Calvary Christian features arguably the deepest pitching staff in the country heading into 2023 season

The Warriors feature a deep, talented pitching staff that could see multiple MLB Draft picks come summertime

CLEARWATER, Fla.- As the sun started to set on a breezy Tuesday afternoon off Drew St, Calvary Christian was finishing up pregame preparations ahead of facing neighboring Dunedin in some preseason action. 

Players scurrying every which way from the outfield to the dugout and into the locker rooms and back out. Everything considered, high school baseball being back just felt right. 

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Off to the side was the Warriors’ pitchers stretching out their arms and preparing for a quick bullpen session. When looking at the few hurlers, they will be who everyone has their eyes on all season long. 

Calvary Christian features arguably the top high school pitching staff in the country and the debate isn’t much of one. The Warriors have a handful of pitchers whom should hear their names called come the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft that runs June 20-25 at Chase Field in Phoenix. 

For the time being, the Warriors will lean on their cast of potential pros en route towards making a run this spring at the Class 3A state championship in Fort Myers. 

“Our pitching depth is definitely our strength,” Calvary Christian head coach Greg Olsen said. “Outside of the three guys mostly everyone knows, we have arm talent behind them. That’s what’s great about our staff and about this week. It certainly is a strength.” 

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The three pitchers that Olsen is alluding to are the trio of Liam Peterson (Florida), Hunter Dietz (Arkansas), and Landen Maroudis (NC State). All three have their respective colleges they may be heading to, likelihood they'll ever play there seems to be low. The trio were named to Baseball America's Top 100 list for the draft. 

Each pitcher in their own regard brings professional-type talent to the mound whenever they are slated to pitch. When talking about having the best pitching rotation in the country, you can't get too far without mentioning these three. 

"I think we all mesh pretty good," Maroudis said. "We all bounce ideas off of each other. If someone sees something we can fix, we all kind of help each other. I think its great to have guys like that. They help me out, so I hope they can say the same about me."

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Don't let the pitching staff fool you as there's more than meets the eye going down the lineup. Among the other pitchers that help provide the elite depth is Justin Mayes (Notre Dame commit) and sophomore Grayson Gibson, who is already committed to Ole Miss. 

You look around the diamond and it's littered with Division I commits or signees, with catcher Andrew Tess (Pittsburgh), outfielder Blake Opie (University of South Florida), infielder Jace Kohler (High Point) and first baseman Cameron Uzzillia (NC State). 

All the talent assembled on this year's team might remind folks of the 30-0 state championship team from 2017. The regular season schedule will help do wonders as well for the Warriors. Olsen's bunch didn't shy away from anyone as they'll face Dunedin, Lakeland Christian, Lovett (Atlanta, Ga.), Jesuit and Venice all throughout the season. 

"I still think we have a really good team even though we lost some really good guys from last year," Maroudis added. "I am really confident in this team. I think we have a lot of really good players. Also, our team chemistry is really good, so I think that's going to really help push us far in the run."

Photo by Alex Walworth

One thing that might haunt this team from a year ago was when the season ended. Eyes set on winning the Class 3A state championship turned into an abrupt ending in the region semifinals, a 4-1 loss to district rival Berkeley Prep. Any potential matchup against the Buccaneers will have to come in the postseason as the two don't face off in the regular season. 

The Warriors only lost one other game in 2022, a 5-4 extra innings loss to Jesuit, the eventual Class 5A state champions. With all of that behind them from last year, Calvary Christian heads into this spring looking to flip the script and are the prohibitive favorite to win it all in 2023. 

"Burn the ships is our team motto this year," Olsen said. "Its two-fold. On the faith side, we have to put everything within us that's selfish, we have to put that aside. Focus on serving people. On the sports side, its a motto of there's no going back. We're going to get ready. We're going to hop off a boat and go get 'em. It's a two-fold process."

Photo by Alex Walworth

Photo by Alex Walworth

Photo by Alex Walworth

Photo by Alex Walworth

Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.