Nearly every team at this week’s state baseball tournament has a certified No. 1 pitcher who gives his team a chance every time he takes the mound.
The Calvary Christian Warriors have something better.
They have three.
Hunter Dietz (Arkansas), Landen Maroudis (North Carolina State) and Liam Peterson (Florida) are Division I-A signees who were all selected for Perfect Game’s All-American Classic this summer and were named to Baseball America’s Top 100 list for the 2023 MLB Draft.
Dietz and Peterson combined to help Calvary Christian outlast Jacksonville Providence School in 10 innings in the Class 3A state semifinals to reach Saturday’s final.
With two of their top arms used, the Warriors turned to Maroudis for the championship game against two-time defending state champion North Broward Prep.
The start had special meaning for Maroudis – and his family.
In 1995, Maroudis’ father, Pete, started for Osceola in the school’s only championship game appearance. The elder Maroudis – and the Warriors – came up just short in their title quest, losing 6-4 to Key West.
On Saturday, Maroudis did his part on the mound, throwing four scoreless innings.
But it was his bat that made the biggest difference.
In the fifth inning, Calvary Christian watched a 2-0 lead slip away by allowing North Broward Prep to score twice to tie the game.
Suddenly, the momentum shifted.
No problem.
Maroudis changed that with one swing, hitting a solo homer that ignited a four-run sixth inning. The Warriors continued their offensive surge, adding three more runs in the seventh to win 9-3.
It is the third state title for Calvary Christian, the previous two coming in 2017 and ‘19. By winning, the Warriors also became just the second baseball program in Pinellas County with three or more titles, one behind Clearwater Central Catholic for the overall lead.
None of the current players were on the roster when Calvary Christian won its last title four years ago.
And they all had plenty of motivation, especially after the way last season ended.
The Warriors went 26-2 a year ago and were ranked No. 1 in their class and No. 4 overall in the state by MaxPreps.
But they lost in the region semifinals to rival Berkeley Prep, a team they had beaten by a combined 14-4 in three previous meetings during the 2022 season.
This time, Calvary Christian was not going to let anything derail its title quest.
Maroudis made sure of it.
The senior already was used to shutting down opponents in meaningful games. He allowed just two hits in 10 ⅔ scoreless innings and recorded a combined 22 strikeouts in a pair of 1-0 wins over Sarasota Cardinal Mooney in the 3A-6 district final and Tampa Catholic in the region final.
Once again, Maroudis was dominant in the title game, using his pinpoint accuracy to keep North Broward hitters guessing – and whiffing. Through four innings, he gave up three hits, recorded five strikeouts and kept the Eagles off the scoreboard.
The only thing Maroudis could not shut down was a weather delay.
Lighting detected in the area halted play for nearly two hours.
Because of the lengthy wait, the Warriors decided to go with their relief pitchers rather than let Maroudis go the distance.
It was a shaky start once play resumed.
North Broward hitters kept drawing walks to reach base. The Eagles turned those baserunners into runs, scoring twice in the fifth to erase Calvary Christian’s 2-0 lead.
With the game now tied, Maroudis came up to bat in the sixth inning and hit a shot. He did not know it was a homer until he rounded first base. Once the ball landed, Maroudis raised his right arm in triumph.
That solo blast helped Calvary Christian retake the lead – and the momentum.
It did not end there. The Warriors kept pouring it on, increasing their lead to 6-2 by the end of the sixth. They gave themselves even more of a cushion by tacking on three more runs in the seventh.
Maroudis had plenty of help on offense.
Blake Opie went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs and Peterson ended up going 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.
The pitching staff settled down, too.
Grayson Gibson, who pitched 2 ⅔ innings, closed it out with a scoreless seventh to pick up the win.
Afterward, there was a mad rush on the field, followed by smiles for a title Calvary Christian could finally embrace – and the Maroudis family could cherish.
