The Vero Beach High baseball team entered the 2026 season with a roster plagued by early‑season injuries, forcing Coach Bryan Rahal and his staff to constantly shuffle positions and experiment with lineups.
The staff’s solution was to move versatile players into new roles, with Charles Singletary IV taking over at shortstop after Caleb Wood suffered a hamstring setback, and Hudson Schlitt sliding to third base to fill the void left by Jordan Tomas’s wrist injury.
Wood, still valuable at the plate, was shifted to a designated‑hitter spot, while Dom Lopez was promoted to the No. 2 spot in the batting order, providing a spark that helped the team string together a ten‑game winning streak.
Pitcher Cody Morgan also battled a broken foot and an ankle injury, yet the team managed to maintain depth by integrating transfers and developing younger talent, a strategy that paid off as the squad climbed to a national ranking in some polls.
A Historic Opportunity
Now the team prepares for the Class 7A State Semifinal at the Lee Health Sports Complex in Fort Myers, where they will face top‑seeded Venice High, a program that enters the game as the clear favorite.
A Historic Opportunity
A victory would mark Vero Beach’s first baseball championship in school history, a milestone that has eluded the program despite years of competitive play.
The Broader Bracket
The other semifinal pits second‑seed Parkland Stoneman Douglas, owners of five straight state titles, against third‑seed Hagerty High, while Stoneman Douglas had eliminated Vero Beach two years ago in the same round.