For the second time in history, the varsity baseball team was invited to play in the National High School Invitational hosted by USA Baseball two weekends ago and ended the tournament with a 2-2 record. The team’s last performance in the NHSI in 2019 ended with a 1-3 record, and being invited a second time was a big step up for the team.
“They only invite a select few teams, but we have some pretty good players that have experience with USA Baseball, so we knew there’d be a good chance [of returning]” head coach Michael Sindone said. “It’s just rare that a public school goes.”

The team played in bracket two, along with Houston County High School from Warner Robins, Georgia, JSerra Catholic High School from San Juan Capistrano, California, and Brother Rice High School from Chicago, Illinois.
The team lost to Brother Rice on Wednesday, 5-0. Pitcher Garrett Baumann gave up three runs during the game. Topping out at 95 mph, Baumann struck out six batters over four innings.
On day two of the tournament, the team faced off against 12th ranked team in the nation, Houston County. Leading into the game, the team had heard about all the talent Houston County had on its roster, but, the team executed at the plate and won the game, 4-3.

Pitcher Talan Bell allowed five scattered hits and struck out six. During the game, utility Austin Desoto was 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored. Outfielder Adam Ciccone was 2 for 2 with two runs scored. First baseman Eli Fleming was 1 for 1 with an RBI and utility Danny Beldowicz was 1 for 3 with another RBI. The game ended as the team’s first tournament win.
“I couldn’t be more proud of their response and facing a team that was that talented and they still managed to pull out a win,” Sindone said.
During the final day of the tournament, the boys started against TC Roberson, winning 6-3 in an extra inning. After a single from outfielder Ryan Foscolo in the eighth inning, Bell doubled, scoring two and putting them in the lead as Adam Ciccone singled after, allowing Bell to score. A key player against TC Roberson was infielder Jerimiah Stewart, who pitches four innings and only gave up one run.
Down for their last game on Friday against Aquinas, Hagerty finished the tournament with a 10-1 loss. Catcher Bailey Gutierrez stepped up to replace catcher Connor Spellman, who was injured in the first part of the tournament.
Overall, outfielder Adam Ciccone, hit 9 for 12 during the tournament and was selected as a part of the All Tournament team.
“Personally, I think that was the best tournament I’ve ever had in my life,” Ciccone said.
Taking home a 2-2 record was a respectable finish to a national tournament.
“There were teams that were top 25 in the nation that didn’t win a game, so for us to go in and win two of them, we were really proud of that,” Sindone said.
As the team continued into the heat of their season, they came home to face off against Oviedo on April 4, adding an 11-1 win to their record.
After playing Oviedo on April 4, the team will face them again April 7. Following these games, the team will move on to play Seminole, Winter Springs, Lake Mary and St. Cloud before heading into the district quarterfinals on May 1.
As of April 7, the team holds a 13-5 record and as they look forward to a strong finish of the regular season and contending for district and state titles.