DURANT
CLASS: 6A, District 8
LAST SEASON: District runnerup; Finished 13-13 after losing 4-3 to Osceola in the regional quarterfinals.
SEASON OUTLOOK: Durant is probably the strongest team in East Hillsborough, due in part to the return of second team all-state pitcher/infielder Carmen Giardina.
"When he's on, there's nobody who can touch him," head coach Ron Fussell said.
Giardina was a Times all-county first team selection last season after going 5-1 with a 1.10 ERA. Rated the 23rd best high school prospect in the country by Perfect Game USA, Giardina committed to the University of Texas and could be a high pick in June's baseball draft.
Also returning for Durant is 12th-grader Chip Bowden. He's a 6-foot-2, 210-pound outfielder who was a Times second team all-county selection last season.
CURRENT RECORD: 4-0, including victories over Plant and Plant City.
NEXT GAME: Tonight at Riverview.
EAST BAY
CLASS: 6A, District 8
LAST SEASON: 6-17
SEASON OUTLOOK: Head coach Nelson Menendez took over a program that went 3-20 the year before he arrived and doubled its win total. He is in his second year and looking for continued progress this season.
"We're a little deeper this year, and we've had better pitching so far this season," Menendez said.
East Bay returns only three starters from last season. The Indians have as many ninth-graders in the starting lineup (two) as they do 12th-graders.
Of the five new players to East Bay's program, four of them played winter ball with the team, and three of them worked out with the team during the summer.
Twelfth-grade infielder Brandon Blake returns for the Indians as does 12th-grader outfielder Lamar Jackson. Both were all-county honorable mention selections by the Times last season.
CURRENT RECORD: 0-4, including a 6-2 loss to Plant City and a 10-0 loss to Durant.
NEXT GAME: Tonight against Sarasota-Riverview.
PLANT CITY
CLASS: 6A, District 8
LAST SEASON: 3-20; Lost 2-1 in district tournament to regional quarterfinalist Durant.
SEASON OUTLOOK: Plant City has turned some heads by starting out the season with three victories, two coming against district rivals East Bay and Lakeland.
"To start out 3-0 is definitely a good start," head coach Ken White said. "All-around, we're a better team this year."
Plant City is a relatively experienced team with 11th- and 12th-graders making up the majority of its starting lineup. Tenth-grader Aaron Gerbasi is the ace of the pitching staff, while 11th-grade transfer Aaron Starkey comes over from Florida's east coast as the No. 2 pitcher.
CURRENT RECORD: 3-1, already matching the team's wins from last season.
NEXT GAME: Tonight against Sarasota.
RIVERVIEW
CLASS: 6A, District 8
LAST SEASON: 17-7
SEASON OUTLOOK: Third-year Riverview coach Bill Leiby has some holes to fill after losing Times first team all-county players Garrett Maines and Tyler Nessmith to graduation.
Maines, a catcher, batted .424 with nine home runs last season to earn second team all-state honors. Now playing for the Auburn Tigers, Maines broke five school records as a senior.
Pitcher/infielder Tyler Nessmith batted .382 with five home runs and posted a 6-2 pitching record with a 2.48 ERA.
"We're young," Leiby said. "We don't have any seniors in our batting lineup."
If the Sharks are to match their 2005 success, 6-foot-6, 210-pound right-handed pitcher Billy Bullock will have to shoulder much of the load. Bullock broke his floating rib in a one-hit, 11-strikeout opening performance of his junior year and missed much of last season. He is a top 100 prospect and will pitch for the University of Florida next year.
CURRENT RECORD: 0-3, including a 12-10 loss to King and a 3-2 loss to Sarasota.
NEXT GAME: Tonight against Durant.