strong innings, yielding only one hit and one earned run. The Stingers got the first two runners on in the sixth and closed the lead to 7-3. Nick Lumpkin was called to shut the door. He pitched the final inning to hold the lead and earned a save. The Diamondbacks won 7-3.

The Diamondbacks earned the No. 2 seed in the select division after a well-fought loss against the East Lake Tigers. They were pitted against the Tampa Cyclones in game No. 1 of elimination play. The teams were scoreless going into the home half of the third inning, but Tyler Heath got the D-Backs' bats moving in the fourth with a two-run double. Nick Lumpkin and Brandon Travis followed his lead with long bombs to the wall. Mike Johnson, Buster Krebs and Sam Bujalski each RBIed gaining nine Diamondbacks runs in the third inning. The Diamondbacks went on to win 10-0 in four innings, and advanced to the semifinals.

The Diamondbacks fell four runs behind early on to the Pinellas County Rockets in the semifinals. Cameron Kroeger’s two-run RBI double helped closed the score to 6-3 in the fifth inning. The Diamondbacks went down swinging in their last at-bat. Down 7-3, they had closed the gap to 7-5, and with two runners in scoring position and two outs, Brandon Travis faced the hard-throwing Rockets ace Carter Wilson. Travis was robbed of a game-tying double when Rockets' third baseman Jeffrey D'amico made a leaping grab to end the game.

The Pinellas County Rockets went on to win the tournament in the next game.

Coach’s Tourney Stats

Pitching

• Tyler Heath (2-0) went eight innings on the mound, giving up only three hits, one earned run. He struck out nine.

Hitting

• Cameron Kroeger went 3-for-6, walked twice and hit four RBIs. He had a .500 batting average for the tourney.
• Garrett Morrison went 4-for-9, walked twice, scored three runs and had two stolen bases. He had a .444 batting average for the tourney and a .500 on-base percentage.
• Buster Krebs went 3-for-9, scored four runs and had one stolen base. He had a .333 batting average for the tourney.
• Brandon Travis went 3-for-9, scored four runs and had one stolen base. He had a .333 batting average for the tourney.
• Ryan Connolly went 3-for-10, stole two bases and hit four RBIs. He had a.300 batting average for the tourney.
• Tyler Heath hit four RBIs.

Defensive MVPs

• Kylan Franjesevic with stellar play at first base.
• Michael Johnson with great play at shortstop.
• Ryan Connolly with awesome play at catcher.

Super subs

• Sam Bujalski and Dylan McMonigle had perfect performances at second and third base.

The coaching staff included Andrew Travis and Ron Bujalski.

*All stats and coverage provided by Manager Rick Kroeger.