TAMPA – If the adage is to be believed, winning in the postseason comes down to pitching and defense.

The regular season in Hillsborough County has seen plenty of the former already, with prefect games from Riverview’s Manny Martinez, Jefferson’s Jack Rodriguez, Newsome’s Beau Nichols, and Durant’s Brien Johnston, mixed in with some other solid work on the mound.

However, with district tournaments set to begin across the county on Monday, 813Preps would like to take a look at just a few of the talented defenders across the county.

Starting with a pair of Alonso Ravens, following in a long line of excellent fielders to wear the “A” for coach Landy Faedo.

“We’ve been lucky to have some great players in the infield here at Alonso,” Faedo said. “Chris Freshcorn, Sherman Johnson, Tito Martinez and Tyler Ding, we’ve had a lot of good ones.”

Indeed, past Ravens like former FSU standout and current Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim prospect Sherman Johnson (who has 15 RBI in 18 games for the Angels AAA team in Salt Lake this season); former All-County infielder Chris Freshcorn, who played for the University of Florida; former University of Tampa, career .351 hitter Tyler Ding who, coupled with Tito Martinez, helped the Alonso capture the 2009 state title, started a rich tradition in the infield for the two-time state champion, and four-time region championship program.

Hoping to continue that championship legacy for the 2017 Ravens are senior shortstop Jose Ciccarello and junior second baseman Nick Gonzalez.

The duo may look like they’ve been on the field together since diapers, but in reality it is the first year on the field for the double-play combo.

Nick Gonzalez and Jose Ciccarello

Ciccarello, a University of Florida commit since he was a sophomore, is a flashy glove and arm, with a good bat and some speed, which has led to 35 career doubles at the plate. He said there was an instant chemistry on the field between he and Gonzalez, who have known each other since middle school.

“We both have that Hispanic thing going on, so we just try and be smooth and try and make things look good,” Ciccarello said. “But Nick and I have that focus to get the job done, and that allowed us to work well together right away.”

Gonzalez held off playing high school baseball until his junior season, working instead on his defense with private instructor Jose Ortega, who he’s had as a coach since he was six years old.

“I just wanted to develop myself a little better my first two years of high school and then come out here and show what I’m capable of,” Gonzalez said. “Coach Ortega has been with me since I was six, every single day I go there, work with him and grind.”

Gonzalez is a model of consistency who in his first season playing high school baseball has committed just one error in 81 chances and turned 10 double-plays.

“It’s an honor to be out here at Alonso,” Gonzalez said. “I love being out here with these guys – every single second.”

For Faedo, the differences in personality are noticeable, but the skill-set on the field is a perfect combination.

“Jose is one of our big cheerleaders on the team, he’s full of energy and life and he gets us pumped up,” Faedo said. “Nick is kind of quiet and more reserved, but on the field they both bring the same thing – that fire inside to compete all the time.”

The move has also helped the Ravens defense in an ancillary fashion as it has allowed senior Jared DeSantolo to move a steady glove and strong arm from second base (where he played last season) to third. DeSantolo, signed at Florida Atlantic, is also a solid hitter posting a .316 average with 15 RBI and two homers this year.

“Nick has allowed us to move Jared from second to third, and Jared is probably going to play a corner position in college,” Faedo said. “So, having Nick at second has really worked to shore up the rest of our infield.”