Bishop Verot onto first state semifinals in nearly a decade

A trip to the FHSAA State Semifinals has been a long time coming for Bishop Verot baseball.

The last time the Vikings made it this far was nearly a decade ago.

“We’ve been working all year for it,” senior third baseman Jason Bello said. “It’s just something we’ve always talked about in the locker room, but now it’s happening and it’s a huge deal for all of us.”

“Nobody believed in us, but it was kind of just always like we were the underdog coming through the preseason and we just kept winning and kept winning, just staying on that and just believing in ourselves,” senior shortstop Maddix Simpson said.

With a trip to the state championship on the line, Simpson still believes in this team.

“I’m pretty confident in us so far,” Simpson said. “I don’t have many doubts. I believe that as long as we just keep playing how we are and stay within ourselves. We’re going to be fine.”

Having the state tournament in your hometown certainly helps with confidence.

Bishop Verot is sending about 400 students by bus to the game at Hammond Stadium.

The packed house is exciting, but Bello is encouraging his teammates to treat this one like any other game.

“Don’t let the environment takeover,” Bello said. “We’re going to have a lot of people there. The whole school will probably end up being there.”

Head Coach Casey Scott told WINK News these players were disciplined enough to come this far and they’re disciplined enough to handle the pressure.

“It’s a very mature group for having so many young guys,” Scott said. “They know the expectations. They know what we want. Our nerves don’t have to get too high because they’re ready to go.”

The Vikings face North Broward Prep in the state semifinals on Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. in Hammond Stadium.

Bishop Verot has outscored its opponents 44-1 in the postseason.