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Baseball

The Jesuit baseball program has an extraordinary tradition of excellence. It includes seven state titles - 2024, 2022 (pictured at right), 2019, 2014, 2000, 1997, and 1994 - 24 Region titles and dozens of District crowns. Many teams have been nationally ranked, including the 1997 National Champions and the No. 1-ranked 2020 team whose season was cut short by the pandemic.

Hundreds of Jesuit alumni have played baseball collegiately and professionally, including Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Al Lopez Sr. '27, legendary New York Yankee Lou Piniella '61, and more recent major leaguers Joe Hudson '09, Lance McCullers '12, Kevin Quackenbush '07, and Shane Robinson '03. (See below for a full listing of Tigers in MLB.) Among the program's top collegians are Florida State All-American pitcher Jamie Arnold '22, who is one of five Tigers currently playing for the Seminoles.

In 2011, Jesuit began playing at beautiful Paul Straub Field at Hyer Family Park. The facility features the Joseph Capitano Sr. '56 Trophy Hall and was named Field of the Year by the National High School Baseball Coaches Association. Prior to the 2015 season, former University of Tampa star Miguel Menendez was named head coach, and he enters his 11th season at Jesuit in 2025 with three State titles.

In 2024, the Tigers captured the program's 7th State Championship and 3rd under Menendez with a 5-2 victory over Plantation American Heritage at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers. Pitchers McCall Biemiller '24 (University of Florida signee) and Wilson Andersen '26 combined to go the distance in the sweltering conditions, and D.J. Pirela '24 (Florida Gulf Coast signee) and Noah Sheffield '24 (Florida State signee) sparked the offense, with Pirela adding a spectacular diving grab in the 7th inning. The Tigers closed the season with 13 straight wins and earned the No. 24 final national ranking from MaxPreps. Jesuit also captured its second straight Saladino Tournament title in 2024, its 3rd Saladino crown in 4 years.

The top returning players in 2025 include Andersen and fellow pitchers Kaden Waechter '26 and Brady Hoar '25, catcher Vincent DeCarlo '25, and outfielder Cannon Murtagh '26. 

FOLLOW THE TIGERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
* Livestream on the YouTube channel Jesuit Tigers Sports Network
* Twitter: @JesuitBaseball
* Instagram: @jesuit_tigers_baseball
ALSO: download the GameChanger app for pitch-by-pitch action of each game

SCHEDULES

For the most updated Jesuit athletics schedule check the Athletic Calendar on the homepage of the website.

 

ROSTERS (2025 roster coming in January)

Jesuit Baseball 2024 Varsity roster

1 DEAN SPOTO                2024    R R   5'9     165
2 JACOB LOZANO           2024    R R   5'10   175
3 WILSON ANDERSEN   2026    R R   6'3     180
4 McCALL BIEMILLER    2024    L R   6'2     180
5 JUSTIN MARSHALL     2024    R R   6'1     200
6 ZANE PESTALOZZI      2024    R R   6'0     180
7 JACK CLARK                  2024    R R   6'0     175
8 WILL BURKE                  2024    R R   5'11  175
9 DJ PIRELA                       2024    R R   5'9     165
10 NOAH SHEFFIELD      2024    R R   6'1     190
11 JACKSON THOMAS   2024   R R   6'0     175
13 BRODY SMITH             2025    R L    6'0     180
14 ADEN KNOWLES        2024    R R    6'3     195
15 REED BIEMILLER       2025    R R    6'0     180
16 OMAR MORRIS           2024    L R    5'11  180
17 MASON MILLER          2024    R R   6'2     195
18 BRADY HOAR               2025    R R   6'2     180
19 YVAN DOUGLAS          2024    R R   6'0     190
21 CANNON MURTAGH  2026    R R   5'10 175
22 RYAN THOMPSON     2025    L L   6'3     200
23 COLIN KENNY              2025    R R   6'0     185
24 VINCENT DECARLO    2025    R R   5'11 190
27 JACK EARNEST           2024    R R   6'2     180
28 NICHOLAS DEAKIN    2025    R R   6'6     215
29 ANTONIO FAWCETT  2025    L L    5'11 175
31 ROBBY SANTANA       2025    R L   6'1     195
32 KADEN WAECHTER   2026    R R   6'3     185
33 KEANE HYER                 2025    L L   5'10 175
34 JONNY SOSNOWSKI 2024    R R   6'2     210


COACHING STAFF

Varsity Head Coach
Miguel Menendez, 11th season in 2025, mmenendez@jesuittampa.org

Varsity Assistant Coaches
Louie Martinez, Tim Nalls '97, Daniel Gibson '10, Ryan Stanley '02, Mike Swenson 
Bullpen - Tyler Moran

JV Head Coach
Carmelo LoSauro '10, closauro@jesuittampa.org

JV Assistant Coaches
Carm LoSauro, Kevin Bacon, Dominic DeCarlo '21
Analytics - Corey Perich

Freshman Head Coach
Sal Incardona
 

 

TIGERS IN THE SHOW

13 JESUIT ALUMNI HAVE PLAYED MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Sam Dyson ’06 made 376 major league appearances with the Blue Jays, Marlins, Rangers, Giants, and Twins from 2012-19, earning 59 saves with a 3.40 ERA, the best ERA of any Jesuit alumnus in MLB.

Joe Hudson ’09 became the 13th Jesuit High School alumnus to play major league baseball in 2018, as a catcher with the Los Angeles Angels. Hudson became the 5th Jesuit Tiger active in MLB during the 2018 season, along with Dyson, McCullers, Quackenbush, and Robinson. 

Al Lopez ’27 is the only Jesuit alumnus in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, inducted in 1977 as the first Tampa native in the Hall. Lopez played 19 big league seasons with four teams from 1928-47 and held the MLB record for most games as a catcher, 1,918. He managed the Indians and White Sox for 17 seasons, winning the pennant in both Cleveland and Chicago and finishing second 10 times.

Dave Magadan ’80 played 16 major league seasons with seven teams, including the first seven with the New York Mets, from 1986-2001, playing in the playoffs in 1988 with the Mets. Magadan, who played 3rd and 1st base, has the highest on-base percentage (.390) and OPS (.767) of all Jesuit alums to play MLB.

Sam Marsonek ’96 played in one major league game, with the New York Yankees in 2004, allowing two hits and no runs in 1 1/3 innings vs. the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on July 11, the day after his 26th birthday, finishing off a 10-3 New York victory in Yankee Stadium.

Lance McCullers ’12 through the 2023 season, which he missed due to injury, McCullers has a career record of 49-32 from 2015-22 with the Astros. His best season was 2021, when he was 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA and finished 7th in Cy Young Award voting. McCullers was instrumental in helping pitch the Astros to the World Series championship in 2017.

Jason Michaels ’94 played 11 major league seasons with four teams – the first five with the Philadelphia Phillies – from 2001-11. Primarily a leftfielder, Michaels appeared in the 2007 postseason with the Cleveland Indians. He ranks second among Jesuit alumni in MLB on-base percentage (.335), slugging percentage (.407), and OPS (.742).

Lou Piniella ’61 played 18 MLB seasons, including 11 with the New York Yankees. He ranks first among Jesuit alums in MLB home runs (102), doubles (305), RBI (766), and average (.291), with a .305 postseason average. Piniella had a stellar 23-year managerial career that includes a World Series title with Cincinnati in 1990 and a historic 116-win season with Seattle in 2001.

Kevin Quackenbush ’07 made 204 career MLB pitching appearances (all out of the bullpen) with a 4.41 ERA from 2014-21 for the Padres, Reds, and Dodgers. Quackenbush's best seasons came with San Diego from 2014-16 when he went 13-12 in 173 relief appearances with a 3.50 ERA.

Brad Radke ’91 pitched for 12 big league seasons, all with the Minnesota Twins, and is a member of the Twins’ Hall of Fame. A model of consistency, Radke won 11 or more games 10 times, pitched 200+ innings 9 times, and was a 20-game winner in 1997. He holds most of the pitching records for Jesuit alumni in MLB.

Shane Robinson ’03 played 25 games in the outfield in 2018 for the New York Yankees, his final big league season. Robinson played for four teams over nine years, making the postseason in 2012 and 2013 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He homered in the 2013 National League Championship Series. 

Ken Suarez ’61 played seven seasons in the big leagues, primarily as a catcher, with the Kansas City Athletics (2), Cleveland Indians (3), and Texas Rangers (2) from 1966-73. His best season was his last, when he played in 93 games and had 11 doubles among his 69 hits in 278 at bats. For his career he played in 295 games.

Marc Valdes ’90 pitched from 1995-2001 with the Florida Marlins, Montreal Expos, Houston Astros, and Atlanta Braves. He joined the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999-2000 but did not make an MLB appearance. Made 144 career MLB appearances, including 22 starts, and his best season was 1997 with Montreal, 4-4 with a 3.13 ERA.

Jesuit baseball in the Final Four

24 State Tournament appearances through the 2024 season

7 State Championships, 6 State Runners-Up

Year - Class - Record - Coach
1958 (2A) –  0-1  –  Jack O’Connell
1959 (2A) –  0-1  –  Jack O’Connell
1977 (3A) –  0-1  –  Sonny Hester
1992 (3A) –  1-1  –  John Crumbley  –  State runner-up
1993 (3A) –  0-1  –  John Crumbley
1994 (4A) –  2-0  –  John Crumbley  –  State Champions (1st title )
1995 (5A) –  1-1  –  John Crumbley  –  State runner-up
1996 (4A) –  0-1  –  John Crumbley
1997 (4A) –  2-0  –  John Crumbley  –  State Champions (2)
2000 (4A) –  2-0  –  John Crumbley  –  State Champions (3)
2003 (3A) –  0-1  –  John Crumbley
2004 (3A) –  0-1  –  John Crumbley
2005 (3A) –  0-1  –  John Crumbley
2006 (4A) –  0-1  –  John Crumbley
2010 (4A) –  1-1  –  Richie Warren  –  State runner-up
2011 (4A) –  1-1  –  Richie Warren  –  State runner-up
2011 (5A) –  0-1  –  Richie Warren
2013 (5A) –  0-1  –  Richie Warren
2014 (5A) –  2-0  –  Richie Warren  –  State Champions (4)
2017 (6A) –  1-1  –  Miguel Menendez  –  State runner-up
2019 (6A) –  2-0  –  Miguel Menendez  –  State Champions (5)
2022 (5A) –  2-0  –  Miguel Menendez  –  State Champions (6)
2023 (5A) –  1-1  –  Miguel Menendez  –  State runner-up
2024 (5A) –  2-0  –  Miguel Menendez  –  State Champions (7)

SALADINO AWARD

Hillsborough County outstanding high school senior baseball player
Awarded since 1971 - Jesuit recipients

2024 – Noah Sheffield
2012 – Lance McCullers
1999 – Ryan Gloger
1993 – Troy Carrasco
1992 – Troy Kent
1980 – Dave Magadan