Park Vista: No. 4 in MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Preseason Baseball Rankings

Video: Park Vista slideshow
See multiple images from our pro photo shoot with the Park Vista High baseball team

Park Vista fell just short of a Class 8A state championship in 2014, losing to Bloomingdale (Valrico) in the semifinals. However, coach Larry Greenstein has 14 seniors back, bringing with them optimism for a state title in 2015.

Austin Smith is the reason for most of the optimism. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound right-handed pitcher was a force on the mound and at the plate as a junior, earning him MaxPreps Junior All-American honors. He posted a 12-1 overall record and also batted .425.

However, Smith is not the only reason why the Cobras have the look of a champion. The offense returns five hitters who batted over .300 last year along with an infield that returns intact up the middle.

With one of the top returning pitchers in the nation and 14 overall seniors back on the roster, the Cobras begin the 2014 season ranked No. 4 in the MaxPreps Preseason National Baseball Rankings.

Over the next two weeks, MaxPreps is counting down the top 10 teams in the preseason national rankings. The countdown will conclude on Feb. 24 with the announcement of the preseason Top 100.

See the Top 10 teams landing page here

View the gallery from the Park Vista preseason photo shoot by photographer Stuart Browning

School size: Florida Class 8A


Enrollment: 2,932


2014 finish: 26-4


Head coach: Larry Greenstein


Career record: 400-189


Years at school: 11


Notable MLB players:

Trea Turner (No. 13 overall pick, 2014 draft)


No. of starters returning: 7


Top losses:

Tyler Barre, OF, .380

Joey Innacone, OF, .308


Key returners:

Austin Smith, P, .425 batting average, 20 RBIs, 12-1 record

Dakota Julylia, 2B, .463 batting average

Nyle Newland, 3B, .300 batting average, 20 RBIs

Matthew Mika, SS, .435 batting average, 48 stolen bases

Tyler Huggins, OF, .258 batting average

Joey Genord, 1B, .387 batting average


Top newcomer

Jordan Poore (transfer from Indiana)
Toughest game: The Cobras face several potent opponents toward the end of the season, playing at American Heritage (Delray Beach) on April 6 and home against Flanagan on April 14.

Local outlook: District play finds Park Vista taking on Spanish River, Leonard, Santaluces and Boca Raton. The Cobras have lost just two district contests in the past three seasons.

Overall outlook: Class 8A includes many of the top teams in Florida. Olympia, No. 5 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Preseason National Rankings, will be a big hurdle for Park Vista to overcome for a state championship.

Pitching: Austin Smith figures to be one of the top pitching prospects in the country. He had a 12-1 record as a junior with 96 strikeouts in 77.2 innings pitched. Smith ranks as the No. 4 right-handed pitcher in the nation by Perfect Game and the No. 11 player overall.

Defense: The Cobras have 14 returning seniors from a team that reached the Class 8A semifinals last year. The infield defense is particularly strong with Matthew Mika back at shortstop and Dakota Julylia at second base. Both Mika and Julylia batted over .400 last season.