Eight Treasure Coast baseball alums are in the NCAA tournament. See who might be in the CWS

As the best softball teams in the country duke it out Oklahoma City, the road to Omaha is officially underway for the nation’s top baseball squads.

The 78th annual NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament gets rolling on Friday as the top 16 teams in the country will serve as hosts to open regionals. From there, 64 teams will be dwindled down to 16 by the end of the weekend as part of four-team, double-elimination brackets.

Several familiar faces will be part of the action as eight former Treasure Coast prep stars are on rosters of teams still in the hunt for a national championship.

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Before the first pitch is thrown, here’s a look at the local alums set to contribute at college baseball’s grandest stage: 

Marcos Gamboa, John Carroll Catholic

Bethune-Cookman – Senior Pitcher

Listed at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, Gamboa has appeared in six games this season for the Wildcats, with five of his appearances coming out of relief. The senior has an 9.39 ERA with five strikeouts. His best outing came on April 23 as tossed two scoreless innings in a win over South Florida.

Jeffrey Gonzalez, Treasure Coast/Indian River State

Bethune-Cookman – Grad Student Pitcher

The former Titans and Pioneers right hander has only one game this season after appearing in 13 last year for the Wildcats. In a loss against Stony Brook on February 16, Gonzalez allowed two runs on two walks and no hits with a strikeout.

Chris Knier, Jensen Beach/Indian River State

Florida State – Sophomore Pitcher

One year after being named to All-Citrus First-Team selection at IRSC, Knier has been one of the most relied-on arms during his first season in Tallahassee. The 5-11 right-handed relief pitcher is tied for the team lead with 21 pitching appearances, posting 1-1 record with a 5.18 ERA with 25 strikeouts through 24 1/3 innings pitched. He also has two saves.

Knier’s best stretch of the season came in late March. In the Seminoles’ victory over Florida on March 25, the sophomore tossed a season-best three innings, relinquishing two runs and fanning three. He earned the win on the mound in his next outing five days later at North Dame after no allowing a hit in 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Calvin Junek, Sebastian River/TNXL Academy

Coastal Carolina – Freshman Pitcher

Junek is redshirting his freshman season for the No. 13 seed in the country.

Luke LeMond, Martin County

Holy Cross – Senior Pitcher

For the second consecutive season, LeMond appeared in 15 games on the mound for the Crusaders. He is currently 1-1 with a 5.47 ERA with a career-best 28 strikeouts through 24 2/3 innings pitched.

LeMond has spent all four years of his collegiate career for this Massachusetts school. After redshirting for his freshman campaign, he was named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.

Armani Newton, John Carroll Catholic

Bethune-Cookman – Junior Outfielder/First Baseman

Another area prospect playing in Daytona Beach was a spark plug in the Wildcats’ run to a conference title. The 6-2, 200-pound junior went 3-for-3 at the plate with a run scored during Bethune-Cookman’s 11-9 triumph over Florida A&M in the SWAC championship game.

Newton has played in 51 games, 40 of which as a starter. He is batting .273 with nine home runs, 23 RBIs, eight doubles, three triples and 22 walks. After playing his prep career at John Carroll Catholic, Newton played his first two seasons out west with Florida Gulf Coast University.

Peyton Prescott, Sebastian River/TNXL Academy

Florida State – Sophomore Pitcher/Infielder

The player tied with Knier for the most pitching appearances for the Seminole is also from the Treasure Coast, as 20 of Prescott’s 21 appearances in relief. He has a 4-0 record while also recording a pair of saves. Through 31 1/3 innings, the sophomore has 37 strikeouts to just 15 walks.

Prescott’s best outing came on March 22 against Miami. He earned the win after producing season-highs of four innings pitched (scoreless) and seven strikeouts. Last season, Prescott was named to ASUN All-Freshman team while playing for Jacksonville.

Nick Robert, Martin County

Miami – Sophomore Pitcher

Robert will miss the NCAA tournament after suffering a season-ending elbow injury early in the spring. He last appeared on March 30 at North Carolina.

In his second season in Coral Gables, Robert made six starts and eight total appearances. He went 2-4 with a 7.14 ERA through 29 innings. The former Tigers fired his best game of the season on Feb. 21 against Princeton, allowing an unearned run on two hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in five innings of work.

Friday’s regional schedule

Chapel Hill 

No. 5 North Carolina (42-12) vs. Holy Cross (31-25), 12 p.m. – ACC Network

Conway 

No. 13 Coastal Carolina (48-11) vs. Fairfield (39-17), 6 p.m. – ESPN+

Hattiesburg

Miami (31-24) vs. Alabama (37-21), 3 p.m. – ESPN2

Tallahassee 

No. 9 Florida State (38-14) vs. Bethune-Cookman (37-21), 3 p.m. – ACC Network

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Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at 772-985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com. 

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