South Florida Bullsharks
South Florida Bullsharks
OWNER and HEAD COACH

Edwin Bonilla

Edwin Bonilla was born and raised in Miami, FL. Growing up Edwin Bonilla enjoyed playing baseball. His baseball career went into full swing at North Miami Beach Senior High (2002-05). After graduating from high school Edwin Bonilla went to William Penn University from 2006-2008 to play baseball. He officially graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2009 with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Sports and Fitness. In 2008, Bonilla got a position as an Assistant Varsity Baseball Coach at Hialeah Gardens Senior High School and he worked with the Outfielders. Coach Bonilla became Head Baseball Coach at Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High in the fall of 2011. He led the Sharks to a 14-9 record in his first season. Coach Bonilla turned Alonzo and Tracy Mourning from a 1-20 record to a 14-9 in just one year. In Coach Bonilla first year players were accepted into Division schools like NYIT and University of North Florida. In 2010-11, Coach Bonilla worked at Broward College as a Volunteer Coach. He devoted his time on catchers and Redshirts players. Bonilla was part of the staff at Broward College that won Southern Conference in 2011. It was the college first conference title in 6 years. Broward College defeated the number 1 ranked Miami-Dade College in the Junior College ranks that season to clinch the conference. In 2011-2018, Coach Bonilla joined forces with the South Florida Breakers in the summer of 2011 to create a major travel organization in South Florida. The breakers philosophy was real simple develop baseball players and getting baseball players into college. The breakers stuck with that philosophy with great success including having a player name Ronnie Williams taken in the 2nd round of the MLB draft in the summer of 2014 by the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2011-17, Coach Bonilla accepted a full-time position at Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High as a Physical Education Teacher and the Head Coach for the baseball team. Coach Bonilla was able to take a brand-new program which at the time did not compete in district. In the first year he took the Sharks into a 14-9 setting school records on the way in wins. Within the Sharks second season the team took a step backwards completing in district play for the first time in district 6A-16 going a record of 5-18. During his time at Alonzo and Tracy Mourning he built a brand-new batting cage, bullpen mound, and hit down screens on the school campus. Coach Bonilla still holds the school record in win as a head baseball coach (64) in 6 seasons at Mourning High. He was able to send his players like Evan Cohen (2012), Alex Vallejo(2014), Kevin Moreno (2014) Aaron Petrash (2015) just to name a few into college to play baseball. In 2017- Present Coach Bonilla became the 6TH Head coach ever of Miami Senior High rich history. Miami high is the oldest high school in Miami-Dade county history (1903). In Bonilla first year in the program rebuilt show some promise as he committed pitcher Michael Gayo and Kendry Noriega to D-1 FIU. This past season Coach Bonilla 3RD year in the program cut short due to COVID-19 was showing promise the program was heading into the right direction. In Bonilla short history at Miami High he have committed Alejandro De Arazoza (2018), Jonathan Sosa (2018), Andres Garcia (2020), Michael Gayo (2020), Hernando Alvarez (2020), Kendry Noriega (2020), Rey Faure (2020), and David Antonetti (2020). Coach Bonilla is married to Alyssa Bonilla who has three beautiful children Erin, Prince, and Edwin Jr. Bonilla who are passionate about baseball as well. Bonilla’s legacy will continue to live on through his wife and their children.

Edwin Bonilla - owner and head coach

Rudy Arias

Asst. Coach / Trainer

Born in Santa Clara, Cuba, Árias attended Miami Senior High School. He played minor league baseball for the Seattle Mariners organization. Árias played for the Bellingham Mariners of the Rookie-level Northwest League in 1977, where he was named the league's defensive player of the month for July, and was named to the All-Star team. However, he had a batting average of only .225. Árias played for the Stockton Mariners of the Class A California League in 1978. After a strong start, Árias missed time due to a broken jaw suffered when he was hit in the face with a fastball. In 1979, he played for the Alexandria Mariners of the Class A Carolina League, the San Jose Missions, and Santa Clara Padres, both in the California League. He retired as a player following the season. Árias served as the bullpen catcher for the Florida Marlins of the National League in the mid-1990s and the New York Yankees of the American League(AL), serving with the team during the 1996 World Series championship. Árias was a replacement player for the Yankees during the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike. Árias then worked for the Baltimore Orioles of the AL as their bullpen catcher from 1997 through 2007. He coached the Winnipeg Goldeyes, then of the Northern League from 2008 through 2010. He left the Goldeyes to return to the Orioles as their bullpen catcher in 2011. He was inducted into the Miami Senior High School Hall of Fame in April 2012. Rudy started coaching with the South Florida Bullsharks in 2019-Present.

Ricky Rojas

Asst. Coach / Trainer

Ricky Rojas got himself into a small jam for Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School in March 1985. He responded by bearing down and striking out the next three batters, The Miami News wrote.
"That's what makes Ricky such a great pitcher," Hialeah head coach Gary Krey told The News afterward. "He never loses his composure. When the other team puts together some sort of rally on him, he bears down even harder, making it real tough on the hitters." Rojas took that approach to the pros later that year and he went on to play eight seasons there. Rojas, though, never got to work out of a jam in the majors. He never made the bigs. Rojas' career began that year, taken by the Royals in the fifth round of the draft out of Hialeah-Miami Lakes. At Hialeah in February 1985, Rojas set down 18 opposing batters on strikes in a game. Three years earlier, Rojas threw three no-hitters in a season. He also struck out 20 of 21 batters in one game, a state record for a seven-inning game, according to The News. "I just try to throw strikes," Rojas, then pitching for Loyola High School, told The News. "I didn't know I was close to any record until the fourth inning when the players started talking about it. I began to concentrate on it in the sixth." With the Royals, Rojas started in the rookie Gulf Coast League. He went 5-4 in 13 starts, with a 2.75 ERA. He moved to single-A Fort Myers in 196, staying there two seasons. He moved to the Mariners and AA Vermont. He went 10-7 in 27 starts, with a 4.14 ERA. He threw a seven-inning complete-game shutout in July, giving up just four hits. Rojas stayed in AA the next two seasons, playing at Williamsport. He went 6-7 in an abbreviated 1989 season, then 8-6 in 1990 as a reliever. He had another seven-inning shutout in August 1989. Rojas made AAA Calgary for 16 games, five starts in 1991. He had a 9.10 ERA. He played the rest of the year at AA Jacksonville. Rojas moved to the Tigers system for one final season in 1992. He played the year at AA London, going 5-5, with a 4.87 ERA  in 32 relief appearances, ending his career.