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Tournaments | Story | 7/30/2023

Wolverines Reach Summer Select Semifinal

Riley Sheppard

Photo: Wolverines Baseball 17u (Perfect Game)

Wolverines Baseball 17U’s road to the Florida Summer Select semifinal has been nothing short of resilient, with three straight walk-off victories over the past two days.

But it's these types of experiences why this team of players from Belen Jesuit out of Miami, Florida was created in the first place.

“When most of these kids leave right now, they go to the beach together, stay in hotels together, and their parents stay together,” Wolverines coach Jesse Fernandez said. “So the fact that we come closer together is the main reason why we do this. Their talent will get better and we’ll get better and improve in things that we need to, but the big thing there that you can't find anywhere else is when we play together.”

Following a 5-4 victory over Florida Dynasty Navy on Saturday, the Wolverines faced off against a 2-0 LWB 2023 team with an opportunity to claim the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

And just as they had done less than 24 hours prior, the Wolverines drove in the game-winning run courtesy of a two-out RBI single from Sebastian Leon.

Immediately following the win, the Wolverines were tasked with a matchup against Empire 17U Red, who entered the game posting a 2-1 record on the weekend.

“It's been a grind,” Fernandez said. “It's part of the summer, it's part of the process. We've been trying to build this for a while and it's just awesome to see it kind of come to fruition. Especially the fact that we are a high school team, so the fact that we are able to battle in and out is exactly what we're looking for.”

Fernandez’s squad jumped ahead early with an RBI single from Orlando Montiel to drive in Markus Gonzalez, before Gabriel Gonzalez-Quevedo rounded the bases to extend the lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the second.

Right-hander Francisco Aleman received the start for the Wolverines, tossing 76 pitches and striking out five over 4 ⅓ innings on the mound. But after Empire tacked on a run in the top of the fourth and getting the game-tying run on base, Marcelo Llorente came on for relief - tossing a scoreless 1 ⅔ and sitting down two batters over 30 pitches.

Heading into the bottom sixth with time limit reached and extra innings on the horizon, Jordan Cordero knocked in a first-pitch single before Gonzalez walked to put runners on first and second with one out.

And just as they have all weekend long, the Wolverines found a way with smart base running by Cordero to come out with a 3-2 win.

With the victory, the Wolverines punched their ticket to Monday’s semifinals and two wins away from a tournament championship - possibly their final chance together as a summer ball club.

“We probably have a handful of juniors who this will be their last summer with us,” Fernandez said. “So we wanted to leave on a good note, and the fact that in our last tournament we're gonna make a little run for it is actually pretty fun and I wouldn't want to do it with another group of guys.

“The way we're playing as a team, which is kind of the reason why we try to do this summer thing. Obviously they get their chances to play with other teams from time to time when we don't have something, but being able to be together is how you build it. I'm not gonna lie to you, are we the most talented team in the country? No, we're not. Are we ranked? No, we're not. But when we play together we're actually pretty good, so it is nice to watch.”

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