Naples freshman Davis Manus slides into third base during the Division II/III DODEA European baseball championship game against Sigonella on May 20, 2023, at Southside Fitness Center on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Applying the tag is Jaguar third baseman DeShawn Wallace. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany – Continuity doesn’t happen often for DODEA programs.
The Naples baseball team has been one of the fortunate few to have that.
Coach Jim Davis lost just three players from last year’s championship squad, and he pointed to that as the key to the Wildcats’ dominance this spring. It culminated in a repeat Division II/III European title with a 16-0 win over Sigonella on Saturday at Southside Fitness Center on Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
What made Davis prouder than the second-straight title and the second time the Wildcats (16-0) have repeated in program history after 2013 and 2014 was he was able to see the players’ progression.
“You’re almost like a proud parent seeing the growth,” Davis said. “They weren’t satisfied with just winning. They all worked hard over the offseason to become better on their own time. It just shows you the type of work ethic they have and the devotion they have to the game they love.”
One of those players was Ella Grace.
The junior pitcher started her second straight championship game, and she delivered a perfect game through three innings. The diminutive Grace didn’t overpower the Jaguars (11-8), but she pounded the strike zone for 25 of her 29 pitches and fanned five of the nine batters she faced.
Naples’ David Manus swings during the Division II/III European baseball championship game against Sigonella on May 20, 2023, at Southside Fitness Center on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Naples junior A. J. Lopez swings at a pitch during the Division II/III DODEA European baseball championship game against Sigonella on May 20, 2023, at Southside Fitness Center on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Naples pitcher Ella Grace throws during the Division II/III DODEA European baseball championship game against Sigonella on May 20, 2023, at Southside Fitness Center on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The junior tossed a perfect game in the Wildcats’ 16-0 win over the Jaguars. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Sigonella pitcher C.J. Davis tosses the ball during the Division II/III DODEA European baseball championship game against Naples on May 20, 2023, at Southside Fitness Center on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Sigonella catcher Drake Dawson produced the best at-bat against Grace, launching an 0-1 pitch into deep center field, but Naples’ A.J. Lopez was there to grab the fly ball.
Grace said her father pushes her to stay within the strike zone.
“That’s what I tell myself every time I go on the mound, no matter what hitter it is,” Grace said. “I always tell myself pound the strike zone, have a target and you’ll be fine.”
With Grace dealing, the Wildcats didn’t need to do much offensively to seal the win.
But they still did. After a two-run first inning, Naples batted around the lineup twice in the bottom of the second, dropping 14 runs in the process. The Wildcats collected eight hits, including three of the first four batters. Tournament MVP Jonathan Vousboukis, second baseman David Manus and Grace each had RBI singles, while third baseman Jovin Quichocho drove in Manus and senior shortstop Caden Averill with a single into left field.
In the second inning alone, No. 8 hitter Matthew Butler had two singles and scored twice as a sign the entire lineup is capable at the plate.
“For us, once the sticks get hot, they stay hot,” said Averill, who scored three runs and hit a fly ball to right field that ended in a triple during the first inning. “Going on those long runs, that’s how we really score.”
The Jaguars couldn’t get anything going before the mercy rule was activated following their third at-bat.
Sigonella coach Chad Davis credited Naples for their performance, but he said he couldn’t be prouder of the Jaguars’ run to the final, especially after going .500 during the regular season and playing in a combined division with schools larger than them.
“Naples is an excellent, excellent team,” he said. “They hit the ball. We just couldn’t make any plays today. But for our little school to be in the championship game, I’m impressed. I couldn’t be happier.”
The Jaguars are losing a lot of their players from this year’s squad.
Unfortunately for the rest of Divisions II and III, that isn’t the case for the Wildcats. Jim Davis mentioned Naples has just two seniors on their roster this year and might be losing another, but that’s it.
“I lose one, maybe two pitchers out of seven, and I gain one for sure with an eighth-grader moving up, so I’m very lucky,” Jim Davis said. “We only had 11, but we were tough. So, I think we’ll be right about the same.”
While the three-peat is on the table next season, the Wildcats aren’t looking too far ahead. Grace said they understand how special this repeat championship is.
“It’s been one heck of a ride,” she said. “We’ve been through a lot together, and I feel like we deserve this. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be out here in Europe playing baseball and get to be with your friends. The whole experience itself is just awesome.”
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