North Broward Prep Baseball. {Isabella De Castro}
By: Matt Rothman
North Broward Prep continues producing incredible baseball, with the varsity and middle school teams winning a championship.
The varsity team defeated Saint Andrew’s School 14-4 to advance to the District Final. Nathanael Coupet led the offense with a triple and a two-run home run to end the game by run rule. Thomas Gramesty finished with five RBIs, while Mateo Gray, Gian De Castro, and Riley Luft also plated runs. Jensen Seculer earned the win on the mound, with Nate Hernandez recording the final four outs.
NBP then defeated Coral Springs Charter in extra innings, with Gramesty recording a walk-off hit. The Eagles fell behind by a run twice but responded with Luft recording a pair of RBIs. De Castro also homered, while Luft also got the win, pitching after Ryan McPherson and Gray.
They are set to play in Regionals and are five wins away from their third straight State Championship. They will be the region’s top seed and face Cocoa Beach High School on Tuesday at 7 p.m. If they win, they will face either Coral Springs Charter or St. John Paul II Academy. Monteverde Academy, Benjamin, Cardinal Newman, and Trinity Prep are also in their region.
The Middle School baseball team won the Gold Coast League Championship on Monday. The Eagles went 7-0 during the regular season and advanced to the Championship Game, beating Pine Crest 4-2.
“It means a lot to coach a team like this,” Head Coach Ben Ripple said. “When it comes to this group, we use the word family a lot. The older guys on the team last year stepped up as leaders. The younger guys were eager to learn, and it didn’t take long for them to find their place in the program. It was a team that I felt like I could put any player out there, and they would get the job done.”
North Broward Prep Middle School Baseball Team. {NBP Athletics}
Former North Broward Prep superstar Xavier Edwards made his MLB debut for the Miami Marlins on Tuesday.
He pinch-hit for Luis Arraez in the ninth inning and lined out to left fielder Eddie Rosario. Then, he recorded his first major league hit on Wednesday and scored against AJ Minter. A 2018 graduate from NBP, Edwards was selected 38th overall in the MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. He was later traded to the Miami Marlins in a four-team trade and got the call-up with Avisial Gracia landing on the injured list with back tightness.
Through 20 games in Triple-A Jacksonville, the Marlins’ tenth-ranked prospect was hitting .306 and already matched his stolen base total of seven from a season ago. During his varsity career with the Eagles, he was a lifetime .393 hitter with three home runs and 27 RBIs. He also had 17 extra-base hits while shining defensively at shortstop.
Xavier Edwards. {NBP Athletics}
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