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2026 FL Preseason Classic & Open: Day 4 Recap

February 7, 2026
Prep Baseball Florida
Prep Baseball Florida Staff

The 2026 Florida Preseason Classic and Preseason Open will take place February 3-7 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL. Both events feature ten teams from around the state of Florida kicking off their 2026 high school season with two Preseason games.

Preseason Classic - Day 4 Recap

American Heritage 7, Lincoln 5

American Heritage staged a thrilling comeback, erasing a four-run deficit with a massive sixth-inning explosion to defeat Lincoln 7-5 on Friday.

Lincoln grabbed the early momentum, opening the scoring in the top of the second when Emanuel Hernandez singled to plate one run for a 1-0 lead. They extended the advantage to 2-0 in the third as Lucas Cannady grounded into a fielder's choice that brought home another runner.


American Heritage remained patient and flipped the script dramatically in the bottom of the sixth. The Patriots erupted for six runs on four hits to surge ahead 7-4. The highlight of the rally came from Angelo Geraldo, whose bases-clearing triple drove in four runs, turning the game decisively in their favor.


Gabriel Rozenfeld picked up the win in relief for American Heritage, tossing a perfect inning with two strikeouts and no walks or hits allowed. Jimmy Huard started and held things down for three innings, allowing three hits and two runs (one earned) with three strikeouts and one walk. For Lincoln, Ethan LaFuria delivered two strong shutout innings to start, giving up no hits with one strikeout and one walk. 


Angelo Geraldo powered the Patriots' offense from the middle of the lineup, going 2-for-3 with a team-high three RBIs, including the game-changing triple. Santiago Montiel also added two hits.

Lincoln's Emanuel Hernandez stood out offensively, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

Jesuit 4, True North 0

The Jesuit Tigers delivered a masterful team effort on the mound and at the plate, blanking True North 4-0 on Friday night at the Preseason Classic.

Five Tigers pitchers combined for a complete-game shutout, allowing just two hits while keeping True North off the scoreboard entirely. Samir Mohammed got the start, tossing two dominant innings with one hit allowed, four strikeouts, and no walks. Jack Fults, Jaeger Bedford, and Liam Amoriello each followed with scoreless relief innings, and Hector Rivera closed it out with the save.


Jesuit jumped ahead early in the bottom of the first inning, stringing together a single down the left-field line from Griffin Boesen and a wild pitch that allowed a run to score for a quick 2-0 lead. They added insurance in the second when Kaden Waechter ripped a single down the left-field line to plate another run, extending the margin to 3-0 before tacking on one more later.


Offensively, Waechter paced the Tigers with a perfect 2-for-2 day at the plate to lead the team in hits.

True North's offense was limited to two hits, with Matias Fischer and Jayden Cedeno providing back-to-back singles as the only notable production.

Will Foss took the start for True North, allowing two hits and three runs (two earned) over one inning with two strikeouts and two walks.

Preseason Open - Day 4 Recap

St. John Neumann 8, Westminster Christian 5

The St. John Neumann Celtics exploded for 13 hits and controlled the late innings to pull away for an 8-5 victory over Westminster Christian on Friday at IMG.

Neumann struck first in the top of the first inning when Cole Travers delivered a sacrifice fly to plate the opening run. Westminster Christian answered immediately in the bottom half, taking a 2-1 lead on an RBI groundout from Julian Alvarez and a single to center field from Adrian Pineiro.


The Celtics regained control in the top of the fourth with a four-run outburst. Roman Howery singled up the middle to start the rally, followed by a fielder's choice from Gus Fusco, a single down the left-field line by Luke Parrish, and a run-scoring single to right field from Cole Travers—each contributing to the go-ahead surge.

Gus Fusco was a standout at the plate, going 3-for-4 with singles in the first, third, and sixth innings to pace the offense. Fusco and Parrish formed a dynamic duo, each collecting three hits, while Travers and Parrish each drove in two runs and proved tough to pitch around back-to-back in the lineup.


On the mound, OB Osceola started for Neumann, allowing three hits and two runs over two and two-thirds innings with six strikeouts and one walk. Vance Tate, Trever Harmic, Jack Rexwinkle, and Eric Parker each tossed scoreless relief innings to lock down the win. Westminster Christian starter Carlos Perez delivered a solid three innings, giving up four hits and one unearned run with two strikeouts and no walks.

Westminster Christian stayed in the fight behind strong contributions from Adrian Pineiro and Julian Alvarez, each driving in two runs. Ray Lopez led the Warriors with a 2-for-4 effort at the plate.


IMG Black 7, Archbishop McCarthy 1

IMG Black erupted for five runs in the seventh inning to pull away and secure a convincing 7-1 victory over Archbishop McCarthy on Friday night at the Preseason Open.

IMG Academy Black jumped on the board early in the bottom of the first inning when Jonathan Marzullo crushed a double to drive in the game's opening run. They added another in the second on a single down the right-field line from Joonho Song, building a steady 2-0 lead through the middle innings.


The Ascenders then exploded in the decisive seventh. Yonghoon Lee drew a walk and came around to score, followed by Jonathan Marzullo's two-run double that plated two more. Jaxson Vassallo added a sacrifice fly for one additional run, and a steal of home capped the five-run outburst, turning a close game into a comfortable margin.

Chanwoo Park earned the win on the mound for IMG Black, delivering four shutout innings while allowing just one hit, striking out six, and issuing no walks. Archbishop McCarthy's starter Androckles Larsen took the loss after three innings, surrendering two runs on five hits with three strikeouts and no walks. Jaehyeok Jang closed out the game with a save for the Ascenders.

Offensively, the Ascenders piled up nine hits, led by Marzullo's standout performance from the cleanup spot. The middle-of-the-order force went 2-for-4 with a team-high three RBIs. Marzullo, Song, Connor Scheich, and Aiden Choo each notched two hits.


Archbishop McCarthy managed limited offense, with Derek Winchester leading the way by going 2-for-3 at the plate and Adrian Alfonso contributing a 1-for-2 effort with one RBI.


Upcoming Events

Showcase State Date Location
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Panhandle Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads) FL 03/09 Northwest FL State College - Niceville, FL
South FL Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads) FL 03/17 Athletic Angels Field - Boynton Beach, FL
Orlando Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads) FL 03/21 TNXL Academy - Ocoee, FL
Florida Rising Stars Games (2030-2031 Grads) FL 04/04 Jack Russell Stadium - Clearwater, FL
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East Florida Top Prospect Games (Invite-Only) FL 06/02 Cacti Park - West Palm Beach, FL
Tampa Summer ID FL 06/03 Saint Leo University - Saint Leo, FL
Tampa Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads) FL 06/03 Saint Leo University - Saint Leo, FL
Bradenton Summer ID FL 06/10 IMG Academy - Bradenton, FL
Bradenton Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads) FL 06/10 IMG Academy - Bradenton, FL
Fort Myers Summer ID FL 06/16 Bishop Verot - Fort Myers, FL
Fort Myers Rising Stars ID (2030-2031Grads) FL 06/16 Bishop Verot - Fort Myers, FL
West Florida Top Prospect Games (Invite-Only) FL 06/23 IMG Academy - Bradenton, FL
Miami Summer ID FL 06/24 Doral Academy - Doral, FL
Miami Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads) FL 06/24 Doral Academy - Doral, FL
Jacksonville Summer ID FL 06/30 Jacksonville University - Jacksonville, FL
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Orlando Summer ID FL 07/07 The First Academy - Orlando, FL
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Clearwater Summer ID FL 07/14 Jack Russell Stadium - Clearwater, FL
Clearwater Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads) FL 07/14 Jack Russell Stadium - Clearwater, FL