2 days ago
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.'
