FORT MYERS
Reese Burton had just delivered the game-clinching, two-run single in the bottom of the fifth inning of Stoneman Douglas’ 10-0 mercy rule victory over Tampa Plant in the Class 7A state championship game on Wednesday night at Hammond Stadium.
It was only Burton’s fifth at-bat of the season.
But in a rare moment of glory for the reserve junior outfielder, Burton did not want the spotlight on him.
“It felt great but it’s not about me, it’s about the team,” Burton said. “I just got my job done and got us out of here and got us that three-peat.”
Burton’s reaction perfectly encapsulated the 2023 Stoneman Douglas Eagles.
On a team replete with top-tier talent, it was the Eagles’ balance and unselfishness that kept them on course to 29 victories in 29 games to become the first South Florida baseball team to ever complete a perfect season.
They are the first team in South Florida to go unbeaten since Westminster Christian in 1996, which went undefeated but had one tie.
Douglas is the first team statewide to go unbeaten since Clearwater Calvary Christian in 2017, and won its 51st consecutive game, which ranks as the second longest winning streak in state history behind that Warriors’ squad that won 60 consecutive games from 2017-18.
Douglas also became only the second team in Broward County history to win three consecutive state championships and virtually guaranteed winning its third consecutive national championship as it entered the final ranked No. 1 nationally in multiple polls.
“We made history. That was our whole motto all year long,” Douglas coach Todd Fitz Gerald said. “Nobody can beat us but us and these guys answered the bell every night and we beat a lot of good teams this season. I’m nothing without these guys and we’ve worked hard all year long. For them to bring it for 29 straight in South Florida and to go out the way we did, it’s pretty special.”
As it did throughout the season, Douglas got contributions from up and down its lineup on Wednesday and didn’t let some more adversity hamper its efforts.
The Eagles played the game nearly four hours after its originally scheduled start time after inclement weather delayed the previous game of the tournament.
Douglas, which averaged nine runs per game during the playoffs, struck quickly with three runs in the first inning and followed with four more in the third to take complete control of the game.
Matt Ossenfort went 2 for 3 with three RBI including a two-run double in the first. Christian Rodriguez also went 2 for 3 with an RBI.
“Emotions are at an all-time high right now. It feels so great to have an undefeated season,” Ossenfort said. “It just shows how tight of a group we have here. It’s a true brotherhood and to anyone thinking about coming to Douglas, it’s the best environment you’ll ever be in.”
Meanwhile, starting pitcher and University of Florida commit Jayden Dubanewicz was efficient, allowing only one hit (an infield single) over five innings and striking out four with no walks.
“From the start, I knew we were going to be something special,” Dubanewicz said. “We’ve done things as a team that put this all together and we knew if we played our game no one could beat us.”
Perhaps what made the victory the most fitting for Douglas was the majority of its roster making an impact on its championship-clinching victory. Burton’s hit sealed it, but it was set up by a pinch-hit single by Cayden Freels and walks that were drawn by Jacob Hertzberg and Gavin Gargiulo, a UCF commit.
Bennett Gary, Douglas’ starting left fielder, who hits near the bottom of the order, also had a bases-clearing triple in the third inning. It was the second consecutive season that Douglas clinched its state title with a 10-0, mercy rule win.
“Those guys have worked hard all year long and I wanted to make sure everybody had an opportunity,” Fitz Gerald said. “We’re young so I think we can get back here again. The seniors will be missed but not forgotten.”
Fitz Gerald and other coaches pulled out T-shirts after the game that read national champs. Next season, Douglas will be vying for a chance to set the nation’s longest winning streak as well as continue to add state and national titles as it returns several key members of this year’s historic run.
“Four-peat,” said Dubanewicz, who will likely form a potent 1-2 starting pitching tandem next season for Douglas with Gargiulo. “We spoke the three-peat into existence and now I think the four-peat will be even more special and I think we’ll have the guys to do it.”
