Venice falls in 7A title game to Stoneman Douglas, MLB prospect Gio Rojas
In its first Final Four appearance since 2019, Venice fell 2-1 to Stoneman Douglas in the Class 7A championship behind MLB prospect Gio Rojas' 12 strikeouts.
FORT MYERS — Facing one of the best pitchers in the country, junior right fielder RJ Shields felt nervous, and he imagines the rest of his team did, too. While most FHSAA Final Four teams threw their ace in the semifinal, No. 2 seed Stoneman Douglas saved senior left-handed pitcher Gio Rojas for the championship match.
Rojas, who is projected to be selected in the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft, throws a 97 mph fastball. Ahead of the championship game, in 66 innings, Rojas went 10-1 with a 0. 64 ERA, striking out 112.
"He's a very hard-throwing lefty," Shields said. "He hides the ball very well. We came into it very intimidated, I'd say from the players' aspect.
We just needed more confidence up there. " No. 1 Venice fell to No.
Continue to the original source for the full article.