PALM BEACH COUNTY – The Dwyer baseball team’s celebration was wild with a high level of euphoria when Drew Jaloski got his game-ending strikeout in the seventh inning.
The Panthers started to get into pandemonium mode a few pitches before their Class 6A-Region 4 championship win over Doral Academy was made official. They correctly sensed that their opponent would not be able to cut into the 2-0 lead they established early in the Saturday night (May 15) game.
They ran. They exhaled. They let loose on the field.
They were just so happy to be the second team in school history to reach the FHSAA State Final Four Series.
“We’ve just been working hard as a team and bonding with each other,” Dwyer senior Cody Damon said. “We executed our bats and pitches.”
Jaloski pitched a complete game with seven full innings pitches and an eye-popping 15 strikeouts. He allowed only one hit in his masterful outing to lead the Panthers (18-9).
“We always knew he had it in him,” Damon said of Jaloski. “When a guy has a night like that, it’s pretty easy to lock down behind him and get the win. His stuff is filthy. He’s a great kid, and I’m excited to see him pitch in Fort Myers.”
Aside from Jaloski’s outstanding game, there were a few batters that stood out for Dwyer in this one.
In the bottom of the second inning, Dwyer sophomore centerfielder and Florida State commit Matt Davis connected on a hit to drive in a run for senior Raul Diaz.
This score gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead over the Firebirds (24-5-1 final record).
“We started off in the bottom of the second inning and I was up to bat,” Davis said. “I was just thinking straight fastball. First pitch was right there. I let it rip and hit it right in the gap for a double. We scored a run early on.”
And then in the bottom of the third, Dwyer junior outfielder Jack Savery (1-3, RBI) hit into a fielder’s choice, which sent junior Raul Feliz home for a 2-0 lead.
“In the next inning, we got bases loaded with one out and Jack Savery was up to bat,” Davis said. “He hit a nice ground ball in the gap and caused some trouble. It ended up being the only other run we scored in the entire game.”
This Saturday night win will go down as one of Dwyer’s landmark moments to remember, as it reached the FHSAA State Final Four for the second time in school history. The other state appearance was in 2017, when Dwyer finished with a 24-6 record and a 2-1 loss to Nease in the 7A state semifinal round at CenturyLink Sports Complex in Fort Myers.
Dwyer’s next opponent will be against Bloomingdale (22-6) in the 6A state semifinal round on Friday, May 21 at 7 p.m. in the same exact location from four years ago.
“It’s very exciting, especially when we’re working so hard every day,” Davis said. “We keep our energy up no matter what.”
Panthers head coach Alex Morales touched on his team’s efforts in the win over Doral Academy. He noted his team’s tough regular season schedule, which played a role in their rise to the 6A-Region 4 title.
“We have won a lot of ways in the postseason,” Morales said. “But this game was about one guy: Drew Jaloski. He was fantastic on the mound. He had seven shutout innings against a great Doral team that had a great record this season. The team had total confidence in him. I had total confidence in him.”
Morales noted his team’s tough regular season schedule, which played a role in them overcoming their 12-9 record with a District 13-6A title and their ultimate rise to the 6A-Region 4 title.
“I told the boys we don’t duck anybody,” Morales said. “We play everybody hard. We played the best teams in our county. We knew that the tough games we played against Park Vista, Jupiter, and Palm Beach Central would only make us tougher in the playoffs. When we were playing for those trophies, I said we were going to come together as a team and get it done. We got it done twice.”
Morales spoke on Dwyer’s appearance in the 6A State Final Four.
“We have 2,3,4 of the best pitchers around,” Morales said. “Any team that faces us will find out that our pitching is great. Our defense, which was a problem in the beginning of the year, has really tightened up. They have all gotten better. If we get timely hitting and put pressure on the other team, then we’re going to be tough to beat.”
