CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Calvary Christian High School baseball team (9-1) is ranked No. 4 nationally in the MaxPreps Top 25 poll.
In fact, three of the top four teams are from the Tampa Bay area: No. 1 IMG, and No. 2 Jesuit.
But the Warriors have arguably the best pitching staff in the country.
“Some even say we have a college level; we’d be a good college rotation,” pitcher Landon Maroudis said.
“We have the best pitching staff in the nation, in my opinion,” pitcher Hunter Dietz added. “Saying that humbly.”
Calvary Christian has a handful of pitchers who should hear their names called in the 2023 Major League Baseball draft this summer, including Liam Peterson (University of Florida commit), Dietz (University of Arkansas commit), and Maroudis (N.C. State commit).
“It’s not just us three; there are a lot of other guys that can go out a dominate whenever they want to,” Dietz said.
Each one of Calvary’s ace pitchers stands over six feet tall and sports an earned run average below 0.75. But in their own regard, each pitcher has a different, professional-level go-to strike-out pitch each time they take the mound.
“My best pitch is probably my fastball,” Dietz said. “But, I’d say my best put-out pitch is my slider.”
“I really like throwing my curveball,” Peterson said.
“I like my change-up; my change-up is one of my best pitches,” Maroudis added.
It’s not just the deep pitching staff; the diamond is cluttered with Division-I talent — which gives reason to believe the Warriors are on their way to winning the school’s third state title.
“We’re used to it around here. A lot of the teams try to beat us,” Peterson said. “We also want to end number one.”
Calvary Christian’s next game is at Cardinal Mooney on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
