Riverview High baseball can take area scene to even greater heights

When people talk baseball powerhouses in Sarasota, they talk Sarasota High.

Rightfully so, by the way. Everyone knows coach Clyde Metcalf's accomplishments, but in case you forgot: He's led the Sailors to six state titles and two national titles. Those accomplishments sometimes overshadow the history of the sport at Riverview High, but that school deserves to be remembered, too. Under Larry Altier, the Rams won two state titles, in 1983 and 1992. They also reached the regional finals in 1996, no small feat.  

New Rams coach Jeremy Schmidt wants to replicate the success of those Rams teams and make Riverview the new Sarasota. If anyone knows how to do that, it's Schmidt. He played for Metcalf at Sarasota, graduating in 1999, and his assistants, brother Jason Schmidt and Jeff Gierhart, played for the Sailors as well. Back then, the Rams were rivals, and even years removed from their high school playing days, old habits die hard.

“It's a little weird wearing maroon,” Jeremy Schmidt said, his fingers lifting his

 Rams T-shirt away from his chest. “But once you put it on, your competitiveness comes out.”

He'll get over the color scheme soon. His focus is on the 2018 season, and he's pumped to be at a school like Riverview, where finding players will never be a problem. Schmidt was previously the coach at Booker High from 2012-2016 and the pitching coach at Lakewood Ranch High last season. That move was due to Schmidt wanting a break from the grind of head coaching. When the Riverview job opened, though, Schmidt felt compelled to apply.

It’s not just the history of the program, but the opportunities it provides. Riverview has an enrollment of approximately 2,500 students. Booker has about 1,000. When Schmidt coached there, he took a program that was 4-20 and helped them to the regional final four years later — with just 11 varsity players. He found success despite limited depth and strategy.

“Here, we can use pinch hitters, defensive replacement players, pinch runners,” Schmidt said. “The sky is the limit.”

Seniors Kevin Szafran, committed to Saint Leo University, and Stephen Wilmer, committed to East Carolina University, said the vibe is different at practice this year after going 10-14 last season. When I attended a session on Feb. 20, it was almost serene. Coaches hardly spoke while throwing batting practice, only occasionally yelling to the outfield for someone to collect balls. Otherwise, the sounds heard consisted of players joking quietly while waiting for the cage, birds chirping in the background and the sweet ping of ball-on-bat. You can only tell so much from BP, but the Rams’ hitters displayed some pop.

As a fan of the game, I hope it works out for Schmidt and Riverview for the same reasons I want all local programs to do well: I like watching good games. I also like this area being a nationally known baseball proving ground. There are 40 players from Sarasota County playing college baseball, and even more in the professional ranks. Twenty-four of those 40 are from Sarasota (15), Cardinal Mooney High (6) and Riverview (3). That is an insanely high percentage, one that speaks to both the natural talent of the area and the coaching that talent is getting. Competition may cause both numbers to spike even higher.

The Sailors have been the best of the best for decades. If Schmidt and Riverview can come close to matching what Metcalf and Co. have done, that rivalry will continue to crackle for years to come, and the area’s baseball scene will be all the better for it.