For now, at practices on The Hill, the Trinity Christian field overlooking the school on Jacksonville’s Westside, baseball feels like fun. Fun, with pressure.
Eight returning senior Division I commits, part of a high school baseball class to rank among Jacksonville’s strongest ever. One more chance to win it all.
“He [head coach Jon Murphy] likes to say that it’s the last time that baseball isn’t a job,” senior pitcher/first baseman Tyler Ellis said. “We can just go out and have fun with our brothers.”
Battle-hardened through a brutally tough schedule inside and outside the Sunshine State, top-ranked Trinity Christian has endured three months of challenges to achieve one final shot at the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 1A baseball semifinals. They face Lakeland Christian at 10 a.m. Monday, May 18 in Fort Myers for a berth in the May 19 title game.
Spring after spring, the top prize has eluded a lineup to rank among the most celebrated in Northeast Florida baseball history.
In 2023, an upset first-round loss at the hands of Bolles. Then a loss in the final four to Miami Westminster Christian in 2024. Then a defeat in the final itself to Orlando First Academy in 2025.
Seven seniors for the Conquerors (25-8) have been around for all three disappointing endings. They know this is their last chance. In the finals in Fort Myers, this team knows what to expect.
“You always need people that have been there, done that when it comes to the moments when it gets a little bit tight and a little bit nerve-racking,” senior outfielder Brady Harris said. “I think that’s going to help us a ton.”
TRINITY’S GREAT EIGHT… AND MORE
By now, many Jacksonville baseball fans have memorized the long-established college destinations of the Conquerors’ eight Division I signees returning from 2025.
Outfielder Harris and pitchers Ellis and Ethan Wheeler to Florida. Infielders Parker Loew and Jordan Martinez to LSU. Infielder Aiden Arnett to Virginia Tech. Catcher Gage Petrutz to Alabama. Outfielder/pitcher Chris Reali to the University of North Florida.
But for these Conquerors, as well as for 2026 additions Ryan Walls (Ole Miss) and Romy DeCenzo (Davidson), the road from Hammond Boulevard to Fort Myers’ Hammond Stadium has come with twists and turns.
“They are a battle-tested group, not only this year but really the last four years,” Murphy said. “As a staff, we’ve done our best to try to put these guys through the wringer [with the schedule] so that when we face some adversity, we’ll be able to respond.”
They’ve dealt with injuries that have kept key pitchers off the mound, Reali until the regional finals, Ellis near the season’s end. And they’ve faced a schedule rated by the FHSAA as Florida’s hardest, including trips to the USA Baseball National High School Invitational in North Carolina and the South Walton Showdown in the Panhandle.
Those challenges have forced Conquerors into new and unfamiliar roles. Infielder Martinez, who has 9 1/3 career innings pitched in four years of high school, earned the win in both the district final and Game 3 of an epic regional final series against Bishop Snyder.
“It’s about picking up one another and passing the torch on to the next guy. Everyone here is willing to do everything it takes to help this team win,” Harris said.
The top prospects have delivered. Martinez overcame a slow start to tie for second in the state with 12 home runs, including three days with three homers each. Arnett and Petrutz have gotten aboard at a prodigious clip, with on-base percentages of .492 and .484. Ellis began the year 6-0 with an 0.62 ERA, although he hasn’t pitched since the district final on April 17.
But they’re not the only ones. Ja’Rod Flowers, the lone junior in the starting lineup, delivered the go-ahead RBI in regionals. Daytona State College commit Brennan Bachtell has pitched like a seasoned ace (8-1, 1.41 ERA, 0.915 WHIP). DeCenzo, with six saves, has emerged as a reliable closer.
“That’s what you see come through, like Jordan and Parker willing to hop on the mound and do whatever it takes there,” Murphy said. “Brennan Bachtell worked so hard this whole off-season knowing we were going to have to lean on him on the mound, losing all those innings from [MLB draft pick] Aaron Watson last year. He’s stepped up and been huge for us.
“Then Ja’Rod is one of the hardest workers on the team, one of the most well-liked guys you could find.”
One or two more games left, maybe a trophy, until the next phase begins, and the next questions. For some Conquerors, like nationally-rated prospect Harris, summer’s Major League Baseball draft may bring a new round of decisions. Those are on the back burner, for now.
“Spending all day, every day with this team, with my brotherhood, it’s really made blocking out all that noise easy for me,” Harris said.
MaxPreps ranks Trinity Christian No. 20 in the United States. For Perfect Game, it’s No. 26. But in Fort Myers, these Conquerors have learned the only numbers that matter in Fort Myers are on the Hammond Stadium scoreboard.
“The margins are so slim there,” Ellis said. “It’s one game, and one play, one pitch can decide that. If you’re not locked in for seven innings of baseball, then it’ll catch up to you really quick.”
Watch FHSAA high school baseball on NFHS Network
FHSAA CLASS 2A HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SEMIFINAL
Who: Trinity Christian (25-8) vs. Lakeland Christian (23-5).
When: 10 a.m. Monday, May 18.
Where: Hammond Stadium, Fort Myers.
How to watch: Streaming via NFHS Network.
The skinny: Trinity enters as the favorite but can’t underestimate Lakeland Christian, which also stands in the top 100 of the MaxPreps national rankings. Shortstop Gavin Byrd ranks among the state’s most productive uncommitted seniors in 2016, batting .427 with 12 doubles, three triples, six home runs and 30 RBI, while Nathan Diaz and Parker Kant also bat above .380 for the Vikings. On the mound, the Vikings are getting good results from the young pair of freshman Kole Walker (6-1, 2.23) and Brody Ray (5-0, 1.26). The winner plays for the Class 4A title at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, against Miami True North or Tampa Berkeley Prep.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Trinity Christian’s national prospects eye last chance at FHSAA title
Reporting by Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
