Six South Florida players in Classes 5-7A who stepped up in Game 1 of regionals

The Regional Quarterfinals are underway and once again Stoneman Douglas' Gio Rojas is among the top standouts in South Florida

Marjory Stoneman Douglas left-hander Gio Rojas continues to be among the most dominant pitchers in the country. In Game 1 of the Eagles' regional quarterfinals, Rojas struck out 13 batters against Cypress Bay. / Joe Frisaro

Under the new Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) format, the baseball regionals in Florida are now a best-of-three, instead of one-and-done.

Beginning on Wednesday, Classes 5-7A opened their Region 4 brackets. The larger classified schools got a few extra days to compare, with Classes 1-4A opening on Monday.  

Regionals are broken down to three rounds, with the quarterfinals being played this week. The regional semifinals are next week, with the regional finals set for the following week. When the teams reach the state final four in May in Fort Myers, it will be single elimination.

Earlier in the week, High School on SI highlighted six South Florida players who stood out in Classes 1-4A. Today, we focus on a half-dozen players from the area in Classes 5-7A who got our attention:

Gio Rojas, LHP, Marjory Stoneman Douglas

There really isn’t much more to say about Rojas that we haven’t reported about already. One of the top juniors in the country, Rojas has simply dominated on the mound. The southpaw is 10-0 with a 0.71 ERA and has 85 strikeouts in 49 innings. It was more of the same again on Wednesday in a 3-0 Game 1 win against Cypress Bay. Rojas struck out 13 in 6 1/3 shutout innings. We’ve come to expect dominance from the 2026 Class Miami recruit. In the Class 7A-District 13 championship against Western, Rojas also threw six scoreless innings.

Jayden Nunez, OF/RHP, Doral Academy

The Firebirds are going to be tough to beat in Class 6A. In their quarterfinal opener against Flanagan, they won, 8-4. Nunez came up big at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs. The senior and North Carolina recruit also scored a run.

Juan Cerra, OF, Archbishop McCarthy

Talk about making a major impact. The left-handed hitting outfielder did just that for the Mavericks in their Class 5A-Regional 4, Game 1 win over Heritage. In the 12-2 contest, Cerra connected on two home runs and drove in five runs. With the lopsided win, McCarthy ended the game in five innings due to the 10-run mercy rule.

Dean Jaworski, LHP, Pembroke Pines Charter

In Class 5, the Jaguars took Game 1 against South Fork with a 5-0 victory at home. Jaworski, an uncommitted junior, tossed a five-hit shutout and struck out eight. It was a well-pitched game by both teams, and Pines Charter took a 1-run lead in the fourth inning. The Jaguars broke the game open with four runs in the sixth inning. Jaworski helped his cause by collecting an RBI double. The lefty came back out for the seventh inning, and struck out two of the three batters he faced.

Nico Sabatino, OF, St. Thomas Aquinas

When you post big offensive numbers like the Raiders do, many players can be singled out. We’re going with Sabatino, the uncommitted junior, who is the leadoff batter and table setter. In an 11-0 win against Ida Baker in Game 1 of the Raiders’ Class 6A regional, Sabatino hit a home run, had two hits and drove in three runs, while also scoring twice. While in baseball, anything can happen. But 6A could be shaping up with Doral Academy against St. Thomas Aquinas.

Samuel Alonso, RHP, Columbus

The No. 2 seed in Class 7A-Region 4, the Explorers are taking on seventh-seed Ferguson. Committed to Miami-Dade College, Alonso stepped up, tossing six strong innings, allowing two unearned runs, while striking out nine. The right-hander yielded just two hits, helping his team come away with a Game 1 victory.