Shorecrest Prep Coach Looks Back at Solid Yet Too-Short Season

ST. PETERSBURG - Given a few days to reflect and ponder, Shorecrest Prep baseball coach Don Reed believes his Chargers had one heck of a season.

The only drawback was it ended a week too soon.

The Class 2A state championship game will be played Saturday. Shorecrest had every intention of being there. Instead, Brooks-DeBartolo beat Shorecrest 4-2 last Friday in a Class 2A region final game, ending the Chargers' dreams and season-long goal.

Last year Shorecrest lost in the state championship game and had all but one starter returning for this season. It was a year-long mission to make it back to the state championship game, a goal that fell short by two games.

"There were a lot of good things about the season," Chargers coach Don Reed said in retrospect, the loss in the region final not quite as stinging as it was a few days prior. "There were a lot of good things that took place."

Reed was looking at the big picture of course, and he is right.

Glancing back at the season, it's a wonder that the Chargers made it as far as they did. The team was riddled with injuries and illnesses for much of the season, specifically the last month.

John Rothwell was one player Reed didn't have for the final few weeks of the season due to an illness, but he did play in the final game and was productive. The fact Rothwell played at all stunned Reed.

"John Rothwell, he had mono," Reed said. "He gets out of bed on Thursday and plays on Friday. Comes out and the first time up gets on, steals second and then scores a run. Second time up he drives in a run and steals second again. He also made a good catch in the field.

"He was just in bad shape until [the day before the region final] and he was not even close to 100 percent and did an outstanding job."

There were others. Shortstop Brent Rasmussen suffered a concussion midway through the season and missed a month of games. Starting catcher Spencer Heath developed a bone bruise on his foot that rendered him unavailable to catch and barely able to walk. But batting as a designated hitter, he shined and was able to run the bases despite a painful wheel.

This meant pitching ace Marc Brakeman and Brian Kinter had to share catching duties.

Starting pitcher and No. 2 starter Jordan Lindsey pitched nearly the entire season on what doctors deemed a fractured foot.

"Jordan Lindsey was an absolute warrior for pitching through that injury," Reed said. "Brian Kinter really stepped up," Reed said. "He did a better job than anyone expected. He did a yeoman's job behind the plate."

With a hole in the outfield as Kinter caught, John Schiff shined Reed thought, hitting .370, "He's always been a good outfielder.

What likely pains Reed more than the loss in the region final is that seven seniors played their final game last week for Shorecrest. Brakeman, who has committed to Stanford, will return giving Shorecrest very likely the top pitcher in Pinellas County in 2012.

The 2011 season for Shorecrest is over. Reed is already working for 2012 with summer baseball starting for the Chargers in three weeks.