Leading up to the start of the high school season, we will count down the Top 25 preseason teams every day as part of our comprehensive season coverage:

Team: Vero Beach
Preseason Rank: 13
2019 Record: 24-4
FHSAA Class: 9A
Head Coach: Bryan Rahal
Playoff Run: Regional Finals


TOP PLAYERS
Name, Position, Class (College Commitment)
Nick Gorby, LHP, 2020 (Texas Tech)
KC Swords, OF/LHP, 2020 (Louisville)
Hunter Parris, LHP, 2020
Jake Randolph, C/OF, 2022 (Miami)

X-FACTOR

Nick Gorby - Gorby comes over as a transfer from John Carroll, and will immediately step in as Vero Beach’s ace. The Indians lose two of their top pitchers from last season, so Gorby will need a strong year to replace their production.

KEY PLAYERS LOST
Hunter Patteson, LHP, 2019 (UCF)
Nick Dean, 2B, 2019 (Louisville)
Nick Celidonio, RHP, 2019 (FGCU)
Gabriel Mendez, SS, 2019

OUTLOOK
Vero Beach comes into this season after a 24-4 season in 2019. They lose a few starters from last year including two of their top pitchers in Hunter Patteson (UCF) and Nick Celidonio (FGCU). The Indians have a trio of talented southpaws headlining their rotation that will help fill the void left by Patteson and Celeidonio. Senior Nick Gorby (Texas Tech) transfers from John Carroll and becomes Vero Beach’s ace. He is ranked 48th in the PBR Florida Class of 2020. Also in the rotation is OF/LHP KC Swords (Louisville), who will have a big impact in their lineup as well, and LHP Hunter Swords. Offensively, Vero Beach loses one of their best hitters in 2B Nick Dean (Louisville), but has a rising sophomore in Jake Randolph (Miami) who should be in for a big year. Vero Beach will lean heavily on their pitching, but could be in for a strong season in 2020. Make sure to follow @pbrflorida on Twitter for the most up-to-date coverage throughout the season.

 

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