By STEVE JACKSON
East Bay High was eliminated from the Florida State Championship Playoffs last Saturday, 15-14, by Manatee High of Bradenton.
For the Indians it was their second loss in a row in the best 2 of 3 Region 3 series. East Bay bashed Manatee 9-4 to win the opening game last Wednesday. The Hurricanes bounced back to shutout East Bay 3-0 in the second game at Big Bend Road on Thursday. The nail-biting, heartbreaking defeat to Manatee spelled the end of a 15-13 2025 season for EB and Coach Rowland Ruiz Sr. The Indians actually claimed the 5A District 9 title in the playoffs, after starting the season with four straight loses. EB was the sole survivor from the South Shore 5 to make the regional playoffs. Eliminated earlier in the various high baseball district playoffs from SS5 were Sumner, 11-12; Spoto 12-14; Lennard, 10-13; and Riverview, 10-15.
Manatee, 19-11, goes on to face Braden River, 16-10, in the 5A-Region 3 State Regional Semi-final Playoffs best 2 of 3, starting April 30.
Francis Fedor Photos
East Bay sophomore Connor Gavigan had a strong season. Gavigan slammed four HRs in the 2025 season, and his 40 RBIs were good for 75th in the nation and fourth in Florida.
For EB Coach Rowland Ruiz Sr., the loss to Manatee was disappointing but his Indians finished another good season in his third year as head coach for the Indians. EB went 4-17 in Coach Ruiz’ first season, 14-8 last season, and in 2025 his team won a district title and completed a 15-13 record. “Our players fought hard and did everything I asked,” said Coach Ruiz.
“We had a rough start to the season with four straight losses, but they kept at it and made something out of the season.”
Coach Ruiz is losing eight seniors but has a number of returning starters and potentially good players coming back. Included in the returning group is his own son, Rowland Ruiz Jr., who bounced back from a broken hand earlier this season, and an upcoming-junior and star in his own right, Connor Gavigan, who has exhibited brilliance as a hitter and as a pitcher.
“I look forward to next season, “ added Coach Ruiz.
East Bay was victorious in the first game of the best 2 of 3 series versus Manatee. The Indians clobbered the Hurricanes on the EB home field, 9-4, behind two Indians seniors who have signed college baseball scholarships for next fall. EB pitcher Mike Mowell is headed to Lakeland to play for the Florida Southern University baseball team. Mowell started last week’s April 23 Region 3 game and gave up zero earned runs and struck out all six outs in his two innings. The big right-handed hurler’s companion, senior Rory Beauford, slashed 3 for 4 at the dish, scored two runs and knocked in a run for EB’s win.
Beauford is signed to play next year for University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Other contributors to the EB win were the trio of relief pitchers, junior JJ Groover, senior John Viane and junior Cameron Cook. Aiding Beauford from the plate were Indians senior Eddie Smith, 1 for 3, a run, two RBIs and a triple; junior Rowland Ruiz, 2 for 3, two runs and a double; and junior Jonathan Bryant, 1 for 2, two RBIs and a run.
Manatee exhibited its resilience the very next day, topping the Indians 3-0. The Hurricanes were led by junior hurler Cooper Richardson’s complete game shutout and his 1 for 3 hitting with two RBIs. EB could only manage four hits, two by Beauford and one each from Ruiz and Diab. A good mound performance by junior Cameron Cook was to no avail for EB.
The rubber game of the series shifted to Bradenton, where the Hurricanes took advantage of the home field hammer to bounce back three times to squeeze out the victory in 10 innings.
East Bay was crushing the ball in the first inning and opened up an eight-run lead in the top of the first. However, Manatee showed what kind of day it would be by scoring seven in its half of the opening inning. The Indians fell behind in the middle innings, 9-8, but came back with one run in the fifth inning and four runs in the sixth to take what appeared to be a commanding 13-9 lead. However, Manatee tallied four runs of its own in the bottom of the last inning, the seventh, to make it a 13-13 tie. East Bay scratched across a run in the top of the 10th inning to go ahead once more, 14-13. But the Indians could not deny the Hurricanes scrambling for a pair in the bottom of the inning to grab the Region 3 win and advance.
Indian head coach Rowland Ruiz Sr. led East Bay to a district championship and an FHSAA playoff berth. Ruiz is pictured here rallying his players before they take the field to start an inning.
Manatee faces 16-10 Braden River in the next run of the playoffs’ best 2 of 3, opening at BR, April 30 at 7 pm.
Other playoff survivors who competed against SS5 baseball teams and continue play April 30 include Bloomingdale, 24-4, vs. Lake Mineola 22-8; Newsome, 21-7, at Venice, 26-3; Plant, 22-6, vs. Wharton, 23-5; Jesuit, 21-9, vs. Countryside, 20-8; and Sickles, 22-8, vs. East Lake, 21-8.
Winners advance to the regional finals starting May 5.
The regional winners go to the 2025 Florida State Championships, starting May 14 and running through May 21 at Ft. Myers at Hammond Stadium in the Lee Health Sports Complex.