Mayport Fl- There was a time when Mayport Middle played fourth fiddle to their Eastern division rivals in baseball. Fletcher, Kernan and Landmark middle schools seemed to get the best of them over the years. But last week, the Sharks played a different tune to a perfect melody. They went undefeated in their divison, on their way to a perfect 13-0 season to be crowned Duval County Middle School Baseball Champions.
It took 10-innings for Mayport to take home the title versus James Weldon Johnson. Tied 1-1, Lucas Burghurdt would race in from 3rd base on the bunt by Joel Wingfield to win the game 2-1.
For head coach Jerry Strobridge, he got great satisafaction in knowing the team relied on the same strategy in the championship game that also led to their 12 wins in the regular season and playoffs. “Hit the ball hard, run hard, and bunt is what I told them all year” said Strobridge.
They didn’t let him down, even though he couldn’t be in the dug-out for the title game. Yet assistant coach Paul Newman was there, and his familiar face along with their familiar formula for success, would have their team ready for the biggest game in recent history for Mayport baseball.
Coach Jerry as they affectionately call him, has been coaching on the beach for nearly 40 years. From football, to baseball, to park ball, Jerry has done it all and has seen several athletes come through his teams. However, in his 3rd season as Mayport’s head coach Coach Jerry knew he had a special team.
“It’s the first time we had over 20 players on the team”. “We also had two of the best pitchers in the city this year” said Strobridge. Christian Boyer (7th grade) and Trey Parker (8th grade) made incredible impacts during the season.
Boyer would start many games and Parker would come in and close it out. It made a big difference in a season that saw several close wins early on.
“It’s unbelievable when you know you have pitching like that and to back it up you have the fielding as well” -Coach Jerry
Against rivals Fletcher and Lanmdark, Mayport would get a 1-run win in the beginning of the season. Excellent pitching was the difference in holding opponents scoring down. Eventually Mayport got better, beating those same teams later in the season by larger margins.
In addition to pitching, Parker would also come up to bat and hit several go ahead runs during the season. Then there was Lewis Stewart, the fastest on the team, who would hussle to get on base and make his rounds to home plate for several scores.
The dual-sport athlete played football and baseball, but on-lookers and even his own coach saw something different and special from Stewart when he was on the baseball diamond.
“Boogy (Stewart) would run as fast as he could to get on base”, said Coach Jerry. “He hussled and really gave it all for his teammates, I really love the baseball player that he is”.
Another player that reaped high prasie from Coach Jerry was short stop Juan Oquendo. Standing at only 4-feet and a half inches tall, Oquendo stood tall at his position. “There was one play by Juan where he seemed to jump about 6-feet in the air to get a crucial out in a game for the team, that really stood out to us, what an effort”.
There were other prime time players like Connor Bush, Brayden Holberg, and Zane Newman who all started and contributed mightily to the championship Mayport team all year.
What made this team different from others in the city is how they supported each other, and played for one another. One reason for that is an activity that Coach Paul would introduce to them called “Chicago baseball”. Using a large softball, you throw away the gloves and hit the ball and play softball with your bare hands.
The last practice the team had before the championship game was a Chicago style practice and the team loved it. It wasn’t about simply playing the game of baseball, it was about playing for each other. That’s what the Mayport Sharks did all season, and that’s why they can be called County champions.
