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By ADAM PRUIETT (NWFvarsity.com)
adamp@nwfdailynews.com
NICEVILLE - In between games of the Class 5A regional finals Friday at The Hill, the Niceville baseball team gathered in a chorus in the dugout and sang along to the song "Shout."
It turned out to be the perfect foreshadowing.
The second-ranked Eagles went on to give their rowdy home crowd a whole lot more to shout in joy about, as they followed a 4-3 victory over Gainesville by blasting the Hurricanes 13-6 for the best-of-three sweep.
"I told our guys today that the team that wins is the one that's going to face pressure, and they're not going to fear failure," Niceville coach Kevin Berry said. "And that's what they did today."
The Eagles (22-10) mobbed one another after the victory and, behind the fence, a fire truck sent streams of water onto the outfield. The Eagles raced to the outfield for a victory shower.
Matt Herndon went 6-for-7 on the day and the dynamic pitching duo of Brett DeVall and Austin Wood picked up the wins for Niceville, which heads to Sarasota for the Final Four for the first time since 1989. The Eagles will face the winner from Region 4, either Nova or South Fork, on Wednesday in the state semifinals.
"We've been working for this our whole lives," Herndon said.
Michael Wells, a sophomore, has built a reputation for clutch hitting, especially in the postseason. He was at it again when the Eagles were trailing 4-3 with two outs in the fifth inning in Game 2.
With the bases loaded, Wells drilled a bases-clearing double off the right-center wall as Niceville gained the lead for good.
"It was a fastball right into my wheelhouse, and I just turned on it," Wells said.
Josh McDorman, hitless in his first six at-bats, added a pair of valuable insurance runs in the sixth with a two-run double. McDorman finished the evening by blasting a two-run homer, and he struck out the last four Hurricanes.
McDorman's shot came during a five-run seventh inning as the Eagles blew the game open. Herndon and Danny Collins both had RBI doubles in the inning, which saw Niceville score all its runs with two outs.
"We needed that, and we stepped up at the right time," Herndon said.
Wood notched the victory in Game 2, giving up six runs on five hits with eight strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings before McDorman closed things out.
Kevin McCoy took the loss in Game 2 for Gainesville (18-14), which had eight steals in each game. McCoy pitched 5 1/3 innings and gave up eight runs on nine hits with four strikeouts, while Levon Washington had three hits and five steals on the day.
DeVall earned his fourth victory of the postseason in Game 1, and perhaps his most difficult. It took the senior lefthander 127 pitches to toss a complete game as he allowed six hits, four walks and two hit batsmen while striking out 12.
Gainesville scored all three of its runs in the third inning as the first five batters reached base. The big blow came from Jack Miller, who laced a two-run single. Washington scored the third run with heady baserunning, racing for home from third base on the exchange between Wells and DeVall for a 3-1 lead.
Niceville tied it up in the bottom half against Alex Mersch, who allowed six hits, two walks and two hit batsmen while striking out three in a complete-game effort. Robby Campbell followed Herndon's RBI double with a sacrifice fly.
Only two of Mersch's four runs were earned, and the Eagles pushed the winning run across in the fourth inning when Gainesville started the frame with a throwing error. Jordan Demos, who reached on the miscue and stole second, scored on Collins' two-out single.
Gainesville had several missed opportunities to score during the game behind eight stolen bases. But in the seventh, Sean Momberger was finally gunned down by Wells on a steal attempt for the second out.
Washington kept Gainesville alive with a single and steal but, after Miller was intentionally walked, Mersch fouled out to end Game 1.
By ADAM PRUIETT (NWFvarsity.com)
adamp@nwfdailynews.com
NICEVILLE - Talk about an anticlimax.
After two electrifying pitching performances, a gutsy comeback by Pace and a resilient response by Niceville, the Class 5A regional baseball semifinal between the Eagles and Patriots came down to a ... balk.
The 3-2 loss to Niceville at The Hill on Friday must have felt like a punch to the gut for Pace.
And the Eagles? Well, the decisive run might as well have been a walk-off homer.
"I'll take it. It's a win," said Niceville shortstop Robby Campbell, who had two of the Eagles' four hits and paved the way to the victory by leading off the seventh inning with a single.
Brett DeVall notched his third win of the postseason for Niceville (20-10), which will host Gainesville in the best-of-three regional finals starting May 9. Invincible as he may seem, DeVall, one of the top pitching prospects in the nation who had allowed three earned runs all year, finally looked human in the seventh inning when he started laboring.
Pitching on two days rest, DeVall's scoreless innings streak in the postseason was stopped at 18 when Pace scored two runs to tie it up. Down to their last out of the season, the Patriots got consecutive hits from C.T. Bradford, Ryan Sorce and Boone Shear, the latter of which brought in both runs.
Niceville, no stranger to adversity this season, immediately struck back against Bradford, who matched DeVall with his own brilliant outing. After Campbell singled leading off, Michael Wells drilled an opposite-field double that caromed off the left-field fence.
That brought up Cody Balkcom, but the game would end before he saw a pitch. From the rubber, Bradford took a step back as if starting his windup, but then he stepped off the rubber with his other foot as well. Balkcom immediately turned to the home plate umpire and asked if Bradford balked, and an instant later the umpire pointed toward the plate, signaling the winning run across.
"That's very interesting. I've never seen that before. It's a first," Campbell said of a game decided on a balk.
Niceville defeated Pace for the third time in four games this season, but it wasn't easy thanks to Bradford. After allowing a solo homer to Josh McDorman in the first inning and an unearned run in the second, he dominated the Eagles until the seventh, retiring 14 of 15 batters at one point.
"C.T. Bradford is a heck of a pitcher," Niceville coach Kevin Berry said. " ... He changed his speeds well and kept us off balance.
" ... We came away with the hits when we needed them, and that's all that counts."
Bradford allowed four hits, no walks and struck out five, while DeVall surrendered six hits, walked two and fanned seven.
"The team came up big for me today," DeVall said, "and I'm just appreciative of that."
Pace 000 000 2 - 2 6 2
Niceville 110 000 1 - 3 4 1
W: Brett DeVall L: C.T. Bradford
Niceville is Ranked No. 1 in Florida and No. 5 Nationally by Max Preps. We are also featured as one of the Friday 5 Teams to Watch. Check out MAXPREPS.COM to see feature article and Friday 5 Teams to Watch to see team video coverage featuring great photos by Gary Wood.
By ADAM PRUIETT (nwfvarsity.com)
adamp@nwfdailynews.com
NICEVILLE - After taking a hard cut, Jeff Boyer bent over and rested his bat at his feet, trying to stretch a hamstring that had just tightened up.
That's not to say he was all that concerned about stepping back into the batter's box.
"Adrenaline took over," the Niceville slugger said.
Indeed it did, as Boyer socked an opposite-field double to plate the winning run in the ninth inning as the Eagles squeaked out a 6-5 victory Tuesday over Rutherford in the Class 5A regional quarterfinals at Okaloosa-Walton College.
The Eagles (20-10), who got an exceptional relief outing from Brett DeVall, will host Pace on Friday in the region semifinals. The Patriots blasted Mosley 17-1.
Rutherford and Niceville engaged in a back-and-forth affair. The Rams led 3-0, the Eagles came back to pull ahead 4-3 and Rutherford went up 5-4 before Niceville knotted the game at 5-5 on Michael Wells' RBI single with two outs in the fifth inning.
Blake Norred pitched eight strong innings for Rutherford, giving up seven hits while striking out 10 Eagles. He was relieved entering the ninth inning, and immediately the Rams got into trouble.
Alex Beranek walked Danny Collins to lead off the inning, and he was taken out in favor of Michael Harrington. Josh McDorman, the first batter Harrington faced, moved Collins to second with a groundout.
That set the stage for Boyer, who sent the first pitch he saw after tweaking his hamstring to deep left field. The outfielder appeared to misread the ball off the bat and didn't have much of a chance to catch the shot after that as Collins raced home with the winning run.
DeVall earned the win after relieving Austin Wood to start the fifth inning. The Georgia signee, who transferred to Niceville from Rutherford, allowed three hits while striking out eight over five innings.
"There was definitely some adrenaline flowing early on to come in a game like that, especially against my old team," DeVall said. "I knew I had to come with my best stuff."
Rutherford scored three runs on four hits in the first inning against Wood, who finished the night by allowing five runs on eight hits with five strikeouts. The Eagles answered with one run in the second on Robbie Campbell's groundout and four in the third behind RBI singles by Boyer and Ben DeVall.
"They've been doing it all year long, so you've got to tip your hat to them," Niceville coach Kevin Berry said of his Eagles' perseverance. "You've got to tip your hat off to Rutherford as well.
By ADAM PRUIETT (nwfvarsity.com)
adamp@nwfdailynews.com
CRESTVIEW - Brothers Josh and Shawn McDorman share a little joke that Shawn can't pitch effectively until a runner reaches first base.
For whatever reason, Shawn is more adept at pitching from the stretch than the windup. On Thursday at Crestview, Josh took a cue from his younger sibling when the Niceville lefthander couldn't get comfortable from the windup while warming up for a District 1-5A tournament finals rematch with Pace.
Pitching from the stretch the entire game, Josh McDorman threw what teammate Matt Herndon called his "best game of high school, easy" in a 6-0 victory as the Eagles captured their first district title since 2005 and avenged last season's loss to the Patriots in the championship game.
"They got us last year, and I think all the seniors and everyone who was on the team last year remembered that," said Herndon, who delivered the key blow offensively with a bases-clearing double in Niceville's four-run second inning.
McDorman struck out five while tossing a three-hit shutout for Niceville (19-10), which will host Rutherford on Tuesday in the regional tournament. Rutherford lost 8-5 to Mosley in the District 2 championship.
Niceville's pitching was nothing short of awesome in the district tournament. Austin Wood opened with a shutout of Choctawhatchee, Brett DeVall blanked Crestview and McDorman didn't allow a run against Pace.
"The guys behind me were making a lot of plays," McDorman said. "I only had five strikeouts, so they were putting it in play pretty good. Every time they got close (to scoring), one of my teammates made a great play behind me."
Thanks to its second-inning outburst, Niceville didn't leave much doubt. It started with a pair of singles by Jordan Demos and Michael Wells and then Pace starter Craig Brown got wild, walking Ben DeVall and, one out later, issuing a free pass to Stephen Clements that brought in Niceville's first run.
Herndon followed by cracking a double to the left-center gap that brought in three more runs.
Tyler Raggard relieved Brown in the third inning and pitched solidly, allowing two unearned runs in the seventh inning on Robby Campbell's double. Campbell, Wells and McDorman had two hits apiece.
C.T. Bradford, Boone Shear and Seth Fricks collected hits for Pace, which travels to Mosley for the regional quarterfinals. McDorman retired 11 of the last 12 Patriots to seal the win.
"(McDorman) just manned up, went out there and shined," Niceville coach Kevin Berry said. "Again, our defense showed up.
"We had a lot of adversity this year, and I'm so proud of our kids. They overcame the adversity, they adjusted and they did really well."
Niceville 040 000 2 - 6 9 1
Pace 000 000 0 - 0 3 1
W: Josh McDorman L: Craig Brown
PENSACOLA NEWS JOURNAL (pnj.com) - Josh McDorman threw the game of his prep career, and his teammates made all the defensive plays, as Niceville defeated Pace 6-0 in the District 1-5A Tournament championship game.
"They made every play that mattered,'' Pace coach Charlie Warner said. "Niceville has a little bit of everything, and they're going to be a tough team to beat. Hopefully, we'll get that chance."
The Patriots (19-8) will travel to face Lynn Haven Mosely in Tuesday's Region 1-5A quarterfinal. They're hoping for run production, after getting only three hits off McDorman, a left-hander, and older brother of Niceville pitcher Shawn McDorman. It was Niceville's first district title in three years.
"They got us last year, and I think all the seniors and everyone who was on the team last year remembered that," said Niceville's Matt Herndon, who delivered the key blow offensively with a bases-clearing double in Niceville's four-run second inning.
McDorman struck out five while tossing a three-hit shutout for Niceville (19-10), which will host Rutherford on Tuesday in the regional tournament. He retired 11 of the last 12 batters he faced.
"Niceville did not give up a run the entire tournament," Warner said. "They just played a gem of a game defensively."
By RANDY DICKSON
Florida Freedom Newspapers (NWFVarsity.com)
CRESTVIEW - Niceville's Brett DeVall wasn't perfect Wednesday night, but he was mighty good.
The senior lefty threw a one-hitter and struck out five as the No. 3-ranked Eagles beat Crestview 6-0 in the semifinals of the District 1-5A baseball tournament.
Niceville (18-10) faces Pace in tonight's final at 7 p.m. The Patriots beat Tate 10-2 in Wednesday's other semifinal.
Crestview ends the season at 20-7.
"I think we did a heck of a job defensively," Niceville coach Kevin Berry said. "We made some great plays behind Brett, but Brett kept us in the game the entire time. So you have to give our defense credit for what we did tonight."
The Eagle offense was as good early as DeVall was the entire game, scoring five runs in the first two innings.
Matt Herndon lined David Pyle's third pitch of the game up the middle for the first Eagle hit and Danny Collins followed with a double to left. Both later scored on infield outs as Pyle worked his way out of the jam.
Niceville opened things up in the second, hammering Pyle for five hits and scoring three more runs.
Berry seemed to be pushing all the right buttons in the second as a hit-and-run play by Robbie Campbell with Kyle Kennedy on first not only took Niceville out of the double play, but set the table for the big inning.
Herndon had his second hit up the middle in as many innings and Josh McDorman tripled in a run to supply the power in the surge. Jeff Boyer also had an RBI single in the inning before Pyle wiggled out of another jam.
Pyle went on to work five innings without allowing another run and struck out seven. After being ripped for seven hits in the first two innings, he only allowed three hits in his final three innings of work.
Niceville's final run came on a long homer by McDorman to lead off the seventh inning off Crestview reliever Cory Wenrich.
While it seemed that every Niceville hit found a hole, the Bulldogs must have felt as if every one of their hits found a glove.
The Eagles made several outstanding defensive plays through six innings to keep the no-hitter alive.
Third baseman Danny Collins ranged to his left and threw Trevor Carnahan out from his knees in the third inning to set the tone for the Eagles defense. In the sixth, Herndon robbed Pyle of an extra-base hit with a great catch in center.
Brett Moore got Crestview's lone hit of the game with one out in the seventh, ending the only suspense left in the game.
"They got a lead early and that helps," Crestview coach Tim Gillis said. "Our gameplan was to put the ball in play and I thought we did that tonight. You've got to give that guy credit, he's not an All-American for nothing.
"I'm just extremely proud of these kids. We just put so much into it that when it's over it hurts. It's disappointing, but I'm not disappointed in the effort these kids gave all year."
Niceville 230 000 1 - 6 11 0
Crestview 000 000 0 - 0 1 0
W-Brett DeVall. L-David Pyle
Niceville Eagles won, 7-to-0, last night against the Choctaw Indians to advance to the second round of District Tournament play. Austin Wood turned out a fantastic game on the mound, striking out 12 and allowing only 4 hits in the complete game shutout. Leading the Eagle's offensive attack were Danny Collins, Matt Herndon and Ben DeVall with two hits each. The Eagles face the tournament host, Crestview, at 7PM tonight (Wednesday).
Austin Wood and Ben DeVall are Players of the Week
See more Photos of Fish at Beefs HERE!
Cory Barnett Behind the Scenes
(Click Here for Game Photos vs Lincoln)
In their last regular season home game, Niceville rallied in spectacular fashion to beat Tallahassee Lincoln on Wednesday afternoon on The Hill. Niceville found themselves down early 6-to-0 when Danny Collins hit a two run homer to score Stephen Clements in the third. This was enough to spark the Eagles, who went on to win 16-to-7. Freshman Ben DeVall led the offense with four hits. Collins, Matt Herndon, Josh McDorman, and Michael Wells each had three hits
NEW JV and FRESHMAN PHOTOS HAVE BEEN POSTED in the PHOTO GALLERY. Click HERE!
Area Prep Roundup (NWF Daily News)
Niceville1, Pace 0: Jeff Boyer drove in Matt Herndon on a sacrifice fly in the first inning and that was enough for the Eagles in a District 1-5A win. Brett DeVall picked up the victory, striking out seven and allowing only three hits. The Eagles (14-10, 7-7) host Lincoln on Wednesday.
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 DeVall Dominates |
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 Media Covers |
Eagles' senior hurler shuts down Bulldogs' bats, while offense provides plenty of support in district matchup.
(Randy Dickson, NWF Daily News)
Wood threw a two-hitter and struck out nine while McDorman hit two homers and drove in five runs as Niceville beat Crestview 11-1 in Distriict 1-5A play. The game was called after six innings because of the 10-run rule.
About the only problem Wood had was a streak of wildness zttributed to the pitcher's mound at the Bulldog field. Wood walked five Bulldogs in the first three innings, with four of those coming in the third when he walked in the only Crestview run.
"When I finally got the feel for the mound I was able to relax more," Wood said. "After that I was able to pitch pretty much like I wanted."
It didn't take the Eagles (13-10, 6-7 district) long to jump on Crewtview (17-5, 9-4) starter Bo Barkley as they scored twice in the first to take a lead they would never yield.
Barkley had some control problems of his own as he hit McDorman and Jeff Boyer.
Danny Collins, who reached on a fielder's choice, and McDorman scored in the first as Brett DeVall delivered a sacrifice fly to score Collins and Michael Wells singled McDorman home.
McDorman's first home run, a two-run shot to deep right-center field in th third, sparked a four-run rally. Collins, who walked, was on board when McDorman went long. Wells added an RBI double to score DeVall and Jordan Demos doubled home Wells in the inning.
McDorman continued his assault of Barkley in the fourth clearing the fence in left with Robbie Campbell and Collins on base.
Niceville finished the night with nine hits, and four of those were doubles to go along with the McDorman homers.
Niceville closed out the scoring in the sixth when Cody Balkcom doubled off Crestview reliever Trevor Carnahan to score Matt Herndon and Collins.
Collins scored four runs without getting a hit, reaching twice on a fielder's choice and walking his other two times at the plate.
"Josh swung the bat well and came through with some timely hits for us," Niceville coach Kevin Berry said. "That's been our weakness (not getting the timely hit). We were more patient and got some walks and then had the big hits. It as nice that we had more doubles and home runs than singles tonight."
The two Bulldog hits were flare singles. The first was by Carnahan in the second inning. Ryan jackson had the other hit in the sixth.
Crestview coach Tim Gillis simply tipped his cap to Wood.
"He's pretty good," Gillis said. "Wehn you have his fast ball and the breaking bll to go with it, you're going to get people out. Good players do that.
"We've got to turn the page on this game just like we would if we had won. We've fought hard all year and we need to keep it going."
Both teams return to the field on Friday, with Niceville hosting Pace and Crestview traveling to Fort Walton Beach.
Niceville JV won 5-4 over Crestview JV.
NICEVILLE - In what must have been the premier high school pitching matchup in the country, Niceville's Brett DeVall and Lexington Christian's Robbie Ross reinforced their billings as primetime prospects.
Scouts gathered behind the Niceville backstop Friday night with radar guns pointed at left-handers Ross and DeVall, who are rated as the No. 17 and No. 19 prospects, respectively, in the country by Baseball America. The much-ballyhooed matchup also brought out the fans in droves, as the bleachers were packed and several spectators were forced to stand.
DeVall and Ross gave everybody their money's worth, consistently firing fastballs that were clocked in the 90-94 mile per hour range and engaging in a classic pitcher's duel that took less than an hour and a half to complete.
In between each hurler's dominance, Lexington Christian (Ky.) capitalized on a few mistakes by the Eagles to squeak out a 2-1 victory.
It was perhaps debatable whether DeVall or Ross had the better outing, but, regardless of who got the edge, both were masterful and outclassed the offenses.
"It was a real great matchup," said DeVall, whose summer league team had beaten Ross at a tournament in Cincinnati. "I thought it was real fun going back out there and competing against one another."
DeVall, a Georgia signee, suffered his first loss after striking out 11 and allowing six hits and two earned runs in a complete game. Ross, a Kentucky signee who also went the distance, fanned six and gave up three hits and one earned run in notching the victory.
"He pitched a heck of a ballgame," Niceville coach Kevin Berry said of Ross. "Brett threw well ... It's a tough loss, but it was a great game."
The two earned runs DeVall allowed matched his season total, but Niceville (12-10) could have prevented both.
With two outs and a runner on third in the third inning, Lucas Witt hit a grounder toward second base. Niceville freshman first baseman Ben DeVall was a little too eager and tried to field the ball himself, which caught Brett DeVall off guard. He was beaten to first by Witt while attempting to receive the throw and the tying run scored.
The winning run came across the next inning and, again, a Niceville mistake helped Lexington Christian. Shane Crain led off the inning with a single and, with one out, advanced on a critical DeVall balk. Crain moved to third on a groundout and scored when Steven Hongland hit a pogo-stick bouncer over third base.
Niceville, which led 1-0 in the second inning behind Jordan Demos' single and Michael Wells' RBI single, had a major threat in the seventh. The Eagles got runners on second and third with no outs after Jeff Boyer walked, Demos was hit and Lexington Christian had a passed ball, but Ross buckled down and squashed the rally attempt by following a groundout with two strikeouts to seal the win.
"I think it was a good team effort," Wells said. "Both of us played great ... I've never seen this many fans out here. There were a lot of scouts back there."
Lexington 001 010 0 - 2 6 1
Niceville 010 000 0 - 1 3 0
W-Robbie Ross L-Brett DeVall
Austin Wood was dominant on the mound and Danny Collins provided the big hit as Niceville defeated DunBar (Ky.) 5-3 on Wednesday. While Woods' complete game effort kept Dunbar, one of Kentucky's top teams, at bay, Collins had the last word as he blasted a two-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh. He finished 3-for-4 at the plate. Matt Herndon added a solo shot for the Eagles, while Jeff Boyer was 2-for-3. The Eagles (11-9) host Lexington Christian on Friday.
Jeff Boyer hit a grand slam in the first inning as Niceville defeated Franklin Simpson (Ky.) 5-1 on Monday. Boyer added a sacrifice fly in the third for the game's final run. Michael Wells and Robby Campbell had the other two Niceville hits. Shawn McDorman surrendered just five hits in five innings to pick up the win. Brett DeVall pitched the final 1 2/3 innings to earn the save. The Eagles (11-9) host Dunbar (Ky.) on Wednesday
Mar 29, 2008 2:34 pm
By JARED MACARIN (NWF Daily News)
jaredm@nwfdailynews.com
NICEVILLE - Niceville coach Kevin Berry wanted to see his players perform better at the plate, no matter where they were in the order.
On the final day of the Powerade Classic, facing Knoxville Catholic, Berry got exactly what he was looking for.
The Eagles pounded out 12 hits en route to an 11-4 victory over the Kesslers to finish the tournament with a 3-1 record.
"We had some guys step up," Berry said. "They all got some hits that allowed us to have big innings."
In fact, the consistent hitting led to two big innings for Niceville. The Eagles pushed across five runs in the second inning to pull ahead, and then added six more in the sixth after Catholic had rallied to within one.
Ben DeVall had three hits, a run scored and an RBI hitting out of the No. 8 hole, while Matt Herndon, hitting third, went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Aaron Milligan also scored twice, while seven other players scored once. Jeff Boyer went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs. Josh McDorman also had two hits and two RBIs, while Robby Campbell and Kyle Kennedy also drove in runs.
"It was a real good win," Berry said. "The guys came together and played hard."
While the Eagles found hits easy to come by, they also got some help. Catholic had a pair of errors and issued five walks to aid Niceville's cause.
The Kesslers didn't have as much luck on offense. McDorman kept Catholic at bay the majority of the 4 2/3 innings he pitched, mixing his speed well and locating his pitches well to earn the victory. After the Kesslers rallied to within 5-4 with two outs in the fifth, Brett DeVall came on in relief and struck out seven of the last eight batters to close out the win.
The Eagles (10-9) play in the Beach Bash beginning Monday.
Niceville 050 006 0-11 12 4
Knoxville Catholic 100 120 0- 4 8 2
W-Josh McDorman. L-Anders.
Father Ryan 4, Niceville 1
Niceville couldn't get a timely hit in losing in the final day of round-robin play in the Powerade Classic. Trevin Tate drove in Danny Collins for the Eagles' lone run. Niceville (9-9) plays Knoxville Catholic today at 3 p.m. (NWF Daily News)
Niceville 14, North Little Roack (Ark.) 4: Austin Wood pitched all five innings while striking out five and giving up only five hits, and the Eagles offense exploded behind him for a 10-run first inning.
A three-error third inning led to the only blemish - four runs - on the otherwise spectacular line for the Eagles.
Matt Herndon led Niceville with three hits and three RBI, while Josh Mcdorman and Jeff boyer each logged two hits in the win.
Boyer drove in two runs and McDorman drove in a run for the Eagles, who will be playing at 3 p.m. today rather than the originally scheduled time of 6 p.m.
SARASOTA -- Here is the latest 2008 SUN Sports/FSN state high school baseball poll as conducted by the Florida Sports Writers Association, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through March 22, and poll points -- 10 for a first-place vote, one for a 10th-place vote:
CLASS 5A
1. Charlotte (9) 13-0, 117
2. Seminole 13-0, 104
3. Plant (3) 14-1, 101
4. Nova 13-2, 68
5. Jesuit 12-2, 65
6. West Boca Raton 11-3, 64
7. South Fork 11-2, 38
8. Niceville 7-8, 25
9. Wolfson 12-1, 19
10. St Thomas Aquinas 10-4, 16
Also receiving votes: Pace 10-3, 11, Tate12-4, 10, Dunedin 12-2, 9, Land O' Lakes 11-1, 5, Barron Collier (Naples) -- 11-3, 4, Crestview -- 12-3, 2, Fort Myers -- 12-2, 2, Treasure Coast (Port St Lucie) 11-2, 1
Niceville 11, Walker Valley 1 (NWF Daily News)
Niceville scored 10 runs in the second inning and Brett DeVall threw a two-hitter in a five-inning victory on the first day of the Powerade Classic. Josh McDorman went 2-for-3 for the Eagles, including a three-run home run. Danny Collins added three hits and three runs, while Michael Wells had two hits and drove in three. DeVall struck out 13 in pitching the complete game. The Eagles (8-8) face North Little Rock next in the Powerade Classic.
JV also logged another victory in the books as they rolled over Walker Valley JV 16-to-0. Michael Coelho struck out 9 batters in pitching the complete shut out. Christopher Krenek put one out over the Whataburger Wall to spark a ten-run 4th-inning.
Jeff Boyer was chosen Player of the Week for his outstanding performance last week. He went 5-for-7 at the plate with 7 RBI's and a home run! See more photos at Beef 'O Brady's HERE.
NICEVILLE - Good Friday was like Freaky Friday for the Niceville baseball team and Friday the 13th for Fort Walton Beach.
In a bizarre District 1-5A game that featured a slew of hits, runs, errors, wild pitches, passed balls, strikeouts and baserunning miscues, the homestanding Eagles ultimately prevailed rather easily with a 13-3 victory in six innings.
Niceville coach Kevin Berry, whose squad (7-8, 5-7) shrugged off shaky play with four runs in the second and eight in the sixth, summed up the strange contest best.
"It was one of those games (where) anything's contagious," he said. "Hits were contagious, errors were contagious. It was one of those nights where we had a terrible disease."
The Vikings (4-7, 4-7) had a more severe case of the same disease.
Fort Walton Beach coach David Garner was miffed at his Vikings, who cut a 5-0 deficit to 5-3 in the sixth before committing four fatal errors to spark Niceville's game-sealing outburst. Garner had his squad running sprints long after the Eagles had done their field maintenance and packed up their bags.
"We've got a lot of growing up to do," Garner said. "If you can't make routine plays, what plays can you make? We've obviously got to do better than that. Our kids have been playing hard. We'll be all right."
Fort Walton Beach threatened several times against Niceville starter Austin Wood over the first five innings, advancing a runner to at least second base in four frames. But Wood always seemed to avoid giving up a timely hit by tallying a timely strikeout, and he fanned 10 Vikings while giving up four hits in the complete-game victory.
"Austin battled tonight," Berry said. "We didn't have much help behind him, but we managed a victory out of it."
Jeff Boyer tattooed a two-run homer over right center, and Jordan Demos smacked a solo shot over the maroon monster in left as the Eagles built a 5-0 lead after three innings. Those were two of Niceville's 12 hits, as Matt Herndon, Danny Collins, Josh McDorman and Ben DeVall had two apiece.
The Vikings' offense finally produced in the sixth with the Eagles help, as Niceville had two errors, two wild pitches and two passed balls that spurred Fort Walton Beach to three runs.
But the Vikings returned the favor in a hurry.
Niceville's offense had gone cold leading into the bottom of the sixth inning thanks to Austin Sullivan, who relieved starter Robin Bailey after three innings and struck out five of the first seven batters he faced. But the Eagles put the game away with eight runs, capitalizing on four Viking errors before Robbie Campbell's walk forced in the mercy-rule run.
"We went back out there in the field and just caved," Garner said.
Aaron Miles had two hits for Fort Walton Beach, which had two baserunners thrown out at home and another at third trying to advance after pitches had gotten away from Niceville catcher Michael Wells.
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NHS JV ACTION --- A strong Niceville offense came alive for a 12-to-5 victory over Fort Walton's JV team. Christopher Krenek, AJ Gomez, Parker Willingham and Chase Darhower led Niceville with two hits each. After getting a rocky start, Hunter Phillips settled down and pitched the complete game, striking out seven and allowing only two hits.
Niceville 15, Escambia 2 (NWF Daily News)
Niceville pounded out 16 hits and Shawn McDorman held Escambia at bay in a District 1-5A win.
Jeff Boyer went 3-for-3 and had four RBIs to lead the Eagles' offense, while Danny Collins was 3-for-6, including a home run, with three runs scored and three RBIs.
The Eagles (6-8, 4-7 district) host Fort Walton Beach today.
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JV lost 6-7.
See Photos for JV and Varsity game in the Photo Gallery.
Danny Collins was chosen Player of the Week. He was recognized Wednesday night at Beef O’ Brady’s during the WFSH Eagle Show and received a certificate, a key chain and a Fish radio T-shirt. Congratulations! Click Image for more Fish @ Beefs.
Niceville Baseball Edges Tate in 8
NWF Daily News
Jordan Demos scored all the way from second on a passed ball in the bottom of the eighth to give the Niceville baseball team a 6-5 win over Tate in District 1-5A contest on Tuesday.
The sixth-ranked Eagles got a big effort from Michael Wells at the plate. Wells went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and knocked in three runs. Josh McDorman added two hits.
The Eagles travel to Escambia on Thursday.
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The Eagles traveled to Valdosta Georgia for the Georgia Florida Challenge. Other participants included Pace High (Pace, FL), Episcopal High (Jacksonville, FL), Lowndes High School (Valdosta, GA), Lee County (Leesburg, GA), and Parkview High (Lilburn, GA).
Friday night, Niceville matched up with Parkview at Valdosta State University. Brett Devall continued to dominate on the mound, striking out eleven, and shut out Parkview for a 3-0 win. Josh McDorman hit a double off the center field wall to score Kyle Kennedy and Danny Collins. The third run scored as Jordan Demos advanced to home on a passed ball.
Saturday's action at Lowndes High School turned into quite a battle and lasted almost four hours. Each team struggled to find the umpire's strike zone as Niceville's pitching staff gave up 12 walks and Lowndes' gave up 14. Michael Wells led the Niceville offense with four hits and five RBI's, including a game winning double in the 7th inning. Home runs by Danny Collins and Trevin Tate and a couple of singles by Brett Devall and Cody Balkcom rounded out the Eagles' offensive attack. Shawn McDorman closed the door on Lowndes in the 7th to pick up the win. Final score, 18-to-17.
Back at Valdosta State for their final game, the Eagles came up short, 9-3, against Lee County. Josh McDorman gave up 9 runs before turning the game over to his brother, Shawn, who came in and shut down Lee County's offensive assault. Josh McDorman led the team offensively with 3 hits. Michael Wells also added two hits and Danny Collins, Jeff Boyer, and Trevin Tate each had one.
See Action Photos from Valdosta - Click HERE!
Also See New Action Photos of the JV Team in the Photo Gallery. Click HERE
Matt Herndon was chosen as The New Fish Radio Athlete of the Week and received this certificate Monday night during the EAGLES RADIO SHOW LIVE at Beef O' Brady's in Bluewater Bay. See more Photos HERE.
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Niceville's bats were hot on Friday night as they shut the door on Pine Forest 13-0. Leading the offensive attack were Juniors Danny Collins and Robbie Campbell. Collins went 4-for-4 with two RBIs and Campbell was 3-for-3 with 5 RBIs. Also adding two hits each were Jeff Boyer, Jordan Demos, and Josh McDorman. McDorman pitched the complete shut out before the game was called after five. Niceville travels to Valdosta, GA next Friday for the 2008 Georgia Florida Challenge. For Complete Schedule click HERE.
JV also picked up another win, 7-3. Colton Griffin hit a grand slam home run to score Ben DeVall, Chase Darhower and Garett Fletcher. Will Davis went the distance, striking out 5 and allowing only 4 hits. JV and Freshman host Chiles next Friday.
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Click on Image for more Photos
Daily News Staff Reports
Niceville's baseball team had plenty of offense, but its pitching and defense could not keep up in a 9-8 loss to Pace on Tuesday in a District 1-5A contest.
The Eagles fell behind 3-1 after three innings, but scored seven in the fourth to pull ahead. The Patriots responded with five runs in the fifth to extend the game and then scored in the bottom of the eighth to hand Niceville its first loss of the season.
Josh McDorman had a grand slam for the Eagles, while Matt Herndon was 3-for-3 and Brett DeVall also had a home run.
Niceville (6-1, 6-1) hosts Choctawhatchee on Thursday.
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Fish Radio's Arty Interviews NHS Baseball at Beef O'Brady's.
Click HERE for more photos.
Feb 29, 2008 11:53 pm
By RANDY DICKSON (NWF Daily News)
NICEVILLE — The way Brett DeVall was mowing down batters Friday night, his teammates might start calling him “Lawn-Boy.”
Niceville’s senior southpaw struck out 14 Crestview batters and threw a one-hitter as the Eagles beat the Bulldogs 5-0 in a key District 1-5A baseball game.
DeVall, who transferred from Rutherford last summer, set the tone as to how things would be at the start of the game, striking out Crestview leadoff hitter David Pyle.
By the end of the game, every Crestview batter but Danny Arnette had gone down at least once via the strikeout.
When the Bulldogs (4-2, 3-2 district) did put the bat on the ball, it didn’t go far. Only three balls made it out of the infield, and Crestview had just five base runners the entire game.
“I just tried to go out and find the strike zone,” DeVall said. “Once I found it, and we got a run early, after that I just felt like I could cruise.”
The early run DeVall wanted came thanks to back-to-back doubles by Josh McDorman and Jeff Boyer with two outs in the first, the latter scoring McDorman.
A great defensive play by Bulldog shortstop Cody Hancock to take a hit away from Trevin Tate kept Niceville (6-0, 6-0) from doing further damage.
McDorman’s second double of the game scored Robbie Campbell from third base in the third inning. Campbell, who walked, went to third on a throwing error by Crestview pitcher Josh Edwards on a pickoff attempt.
Edwards threw a solid game for the Bulldogs, scattering six hits but he had a long night with no offensive help.
The Eagles upped the lead to 3-0 in the fourth as Jordan Demos was hit by a pitch and scored when Aaron Milligan was safe on a Hancock error.
Niceville picked up a couple of insurance runs in the sixth as Cory Koger and Matt Herndon scored. Koger walked and went to third on a hit-and-run by Herndon. Koger then scored when Campbell grounded out, and Herndon crossed the plate as McDorman was safe on an error.
McDorman and Herndon each had two hits to lead the Niceville attack.
Crestview’s lone hit was a second-inning single by Brett Moore.
“He (DeVall) was very good,” Crestview coach Tim Gillis said. “His fastball was excellent. All of his off-speed pitches were working for him.
“We chased a couple of balls out of the zone and good pitchers make them do that. Good pitchers do that to you, but I was proud of the way our guys battled.”
Niceville coach Kevin Berry knows every district win is important, but he isn’t ready to celebrate anything yet.
“It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” he said. “In years past we’ve started strong and finished weakly.
“But we’ve got great momentum and we’ve seen a lot of guys step up to the plate and hit the ball so we are trying to build on that.”
Crestview plays at Pine Forest today. Niceville travels to Pace on Tuesday.
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JV: Game tied 9-9
DAILY NEWS - 27 Feb 2008
Niceville 14, Escambia 1: Austin Wood struck out 12 on the mound and Niceville jumped up early in staying unbeaten.
Robert Price pitched the final inning, giving up one hit and striking out three.
Cory Koger had three hits for the Eagles, while Jeff Boyer added two. Shawn McDorman had one hit, but drove in three runs.
The Eagles (4-0, 4-0 district) travel to Fort Walton Beach on Thursday.
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DAILY NEWS - 24 Feb 2008
Brett DeVall gave up three hits in six innings and had eight strikeouts as Niceville defeated Tate 5-2. Josh McDorman went 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Jeff Boyer and Kyle Kennedy had two hits apiece. Austin Wood picked up his second save for the Eagles (3-0), who play host to Escambia at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Perfect Game ranks NHS Baseball # 38 in the Nation! Click HERE for a list of the Top 100 High School Baseball Teams.
Niceville 6, Pine Forest 2: Niceville's offense exploded for five runs in the sixth inning to pull out a District 1-5A victory. Josh McDorman pitched the sixth in relief of Austin Wood to pick up the win. Brett DeVall threw in the seventh to finish things up. Robby Campbell went 2-for-4 with four RBI to lead the Eagles offense, while Danny Collins was 2-for-3 and drove in two. Michael Wells and Aaron Milligan also had two hits.
The Eagles (2-0, 2-0) travel to Tate on Friday
By JARED MACARIN
jaredm@nwfdailynews.com
FORT WALTON BEACH — Niceville pitcher Brett DeVall was as good as advertised, and it was enough for the Eagles in their season opener.
DeVall pitched five hitless innings as Niceville downed Choctawhatchee 4-1 on Friday in a District 1-5A contest.
“He stayed focused and competed every batter,” Niceville coach Kevin Berry said of DeVall. “Our pitchers held us in the game tonight.”
DeVall, a Georgia signee, struck out 10 in his time on the mound and allowed just one ball out of the infield — a flyout to center. He surrendered just two walks and kept Choctaw off-balance all night.
The Eagles’ offense, meanwhile, pushed across two runs in the first inning to give DeVall all the run support he would need. Danny Collins and Michael Wells each drew bases-loaded walks in the opening frame to score Matt Herndon and Robby Campbell.
Collins would add Niceville’s third run two innings later, scoring on an RBI single by Jordan Demos. Demos scored in the seventh on a run-scoring single by Cody Balkcom.
And while Berry was happy his team pounded out 11 hits, the Eagles also left 12 runners on base.
“Our timely hitting was not there, but we manufactured four runs,” he said. “We’ve got to do a better job than that.”
But it was still more than what the Indians could manage off DeVall and reliever Austin Wood, who is headed to Florida State.
Choctaw’s lone hit came when David Weber smacked a double in the sixth inning, and the Indians finally got on the board in the seventh as two Eagle errors led to Taylor Kelley scoring.
“We faced two pretty good pitchers, and you’re not going to score much with one hit,” Choctaw coach Andy Snaith said. “We’ll make adjustments and get better.”
Niceville hosts Pine Forest on Tuesday, while Choctawhatchee travels to Fort Walton Beach.
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Niceville
Coach: Kevin Berry
2007 record: 22-5; advanced to regional quarterfinals
District: 1-5A
District opponents: Crestview, Fort Walton Beach, Choctawhatchee, Escambia, Tate, Pace, Pine Forest
Returning players: Stephen Clements, Michael Wells, Matt Herndon, Jeff Boyer, Josh McDorman, Shawn McDorman, Austin Wood, Danny Collins, Aaron Milligan, Cody Balkcom
Others to watch: Brett DeVall, Robert Price, Robbie Campbell, Cory Koger, Kyle Kennedy, Jordan Demos, Trevin Tate
Players lost: Kyle Ely, Tyler Hastings, Jimmy Nelson, Michael Cunningham, Jimmy Boswell, Jeremy Thedford, Chris Russan
FLHS Baseball Report Correspondent
Saturday, February 9th, 2008 - The 5A Niceville Eagles wasted no time making a statement this season topping Fort Walton Beach 14-0 Thursday night. Top lefty Brett Devall started the game and threw three innings, no hits and six strikeouts while FSU signee Austin Wood finished up the combined no-hitter with three innings, no hits and five strikeouts.
The Eagles were picked to have a tough rotation with Devall and Wood, but if the well balanced lineup continues to produce the Eagles will have a long road ahead of them, all the way to the state finals in Sarasota.
Over 40 professional scouts, including crosscheckers and scouting directors, packed the house to see the two nationally ranked pitchers perform and while they certainly didn't disappoint, the offense took over with authority. Of the 11 hits, two were homeruns by Matt Herndon and Danny Collins, with Collins' being of the grandslam variety. Senior Josh McDorman added a triple off the wall.
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The following Niceville Eagles have signed to play next year.
1) Brett DeVall - The University of Georgia
2) Austin Wood - Florida State University
3) Matt Herndon - Pensacola Junior College
4) Josh McDorman - Pensacola Junior College
(Click on link to access photos from our pre-season events)
The New Fish Radio at Beef 'O Brady's
During the Christmas and New Year Break a number of Niceville High School Baseball Players participated in a prestigious showcase event. Representing Niceville were:
Mikel Belcher, Freshman
Michael Coelho, Sophomore
Danny Collins, Junior
Chase Darhower, Freshman
Ben DeVall, Freshman
John Gillette, Sophomore
AJ Gomez, Sophomore
Josh Gordon, Freshman
Christopher Krenek, Sophomore
Kyle McDorman, Freshman
Shawn McDorman, Junior
Hunter Phillips, Sophomore
Robert Price, Junior
Michael Wells, Sophomore
Congratulations to Shawn McDorman and Josh Gordon who were selected to participate in the Top Prospect Games.
©2007 Niceville High School Baseball | Kevin Berry , Head Baseball Coach
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