After reaching the state semifinals last year, the Raiders baseball team is hopeful of surpassing that this season and achieve their goal of winning a state championship.

So far this season, the team has gotten off to a good start, having a record of thirteen wins and just three losses. Notable wins have come against Key West, Cypress Bay, and Cartersville (GA). Their losses include Killian, Sparkman High School (AL), and Westminster Christian, a rival and defending state champion.

“Our expectations are to win states and do it all together, all while getting better,” said senior captain outfielder and FIU signee Giovon Soto.

Multiple players on the team have already signed their letters of intent to play at the college level. Some are also verbally committed, but have not yet signed. The senior signees include Soto, catcher Pedro Pages (FAU), and infielders Javier Valdes (FIU) and Alexander Erro (Northwestern).

In their 16 games, they have scored a total of 104 runs, averaging 6.5 runs a game, showing that offense is arguably their main strength.

“We have so many playmakers on offense, so that is definitely one of our biggest strengths,” said junior infielder Andres Machado.

The team has a new head coach, Manny Crespo, who had previously been an assistant for a number of years.

“My expectations for the boys is for to become a ‘team’. A team may be made of individuals but they do not have individual agendas. They play for each other, not for themselves. Winning is a product of unselfish play; championships are products of egoless teams,” said Crespo.

From Mar. 10-12, the team participated in the Perfect Game Spring Swing Tournament, finishing 2nd after losing to Sparkman 6-2 in the championship game.

The team won the District Tournament on Apr. 4 after beating rival Key West 8-1. With this win, they clinched a berth in the Regional Tournament. If they were to go on and then win at Regionals, they would then advance to states, which will take place in May in Ft. Myers at jetBlue Park.