South Florida Sun Sentinel from Fort Lauderdale, Florida • 227

COLLEGES 9 fcf ft' fee )vr JUSTIN TIME TO START: Justin Martin is in his second year with FAU. He got a jump-start as catcher for the Owls last season when he started 26 games, filling in for the injured starter. St, (Mr he Ik. Catch all Alternating at catcher is only one thing FAU sophomores Alex Silversmith and Justin Martin have in common. i LOCAL CONNECTION if 'I (4 BYTEDHUTTON STAFF WRITER Justin Martin and Alex Silversmith fit the prof ile of a Florida Atlantic baseball player.

Both are sophomores, and FAU had a young team this season. Both are local, Martin from Palm Beach Gardens and Silversmith from Coral Springs, fc Ik. Martin, who was hitting .354 through FAU's first 49 games. Silversmith is just happy to be at FAU. "There are more fans, and a bigger atmosphere with more pressure," said Silversmith, who was; hitting .297 through mid-May.

i "I always wanted to come here. I think I knew more than half the guys on the team already." Silversmith is one of five players from Coral Springs on the roster, along with Mark Culp, Robbie Widlansky, Ryan Sneir and Daniel Martin also had plenty of i friends on the team, as Derek Hutton, Mike McBryde and Mike Salivar all played at Palm Beach Gardens. "This is the school I always wanted to go to. I talked to coaches at Stetson and UCF, and that's what I told them. It ended up working out good." Martin said.

Last year FAU won the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament for the first time and went to an NCAA regional. The Owls (33-20, 19-1 1 in the A-Sun) swept Georgia State University 7-3, 6-4 last weekend to secure a No. 2 seed at the Atlantic Sun Tournament which started Wednesday in Deland. r.v E- D' w- ft FAU does not have to travel far to recruit, with the bulk of the roster comprised of players from Broward and Palm Beach counties. PLAYER, HIGH SCHOOL Mike McBryde, Palm Beach Gardens Tyler Stevens, Palm Beach Lakes Mark Culp, Coral Springs Mickey Storey, Deerfield Beach David Hayes, American Heritage Derek Hutton, Palm Beach Gardens Justin Martin, Palm Beach Gardens Robbie Widlansky, Taravella Alex Silversmith, Taravella Jason Doherty, Lake Worth Jordan Hafer, Deerfield Beach Tim Mascia, Wellington Mike McKenna, St.

Joseph by the Sea Allen Knight, Boca Raton Chris Eberhart, Santaluces Ryan Sneir, Coral Springs Daniel Terpak, Taravella Will Mann, Palm Beach Lakes Mike Salivar, Palm Beach Gardens Matt Dunn, Wellington While both players would like to be the sole starter, Cooney said they are dealing with the platooning situation well. "Yeah, I want to start every game, but that's just not how it works. When I don't start, I root for Silversmith to get the job done, and when I get the opportunity, I seize it and do the best I can," said and FAU roster has 20 players from Palm Beach and Broward counties. Martin and Silversmith also play the same position, the duo has been alternating at catcher this season for the Owls. "You're almost flipping a coin as to who will be playing," FAU coach Kevin Cooney said.

"They are equal in a lot of ways." Martin is in his second year with FAU, and got a jump-start last season when he started 26 games, filling in for the injured starter. Martin ended the season hitting .299 with 18 RBI. He earned Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Week after hitting .714 with six RBI in a three-game series against rival Central Florida. As a senior at Gardens, Martin hit .463 with a .523 on-base percentage. Silversmith, who played at Taravella High, was at Manatee Community College last year, transferred to FAU, and has worked his way into the lineup.

MITT BUSTER: Alex Silversmith of Coral Springs played atTaravella High, was at Manatee Community College last year, transferred to FAU, and has worked his way into the lineup. Staff photosJohn White Ted Hutton can be reached at HIGH SCHOOLS New Hallandale coach vows change i (fa 1 i I 1 .1 I i "I i i gram to win," Williams said. "Now, we need to work hard and point toward a positive future." Williams steps in for veteran coach Bob Wood who has left his alma mater to take over the defensive coordinator position at Fort Lauderdale. With a number of key athletes moving on, this is a young and inexperienced program that Williams and the Chargers are building. Rising junior Kevin Bryant recently made national headlines when his appearance at the Miami Nike Camp showcased the 6-foot-6, 355-pound lineman, who ran well and displayed skills that garnered attention for the future.

"It's early to tell about a player like Bryant," said Charles Fishbein of Scout.com. "But he really has a bright future if he continues to progress and stays healthy." Other players expected to help the Chargers build are rising seniors Gardy Gisme, Juan Garc-es, Lome Emmanuel, Patrick Joseph, Clifton Robinson, Claudy Charles, Nick Dorwin, Justin Edwards, Omar Phillips and Roy Fulford. Other rising juniors include Leki Scott, Mike Hibbert, Kerlon Williams and Juan Gurumendy. COOPER CITY: Kerry Kelly's 21-6 Softball team will return 14 players from this year's district championship squad. While losing is never fun, the nine-inning setback (2-1) against Melbourne Eau Gallie in the state 5A semifinal in Tampa, only illustrated that this talented program will be back.

Senior Michelle Moses was a tremendous boost down the stretch. So was Alyssa Struzenberg and Jackie Cargill. EVERGLADES: You have to give the Gators all the credit in the world for making it to the 6A final four in just their second season. Coach Laura Purser-Rose took over the team this season and finished 19-7. Lauren Schmalz, Alyssa Alonso and Lindsay Selmer did what they could, but came up against a tremendous Palm Beach Gardens squad in the first round, losing 3-1 HOLLYWOOD CHRISTIAN: When the Softball season began, coach Mark Montimurro realized that with such a young team, his Eagles would have their work cut out if they were to get to the state final four to defend their title.

While they HIGH SCHOOLS CONTINUES ON 11 I By Larry Blustein SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Antonio Williams officially took over Hallan-dale's football program last week when the Chargers lost to Ely 42-12 in Pompano Beach. While there's little time to reflect on the first game, Williams, who had been the coach at his alma mater South Broward for three seasons, told his players and coaches at Hallandale that things would be different. With a new on-campus stadium ready to be constructed and more players coming into the program, Williams knows that it will take time to get things going. Competing in a district with Miami-Dade powerhouses Jackson, Edison and Booker T. Washington as well as Fort Lauderdale and emerging Broward program Nova, building will come slowly.

"I think we have the talent around this pro- SPRING FLING: Hallandale High quarterback Gardy Gisme gets ready to fire a pass under the strong rush of Els Douglas Westbrook in a spring game. PhotoGary Curreri.