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Preseason Top 25: No. 16 Jupiter

January 15, 2016

By Justin Burgess
Florida Area Scout

As we wrap up the second week of releasing the preseason top 25 teams, let us do a quick recap of what schools made the cut this week. Coming in at number 20 was Crawford Mosley, 19 is East Lake, Dwyer is 18, and The First Academy was unveiled as the number 17 team yesterday. The program coming in at number 16 is in Class 8A and looks to be very strong up the middle with a dangerous lineup.

The Jupiter Warriors boast a few talented junior position players and a few quality senior arms. Starting behind the plate, 2017 C Mason Doolittle is one of the best, if not the best, catcher in Florida in his class. The Louisiana State commit has an athletic and projectable frame at 6-foot-3 and consistently fires a sub-2.0 down to second with a plus arm. At the plate he has proven over and over that he can hit top level pitching and he will continue to accumulate more power as he matures. At shortstop, the Warriors will have 2017 Ole Miss commit Anthony Servideo picking it and likely hitting at the top of the lineup. Servideo will definitely be an asset for Jupiter as he shows smooth actions with a strong arm and makes the routine play. Offensively he has a short, quick stroke from the left side and hits consistent line drives to all fields while regularly getting on base. In center field, 2017 Florida State commit Reese Albert will be covering ground for the Warriors. He possesses great instincts both offensively and defensively as he is by no means a burner, but he gets great reads and jumps on the ball in the outfield and wreaks havoc on the base paths. Albert is also probably the team’s best pure hitter as he has a natural lefty stroke and consistently finds the barrel.

Jupiter’s senior class will be led by RHP James Reynolds, RHP Zak Sprankle, and OF Brandyn Ward. Reynolds, a Palm Beach State Signee, will likely be the ace of this unit as his fastball sits in the 87-90 mph range and he shows off a sharp slider at 80-81 mph. Sprankle is signed with Florida Gulf Coast and pounds the zone with a fastball that gets up to 87-88 mph. South Carolina-Upstate Signee Brandyn Ward is a big, physical and athletic player who stands at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and runs a 6.8 in the 60 yard dash. Look for him to hit somewhere in the middle of the lineup and drive in plenty of runs for the Warriors.

As for their schedule, Jupiter plays in a brutal region that features powerhouse programs like Douglas, Flanagan, and Boca Raton. The Warriors will also have to fend off Palm Beach Gardens, a team that is in their district. They are coming off a 19-9 season where they lost their district championship game and lost in the first game of their regional tournament. Even though the Warriors will not be returning their ace from last season, they appear to be a better overall team heading into the 2016. Do not be surprised if Jupiter makes a run deep into the playoffs this season.