USF Baseball annouces 2 new recruits

[Velcro]

USF Baseball Announces Two Recruits

TAMPA, Fla. (April 22, 2004) – University of South Florida baseball coach Eddie Cardieri announced the signing of two prep standouts to national letters-of-intent today.

Right-hander James Cassidy of Medway (Mass.) High School and left-hander James Rowe from Cocoa High School will be the newest additions to the USF pitching staff for the 2005 season.

“Jimmy Cassidy is a very good athlete,” said Cardieri. “ He’s very athletic. In fact, he will come in here as a two-way player; a guy you can pitch and a guy who can play another position, possibly in the outfield. He can swing a bat and we will see where it takes us in his case. James Rowe is a very good left-handed pitcher. He has a really good curve ball and we look for him to have an immediate impact.”

A look at the recruits:

James Cassidy, RHP/OF, 6-2, 180, B/T: R/R, Medway, Mass., Medway High School … Has a quick, loose arm and a live 89 mph fastball … Pitched a 10-strikeout complete game in Medway’s 2004 season opener … Notched 11 strikeouts in his second start of the 2004 season … Considered to be the best pitcher in the Tri-Valley League …List among the Top 50 Prospects (No. 43) at the “Perfect Game Showcase” (Ft. Myers, FL) … Finished his junior season with a 6-1 record … Led the TVL in hitting … Registered an 8-0 record as a sophomore … Became the first freshman to start for the varsity squad under coach Beksha, compiling a 5-1 record … Also lettered in football and was the league MVP at quarterback for Medway HS in 2003 … Coach is Ed Beksha.

James Rowe, LHP/OF, 5-10. 170, B/T: L/L. Cocoa Beach, Fla., Cocoa Beach High School … Currently holds a 7-0 record with a 0.64 ERA, 86 strikeouts in 54 innings and a .337 batting average with four home runs and 15 RBI at Cocoa HS … Was named the FACA Player of the Year this year and is a candidate for the FACA All-Star Game in Sebring, Fla. …Is a finalist for the “Dave St. John Award” – Brevard County’s highest honor (presented by the Cape Coast League to one male and one female athlete) … Also lettered in both football and basketball … Earned first-team 3A All-State football honors (defensive back) … Coach is Chuck Goldfarb.

Cardieri expects to announce the signing of several other players in the next few weeks.

http://gobulls.usf.edu/Sports/News.asp?i=696&s=Baseball

[smazza]

mass guys are all over this board

they have to be happy with medway high pick

[bulls96go]

if they pan out we could have a very solid rotation

[Papa_Bull]

That Cassidy kid had a GREAT game yesterday:

Cassidy comes up aces against Holliston

Pitcher's home run keys Medway's win

By Emily Werchadlo, Globe Correspondent  |  April 29, 2004

Senior Jim Cassidy blasted a home run to lead off the top the sixth inning yesterday, but it was what he did on the mound that turned out to be the deciding factor in Medway's 1-0 win over Holliston.

Cassidy, who coach Ed Beksha calls his ace, struck out 14, giving up just one hit and one walk. He did not allow a runner past second base.

"He needed [a good pitching performance], we really didn't hit well," said Beksha, whose team improved to 5-2. "He was really on today."

The only threat came in the fifth, when Cassidy gave up a bloop single. The pinch runner stole second, but was caught stealing third.

Cassidy, who is 3-0, is hitting .524. He has already signed a letter of intent to attend South Florida.

[Velcro]

14k's is pretty impressive

[smazza]

go bulls

[Papa_Bull]

Ya gotta love Rowe too!  ;D

May 2, 5:26 PM

Tigers show state spirit

Cocoa High baseball stars Justin Zinkovich, 16, left, and teammate James Rowe, 18, are both left-handed pitchers. Photo by Craig Rubadoux, FLORIDA TODAY

Unbeaten lefties Rowe, Zinkovich help Cocoa to 23-game win streak

BY HILLARD GROSSMAN

FLORIDA TODAY

COCOA -- It's the first play of Cocoa High's powder puff football game, and senior quarterback Kamisha Scott has a panicked look. She takes the center's snap, tells the defense to hold off a minute, and waves the ball above her head as she walks toward the sideline, where she spots James Rowe waving a different ball to be brought in.

But, suddenly, Scott cuts sharply to her left and scampers 80 yards into the end zone, with Rowe matching her stride for stride down the sideline as the crowd erupts into a loud roar.

It's a perfect play, but you'd expect nothing less of Rowe, who earlier this school year helped lead the Tigers into the football and basketball state playoffs, and who now has the state's top-ranked baseball team riding a 23-game winning steak heading into the district playoffs.

"I'm just trying to enjoy my senior year as much as possible," laughs Rowe, who was taking his first day off from baseball to help coach the seniors to a 20-0 victory. "It's like the first powder puff game they've had here in 15 years. I guess we finally have some school spirit."

There's plenty of spirit at Cocoa High these days, especially on the baseball field, where Rowe, a South Florida-bound senior, and fellow left-hander Justin Zinkovich, a sophomore, have combined for 16 wins, three saves, 157 strikeouts in 100 innings and, of course, no losses.

"You just feel good about handing either of those guys the ball," says Tigers coach Chuck Goldfarb. "They both work hard, play hard and both are great students, too. All of our kids are.

"Hey, the school's excited, the City Council is excited and the kids are excited."

Two of a kind

A year ago, in his first season, Goldfarb took the Tigers to the region quarterfinals, a place they had never been. This season, the Final Four appears to be the obvious destination.

"When you've got two pitchers like that, you've got a good shot at winning it all," says Eau Gallie pitching coach Matt Skrmetta, a 12-year pro who played in Japan last season before injuring his rotator cuff. "Rowe has real good stuff, and Zinkovich really knows what he's doing out there. I can't believe he's a sophomore. You're going to need two good pitchers to carry you."

He should know. In 1990, Skrmetta posted a 9-1 record and teammate Joey Spellman was 14-0 for Satellite, which won 23 games in a row before losing to Pensacola Pace in the state final.

Goldfarb, who gives shortstop Sean Morrison and second baseman Richie Reynolds a lot of the credit for his team's defense, says there's not much difference in his two pinpoint-control pitchers, although Rowe throws a "little harder," about 87 mph.

"When you catch them, it's like sitting in a rocking chair," says Tigers catcher Brandon Romans, who leads the Cape Coast Conference with a .479 batting average. "You just sit back, put up a target and they hit it. They have great work ethic and mound presence, and plenty of talent."

Like father . . .

Rowe, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound lefty with a 3.7 grade-point average, posted a 0.64 ERA in his first seven wins this season and was batting .338 from the No. 2 spot.

His most impressive outing came against Sebastian River, in which he pitched eight shutout innings and then led off the bottom of the ninth with a home run in a 1-0 victory.

"That's typical James," Goldfarb says.

Rowe's father, James Sr., was a standout on perhaps Cocoa High's greatest basketball team, which posted a 31-1 record in 1979 before losing to eventual champion Ocala Vanguard.

"My dad was always the hardest on me throughout Little League," says the 18-year-old Rowe. "I used to get scared coming back to the dugout after I struck out. But my mom's gotten him to lighten up."

"Over the last couple of years, James has evolved into a top-notch competitor," says Rockledge coach Greg Clayborne. "It's more than just a small combination of things -- he has a lot of confidence, God-given talents, a strong arm and is very athletic. He bounces off the mound to cut off balls that a shortstop would normally have to make. He's a great kid, too. He beat us both times, 8-3 and 12-1. The way he was throwing, even if we were playing our best ball we might not have beaten him. He's the real deal."

Different level

Zinkovich is a 6-2, 195-pound 16-year-old with a 3.5 GPA, and a 0.45 ERA in his first eight wins.

Goldfarb says his signature game came a year ago against Eau Gallie, which was then 25-2. Zinkovich won that game 6-2 as a freshman on a night "where just about everything went right."

"That game proved he could pitch on a different level," Rowe says.

This season, under the watchful eyes of pitching coach Mike Carney, Zinkovich has kept hitters off balance with a mix of changeups and curves, many coming on 2-1 or 3-1 pitches.

"He can throw it within a thimble," Goldfarb says. "Just great control."

"I'm not out there to prove anything, but to just show that I'm here to play," says Zinkovich, "and I think I've earned the respect of everyone. All the hard work in the offseason is paying off for both of us. We've had an awesome season, a lot better than I'd ever imagined."

Zinkovich always has been somewhat intimidating. At age 14, he played for a Port St. John Little League team that finished third in the state, and he struck out 23 in a 4-3 nine-inning victory.

"I think everyone gets kind of bored in the outfield when James and I are pitching, but I don't think they like chasing fly balls anyway," he says with a laugh.

So who would opponents rather face?

"I don't think they like either of us," Zinkovich says.

Sweet music

Rowe says he and his teammates have become a little superstitious this season. After their season-opening 8-3 loss to Melbourne, the Tigers began listening to a song in the clubhouse called, "I Don't Want You Back," by Eamon, a potty-mouth pop singer. They haven't stopped, either.

"We've played it before each win, but I don't think Coach Goldfarb likes it too much, because it has some bad words," Rowe says. "Sometimes he yells at us to turn it down."

Rowe says all the Tigers -- even Zinkovich, "who has a hole in his bat," Goldfarb says -- pray to their bats before each game in a ritual they call "Mumbo Jumbo."

"We do have guys doing a lot of strange things," laughs Rowe. "I mean, they'll be guys, on game days, just searching to find coins on the ground with the heads up."

But it hasn't taken a lot of superstition to get this far.

At 7:30 Wednesday night at Rockledge High, the Tigers will face the winner of tonight's Titusville-Astronaut game in the semifinals of the Class 4A, District 8 tournament.

"The first district game is always the one I worry about the most," says Goldfarb, who coached Merritt Island to state titles in 1999 and 2000.

"This team is totally opposite of those. Here, we manufacture runs. At Merritt Island, we sat back and waited for the three-run homer. But I want these kids to feel that kind of success, because they all deserve it."

"Yeah, there's some pressure to keep our streak alive," says Rowe, "but I kind of like all this winning."

So, why didn't he dress up as a female cheerleader at the powder puff game?

"I actually thought about it," he says, "but when I saw how ugly they all looked, I said, 'No way.' "

Now that would have been perfect.

http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/sportstoryS0503TIGERS.htm

[smazza]

never have enough lefties