Baseball Preview for Horizon West's High Schools| Horizon West Happenings

Baseball Preview for Horizon West’s High Schools

By Horizon West Happenings

17 February, 2023

Baseball Season is Back for High School Athletes in HW!

Baseball Talent on the Rise

Central Florida has been a hotbed for baseball talent over the past several decades. There is a list of talented local players who are recruited to play for top college programs and a sizable number that have played (or currently play) in Major League Baseball. The growth of Horizon West has resulted in an even larger pool of baseball talent. Since 2017, Horizon West has opened two new high schools – Windermere (2017) and Horizon (2021). In a short time, both schools have enjoyed considerable success in athletics. The 2023 Spring season opens up a new chapter in both schools’ baseball programs.

Horizon Hawks Baseball

In 2022, Horizon Hawks baseball team went 5-21 in their inaugural season. This year will be the first Hawks team featuring a senior class. Head Coach Dane Wisneski has brought a wealth of experience at both the high school and college level to the program. His coaching tenure at University High School, Tavares High School and Florida Gulf Coast University has prepared him well to assemble this young program.

The Hawks are set to face strong competition from around the OCPS Metro Conference, but will also face schools from Lake, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia counties. As the Horizon baseball program looks to make a significant impact in their second season, keep an eye on Tanner Krammer and Luke Helms, who both hit for an over .400 batting average in 2022.

“Day by day we get opportunities to grow and get better, and as a new program we need to take each of those opportunities. This year, we should have more understanding and confidence within the program. Players have a better understanding of what it takes to have a chance at daily success, and we should see improvement in the quality in play and our overall record at the end of year 2 for Horizon Baseball.” – Dane Wisneski, Head Coach

Coaching Staff

Dane Wisneski, Head Coach
Ashton Watts, Associate Head Coach
Brian Henkel, JV Head Coach
Jerry Simmerly, Assistant Coach

Roster

1 Jesse Hunt Jr. – SR
2 Dever Patton – FR
3 Tanner Kramer – SR
4 Jose Massenet – SO
5 Rich Ruby – SR
7 Jaden Blanco – SO
9 Max Hurd – SR
10 Brandon Cruz – JR
12 Casey Simmerly – JR
19 Luke Helms – JR
21 Luis Arroyo – JR
22 Nick Colimodio – JR
23 Miguel Camarillo – SO
24 Ben Rothfeld – JR
26 Nick Midili – JR
27 Ron Butkus – SO

Windermere Wolverines Baseball

The Windermere Wolverines finished the 2022 season 25-4, winning the Metro and District Championship and going deep into the playoffs. The “Windy Boys” are set for another run this season. Heading into the schools sixth baseball season, they have gained a reputation as one of the most formidable programs statewide. Head Coach Eric Lassiter earned his 200th career win last season and racked up two Coach of the Year awards as well. As the Wolverines start their season ranked #18 overall statewide according to Prep Baseball Report.

The Wolverines roster is packed full of players who already have major college commitments. Holden Brauner (Tennessee), Ty Head (NC State), Gueillermo Yepes (Albany State), Jack Waddingham (Stetson), Cruz Warp (USF), Jack Sanchez (Keiser University), Cannon Feazell (Clemson), Justin Grant (College of Central Florida), Juan Lopez (Dayton), Osjun Rivas (Dayton), and uncommitted standouts like Blayke Rabens and Connor Fink have all brought statewide attention to this Windermere team.

“Our goal is to win a district title and have a chance to compete for the regional championship. We look to continue to grow our young program and hope to make it deep into the state playoffs. We have a lot of guys returning this year who got a taste of that regional championship game and would love the opportunity to get back there again.” – Eric Lassiter, Head Coach