Saladino Notebook: Bulls pitching dominates

Making the very first start of his entire playing career, Bloomingdale senior Isaiah “Izzy” Perez held Tampa Catholic hitless across three shutout innings in Thursday’s Saladino Tournament Championship Final.

By Chuck Frye, Senior Staff Writer

TAMPA – It was a pretty gutsy move, especially considering the opponent and the stakes involved.
But head coach Kris Wilken decided some role reversal would put his Bloomingdale squad in the best position to beat Tampa Catholic, tied for the top spot in the 813preps.com Top 10, and repeat as Saladino Tournament Gold Division champion.

“Izzy (Perez) was kind of our back-end guy a couple of times this year,” Wilken explained. “He’s really good and I just felt like we were going to do the Kevin Cash deal with an opener.”

To say Perez was elated with the decision was an understatement.

“That was my first start ever in my whole baseball career,” Perez beamed. “I mean, (Wilken) usually only uses me for an inning or two but I knew I had to throw a little bit more for the team. I had to do what I had to do.”

“The plan all along was how we get Vaughn Osting the ball at the end,” Wilken said simply, but the decision had to be made a little more difficult with how well Perez stepped up as he started off throwing three hitless innings with five strikeouts and no walks.

“I noticed (the plate umpire) was calling the outside corner with my fastball so I knew I had to use that,” Perez said. “(The Tampa Catholic batters) weren’t touching it so I might as well keep using it.”

Even with Perez’ dominance, Wilken knew when to make the move.

“I felt like in the fourth inning, with a one-run lead, that was the time,” Wilken said.

And Osting entered the fray like it was the first inning.

“Honestly, I had no idea (what the score was),” the senior explained. “I think it’s better that way. It’s really just giving the guys a chance, pumping the (strike) zone, just trying to throw zeroes.”

Bulls senior and Saladino Tournament MVP Vaughn Osting worked the final four innings to pick up a save in his second-straight tournament championship game.

The first batter Osting faced broke up the no-no, but he wasn’t going to let go of the lead, striking out four, and making a play on a dribbler in front of the mound to close out the title triumph.

“I wish the seventh inning went a little bit cleaner (yielding a pair of walks with a third and saving double play in the middle) but it worked out for us,” Wilken said.

“I think Tony (Saladino) Sr. was looking down on us,” Osting concluded. “I’ve never seen so much poise and calm in the dugout. We knew (the Crusaders) were going to be loud and a little rambunctious. If we could just calm the storm, go out there and put them to sleep … that was the big part of it and I think we did a hell of a job.”

The Bulls entire staff had everything working all tournament. Osting, the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, opened up pool play with a six-inning, one-run win against Durant; Luke Long and Gavin Mathis combined for 14 strikeouts against Newsome, allowing just one run on one hit; Eli Edwards also through a one-hitter against Lennard; and Javi Navas-Hoyer scattered three hits in five shutout innings against Gaither in the semifinals, before Evan Plusquellic finished off the Cowboys with four strikeouts in his two-inning save.

The closer’s closer

Tampa Catholic senior Christian Serralles closed out all five games for the Crusaders in the tournament.

Tampa Catholic came into the Saladino Tourney final unbeaten through pool-play and the semifinals, but it took four nail-biting victories to do so. The Crusaders’ won those games by a total of five runs and Christian Serralles was the last pitcher to touch the ball in all of them.

“I stay ready to go at all times,” said Serralles, who is also TC’s starting second baseman. “It helps (being a position player) because my arm stays loose. I’m one of the guys that only needs about six pitches to get ready, if that, and I stay more locked in when I’m in the field so I’m more ready to go.”

Serralles worked 3 2/3 innings of two-hit, shutout ball over the four lead-up outings, and entered in relief for a fifth-straight game in the tournament final.

“In all my four years, I’ve never been part of a team like this,” the senior concluded of the 14-2 Crusaders. “I mean, it’s something special and unbelievable. I feel like we’re going to shock some people.”

A record-tying performance

Blooomingdale junior Evan Plusquellic paced the Bulls offense with 12 tournament RBI.

Bloomingdale’s offense was clicking on every cylinder, ringing up double-digit scoring in its first three Saladino contests on a run to Thursday’s title game.

And Evan Plusquellic was front and center for much of the carnage.

“I made a slight swing adjustment and felt really confident with it,” said Plusquellic, who tagged a Saladino Tourney-tying three home runs with 12 runs batted in. “I just came in trying to put together good at-bats and ended up having a good week. We had a lot of fun out here.”

Plusquellic transferred in from Newsome over the off-season looking forward to becoming part of the winning culture Wilken and his staff have created.

“I heard a lot of great things about Coach Wilken,” Plusquellic said. “I just wanted to come over here and help better develop myself as an overall player.”

With a batting average in the mid-.300s and a team-best 16 RBI, Plusquellic’s development has nothing but an upward trajectory.

“Evan’s a really good fit for us in a lot of ways, namely in the clubhouse,” Wilken said. “He’s got a lot of similarities to the rest of our guys so he just came in and fit right away.

“Our job was to make him feel relaxed and just let him go be himself, and I think he’s fallen into that groove. He’s comfortable and he’s playing really well.”

Along with his output at the plate, Plusquellic also caught a runner at the plate in the semifinal win against Gaither, and converted a double play in the championship, catching a ball and firing to first to end a Tampa Catholic first-inning scoring threat.

Plusquellic was neck-and-neck with teammate Vaughn Osting for MVP honors, and the Bulls senior said after lauded the impact his new teammate has had on the Bulls culture so far.

“He’s a dog, a competitor and a great teammate,” Osting said of Plusquellic. “He’s fun to be around, especially in the cage every day, just kind of picking his brain a little bit. The kid rakes.”

Joining Plusquellic in tying the tournament home run mark, was Strawberry Crest’s Nico Cappucci, who accomplished the feat over two games on Tuesday – doing so in three consecutive at-bats.

Making big wins more meaningful

Bloomingdale veteran head coach Kris Wilken and his team enjoying the moment on the field at the University of Tampa after winning their second-straight Saladino Tournament championship.

Victories and championships are rewarding, but it’s the relationships that make the triumphs more meaningful and emotional.

Such was the case with Bloomingdale head coach Kris Wilken, who was struck to silence several times when talking of the titular figure of the tournament his Bulls had just won for the second straight year.

“I have a very close relationship with the Saladinos,” Wilken thoughtfully explained. “Both (University of Tampa standout) Nico and (Armwood head coach) Noah (grandsons of late tourney founders Tony and Bertha Saladino) played for me.”

Tiger Saladino presents the tournament trophy to Bulls coach Kris Wilken.

“Tony … the way he always treated my wife, the way he always treated my five kids. Every time we had a new baby, he’s bringing over a onesie with a Saladino logo on it. And the hugs that Bertha gave … this is a special tournament no matter what (the results are), and I miss him. God bless him and God bless Bertha.”

Wilken was also thankful for the special bond he has with long-time assistant coach Frank Lombard.

Longtime area assistant coach Frank Lombard.

The pair started together as assistants at Brandon High in the early 2000s under veteran head coach Matt Stallbaumer before Lombard moved over to Bloomingdale to join K.B. Scull’s program. When Wilken became the Bulls’ head coach in 2006, Lombard remained and the reunion became bigger than baseball.

“So many things about this program, the stuff that Frank does for me, goes unseen. He is so much of a mentor to me. He’s a guy I can pull in a side room and say, ‘Hey, are we doing things right or are we not doing things right?’.

“He’s been around for 40 years with some really good coaches. He stuck by me, he supported me, and I’m so thankful for the relationship that I have with his as a friend and also as a coach.”

Tournament director Tiger Saladino chats with Frank Lombard after the championship game.

And standout pitcher Vaughn Osting is also very grateful to have Lombard as a coach.

“Leading from the top is what it’s all about,” the senior said. “He’s been here awhile, around the game for so long, and he’s such a calming guy. It’s awesome to have him here. That handshake with him, I look forward to it after every win. It’s the best thing ever.”