Given the competitive nature of area high school baseball teams last season, there were clear signs that the finish would be climactic. It did not disappoint.

After an up-and-down regular season, eighth-seeded Cape High shook up the District 5A-15 Tournament field by knocking off top seed Fort Myers in the quarterfinals at Terry Park.

At the conclusion of the tournament, the biggest winner proved to be Mariner. After a string of five consecutive losses in district title games, the Tritons finished off a three-game tournament run with their first title since 1999.

“We believe we can compete for a district championship again,” said Mariner coach Steve Larsen, who has posted a 267-131 record in his 13 years at the school.

Each team begins a new quest when the baseball season starts Monday.

The annual Early Bird Tournament, hosted by Cape High, gets started at Terry Park. North Fort Myers and Island Coast are among the six teams competing in the tournament.

Mariner opens its season Tuesday, hosting rival Ida Baker. Baker made significant strides as a program in 2008, and hopes to continue that in its fourth year.

“We got a solid group coming back,” said Baker coach Chad Turner, in his third season. “I expect them to go out and compete every single game.”

While Mariner eventually celebrated the district championship, several teams improved significantly from the beginning of last season to the end. That remains a common goal.

Gulf Coast returned to the district championship game the past two seasons, losing to Fort Myers and Mariner, respectively. Gulf Coast, Fort Myers and Barron Collier are traditionally strong and should be this season.

Mariner lost some key seniors from last year’s 21-7 team, but return seven position players and three of its top five pitchers.

Senior catcher Michael Zunino leads offensively and defensively. The 6-foot-2 Zunino, a University of Florida recruit, set a school single-season record of 10 home runs last year.

A key to the Tritons success is protecting Zunino in the lineup.

As he continued to drive in runs, opposing teams began pitching around him. His teammates delivered in those situations last year.

The Tritons have many of the same proven players returning, including seniors Angel Laborde (shortstop), Anthony Santo (second base), Bryan O’Connor, junior Daniel Alimonti (catcher), and sophomore Walter Cleary (outfield).

Despite losing staff ace A.J. Reyes, the Tritons are led on the mound by experienced seniors Ryan Schneider, Ryan Patton and Chris Ford.

Larsen said one of the biggest obstacles is avoiding complacency.

“My concern is a loss of focus with a lot of talent returning,” he said.

Baker (16-10) emerged last season and defeated traditional powers like Fort Myers and Barron Collier for the first time. The Bulldogs hope to build off that and perhaps, finish with a better showing in the district tournament, where they lost to Collier 13-4 in the quarterfinals.

Returning starters are seniors Dustin Mishka (third base), Blake Fraser (second base), Miles Rubinski (left field/pitcher), Jason Eick (center field) and junior Jake York (catcher).

“A lot of the guys have been here since their sophomore year,” said Turner, “so the experience factor is there.”

Freshman Justin Pinto and sophomore Ryan Hudson are young players who expect to play a key role. Pitching remains an area of concern entering the season.

Though Cape (11-14) finished strong last year with a pair of victories in the district tournament, they’re dealing with the departure of 13 seniors.

Senior Nick Gillogly is the Seahawks’ most experienced player. Freshmen Jason Carmichael and Cain Spangler, and sophomore Koji Spangler should provide a lift in their second year under coach Chris Kelly.

North slumped to 8-17 last season. First and foremost, coach Garry Kamphouse, in his 11th season, hopes the team works hard and builds chemistry.

The Red Knights will lean on position players, seniors Ivan Melendez and Michael Becker, freshman Chase Vogelbach and junior Tim Sommer. Seniors James Foster and Heath Cutler anchor the pitching staff.

The Island Coast Gators begin their first varsity season under coach Clinton Montgomery.

He spent the past two years at Lehigh, leading a turnaround, and is excited about the young team at Island Coast.

“We hope to get some of the jitters out before next year,” Montgomery said. “We think we have some pretty good freshmen and sophomores with which we hope can compete for a district title in the next couple of years.”

Senior pitcher Marco LoSauro gives the Gators experience on the mound. Other pivotal players include sophomores Jordan Moody, Nelson Candelario and Taylor Renegar.

Led by University of Florida recruit Bobby Borchering, the Bishop Verot Vikings will try to keep pace with Sarasota Cardinal Mooney in the district race.

The Vikings shook off a 3-9 start and finished 17-14. They won the district title over Cardinal Mooney, 2-1, and reached the regional semifinal.

Borchering, a 6-4 third baseman and pitcher, batted .463 with six home runs and 30 RBI as a junior. The Vikings also return seniors Kevin Reynolds (shortstop) and Chris Santospirito (pitcher). They return eight players total from last season.

There are skilled underclassmen joining the mix.

“The sooner they get acclimated, the better we’ll be,” said coach Tom LoSauro.