EMERSON, Ga. – Jordan Gubelman is a seasoned veteran, or about as “seasoned” and “veteran” as a soon to be 18-year-old high school senior can be. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound right-handed pitcher has set sail on his third season on the varsity at Sarasota (Fla.) High School and recently completed his fourth year performing in Perfect Game events, mostly in his home state of Florida.
Gubelman, who recently signed his letter of intent to attend the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, is here this weekend with his Sarasota Sailors teammates competing at the Perfect Game High School Showdown. Sarasota High won the Showdown last year – albeit in Fort Myers, Fla. – and Gubelman, then a junior, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Pitcher.
The Sailors’ defense of that championship has not gone well. They lost their opener Thursday night to the powerful Concordia Lutheran Crusaders, 4-0, and then blew a two-run lead in a 5-3 loss to the No. 16-ranked DeSoto Central Jaguars (Southaven, Miss.) Friday afternoon. Surprisingly, DeSoto had lost its first two games at the Showdown, as well. Sarasota has two consolation games remaining on Saturday.
“We’re going to play hard and try to win as many games as we can,” an unsmiling Gubelman said after the loss to DeSoto.
Gubelman was the starting pitcher in that loss – played under cold and rainy conditions on one of the turf fields at Perfect Game Park South at LakePoint – but was not the pitcher of record. The Sailors led 2-0 after four innings, but Gubelman surrendered single runs in the fifth and sixth that allowed DeSoto to tie the score; he was lifted for a reliever to start the seventh.
His numbers were good, just not quite good enough: Six innings pitched, two earned runs on five hits with nine strikeouts and one walk; his fastball topped-out at 90 mph. The 0-2 start to this tournament was unexpected by many observers, but veteran head coach Clyde Metcalf knew what the Sailors were getting into when they signed up for this tournament for the third straight year.
“We ran into a good ball club (Thursday) night, and that’s why we came here, to play different people and good baseball teams; mission accomplished, I guess,” Metcalf said before the loss to DeSoto. “The mindset is that it’s a new day and it’s a new game and we’re going to go out and play. We’re going to get four games in and we’re going to try to get better.
“We jump into our district (play) next week when we get back and we need to be prepared for that, and this will help us do it.”
This is a relatively inexperienced team Metcalf has here, with the obvious exception of Gubelman. The Sailors graduated eight seniors from the team that won the 2014 PG HS Showdown and seven are now playing college baseball.
Joining Gubelman as the top returning seniors are right-hander/utility Shelby Banks (Tallahassee Community College), third baseman/right-hander Cody Brickhouse (Chipola College) and outfielder Skylar Frey (Polk State). Shortstop/right-hander Nick Long, a Florida commit, leads the junior class.
Sarasota was actually playing quite well coming into the Showdown, having won seven of its first eight games.
“We knew we had a lot of people to replace and the guys that have been thrust into this situation seem to be getting better; to this point, we’re pleased,” Metcalf said. “I’d certainly like to play a little bit better offensively in the next three games than we did (Thursday) night but we’ll see how that shakes out.”
Gubelman came into his start here Friday afternoon having already enjoyed a terrific start to his senior season at Sarasota. After four outings, according to information on the Sarasota High School baseball official website, he was 4-0 with a 0.00 ERA, having allowed no earned runs on 14 hits and striking out 31 in 21 2/3 innings.
“He’s been very effective and he’s a stopper for us,” Metcalf said. “As we progress and go forward with the season, he’s a guy we’re going to be able count on in that role.”
This is Gubelman’s 27th Perfect Game event, having played in tournaments with his hometown Sarasota Baseball Club early in his career and most recently with FTB Chandler.
He has been named to six all-tournament teams over the last three years in addition to the MV Pitcher Award he won at last year’s PG HS Showdown. He has also been named to the Top Prospect List at three PG showcase events, including last year’s prestigious PG National Showcase.
That’s a lot of throwing over a three or four year period, but Gubelman has been blessed to have been coached by caring and attentive adults, like Metcalf and FTB’s Jered Goodwin.
“He does a good job of managing his workload,” Metcalf said. “He’s played on (summer travel ball) teams that have watched his arm, which is really good, and he’s been at other events that have watched his arm, which is good, and I think that is one reason he has seen those jumps every year. He’s really done a good job with that.”
Gubelman’s progression has been steady. Metcalf noted that the velocity on his fastball has risen from 82 mph as a sophomore to 90 mph as a senior, and that he developed a very effective changeup as a junior and has added a plus-curveball this spring.
“He’s developed physically and I think he’s developed mentally, and his pitch development has been really good. He’s really made strides for us each year,” Metcalf said.
“We hit it hard during the offseason; we’re in the weight room four or five days out of the week,” Gubelman said. “We’re out there getting after it every single day. I try to take care of my body the best I can, whether it’s on the field or off the field.”
While Gubelman isn’t one to waste words, he wasn’t afraid to talk about his appreciation for the three years he’s been able to spend under Metcalf’s guidance at Sarasota High.
“Sarasota is definitely one of the best (programs) out there,” he said. “You can’t go wrong with Coach Metcalf. He’s one of the best coaches to ever be part of the game and that’s why he’s in the National (High School Coaches) Hall of Fame.”
As for his signing with North Carolina, Gubelman – who PG ranks No. 400 nationally in the 2015 class – said that was a no-brainer: “I’ve wanted to go there my whole life but I never thought it would happen. But then a couple of years down the road, all of a sudden it happened and they wanted me.”
The Sailors have two games remaining at the Showdown and it’s almost certain Gubelman has made his last appearance at the event; it’s also likely he will pitch in another PG event or two in June after the high school season is complete
For now, he and his Sarasota teammates will return home and continue play in Florida Class 7A District 10 as they fight for a district championship and a spot in the Class 7A state tournament. Metcalf, who has been at the school for nearly 40 years, firmly believes this experience – despite the setbacks – will benefit the club.
“It’s good to get the kids on the road and play against some good competition; that’s why you go to tournaments like this,” He said. “This ought to be something to get us going and I think we’re going to learn a lot about our team in the next couple of days.”
Both the Perfect Game High School Showdown and the Perfect Game High School Showdown-Academies conclude on Saturday with full schedules of playoff and consolation games. The PG HS Showdown championship game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Field 16 at PG Park South; the PG HS Showdown-Academies championship game is slated for 4 p.m. on Field 15.