Florida State Tournament Friday Notebook
May 27, 2017
By Mike Maerz
Director of Florida Operations/Area Scout
Fort Myers, FL – On Friday, the 3A and 4A state semifinal matchups took place at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, FL, to determine who would advance to the state championship game for each class.
For the 3A side, 2018 RHP Darien Smith (University Christian HS, FL) threw a complete game shutout to advance University Christian while Canterbury School, FL, saw offensive production from up and down its lineup, most notably from 2017 C Gio Lorenzo and 2019 MIF Cooper Weiss, who both had a pair of doubles.
On the 4A side, Pensacola Catholic HS, FL stunned Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale) HS, FL, by using a comeback seventh inning to steal the win after going into the top of the seventh down 3-1. Calvary Christian (Clearwater) HS, FL, received another quality performance on the mound from 2019 LHP Nolan Hudi, along with some timely hitting to keep their perfect season alive at 29-0.
Below are some brief recaps and notes on players from each of the four games:
University Christian vs. Archbishop Carroll
2018 RHP Darien Smith (University Christian HS, FL) was locked in on the mound as he featured a fastball that was mostly 86-87 mph, touching 88, along with a 76-78 mph slider that showed good depth and movement with plenty of swings and misses. The Jacksonville recruit also mixed in a 72-73 mph curveball occasionally. Smith went the distance, throwing a shutout with 12 strikeouts, one walk, and scattering three hits. The University Christian lineup gave Smith a nice cushion to work with early as they scored three runs in the first, eventually pushing across three more throughout the game on their way to a 6-0 victory over Archbishop Carroll.
2018 RHP Darien Smith (University Christian HS, FL) Jacksonville recruit. Has a slow, deliberate windup with a slight pause in his delivery that causes timing issues for the batter. Fastball was mostly 86-87 mph, touching 88 along with a slider at 76-78 mph and a curveball at 72-73 mph. Smith worked the corners of the plate and showed good command of the zone.