Columbus' Rios, Mater's Rosario, Doral's Milano are Dade 7A-5A Baseball Players of the Year
Columbus' Mathew Rios, Mater Academy's Alfrin Rosario and Doral Academy's Gabriel Milano - all seniors - all shared a common trait during their respective high school careers.
Each often found a way to deliver when their teams needed them most.
For their accomplishments this season, the three earn the Miami Herald's Miami-Dade Baseball Player of the Year honors.
Rios and Rosario share the honors of being the Dade Co-Pitchers of the Year for Classes 7A-5A.
And thanks to a prolific bat and strong defense, Milano is the Dade 7A-5A Player of the Year.
Rios, a South Alabama commit, was the clutch ace at the top of Columbus' rotation once again this season.
An already deep pitching staff, Rios went 8-3 and struck out 70 in 66 innings pitched while maintaining a 1.27 ERA. For two seasons, Rios pitched in the biggest of games for the Explorers and led them back to the Class 7A regional semifinals after another 20-plus win season.
Unfortunately for Columbus, its bid to reach the state final four fell short for the second year in a row in that round thanks to West Broward.
'I'm very happy with the way the season went even though I wish we could have made it to Fort Myers,' Rios said. 'Hopefully in college, I'll have the same success I had in high school. I'm eager to compete and prove to everyone what I can do.'
Rosario filled a similar role for Mater Academy both on the mound and at the plate this season, leading the Lions to their first state championship since 2014 and second ever.
He compiled a 1.51 ERA and struck out 71 batters in 60 ⅓ innings while hitting .380 with five doubles and 15 RBI.
Rosario, who will play at Western Oklahoma this fall, closed out the final inning of Mater Academy's state title-clinching victory against Fort Myers and gave up only one run in 6 ⅓ innings while striking out seven in a state semifinal win against Wesley Chapel.
'It was a dream (winning a state title),' Rosario said. 'I hadn't won one, but it was worth it finally happening my senior year to wrap it all up.'
Milano won't have to go too far to play his college ball as he has signed with the University of Miami.
Milano showed what a versatile infielder he could be with great defensive skill and a prolific bat. Milano had a career season at the plate, hitting .520 with 11 home runs, 13 doubles and 42 RBI to lead the Firebirds to the Class 6A regional finals before losing to eventual state champions Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas in the decisive game of a best-of-3 series.
'It was a rough ending, but I'm proud of the boys and everything we were able to accomplish,' Milano said. 'The program at Doral is special and top notch and I learned so much from my coaches there.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
If Club World Cup attendances are an issue, FIFA will bear much of the responsibility
Last summer, as FIFA attempted to set the wheels in motion for the revamped 32-team Club World Cup in the United States, disagreement surfaced within the organization. According to multiple sources familiar with the discussions, all of whom wished to remain anonymous to protect their working relationships, FIFA staff based in Miami wanted the tournament to lean more heavily on smaller MLS stadiums, particularly for games that may involve teams who are unfamiliar to the U.S. market. Their thesis was that hot-ticket events could boost revenues, while FIFA would also avoid empty seats in the first edition of a remodelled tournament. Advertisement Yet the message from senior officials in FIFA's European office, led by the organization's president Gianni Infantino, was clear. They wanted this tournament to be the biggest and the best. Infantino has described it as 'a big bang' and the 'most coveted' competition in world club football. In the White House, standing next to the sitting President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, Infantino described the Club World Cup as the 'best players from the best teams' and he said 'millions of people will be coming'. He even ensured his own name was inscribed — in more than one place — on a trophy designed by Tiffany & Co; the brand was recommended by Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Infantino told confidantes he wanted the prize money to be the biggest for any tournament in club football. He fell narrowly short — the winner of the Club World Cup, according to figures published by FIFA, may earn up to $125m (£93.5m), which is less than the $154m Real Madrid earned by winning the Champions League in 2024. His ambition was reflected with the choice of stadiums, as eight of the 12 venues have capacities in excess of 65,000 and only 12 of the 64 games will be played in MLS venues — in Nashville, Cincinnati, Orlando and Washington, D.C. This leaves modest fixtures in huge stadiums; Brazilian team Fluminense against South African side Mamelodi Sundowns in Hard Rock Stadium (65,000 capacity); Fluminense and Korea's Ulsan HD at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (82,500 capacity); and Brazilian side Flamengo against the Tunisian team Esperance de Tunis at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field (69,000 capacity). As of last week, the Sundowns' match against Fluminense had sold less than 10,000 tickets, and even games involving Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain in Pasadena and Seattle are likely to fall way short of selling out. Advertisement At this point, we should remember tournaments do not always sell out, even in football markets often considered more mature. Amid the nostalgic folklore of the European Championship held in England in 1996, which is often framed as the summer when 'football came home,' attendances were actually rather modest. Spain's opening match against Bulgaria attracted 26,000 at Leeds United's Elland Road. Five group-stage games had crowds of less than 20,000. There were tens of thousands of empty seats at Manchester United's Old Trafford for the semi-final between the Czech Republic and France. There were plenty of reasons for this; ticket prices were considered high, while the average British football fan may have been less curious about foreign teams in the 1990s than they are today, and an IRA bomb early in the tournament in Manchester city centre also may have dissuaded people away from public spaces — although some of the early group games with low attendances preceded the attack. A quick search of 'empty seats' on Google also reveals discussions on the topic during the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, Brazil in 2014 and Japan and South Korea in 2002, although this was more due to no-shows and ticketing issues than a lack of demand. The sight of empty seats for the Club World Cup will lead to plenty of scorn, and probably plenty of memes. There are worries among some figures involved with host-city planning for next year's World Cup in the U.S. that empty seats at the Club World Cup will undermine the story they seek to tell of soccer being on the brink of exploding across the country. Some worry that it may impact their pitches to potential sponsors of fan festivals around the World Cup. In short, there is a danger the Club World Cup will be seen as the latest referendum on America's appetite for the sport, but such conclusions should come with caution, and there are plenty of reasons why American fans may be sceptical of spending big on these games. Any post-mortem should focus more heavily on the supply (FIFA) rather than the demand (soccer fans in the U.S.). Many factors combined to create a tournament that has been struggling for positive publicity outside of the quotes largely published as press releases by either competing clubs or FIFA. Firstly, FIFA set expectations and prices for the competition at a level that were wildly out of kilter for the product. FIFA's tournament slogan of 'the best against the best' is immediately undermined by the fact the current champions of England, Spain and Italy are not involved, owing to the qualification format FIFA laid out. Advertisement FIFA's chances of maximizing success were also hindered by arriving late into the planning and organization of the tournament. This is not something the U.S. bid for — they were simply told Infantino was bringing the competition to their country. This is why FIFA was left with so little leverage when securing venues for the tournament, paying high rental fees that nearly guarantee stadiums will receive healthy profits regardless of ticket sales. FIFA says venues were offered incentives via commissions on further ticket sales if they connected the stadium's 'legacy fans' with tickets. Yet FIFA did not have venues secured until last autumn, while sponsors also arrived late in the day — at lower rates than the governing body first imagined when conceptualizing the tournament. A broadcaster, DAZN, was announced as a $1billion partner in December. This was before the streaming platform received around the same amount in funding from Saudi Arabia, but this fell billions short of Infantino's original hopes for the competition's TV deal. In the weeks before striking the DAZN deal, which also secured the participation and prize money for competing teams, several European clubs were privately considering walking away from the competition. As for the appetite of the U.S. public, FIFA presumed it was onto a winner in a country where tickets for major sports events sell and resell into many hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars. The problem this time, however, is few people across the world appeared to fully understand the event, which has also been the subject of criticism and lawsuits from bodies such as the Premier League, La Liga and world players' union FIFPro, who have expressed concerns about a cluttered football calendar or players being overworked. FIFA set expensive ticket prices for teams who are, to put it mildly, new to the U.S. market. Some games are scheduled for weekday afternoons, which can be inconvenient both for those who work but also due to the summer heat. There are exceptions, notably games involving Argentina's Boca Juniors in Miami, or Real Madrid anywhere at all, while a match between PSG and Atletico Madrid in the group stage at the Rose Bowl is selling better since the French team won the Champions League, but will still fall short of a sell-out. Infantino's claims about millions of visitors also appear highly unlikely, while some domestic fans have been concerned by reports of government immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) agents being present at games amid the Trump administration's rhetoric on immigration. ICE told NBC that 'all non-American citizens need to carry proof of their legal status.' The Athletic has reported how, as of two weeks before the tournament, tens of thousands of seats remained unsold at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens to host Lionel Messi's Inter Miami against Egyptian team Al-Ahly. FIFA has offered students of Miami Dade College (which has over 100,000 enrolled) the opportunity to buy tickets for $20, with up to four complimentary tickets. This means some fans will be watching Messi for as little as $4, which is a far cry from the cheapest seats being cast at $349 when the draw was made in December. Elsewhere, FIFA has been quietly sending partial refunds to some supporters who bought tickets at higher prices through their club team allocations when they first became available, while other games are also braced for either low attendances or late giveaways to avoid vast sections of empty seats. To fill the stadiums, the dynamically priced market may work in favor of consumers, driving prices down where supply is low. There has been a substantial increase in ticket sales over the past fortnight, and there is also hope that once the tournament starts — and established European teams with large followings advance to the final rounds — both interest and demand will follow. By the end, this first edition may even start to look like a roaring success after a false start. Speaking this week, Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey said his 'guess' was that MetLife Stadium would have between 40,000 and 50,000 for their first game this weekend between Portuguese side Porto and Brazilian team Palmeiras. While this would leave at least 30,000 empty seats, it would also, in most settings, be a pretty impressive attendance for a game between two teams who are not hugely familiar to an American audience in an unproven tournament. It is hard to imagine, for example, the attendance being any higher if the same game were played in England. Advertisement In FIFA HQ, there have been strategic mistakes. FIFA presumed a home market would turn out for Inter Miami, but locals did not want to stump up significantly more than they usually do to watch Messi regularly in MLS. It would have been smarter to take Messi on tour, hitting different markets where he appears less regularly. The late inclusion of MLS side LAFC — owing to the expulsion of Mexican team Leon — meant games involving LAFC could not be played in Los Angeles, where the team is well-supported in their local market, as the calendar was already set. FIFA is also operating in a market that is saturated. Other soccer is available this summer in the U.S., notably the Gold Cup, which will include the U.S. men's national team and a full-strength Mexico. FIFA also managed to irritate Concacaf, which hoped to have the southern portion of the west coast largely to themselves for the Gold Cup, only for FIFA to then strike a deal to play games at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. The Premier League will also bring Manchester United to New Jersey, Atlanta and Chicago this summer as part of its Summer Series, while many fans may be saving up for FIFA's own World Cup next summer, particularly since The Athletic recently revealed the tournament will also be dynamically priced. Some humility, therefore, may have been in order this summer for FIFA, which had an opportunity to develop goodwill and excitement ahead of the World Cup. FIFA, which projects $13bn of revenue during the cycle leading through next year's tournament, might have used this as a chance to recognize the sport is still emerging and offer a wider selection of truly affordable tickets from the outset. Those same supporters who benefited this summer may then have been inspired to either save up for next summer or spend money around fan festivals at the World Cup. Instead, the tickets only became affordable when the organization's president was at risk of being embarrassed by attendances. FIFA's attempts to capture the imagination of the U.S. market have been increasingly frantic. Infantino has been touring the U.S., but some clubs wonder whether the divisive FIFA president is the best salesman for the tournament. As part of his recent attempts to charm a younger audience, he visited the influencer iShowSpeed in late May, when he claimed Cristiano Ronaldo was talking to participating clubs about a transfer that would enable him to compete in the tournament. No move materialized, and Ronaldo's representatives were irritated by Infantino's comments. A spokesperson representing the influencer told The Athletic no payment was offered or received in either direction for Infantino to appear on Speed's stream. FIFA has engaged numerous American influencers to promote the tournament, an apparent attempt at connecting with the most casual of soccer fans. They have hired Shayne Boyle, who appears to be most famous for catching items in his mouth on an Instagram account called insaneshayne1 followed by 2.9 million people, as well as food content creator meals_by_cug, the innovation creator unnecessaryinventions and the baseball video creator Kait Maniscalco (askkait). The coming weeks will tell us whether FIFA's strategy has paid dividends.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Ranking Kevin Durant trade destinations among 5 ‘most interested' teams
The post Ranking Kevin Durant trade destinations among 5 'most interested' teams appeared first on ClutchPoints. It seems like just a matter of time until Kevin Durant is traded from the Phoenix Suns. A deal has been inevitable ever since the Suns shopped the all-time great small forward ahead of the 2025 NBA trade deadline, and a move will likely occur quickly into the offseason now that the Suns are working with Rich Kleiman – Durant's business partner – to discuss trade scenarios. Advertisement Some wild-card teams have reached out about Durant, but five teams are viewed as the most likely landing spots for the future Hall of Famer. According to Shams Charania, those teams are the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New York Knicks. So, which of those teams would be the best fit for Durant? 5. Kevin Durant to the Miami Heat Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images A vacancy of star power opened up in Miami when the Heat traded Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors. Coincidentally, the Warriors are the team that Durant was nearly traded to during the regular season. The Heat could fill the void left by Butler's trade request by adding another disgruntled superstar. Advertisement The Slim Reaper would form a big three with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Andrew Wiggins, Duncan Robinson, and Jaime Jaquez would be trade candidates that the Heat could use to make the money work. While the former two of those players are on unideal contracts that Miami wouldn't mind getting rid of, the Heat's depth would be far from inspiring after this trade, which makes Miami the worst fit of the teams interested in Durant. Fans already saw how much the Suns struggled with a talented big three that didn't have the depth to support them, and similar problems could emerge for a Durant-led Heat team. Additionally, the Heat were only the eighth seed last year, so it isn't a guarantee that they'd become contenders with Durant on the roster. Durant wants to compete for another championship before he retires, and Miami is the least likely place where he could win a third ring among the teams on this list. 4. Minnesota Timberwolves add the Slim Reaper It is well known that Minnesota Timberwolves' star Anthony Edwards takes things up a notch when matched up against Durant. That fierce competitiveness comes from a place of admiration, though. Edwards grew up watching Durant, and now his team has an interest in trading for the star. Advertisement A Durant-Edwards duo would be perhaps the best in the NBA, even having a case as being more unstoppable than LeBron James and Luka Doncic with the Los Angeles Lakers. Durant is a career 27.2 points-per-game scorer who has led the league in scoring four times. The former MVP is 36 years old, but he hasn't really shown any signs of slowing down as a scorer. In fact, his game is built to last. Durant is pushing 7-feet tall, so he can score over the top of defenders with efficiency from all three levels of the court. Likewise, Edwards is also one of the best bucket-getters in the NBA. Edwards averaged 27.6 points per game this past season. While he is most known for explosive dunks at the rim, he actually led the NBA with 320 made 3-pointers this year. Durant pairing with Edwards would be fun, but the Timberwolves might be the least likely team to trade for the Texas product because they don't have the draft capital at their disposal that the other interested teams have. Additionally, Durant will make over $54 million next season, and he'd be eligible for a two-year extension worth up to $112 million after that. Durant is pricey, and the Timberwolves are already at risk of losing Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker in free agency. A Durant deal with the Timberwolves could see Donte DiVincenzo, Rob Dillingham, and Julius Randle traded to Phoenix, the latter of which would need to opt-in to his contract or be used in a sign-and-trade in order for this deal to work. On top of losing all of that talent directly in a Durant trade, retaining the team's free agents wouldn't be easy with his money on the books, either. Minnesota has made the conference finals in back-to-back seasons, and adding a veteran with championship experience like Durant seems like the type of move that could get the team to the next level. However, Minnesota's roster might look a whole lot different if they were to acquire Durant. 3. San Antonio Spurs trade for Kevin Durant The San Antonio Spurs finished as just the 13th seed in the Western Conference, but they will be ready to compete sooner rather than later. They also are in a position to make a big move in the trade market this offseason, which is why they've been linked to Durant. The Spurs have tons of future draft picks and a number of intriguing youngsters who could be traded. Advertisement The Spurs could offer Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes, Blake Wesley, Malaki Branham, and draft picks to the Suns. That deal would allow them to retain Victor Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and Stephon Castle. Wembanyama is already one of the best players in the NBA, and he has legitimate all-time legend potential. Fans saw very little of his pairing with Fox before both players were shut down for the season, but the expectation is the speedster will thrive with the unicorn. Castle is coming off a Rookie of the Year season, Vassell is a complimentary scorer, and Sochan does the dirty work. The Spurs would be stacked with Durant. It is unclear if the Spurs would trade the number two overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft for Durant, but they at least have that option. If they are able to hold onto the pick, then they would add yet another talented player to their core. The only reason the Spurs don't rank higher among Durant fits is because their championship window extends well over a decade from now, so they don't necessarily need to go all in right away. Durant is getting older and doesn't necessarily fit San Antonio's contention window. Even so, if Durant continues to play at a high level and would be willing to re-sign with the team, he'd be a great fit with the Spurs. 2. New York Knicks make a blockbuster move Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images With Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum expected to miss all of next season and Giannis Antetokounmpo potentially being traded to a Western Conference team, the Eastern Conference is wide open. The New York Knicks were right there this season, and a Durant trade could get them over the hump. Advertisement Karl-Anthony Towns has recently been included in trade rumors, but the Knicks would be smart to hold onto him and instead move OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson. Durant is made for the bright lights, so he'd thrive in a big market like New York. Alongside Towns and Jalen Brunson, the Knicks, with Durant on the roster, would have everything they'd need on offense. Even after losing Anunoby and Robinson, they'd still have plenty of defensive weapons. Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart are elite defenders. Of course, fans have criticized the Knicks and Tom Thibodeau for a lack of depth in New York, but their starting five might be nasty enough that it wouldn't matter if Durant was brought into the fold. 1. Kevin Durant's best fit is the Houston Rockets Like the Spurs, the Rockets have a surplus of tradable assets. The difference is that they are more ready to go all in right now. Houston earned the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference this year, but they were bounced in the first round. Reasons for their postseason struggles include a lack of experience and not enough shot-making from deep. Durant offers both of those at an elite level. Advertisement The 15-time All-Star could get the Rockets over the top. The team has athletic specimens in Amen Thompson and Jalen Green, as well as defensive pests in Dillon Brooks and Tari Eason. They also have an All-Star center in Alperen Sengun and young up-and-comers in Reed Sheppard and Jabari Smith Jr. The Rockets could keep all of those players if they were to ship out Fred VanVleet, Cam Whitmore, Aaron Holiday, and a number of draft picks. Durant would be the missing piece that can score 25-plus points every night and hit the tough shots when the clock is running down. Nobody is in a better position to go all in than the Rockets are, and they already have a great roster makeup. Because of that, they are both the most likely team to trade for Durant and the team that would provide the best on-court fit for him. Related: NBA rumors: VJ Edgecombe's 2025 draft floor emerges Related: Adam Silver's surprised admission on Michael Jordan joining NBA on NBC
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
3-Time NBA Champion Shares Ideal Landing Spot for Kevin Durant Amid Trade Speculation
3-Time NBA Champion Shares Ideal Landing Spot for Kevin Durant Amid Trade Speculation originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Kevin Durant's regular season with the Phoenix Suns in 2024-25 was marked by outstanding individual play but collective frustration. Advertisement Over 62 starts, the 36-year-old averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game on 52.7 percent shooting. Yet Phoenix limped to a 36-46 record, missed the playoffs for the first time since 2020 and finished with a minus-3.1 net rating, ranking 23rd in the NBA. With two more years left of Bradley Beal's five-year, $251 million contract limiting Phoenix's offseason financially, Durant's future in Phoenix is in serious doubt. Kevin Durant could be on the move this offseason after two-plus seasons with the Phoenix Johnson-Imagn Images As trade rumors swirled — with ESPN's Shams Charania naming the Miami Heat, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves as frontrunners — Heat legend Udonis Haslem made his preference clear. Advertisement 'The situation in Miami will work, but at the end of the day, Kevin Durant has put himself in a situation and he's earned the right to pick and choose where he wants to go," Haslem said. Haslem, now a senior adviser in Miami, highlighted the franchise's stability and winning culture. He stressed that bringing Durant into South Beach means more than adding scoring — it's about leadership and a proven track record. 'If he happens to come into the Miami Heat locker room, he comes into a situation where you have a Hall of Fame coach already,' Haslem added. That coach is Erik Spoelstra, who boasts a 787-572 regular-season record, six Finals appearances and back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 over a 17-year head-coaching tenure. Advertisement Beyond coaching, Miami's roster features All-Star shooting guard Tyler Herro — who averaged 23.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists on 47.2% shooting (37.5% from three) over 77 games in 2024-25 — and two-way center Bam Adebayo, who posted 18.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per contest across 78 outings. The Heat also control Golden State's 2025 first-round pick, which is No. 20, giving them a valuable asset to sweeten any potential trade package. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
