Month: February 2019

Gary Food Faves

Even though I know many of us are, like me, tired of mainly chain restaurants opening in our area, the fact is that all of the newcomers continue to expand our dining options in New Tampa and, especially, in Wesley Chapel — and that is good news.

Also encouraging is the fact that many of the later newcomers — and many of the chains already announced as still to come — are eateries that we at least haven’t had in our area before.

For example, after my recent visit to Orlando, I am really excited about the Saltgrass Steakhouse (see page 40) that will open, hopefully before 2020, between the Tampa Premium Outlets and I-75, just as I was pretty pumped that both MOD Pizza (which opened n 2018) and Blaze Pizza (which opened earlier this year; again, see pages 40-41) coming to our area, even though there will never be anything better than true New York-style pizza at the top of my Favorite Pizza list. But, I am a fan of the new “fast casual” pizza options — and I also like that MOD and Blaze both also have excellent make-your-own salad options.

There are some surprises on my list for 2018 and please realize that I got to wait until 2019 to make my choices (unlike our readers, who had to submit their surveys by November of last year), but I still have not included any restaurants on this list that were not yet open in 2018.

I will say that all of the new chain options did make it more difficult for me to pick just 50 favorite restaurants — I likely considered at least 100 different eateries between our two markets for this list. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed doing the research for it.

DEMPSEY’S STEAK HOUSE
As it has been since it opened, the only problem with Dempsey’s Steak House at Saddlebrook Resort is that the average working guy can’t afford to eat there, other than for a very special occasion. With its $40-$60 steaks and all a la carte pricing, I wouldn’t eat at Dempsey’s at all, other than the fact that everything from the filet mignon to the bone-in ribeye steak (photo above) is as good as anywhere you’ll find in Tampa — including Council Oak, Fleming’s and Charley’s. The fresh seafood is equally impressive and there’s no doubt that the crab cake appetizer and sides for two are unequaled.
STONEWOOD
I feel like I’ve known Stonewood’s Tampa Palms proprietor Dave Rathbun forever, but the bottom line is that this mini-chain is known for great food at fair, but certainly not bargain prices, and for outstanding service. Whether for lunch or dinner, dining at Stonewood (or even just enjoying food and beverages at the bar), is an experience, not just a meal. Is it worth $5-$10 more for Stonewood’s aged New York strip or filet mignon than you’d pay at Longhorn or Outback? I’d have to say yes. Recent menu changes, like the southern fried shrimp platter shown below (that I can’t eat because of my accursed shellfish allergy) and reasonably priced bowls (like an excellent tuna poke bowl) for lunch have moved Stonewood up to my favorite restaurant in New Tampa.

3. GRILLSMITH
Anytime a restaurant I’ve tried before adds new menu items that are in my dining “wheelhouse” — like the addition of truly fresh “short trip” fish, like the mahi-mahi Mediterranean style pictured above at Grillsmith — I have to give it a try. But, while a lot of places do mahi or grouper, Jannah and I have gotten to enjoy wahoo, cobia and snapper at Grillsmith, which also has the best mashed cauliflower and sautéed spinach in our area. With a little better variety of steaks, Grillsmith could challenge Stonewood for #2.

4. LONGHORN
Whenever I’ve compiled my list, I try to think of the places that I have visited the most and what I realize is that Jannah and I have spent a lot of time sharing food at the bar at Longhorn. Yes, it’s only a mile from where we live, but we love sharing Longhorn’s Flo’s filet and I feel the outlaw ribeye is a pretty good value. We also love the recent addition of cheesy baked cauliflower (you can get it that way for broccoli, too), as well as the salad, bread and the outstanding service at the bar.

5. BAHAMA BREEZE
Bahama Breeze was fast becoming our favorite new restaurant last year when the Island Grille stopped having any “fresh catch” other than swordfish on the menu. We recently got to enjoy a fresh mahi-mahi at Bahama Breeze, and I do really enjoy the Jamaican specialties, but additional steak (top sirloin or filet) and chicken options would help.

6. CICCIO’S
Ciccio Cali continues to please with three yummy tuna “Cali Bowls” on the menu, as well as the chicken and baby broccoli stir-fry, new spicy Brazilian bowl, wrap sandwiches and thin-crust pizzas. Other new menu items include two hummus appetizers, a vegan chopped salad and even the “impossible” burger. Nice wine selection, too.

7. LITTLE ITALY’S
Without additional new menu items added in 2018, Little Italy’s dropped a few spots on my list, but it still has the best veal parmigiana and lasagne in our area and their pizzas and calzones are back. A fresh fish special and some veggie sides would be welcome additions.

8. ACROPOLIS
Acropolis continues to expand its menu with more authentic Greek and Middle Eastern dishes, but my favorites are still the lamb chops, the Athenian fish and the Greek salad. Acropolis would finish higher on my list if I loved the roasted veggies and other side dishes.

9. NOBLE CRUST
When Noble Crust opened, I loved that there was usually a fresh fish special and I do still love the double-cut pork chop, chicken fried chicken parmigiana, pizzas and sides like broccolini, garlicky greens and crispy Brussels sprouts, plus the homemade desserts.

10. SUKHOTHAI
Sukhothai’s fresh sushi (especially the tuna tataki) and combination fried rice are still among my favorites in our area and I also love the crispy duck with ginger sauce, the new tuna sashimi poke bowl and the shoes-off, below-floor seating.

11. FORD’S GARAGE
Despite another limited menu (unless you really love burgers), Jannah and I do crave the ahi tuna appetizer, chop-chop salad, chicken Henry and petite filet at Ford’s Garage, which also has good veggie side dishes and white cheddar mashed potatoes.

12. AMICI PIZZA
Our readers’ new favorite pizza place definitely makes my top 5 for favorite New York-style ‘za, but what really helped the new location move up in my rankings were the authentic linguine with white clam sauce and tasty veal and eggplant parmigiana.

13. THAI RUBY
The ambiance is second to none and the food never disappoints. I love Thai Ruby’s fresh fish specials and the crispy duck with ginger sauce is still the best in our area. This is a great place to start an intimate date night.

14. LIANG’S BISTRO
I haven’t always placed Liang’s this high on my list, but I realize that it does feature my favorite New York-style barbecue spare ribs, great egg rolls and the sautéed green beans are among my favorite veggie dishes in the area. We always order them spicy!

15. OMARI’S BAR & GRILL
My favorite non-chain newcomer in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, Omari’s menu will continue to grow as more folks make requests, but with super-fresh, chef-prepared dishes like the flounder almendrine pictured above, it is a definite must-try.

16. KOBE JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE
Kobe already had the highest-quality hibachi steaks in our area, but Jannah and I also love it for its reasonably priced appetizers at the full-liquor bar.

17. LA PRIMA PIZZA
Still my favorite New York-style pizza in our area and the Italian fare, like veal parmigiana and lasagne, also gets high marks.

18. THE FAT RABBIT
The best blackened wings I’ve had, amazing salads and great sandwiches in a comfortable setting keep The Fat Rabbit in Tampa Palms high on my list.

19. 900 DEGREES WOODFIRED PIZZA
One of my top-five New York-style pizza places, which also has the best penne with pesto Genovese in our area. Try adding fresh spinach and grilled chicken. Yum!

20. THE HUNGRY GREEK
If you like getting great value for your money, you’re probably already one of the regulars at Hungry Greek, which features our area’s best gyros and authentic Greek salads.

21. BAYSCAPE BISTRO
Another highly-ranked newcomer on my list, I haven’t yet sampled the fresh fish sauté special, but the Fiesta Fridays, wings, burgers and salads are all top-notch.

22. FUSHIA ASIAN BISTRO
The menu continues to move towards more authentic Chinese fare, but I love Fushia for the best Chinese combination fried rice and beef with Chinese broccoli in our area.

23. OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE
Jannah and I definitely enjoy the Victoria’s filet and the Alice Springs chicken, and I do think the bone-in natural cut ribeye is a good value for the money.

24. SUSHI CAFE
Up there with Sukhothai for the best sushi in our area, I also enjoy the soft shell crab appetizer, the kitchen-made hibachi fare and the tempura and ton katsu fried options.

25. OTB CAFE
Not only has the new location on BBD in Wesey Chapel added some new menu items, the addition of real bacon for breakfast has upped OTB’s stock with me a lot.

26. FRATELLI’S PIZZA & CAFE
This newcomer in the former Woody’s location in the Wesley Chapel Village Market features very good pizza and excellent penne with broccoli rabe and sausage.

27. GINZA
Our area has more than its fair share of value Japanese restaurants, but Ginza’s Mongolian beef, sushi and appetizers are all-you-can-eat for $12.95 during the week.

28. VALLARTA’S
Although some say the quality of the food isn’t the highest, Jannah and I can’t get enough of Vallarta’s chicken fajitas, which are better than the rest in our area.

29. HILTON GARDEN INN GARDEN GRILLE & BAR
It’s still pretty new, so I haven’t sampled all of the menu for breakfast or dinner yet, but the Pan Asian ribs and NY strip steak are both enough to keep me coming back.

30. KOIZI
Just a tad below Ginza for my tastes, I do enjoy the fact that the hibachi is cooked tableside and the even-lower-than-Ginza price of $10.95 for weekday lunch.

Rest of Top 50 Alphabetical

Arroy Thai -Great garlic & black pepper sauce!

Bonefish Grill-Two words: tuna sashimi!

Bonsai Sushi-Popular for sushi & Japanese fare

Bosco’s-Try the gator pizza & pasta

Capital Tacos-Tasty fajita salads

Culver’s-Good burgers, amazing frozen custard

FJ Expresss-New value-priced & tasty Japanese fare

Hibachi Express-Best prices for tasty hibachi!

Irish 31-Great salads & upscale pub grub

Lanna Thai-Really good food, great atmosphere

Minerva-Lamb kababs & Chinese-style fried rice

NY NY Pizza-Try the Grandma’s pizza!

Oakley’s Grille-Best burgers & now great meatballs

O’Brien’s Irish Pub-Burgers, tater tots & karaoke

Prost Kitchen & Bar-Best schnitzel & spaetzle

Texas Roadhouse-Good steaks, bad line dancing

Top Shelf-Great wings & sauteed veggies

Wolf’s Den-Inexpensive, good breakfast choice

Woodfired Pizza-Great pizza & salads (Bearss)

Yamato Japanese Rest.-Good hibachi fare

Gary’s Favorite NY Pizza

1. La Prima Pizza

2. NY NY Pizza

3. Amici Pizza

4. 900° Woodfired

5. Taste of NY

6. Best NY

7. Fratelli’s

8. Capri

9. Pizza Mania

10. Westshore

Gary’s Favorite Steak

1. Dempsey’s

2. Longhorn

3. Stonewood

4. Omari’s Grille

5. Outback

6. Kobe

7. Texas Roadhouse

8. Garden Grille

9. Yamato

10. Ginza

Gary’s Favorite Asian Fare

1. Sukhothai

2. Thai Ruby

3. Liang’s Bistro

4. Kobe

5. Fushia

6. Sushi Café

7. Ginza

8. Koizi

9. Yamato

10. Arroy Thai

Gary’s Favorite Burgers

1. Oakley’s Grill

2. Sonny’s BBQ

3. Stonewood

4. OTB Café

5. Bayscape Bistro

6. Top Shelf

7. Bahama Breeze

8. Grillsmith

9. Burger 21

10. Five Guys

Gary’s Favorite Pasta

1. Fratelli’s

2. Amici

3. Omari’s Grille

4. Little Italy’s

5. Bahama Breeze

6. Noble Crust

7. La Prima Pizza

8. Stonewood

9. Garden Grille

10. PizzaMania

Gary’s Fave Ice Cream/Yogurt

1. Bruster’s

2. Culver’s

3. Snowrolls

4. Twistee Treat

5. Cold Stone

6. Happy Cow

7. Batter & Dough

8. Baskin-Robbins

9. Menchie’s

10. Dairy Queen

Shevade Hopes To Add To New Tampa’s Representation On City Council

Vibha Shevade is one of just two women running for one of the three available seats on the 2019 Tampa City Council, and the only female running “at large” — for the citywide District 3 seat — rather than in her home District 7.

Shevade, a USF graduate and New Tampa resident for more than 20 years, hopes her desire to bring a woman’s voice to the table and professional experience in hot-button issues will translate into a win on Tampa’s Municipal Election Day — Tuesday, March 5.

“I have worked in transportation, housing, technology and safety, and these are things I want to promote in City Council,” said Shevade, who also has served on the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Indian Advisory Council for the past six years, including one year as president, and on the Tampa Police Department’s Citizens Review Board.

Shevade says her priority will be New Tampa neighborhoods. She and her husband send their three children to public schools in our area and want to make their commute safer, especially given the School Board’s new mandate that denies bus service to students who live within two miles of their school.

“Our kids are walking to school before 7 a.m.,” Shevade says. “We have potholes, sidewalks that don’t exist or aren’t connected, and inadequate lighting. These are just basic necessities, and if we can’t meet them, are we really moving forward?”

Shevade says her career background includes handling multi-million-dollar technology budgets and creating a university transit system. She was part of the creation and planning process that eventually resulted in Bull Runner, the bus system at the nearby University of South Florida.

She currently is a realtor at Tampa’s NextHome Discovery, and believes that the City of Tampa has an affordable housing crisis.

“Everyone needs a place to call home, and we have people with disabilities, young graduates and families who have been on a wait list for five years,” she said. “That’s unacceptable.”

Shevade, an active volunteer on the New Tampa Council, started by current District 7 City Council member Luis Viera, pointed out that a better transit system would serve to connect neighborhoods and increase economic development, easing the burden on affordable housing.

“Commuting costs can be a hardship for students, families and individuals with car maintenance, gas and insurance,” she says. “When people have more transit options to easily commute from one place to another for work or school, it frees up funds to invest in a home.”

Helping Women In Business, Too

Another priority for Shevade is promoting female-owned small business growth. She recently went on a Tampa Black Business Bus Tour, a nonprofit organization focused on raising awareness of African-American owned small businesses, and was shocked to discover many female-owned niche shops she had never heard of before.

“Women business owners, especially in Florida, get less funding than their male counterparts,” she said. “We need to fix that.”

Shevade also thinks the city needs more focus on climate change, referencing the recent $250 million floodwater fix that she said didn’t take rising sea levels into account.

“We definitely need new ordinances and other changes that are environmentally friendly, like solar power,” she says. “There are so many little things we can do that will have a big impact on sustainability.”

Raising taxes is something Shevade believes is unnecessary, since the sales tax increases voters throughout Hillsborough County passed in November for transportation and school infrastructure will add millions to the city’s budget. She also is strongly in favor of expanding the New Tampa Recreation Center, which has a five-year waiting list of children and families.

“Our budget is greater than last year, and there’s no reason why we have to cut out things that will increase quality of life,” she says. “I’ll fight for this (Rec Center) expansion because our families have been waiting way too long for this resource. There are plenty of options out there that don’t involve making our residents pay more.”

Shevade’s bottom line is change now, for the sake of future generations.

“If you want change, you need to vote for change,” she says, “and I’ll make sure that every single person has a voice at the table.”

For more information about the March 5 Municipal election, visit VoteHillsborough.org. For more information about Vibha Shevade, visit the “Vibha Shevade for Tampa City Council” page on Facebook.

Do You Want To Help Us Celebrate My 25 Years Of Owning The Neighborhood News?

On Monday, I celebrated 25 years as the owner, publisher and editor of the Neighborhood News!

And of course, even though life is even more hectic than usual these days, you know I can’t let such a milestone go by without some sort of celebration.

To that end, sometime in April (we will announce the actual date in our next issue), the Neighborhood News will host a party at the Bayscape Bistro at Heritage Isles Country Club. We also will (hopefully) be unveiling our new website — NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net (aka the “Online Network for New Tampa and Wesley Chapel”) — at that event and rest assured, there also will be great free hors d’oeuvres, karaoke (it is my party, after all), some nice prize giveaways (also to be announced) and the opportunity to hang with our staff and some of the business owners whose advertising revenue allows us to continue to not only thrive, but also expand the online and video sides of our business, which has now received funding support from the Google News Initiative.

All you have to do to get onto the guest list is email me us ads@ntneighborhoodnews.com, put “Neighborhood News Guest List” in the subject line and give us your first and last name, the community you live in and the names of any people you plan to bring. You’ll receive a confirmation email back from us, which also will serve as your entry into all of our prize drawings that evening (and yes, you must be present to win any of those prizes).

Please note that this event will be held on a Saturday evening and is not really intended for children. For more information, please call (813) 910-2575 or visit NTNeighborhoodNews.com.

Speaking Of Online…

Since receiving our funding from Google in mid-January, we have recorded two Featured Business videos, our first episode of “Chappie Chatter” (with Wesley Chapel Community Facebook page administrator Jennifer Ames), a North Tampa Bay Chamber news update and our first News Desk of 2019 (photo above left, with co-anchor Susanna Martinez), which is all about everything coming to both sides of 56 near the Tampa Premium Outlets.

We’re pretty proud of the new content, but there is so much more to come and still more ways for your business to get the benefit of not only the primary print voice of the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel communities for the last 25 years, but also of our online video content, as well as our Facebook/Neighborhood News posts that link you to our website, which currently is still NTNeighborhoodNews.com.

As I mentioned before, all of our online content will soon fall under the NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net umbrella and we are now offering your business the opportunity to:

1) Receive our lowest possible print advertising rates

2) Have a Featured Business Video done in conjunction with (and released at around the same time as) your print Business Feature story, just like Florida Executive Realty has in our most recent issue and Samantha Taylor Fitness had last issue

3) Become a sponsor of our online videos and of our “regular” website content

We have sent this information to all of our current, recent past and prospective advertisers, but if you haven’t received yours or you have any additional questions about how it all works, please call (813) 910-2575 or email Ads@WCNT-tv.com.

Congrats, Barry & Trinity Café!

I’ve been telling you for some time now how proud I am to be a member of the Rotary Club of New Tampa Noon, which meets Wednesdays at noon, also at Bayscape Bistro.

I’ve called our club of fewer than 25 members “Small, But Mighty” in previous editorials and I have more proof of that to tell you about.

Not only did our club win awards from our Rotary District 6890 for our increase in membership and for per-person contributions to the Rotary Foundation (the nonprofit wing of Rotary International that has been the primary force behind the drive to eradicate polio from the world), we also recently held a hugely successful, first-ever New Tampa Brewfest in November (the 2019 Brewfest already is scheduled for Saturday, November 16; visit NewTampaBrewfest.com for tickets and details).

And now, club member Barry Shuman and his wife (and chauffeur) Claire have helped the Trinity Café, a program of Feeding Tampa Bay, raise a record $9,000 at last month’s annual Outrageous (and super-fun) Bingo event held at Hamburger Mary’s in Brandon.

Barry (far left in right photo), who was this year’s event chair, and Claire were on hand at our Feb. 13 Rotary meeting when our current club president Gary Lefebvre (right) presented Trinity Café executive director Mandy Cloninger (center) with checks totalling an additional $1,000 from not only our club, but also from past president Vinnie Kudva and Sergeant-at-Arms Scott Hileman, who donated the proceeds from the recent opening day of the Tampa Nekter Juice Bar he has opened with business partner Brian Erwine (their second location).

Small, but mighty, indeed!

New Tampa prep baseball & softball previews

*Brian Baughman is the top returning player in New Tampa, after batting .398 and going 6-3 on the mound in 2018.* ***(Photo: Jarrett Guthrie)***

WHARTON BASEBALL

Coach: Scott Hoffman

Last season: 17-9 (5-2 in Class 8A-4)

Key returners: Brian Baughman (Sr., LHP, OF), Zach Ehrhard (So., 2B), Mike Hudson (Sr., 1B), Dylan McDonald (So., INF), Grady Maguire (Jr., SS).

Promising newcomers: Ryan Fry (Fr, RHP) and Michael Rivera (So., LHP).

Breakout Star: Dubbed by Hoffman as the team’s “Ben Zobrist” for his incredible versatility on defense, junior shortstop and infielder Grady Maguire opened last season on a tear with hits in 10 of the first 11 games. He finished his sophomore season hitting .357, with 20 runs scored and 12 RBI.

Outlook: District runners-up last season and riding a streak of four straight regional playoff appearances, Wharton will again bring a highly-talented team to the table this season.

The Wildcats will be led by senior pitcher and outfielder Brian Baughman, who burst onto the scene last year by hitting .398, more than 100 points better than his 2017 batting average, scored 26 runs and went 6-3 on the mound with a 1.94 ERA and 60 strikeouts.

Sophomore Zach Ehrhard had an impressive varsity debut last year, hitting .371 and scoring 20 runs, while Mike Hudson (see story on previous page) had 15 RBI and Dylan McDonald drove in 14 runs, including one in each of the team’s last four games.

Freshman pitcher Ryan Fry hasn’t even thrown a high school pitch yet, but he already has made an early oral commitment to the University of Miami this winter and may make an immediate impact on the mound for the‘Cats. Lefthanded sophomore Michael Rivera transferred in from Alonso High, where he did not see any varsity action.

Hoffman says: “Our seniors like Brian (Baughman) and Mikey Hudson are guys we lean on a lot and they show how about we go about our business around here… the younger guys see and follow them.”

*Tieley Vaughn, pictured here with USF coach Ken Eriksen, has already orally committed to play for the Bulls in college. (Photo: Twitter)*

WHARTON SOFTBALL

Coach: Brittany Bonea

Last season: 15-7, Class 8A, District 4 runner-up

Key returners: Jordyn Gendron (Sr., 3B); Jillian Long (Jr., P/OF); Hana Schwindler (Sr., P/2B); Tieley Vaughn (So., SS).

Promising newcomers: Riley Collins (Fr., P/2B/OF)

Breakout Star: A University of South Florida oral commitment as a freshman, Tieley Vaughn is a powerhouse hitter according to Bonea, who also boasts a cannon of an arm from shortstop. Last season, Vaughn was the leading hitter for the Wildcats amongst the regulars, hitting .352, with six doubles, 12 RBI and 15 runs scored.

Outlook: The Wildcats, 2-0 so far with a pair of shutout wins, cruised through district play last season, going 6-0 in the regular season, before winning its district tournament semifinal game against Wiregrass Ranch.

In two regular season games against Freedom, the Wildcats outlasted the Patriots.

However, in the district championship Wharton hitters were held to just four hits in a mercy-rule loss to Freedom, and then knocked out of the state playoffs 14-0 by East Ridge.

Despite the end-of-season stumble last year, Bonea, a former Saint Leo University player, has steered the Wildcats to three straight District championship games, and four straight winning seasons since taking over the program in 2015.

Wharton loses four of its top five hitters due to graduation, but will regroup offensively behind solid crop of returners.

Senior Jordyn Gendron (.306, 19 RBI and 10 runs scored in 2018), Hana Schwindler (.292, 12 runs scored) and Vaughn will key the offense.

Junior Jillian Long returns to the mound for her junior campaign after posting a 13-4 record last season, with a 3.33 ERA and 44 strikeouts. She leads the team with three RBI in two games this season.

Bonea says: “Our goal this year is to make sure that the players take their mental game as serious as their physical game.”

*Tripp Merrell, Freedom’s fourth baseball coach in as many years, hopes to finally turn Patriots baseball into a winning program. (Photo: Freedom Revolution).*

FREEDOM BASEBALL

Coach: Tripp Merrell

Last season: 6-16 (1-5 in Class 8A-4)

Key returners: Mitchell Leroy (Sr., RHP), Jeremy Carrick (Sr., SS), Kevin Kirby (Jr., 1B/RHP), Brylan West (Jr., 3B/RHP).

Promising newcomers: Sebastian Burgess, Sr., Util/P; Jack Richardson Sr., OF

Breakout Star: The Patriots success this season will be highly dependent on pitching ace Mitchell Leroy, and according to Merrell the senior righty is just fine with that pressure. Mitchell is a workhorse on mound, who Merrell says is a “big-game pitcher,” who loves the limelight and wants to have the ball in his hands for the biggest game.

However, the Hillborough Community College oral commitment posted a 2.88 ERA, with 59 strikeouts in 56 innings. He is 6-foot-3, and boasts a fastball that gets up to 90 mph.

Jeremy Carrick, a four-year starter committed to NCAA Division III’s Norwich University in Vermont, will play a pivotal role on defense and will look to be a leader at the plate after scoring a team-best 16 runs last season, while juniors Kevin Kirby and Brylan West (the top returning hitter with a .267 average) will contribute at the plate and on the mound this season.

Returning for their final prep seasons after two years away from the program are seniors Sebastian Burgess and Jack Richardson, who Merrell hopes can be impact players this season for the Patriots.

Merrell says: “We have a tough schedule and I’m happy about the teams we played in the fall. And in most of those games, we hung in there and I feel like those things prepared us for this tough district. Come (district tournament) time you only have to win one game to advance, but I know every team in our district.”

*Kylie Coffin already has two homers and nine RBI in two games. (Photo: Dan Sidwell, Freedom Revolution)*

FREEDOM SOFTBALL

Coach: Autumn Hernandez

Last season: 19-6 (Class 8A-District 4 Champions, region semifinalist)

Key returners: Ellis Erickson (Jr., C); Lilly Kiester (So., OF); Abigail Vandeberg (Sr., SS).

Promising newcomer: Kylie Coffin (Jr., P; see photo)

Breakout Star: A speedy runner with a great ability to read the ball off the bat, sophomore Lilly Kiester is already one of the best outfielders in the county according to Hernandez. As a freshman, Kiester scored 26 times last season and hit .333.

Outlook: Freedom is already 2-0 and have outscored opponents 34-6 in its first two wins, a year after claiming its first softball district title last season. The Patriots hope to build on that with a junior-heavy lineup, but one that returns a lot of starting experience. For Hernandez, leaders like Ellis Erickson (.442, 19 RBI, 21 runs, and six doubles in 2018) and senior Abigail Vandeberg (.361, 20 runs, 17 RBI) will be crucial to the success for the Patriots, who are still adjusting to some defensive realignment heading into the start of the season.

Erickson, who already has a homer and four RBI and has already orally committed to play in college for Northern Illinois, is the “heartbeat of the team” according to Hernandez and is the field general from behind the plate.

The Patriots biggest boost on defense, however, might come from its most crucial new edition – Carrollwood Day School junior transfer Kylie Coffin. Last season while pitching CDS to the Class 3A regional final, she posted a 17-9 record with a 1.90 ERA and 156 strikeouts. Relying on a nasty screwball and a solid curve, she will immediately take over the heavy lifting on the mound for Freedom, and she is no slouch at the plate after hitting .487 with three home runs and 32 RBI for CDS.

In two games, Coffin is making a serious impact, going 5-for-7 at the plate with two homers and nine RBI, and has struck out 13 batters in seven innings pitched.

Senior Abigail Vandeberg makes the move from first base to shortstop this season, filling a key role defensively for the Patriots, and returns solid numbers at the plate after hitting .361 with 17 RBI last season.

Hernandez says: “We are a small team this season with just 11 players, so we are moving a lot of players around the field this season. To fill some holes, I’ve had to move some people to new spots, so there may be a bit of a learning situation taking place early on. But I think we are getting better every day, and once we get into district play I expect us to be ready.”

Outlook: Merrell is the fourth new baseball coach in as many years at Freedom, and he is tasked with turning around a program that has had only one winning season, back in 2012. A Sickles High grad and former college player at Webber International University in Babson Park, FL, Merrell will likely lean on Leroy, who was 2-4 last season.However, the Hillborough Community College oral commitment posted a 2.88 ERA, with 59 strikeouts in 56 innings. He is 6-foot-3, and boasts a fastball that gets up to 90 mph.Jeremy Carrick, a four-year starter committed to NCAA Division III’s Norwich University in Vermont, will play a pivotal role on defense and will look to be a leader at the plate after scoring a team-best 16 runs last season, while juniors Kevin Kirby and Brylan West (the top returning hitter with a .267 average) will contribute at the plate and on the mound this season.

softball

New Charging Station Will Add To New Tampa’s EV Drivers’ Choices

The parking lot between the Panera Bread and Dunkin’ Donuts off Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in the Walk at Highwoods Preserve is undergoing a transformation that should charge some people up.

If they have the right kind of car, that is.

What is currently a fenced-in site with little hint of what’s to come will soon be an electric car charging station, part of an Electrify America network that is aggressively expanding across the country.

The New Tampa location is one of 484 sites that will be finished by the end of June.

The location, in one of New Tampa’s busier breakfast and lunchtime locations, is exactly what Electrify America is looking for, according to company spokesman Mike Moran. While Moran says the proximity to I-75 is ideal, so are the variety of things to do for those waiting for their car to fully charge.

Although the technology continues to improve, to charge an electric car can take anywhere from 15 minutes to a few hours or even overnight, so stations are often located in high-amenity areas and at many hotels.

“It’s a combination of many things, really,” Moran says. “But part of the criteria is we are looking for places that are accessible and also provide an opportunity to other amenities, like shopping, food and beverages and other facilities.”

Most automakers are working on, or are already producing, electric cars, or EVs (for electric vehicles). Sales of EVs in 2018 were up 81 percent over the previous, with 361,307 sales nationwide, according to InsideEVs.com.

Many of the sales are being driven by the price of fueling up with gas, as well as awareness and concern over the effect that fuel emissions have on the environment.

Ironically, it was an emissions scandal that led to the creation of Electrify America.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of German automaker Volkswagen, Electrify America was created in the aftermath of an emissions scandal in 2015 in which Volkswagen was discovered to have programmed roughly 11 million cars, including 500,000 in the U.S., to activate their emissions controls only during testing. Outside the testing facilities, however, it was discovered its cars were emitting 40 times more nitrogen oxide than allowed by the Clean Air Act.

As part of its settlement with the U.S., Volkswagen agreed to invest $2 billion over 10 years in U.S. EV infrastructure, which includes new stations as well as educational initiatives, and launched Electrify America in 2018.

More stations could prompt more sales. One major issue with owning an electric car remains the range of your vehicle, and where to power up in a pinch. While a high majority of EV owners have a charging station at home, one of the by-products of owning an EV, especially for those with long commutes or looking to make a long trip, is finding a station when you need one, aka “range-anxiety.”

But that is slowly changing.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center, there were 61,067 electric vehicle charging stations in the U.S. in 2018. That number has increased every year since 2008, with the fastest growth coming the past three years, with annual growth of roughly 10,000 stations since 2015.

There are about 3,000 public charging stations in Florida, compared to more than 20,000 in California, which has the most.

The Electrify America station isn’t the first EV charging station in New Tampa. In fact, there are PlugShare charging stations at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites on Galbraith Rd. right behind The Walk at Highwoods Preserve, as well as two PlugShare charging stations at the USF Federal Credit Union on BBD.

There also is a ChargePoint Charging Station located on Amberly Drive in the parking lot of the JAEB Center For Health Research, and Plug-In America has stations at Wesley Chapel Nissan, Honda and Chevrolet, as well as a handful of stations in and around the Tampa Premium Outlets.

Tesla, which uses proprietary charging stations, has plans to build a station near the Super Target on County Line Rd. sometime this year, according to its website.