Baseball teams in the state have marched through February, March and district tournaments in mid-April for a chance at a deep run into May.
A handful of Treasure Coast-area teams have earned the right at that opportunity.
The FHSAA released regional brackets on Monday afternoon for the upcoming postseason, with eight squads looking to take a step closer to the FHSAA state championships in Fort Myers. Regional quarterfinal games begin later this week, with regional finals set for the second week of May.
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The area schools that captured playoff berths include: Fort Pierce Central, Jensen Beach, Martin County, Okeechobee, St. Edward’s, Sebastian River, South Fork and Vero Beach.
Coming off their first district title in 30 years, the Pirates are the lone team of the eight that will be in action on Saturday. They are the No. 2 seed in Region 4-1A and will play host to No. 7 Jupiter Christian.
The rest of the teams will step into the batter’s box on Friday, including two that will face off against each other.
Vero Beach, the area’s top-ranked squad, looks for its second region title in the last three years. The team picked up the top seed in Region 3-7A and will face No. 8 Fort Pierce Central. The two squared off on Feb. 27, with Vero collecting a 3-0 triumph behind a two-hitter from Cody Morgan and two doubles from former Cobra Charles Singletary. Central is making its first postseason appearance since 2018.
Elsewhere, Region 4-5A is the bracket that features the most area teams as the Brahmans, Bulldogs and Sharks aim to advance.
Fresh off of back-to-back district titles, No. 4 Okeechobee has won nine of its last 10 games and seeks to keep its hot streak going when it plays host to No. 5 Hialeah. Sebastian River, the team the Brahmans defeated in the District 13-5A Final, is slotted in as seventh seed and will head to Broward County for a matchup against No. 2 Archbishop McCarthy.
South Fork, the team Sebastian River beat to reach the district finals, is sandwiched between the two area teams as the No. 6 seed. The Bulldogs too are south bound as they’ll battle with third-seeded Pembroke Pines Charter.
Next, the Tigers will have revenge on their minds after being paired with the team that eliminated them from the postseason. They’ll host a Region 2-6A quarterfinal vs. Viera, who beat them in a best-of-three regional semifinal last year. Despite being the No. 5 seed in this 4-5 pairing, Martin County is at home by virtue of winning its district championship.
Another district champion rounds out the area field. After winning the crown on its home field for the first time under head coach Corey Cooke, the Falcons will be a road underdog when they travel north to Merritt Island. Jensen Beach is the No. 8 seed while Mustangs are seeded first.
Regional Quarterfinals
Region 3-7A
No. 8 Fort Pierce Central at No. 1 Vero Beach
Region 2-6A
No. 4 Viera at No. 5 Martin County
Region 4-5A
No. 5 Hialeah at No. 4 Okeechobee
No. 6 South Fork at No. 3 Pembroke Pines Charter
No. 7 Sebastian River at No. 2 Archbishop McCarthy
Region 4-4A
No. 8 Jensen Beach at No. 1 Merritt Island
Region 4-1A
No. 7 Jupiter Christian at No. 2 St. Edward’s
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at 772-985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Eight Treasure Coast baseball teams earn FHSAA regional playoff berths
Reporting by Patrick Bernadeau, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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