SCF Baseball Adds Three to All-FCSAA Team

Port Charlotte, Fla - Three players from the SCF baseball team were selected as members of the All-NJCAA Region 8 Teams, which was highlighted by freshman Lochlan Radloff taking home the All-NJCAA Region 8 Pitcher of the Year. Additionally, Radloff was named to the All-FCSAA First Team while teammates, sophomore Luke Boykin and freshman Myles Davis, were named to the All-FCSAA Second Team.

Radloff, the local product from Lakewood Ranch High School, is currently 7-4 with a 3.53 ERA, 32 walks and 93 strikeouts in 81.21 innings of work with six complete games (five shutouts). Earlier last week, Radloff was named the Citrus Conference Pitcher of the Year, a member of the Citrus Conference First Team and the Citrus Conference Top 10 Players List.

Boykin, who was previously named on the Citrus Conference First Team, is currently batting .342 with 53 hits, 44 runs, 18 home runs and 48 RBI.

Davis, who has been the Manatees' starting designated hitter, is currently batting .374 with 55 hits, 35 runs, five home runs and 34 RBI while going on a 17-game hitting streak, dating back to April 3. Like Radloff and Boykin, he was previously named on the Citrus Conference First Team.

The Manatees kickoff the final four of the NJCAA Region 8 State Baseball Tournament Friday afternoon, May 9 at 1 pm.

SCF Baseball Takes Home Five Awards

Bradenton, Fla - As the #22 SCF baseball team prepares for the final four in the NJCAA Region 8 Baseball Tournament, five of the players were able to take home conference recognitions for their hard work on the field, which was highlighted by freshman Lochlan Radloff winning the Citrus Conference Pitcher of the Year accolade. Radloff also joins freshman Myles Davis and sophomore Luke Boykin on the All-Citrus Conference First Team, while freshman Aidan Ray and sophomore Hayden Gustavson were named to All-Citrus Conference Second Team.

Very proud of Lochlan, Luke, Myles, Aidan and Hayden for their hard work on the field," said head coach Tim Hill II. "They really deserved this recognition for the work they have done for this season."

Radloff became the fourth Manatee under Hill II to win conference pitcher of the year (Robby Kalaf [2013],  Zach Attianese [2018], Michael Forret [2023]).

"Lochlan is incredible and deserved to win conference pitcher of the year," said Hill II on Radloff. "He's super competitive and had some really good games for us, which even included three straight shutouts. I still think there's a lot of room for hims to keep getting better."

The local product from Lakewood Ranch High School is currently 7-4 with a 3.53 ERA, 32 walks and 93 strikeouts in 81.21 innings of work while throwing six complete games (five of them being shutouts), which is #1 in the state and tied for #1 in the nation. Additionally, Radloff was named as one of the top 10 players in the Citrus Conference. In his start at regionals, he earned a no-decision after throwing six and a third innings with two strikeouts.

Davis, who has been the team's starting designated hitter after returning to the lineup on March 18, is currently batting .374 with 55 hits, 35 runs, five home runs and 34 RBI. Additionally, the native of Marion, Iowa is currently on a 17-game hitting streak, dating back to April 3.

"Myles has been slowed down by a few injuries, but he has been one of our best hitters," said Hill II on Davis. He has a great approach and good balance in the box where he has been getting some really big hits for us.

Boykin is currently batting .342 with 53 hits, 44 runs, 18 home runs and 48 RBI. His 18 home runs ranks #2 in the state and #10 in the nation.

"Luke winning first team all-conference was well deserved," said Hill II on Boykin. "He improved a lot from last year and proved that in his hitting this year. He's been a really huge par of this team's path to success."

After transitioning from a relief pitcher to starting pitcher, Ray, a native of Anchorage, Alaska, finished the regular season 5-2 with a 4.72 ERA, 36 walks and 69 strikeouts in 68.2 innings.

"Aidan's progression has been really good," said Hill II on Ray. "He's got good stuff and he's continuing to learn how to us the stuff we taught him while being competitive and keeping his emotions under control, so it was nice to see him do well.

Guastavson, who earned second team recognition as a catcher, is currently batting .340 with 49 hits, 36 runs, two home runs and 31 RBI. He went 4-for-8 in the regionals with two RBI. In fact, Gustavson hit the clutch RBI single that gave the Manatees the win over Northwest Florida State for game one of the regionals.

"If you would have told me starting this season he'd be our number one catcher and do something, I'd say probably not," said Hill II. "I think Hayden has worked really had behind the plate to become a pretty good defensive catcher. He's not just a defensive guy, he gives us a lot of offense, knows how to play the game, plays hard and is very versatile while playing other positions when he is not a catcher, but you'll really see the improvement from him behind the plate and has been a key to our success."

The Manatees look to add more to their regime as they face #6 Florida Southwestern to open the final four of the tournament.

Boykin Named Player of the Week

Bradenton, Fla. - While the #22 SCF baseball team prepares for the final four of the NJCAA Region 8 State Baseball Tournament, sophomore Luke Boykin was able to add another weekly accolade to the trophy case as he was named the NJCAA Region 8 Player of the Week. Boykin's weekly award marks the eighth time the Manatees won a weekly award and the second straight week that they won the player of the week award (Myles Davis: April 29).

Boykin is coming off of helping the Manatees' sweep over RV Northwest Florida State in the Niceville Regional. There, he would go 4-for-9 (.444) with three home runs, five runs scored and seven RBI. In the second game of regionals, he would hit two home runs with three runs scored and four RBI. In fact, not only was he the second Manatee to have a multi-home run game this season (first being Myles Davis), but he is the first Manatee to hit two home runs in a postseason game under head coach Tim Hill II's leadership.

Currently, the transfer from the University of Georgia is batting .342 with 53 hits, 44 runs, 18 home runs and 48 RBI. In fact, Boykin's 18 home runs are not only ranked #2 in the state, but are ranked #10 in the nation.

Boykin and the Manatees will look to continue to play strongly in the postseason as they face #7 Florida Southwestern State on May 9.

SCF Baseball Set for Final Four

Bradenton, Fla - After a successful sweep in regional, the #22 SCF baseball team (37-19) will now look to set their sights on the next task of the NJCAA Region 8 State DI Baseball Tournament and that is the final four. The Manatees will take on #6 Florida Southwestern (41-14) at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Florida Friday afternoon, May 9 at 1 pm.

Final Four:

Friday, May 9 - 
 #7 Florida Southwestern vs #25 SCF, 1 pm

 #11 Gulf Coast State vs Central Florida, 5 pm

Saturday, May 13 - 

Game one loser vs game two loser, 1 pm
Game one winner vs Game two winner, 5 pm

Sunday, May 14 - 

Game four loser vs Game three winner, 1 pm

Game four winner vs Game five loser, 5 pm

Monday, May 15 (if necessary) - 

Game six winner vs Game six loser (if team loses), 10 am.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of sweeping Northwest Florida State in the Niceville Regionals of the NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament. They would win game one 13-9 before winning game two 11-6. As a result of their wins in regionals, they would punch their ticket to the final four of the tournament. Additionally, the Manatees bumped up to #22 in the nation in the NJCAA Top 25 National Polls.

Baseball Awards:
Both the Citrus and Panhandle conferences have certain awards and accolades: Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Fireman of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, FCSAA All-State (first and second team), Jean Williams Scholar-Athlete Award (FCSAA All-State), FCSAA All-Tournament Team, FCSAA All-Tournament Team MVP and FCSAA All-Tournament Team Coach of the Year. The first team and second team is placed individually by position including designated hitter.

Citrus Conference Coach of the Year:

The Citrus Conference Coach of the Year award would be awarded to Florida Southwestern head coach Zac Cole. Cole enters his third season as head coach for the Buccaneers and takes home his first coach of the year for them.

Citrus Conference Player of the Year:

The Citrus Conference Player of the Year was awarded to Dawson Harman from Central Florida. Harman, a transfer from High Point University, is currently batting .383 with 69 hits, 64 runs, 22 home runs and 61 RBI. His 22 home runs are ranked #1 in the state and ranked tied for #4 in the nation.

Citrus Conference Pitcher of the Year:

Freshman Lochlan Radloff was unanimously named the Citrus Conference Pitcher of the Year. Additionally, he was named a member of the All-Citrus Conference First Team and on the Citrus Conference Top 10 Players List.

Radloff is currently 7-4 overall with a 3.53 ERA, 32 walks and 93 strikeouts in 81.2 innings of work. In addition, he has thrown six complete games (five shutouts), which is #1 in the state and tied for #1 in the nation, while his 93 strikeouts rank #1 in the state and #6 in the nation. In his last start against Northwest Florida State, Radloff threw six and a third innings with two strikeouts for a no-decision.

Citrus Conference Defensive Player of the Year:

Sophomore Jordan Thomas from Polk State was named the Citrus Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Thomas had a 1.000 fielding percentage with 102 putouts and six assists with no errors while batting .346 with 63 hits, 36 runs, one home run, 36 RBI and 18 stolen bases. Additionally, he was named a member of the Citrus Conference Second Team and Citrus Conference All-Defensive Team.

Citrus Conference Fireman of the Year:

The Citrus Conference Fireman of the Year was awarded to sophomore Justin Minaberry from Indian River State. Minaberry is currently 4-1 with a 2.92 ERA, four saves, 15 walks and 55 strikeouts in 37 innings. He was also named a member of the Citrus Conference First Team as a reliever.

Citrus Conference First Team:

Alongside Radloff, sophomore Luke Boykin and freshman Myles Davis were named to the Citrus Conference First Team.

Boykin is currently batting .342 with 53 hits, 44 runs, 18 home runs and 48 RBI. In the Niceville Regional, the transfer from the University of Georgia went 4-for-9 with three home runs and seven RBI. 

Davis, who returned to the lineup from injury as the starting designated hitter, is currently batting .382 with 60 hits, 38 runs, six home runs and 36 RBI. At the regionals, Davis went 5-for-10 with a home run and two RBI. Currently, the native of Marion, Iowa is on a 17-game hitting streak.

Other members that joined the All-Citrus First Team are the following by team:

Hillsborough: Angel Matos (C)

Polk State: Jake Echols (P)

Florida Southwestern: Jake Mueller (INF), Devin Parks (OF), Carlos Sanchez (OF), Nik Periera (C), Abel Albarran (P), Josiah Velazquez (P)

Indian River State: Maikol Lucena (INF), Jacob Souza (OF), Brett Patten (OF), Jake Weatherspoon (C), Lucas Glendinning (P), Justin Minaberry (P)

Miami Dade: Cain Copeland (INF), Michael Petite (OF), Jordan Vargas (P)

Central Florida: Dawson Harman (INF), Victor Martinez (DH)

Eastern Florida State: Owen Simmons (P)

Santa Fe: Robert Nedry (INF), Ryan Chase (INF)

Citrus Conference Second Team:

Sophomore Hayden Gustavson and freshman Aidan Ray were named to the Citrus Conference Second Team.

Gustavson, who primarily plays as a catcher and corner infielder, is currently batting .340 with 49 hits, 36 runs, two home runs and 31 RBI. At the Niceville Regionals, he went 4-for-8 with two RBI, which included hitting the go-ahead run in the first game.

After transitioning from a middle relief to opening starting pitcher on March 20, Ray has made an improvement to the Manatees' rotation. Currently, the Alaskan native is 5-2 with a 4.72 ERA, one save, 36 walks and 69 strikeouts in 68.2 innings of work. He earned the win against Northwest Florida State throwing five and two-thirds innings with five strikeouts.

Other members that joined SCF on the All-Suncoast Second Team included the following by teams:

St. Pete: Jose Rangel (INF), Mel Rubiera (OF)

Polk State: Jordan Thomas (OF), Wade Johnson (P)

Florida Southwestern: Anthony Ruocco (INF), Luke Orfi (INF), Brock Knoerr (DH), Andrew McLaughlin (P), 

Seminole State College of Florida: Juan Orozco (INF), Gialdri Gomez (OF)

Indian River State: Shane Lavin (P), Sammy Beir (P)

Miami Dade: Talan Beckford (INF), Santiago Carriles (C)

Central Florida: Jay Jung (P)

Eastern Florida State: Jason Mack (INF), Jeff Davis (OF), Bo Tabola (C), Michael Benedict (P)

Santa Fe: Zach Dejesus (OF), Lucas Johns (P)

Wild Ones:

Alongside the conference selected, sophomores Oscar Hernandez, Mario Trivella, Connor O'Sullivan and Daniel Hartley, redshirt freshman Cole Dement, and freshmen Ben Ryan, Holden Brauner, Mattie Counts, Ryan Kaitz, Clayton Evans, Austin Monahan and Will Rawls play as the wildcards of the team.

Hernandez, who is the #3 starting pitcher, is currently 8-4 with a 5.15 ERA, 21 walks and 53 strikeouts in 73.1 innings of work. The upcoming transfer for the University of Tampa earned the win over St. Pete after throwing a five-inning complete game with four strikeouts in his last start. Additionally, his eight wins are ranked #3 in the state and tied for #24 in the nation.

Trivella is currently batting .318 with 54 hits, 48 runs, seven home runs and 43 RBI. He went 2-for-9 against Northwest Florida State with a home run, two RBI and four runs scored.

O'Sullivan is currently batting .313 with 35 hits, 25 runs, one home run and 18 RBI.

Hartley, who has played primarily as the closing pitcher, is currently 4-1 with a 2.55 ERA, four saves, five walks and 25 strikeouts in 17.2 innings of work. He earned the win over Northwest Florida State after throwing one and two-thirds innings of relief with four strikeouts.

Dement, who played as the setup pitcher, is currently 3-2 with a 3.32 ERA, three saves, 16 walks and 57 strikeouts in 40.2 innings. He threw one inning of relief with two strikeouts.

Ryan, who has been the secondary power hitter, is batting .318 with 47 hits, 44 runs, eight home runs and 46 RBI.

Brauner is batting .320 with 48 hits, 29 runs, five home runs and 33 RBI.

Counts, who has played as a speedster and contact batter, is currently batting .307 with 35 hits, 32 runs and 26 RBI.

Kaitz is currently batting .280 with 23 hits, 20 runs, three home runs and 17 RBI.

Evans, who has played a primary role as Radloff's starting catcher, is batting .273 with 21 hits, 16 runs, three home runs and 15 RBI. He played a key role in game one of the Niceville Regionals by providing insurance runs as he went 1-for-3 with two RBI and two walks.

Monahan played one of his best games in the Niceville Regionals where he threw three and a third scoreless innings with two strikeouts. He is currently 0-1 with a 4.67 ERA, two saves, eight walks and 16 strikeouts in 27 innings.

Rawls, who has played a key role in the lineup, is currently batting .362 with 17 hits, 13 runs and 11 RBI. He went 2-for-4 with a run in game two of the Niceville Regionals.

Scouting #6 Florida Southwestern:

The Buccaneers, who are ranked #6 in the nation and won the Citrus Conference Regular Season Championship, are coming off of winning their hosted Fort Myers Regional over Pensacola State to punch their ticket to the final four. They would fall 12-6 in game one before winning games two and three 11-3 and 9-3 respectively.

At the plate, sophomore Jake Mueller leads the way offensively batting .337 with 65 hits, 13 home runs and 59 RBI. He was named a member of the All-Citrus Conference First Team.

Meanwhile, sophomore Abel Albarran leads the way for the Buccaneers on the mound as he is 6-1 with a 3.96 ERA, one save, 36 walks and 61 strikeouts in 63.2 innings. Like Mueller, Albarran was named a member of the All-Citrus Conference First Team.

Mueller and Albarran are joined by eight other players on the All-Citrus Conference First and Second Teams: Devin Parks (.370, 51 hits, five home runs and 36 RBI), Carlos Sanchez (.320, 63 hits, seven home runs and 55 RBI), Nik Periera (.351, 53 hits, 10 home runs and 41 RBI), Josiah Velazquez (2-2, 3.26 ERA, five saves, 10 walks and 43 strikeouts), Anthony Ruocco (.374, 70 hits, two home runs and 39 RBI), Luke Orfi (.342, 67 hits, six home runs and 37 RBI), Brock Knoerr (.338, 47 hits and 32 RBI) and Andrew McLaughlin (5-3, 3.12 ERA, 18 walks and 47 strikeouts).

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be provided by GameChanger and all games will air on the FCSAA Digital Network.

Livestats Link - https://web.gc.com/teams/n7j7U9bdJC3t/2025-spring-state-college-of-florida

Livestream Link - https://team1sports.com/fcsaa/?B=2408936

SCF Baseball Sweeps Niceville Regional, Advances to Final Four

Niceville, Fla - The #25 SCF baseball team (37-19) have officially punched their ticket to the final four of the NJCAA Region 8 State Baseball Tournament as they defeated #18 Northwest Florida State (32-17) 11-6 in the Niceville Regional. 

"I'm really happy for the guys and proud of the effort they gave up here," said head coach Tim Hill II. "It's not an easy thing to do to sweep somebody up at their place where both games were a battle. I'm happy for the guys in our program to be back in the final four again. We're looking to keep getting better so we can make a run next weekend in Port Charlotte."

"I thought the team played great," said sophomore Luke Boykin. "The energy was through the roofs from the first pitch of the series to the last. We really wanted the win. Through all of it, it feels good but the job isn't finished. Winning this upcoming weekend will be better."

"Overall, I feel we played great this weekend," said freshman Austin Monahan. "The pitchers threw well and the hitters put up plenty of run support. All in all, it was a great experience to win the regional and go to the final four.

Hill II sent freshman Aidan Ray (4-2, 4.29 ERA) to the mound, while Northwest Florida State head coach Doug Martin went with freshman Thomas Conrad (7-3, 2.73 ERA) to counter.

The Manatees, who were the home team for game two of the regionals, would open on the board first in the bottom of the first. After freshman Mattie Counts reached on a fielding error and classmate Myles Davis hit an infield single, sophomore Luke Boykin would once again show off his power as he sent a three-run homer to center for his 17th of the season and give SCF a 3-0 lead.

After the second inning went scoreless, the Manatees would increase their lead as Boykin began the bottom of the third with a leadoff solo home run to center for his 18th of the season and second of the game. Two batters later, sophomore Mario Trivella would reach second on fielding error before sophomore Hayden Gustavson chopped an infield single to the pitcher to bring in Trivella and advance to second on an error to make it 5-0 SCF.

At the top of the fourth, the Raiders would get their first run on the board as sophomore David Alvarez would send a solo home run to left for his ninth of the season, but the Manatees would respond back in the bottom half of the inning beginning with a leadoff single by freshman Will Rawls and Counts drawing a walk. After Boykin drew a walk to load the bases, freshman Holden Brauner would line a single towards the second baseman to bring in Rawls before Counts and Boykin scored on a fielding error to make it 8-1 SCF.

At the top of the fifth, the Raiders added to their run count as Alvarez would hit an RBI single. One inning later, Northwest Florida State would cut the lead to 8-6 as freshman Tristan Bittle would send a grand slam to left for his first collegiate home run of the season. After a run reached base on a fielding error, Hill II would pull Ray and send freshman Austin Monahan to the mound for a relief appearance where he was able to get out of the sixth.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Manatees would put the final runs on the board beginning with back-to-back walk drawn by Trivella and Gustavson before the Raiders made a pitching change. After the change, sophomore Connor O'Sullivan would bunt and reach base on a throwing error as Trivella and Gustavson scored. One batter later, Counts would bring in O'Sullivan with sacrifice fly to make it 11-6. From there, with a final pop out to Trivella, the Manatees would seal the win in the Niceville Regionals.

Ray would improve to 5-2 after giving up six runs on five hits with six walks and five strikeouts in five and two-thirds innings. Monahan would throw three and a third scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts.

"I felt great on the mound," said Monahan. The biggest thing was I had confidence that no matter where the ball was hit, my guys behind me were making the play."

"Aidan Ray did some good things and gave us a chance to win and Austin Monahan was terrific retiring all 10 batters he faced," said Hill II on Ray and Monahan.

Conrad would fall to 7-5 after giving up eight runs (four earned) on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts in four innings. Sophomore Jackson Evers gave up two runs on one hit with two walks and two strikeouts in two innings of relief, while classmate Joe Wittig gave up one unearned run on two hits with two strikeouts in two innings of relief.

Four players had a multi-hit game for the Manatees. It was Boykin that would lead the way in hitting and offense as he went 2-for-4 with two home runs, three runs scored, four RBI and a walk. 

"I coud feel the positive energy from my teammmates at the plate," said Boykin on his batting. "When you got your guys backing you up like that, it makes it easier to put the batt on the ball. I was just happy I could do what I could to help us win."

Davis would follow going 2-for-5 with one run scored, while Brauner went 2-for-5 with an RBI and Rawls rounded out the order going 2-for-4 with a run. Gustavson had the remaining hit as he went 1-for-3 with a run.

For the Raiders, Alvarez lead the way in hitting as he went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI, while Bittle lead the way offensively going 1-for-5 with a grand slam. Fielding-wise, the Raiders had seven errors in the game compared to the Manatees one.

Notes:

With his hits in the game, Davis extends his hitting streak to 17 games.

Other Regional Scores:

Central Florida (36-16) defeated #11 Indian River State (34-16) 12-1 in five innings to complete the Fort Pierce Regional.

#7 Florida Southwestern (40-14) defeated Pensacola State (27-20) 11-3 in seven innings in the Fort Myers Regional and force game three Sunday, May 4 at 1 pm.

#12 Gulf Coast State (34-14) defeated Miami Dade (31-22) 12-0 in seven innings in the Panama City Regional to force game three Sunday, May 4 at 2 pm (1 pm central).

Up Next:

The Manatees will await the winner between #7 Florida Southwestern and Pensacola State in the third game of the Fort Myers Regional.

SCF BVB Closes Season with Runner-Up Finish

Huntsville, Ala - The SCF beach volleyball team (16-7) closed out the season with a runner-up finish in the NJCAA National Beach Volleyball Championship at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama. The Manatees would defeat Lake Sumter State (12-16) 3-2 in the semifinals before falling to Palm Beach State (27-6) 3-0 in the finals. Palm Beach State would win the National Beach Volleyball Championship for the third straight year.

"I'm very proud of this team," said athletic director and interim head coach Nick Cichielo. "They worked really hard to make it this far and I couldn't be any more prouder of them for their hard work and focus."

SCF vs Lake Sumter State:

The Manatees opened with redshirt freshman Bianca Guerrero and freshman Aryanna Spainhower defeating sophomore Rylee Martineau and redshirt freshman Sydney Pickle 21-10, 21-13 at the #5 pair. After the Lakehawks took the #4 pair, sophomore Aleksandra Wrobel and freshman Emma Acedo Lapieza would defeat sophomore Braelyn Mittauer and freshman Sydney Cooper 24-22, 21-15 at the #1 pair.

With two matches left, both the #2 and #3 pairs were forced to a third set. The Lakehawks would take the #2 pair, but sophomore Morgan McGuire and freshman Liepa Kucinskaite would defeat sophomore Cecelia Calton and redshirt freshman Audrey Pickle in three sets (19-21, 21-14, 15-12) to advance the Manatees to the finals.

Palm Beach State defeated Mesa CC (17-11) 3-0 to advance to the finals of the championship.

Consolation Brackets:

Following the main bracket, the teams that lost in the quarterfinals would play in a consolation bracket to determine who would finish between fifth and last place. Eventually, Richard Bland (15-12) would defeat Sandhills CC (9-22) 3-0 to finish in fifth place while Trindad State (4-25) defeated Wake Tech (4-23) 3-0 to take seventh place. Sandhills CC would finish in sixth place and Wake Tech CC would finish in last place.

3rd Place Bracket:

Mesa CC would defeat Lake Sumter State 3-2 to finish in third place in the championship. Lake Sumter would finish in fourth place in the championship for the second straight year.

SCF vs Palm Beach State:

The Panthers would ultimately take straight sets against the #2, #3 and #4 pairs to win the championship.

Notes:

With her one win, Wrobel would finish her SCF career with 38 wins, while Acedo Lapieza bumped up to 20 win and remains seventh all-time.

McGuire's lone win against Lake Sumter State put her at 23 career wins as she finishes sixth all-time in her career.

NJCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament Final Placings:

1. Palm Beach State *

2. SCF ^

3. Mesa CC

4. Lake Sumter

5. Richard Bland

6. Sandhills

7. Trinidad State

8. Wake Tech CC

* National Champions

^National Runner-Up

Up Next:

This concludes the season for SCF as they will take time to do recruiting for the 2026 season.

SCF Baseball Edges Game One of Regionals

Niceville, Fla - The #25 SCF baseball team (36-19) were able to open game one of regional play in tight-knit fashion as they defeated #18 Northwest Florida State (32-16) 13-9 in the Niceville Regional of the NJCAA Region 8 State Baseball Tournament.

"It was a very hard fought game," said head coach Tim Hill II. "I thought both sides played with a lot of intensity and energy. I thought we were in control of the game the entire way until the seventh and eighth inning got away from us a little bit, but during that ninth inning the guys had some tough at-bats that became clutch hits for a big win."

Hill II sent freshman Lochlan Radloff (7-4, 3.23 ERA) to the mound, while Northwest Florida State head coach Doug Martin went with freshman Cooper Powell (5-0, 4.19 ERA) to counter.

The Manatees would open on the board first beginning with a one-out walk by freshman Myles Davis. After a double by sophomore Allan Gil Fernandez, classmate Luke Boykin would send a double to left to bring in Davis and Gil Fernandez before freshman Ben Ryan brought in Boykin with a double of his own. One batter later, sophomore Hayden Gustavson would pop a single to right to bring in Ryan to make it 4-0 SCF.

In the bottom of the second, the Raiders put their first runs on the board as freshman Sam Bradley would send a leadoff solo home run to left for his 10th of the season before redshirt sophomore Preston Murphy sent a two-run homer to left for his first of the season and cut the Manatees lead to 4-3.

At the top of the third, the Manatees began to extend their lead beginning with Boykin hitting a solo home run to left for his 16th of the season. After Ryan drew a walk, sophomore Mario Trivella would show his power as he sent a two-run homer to left for his seventh of the season to make it 7-3 SCF.

After the next two innings went scoreless, the Manatees would increase the lead further as Davis would bring in sophomore CJ Richard with a two-run homer to left for his sixth of the season and bump the Manatees' lead to 9-3.

In the bottom of the seventh, after redshirt freshman Cole Dement came in for Radlofff, the Raiders started to catch up and cut the lead to 9-7 after two sacrifice flies by sophomores Matt Farner and David Alvarez and classmate Sylas Boris scoring on an error. One inning later, the score would be tied at 9-9 after an RBI single by sophomore Mathew Keller and an RBI double by freshman Tristan Bittle before sophomore Daniel Hartley was able to finish the inning.

At the top of the ninth, the Manatees would put together their finishing touches with the rally they needed. After back-to-back singles by Trivella and sophomore Walker Vanecek before freshman Will Rawls came in to pinch run for Vanecek, Gustavson would line a single to right and bring in Rawls to make it 10-9 SCF. One batter later, freshman Clayton Evans would give the Manatees some insurance runs as he sent a double to right to bring in Trivella and Gustavson before freshman Mattie Counts brought in Evans with a single to right to make it 13-9 SCF. From there, Hartley was able to get out of the inning and seal the victory for the Manatees.

Both Radloff and Powell would earn a no-decision from their starts. Radloff gave up seven runs on nine hits with two walks and two strikeouts in six and a third innings, while Powell gave up four runs on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts in one and two-third innings.

Hartley would improve to 4-1 after giving up one run on four hits with four strikeouts in one and two-thirds innings of relief, while Dement gave up one run on no hits with one walk and two strikeouts in one inning of relief.

Sophomore Bryon Rincones would fall to 2-3 after giving up four runs on four hits in two-thirds of an inning of relief.

Five Manatees had a multi-hit game. It was Davis (3-for-5) and Gustavson (3-for-5) that lead the way in hitting as they each had three hits. Davis added two RBI, two runs and one walk, while Gustavson added two RBI, one run and one stolen base.

Boykin would lead the way offensively as he went 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs and three RBI, while Trivella (2-for-5) and freshman Holden Brauner (2-for-4) rounded out the order also with two hits each. Trivella would also add two runs and two RBI to the mix.

Richard (1-for-5, one run), Gil Fernandez (1-for-4, one run), Ryan (1-for-3, two runs, one RBI and one walk), Evans (1-for-4, two RBI, one run and two walks), Counts (1-for-1, one RBI) and Vanecek (1-for-1) had the remaining hits for the Manatees.

For the Raiders, Murphy would lead the way offensively as he went 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs and two RBI.

Other Regional Scores:

Pensacola State (27-19) defeated #7 Florida Southwestern (39-14) 12-6 in the Fort Myers Regional.

Central Florida (35-16) defeated #11 Indian River State (34-15) 13-4 in the Fort Pierce Regional.

Miami Dade (31-21) defeated #12 Gulf Coast State 5-3 in the Panama City Beach Regional.

Regional Schedule (May 2):

#25 SCF vs #18 Northwest Florida State (@2 pm/1 pm central) - Niceville Regional

#12 Gulf Coast State vs Miami Dade (@ 3 pm/ 2 pm central) - Panama City Regional

#11 Indian River State vs Central Florida (@1 pm/12 pm central) - Fort Pierce Regional

#7 Florida Southwestern vs Pensacola State (@1 pm/12 pm central) - Fort Myers Regional

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to go for the sweep over Northwest Florida State Saturday afternoon, May 3 at 2 pm (1 pm eastern). 

SCF BVB Advances to the National Semifinals

Huntsville, Ala - The SCF beach volleyball team (15-6) finished pool play at 2-1 after falling 3-2 to Lake Sumter State (12-14) before moving on to the semifinals after beating Richard Bland College (13-12) 3-2 on day two of the NJCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama.

SCF vs Lake Sumter State:

The Manatees would open on the board first as sophomore Aleksandra Wrobel and freshman Emma Acedo Lapieza would defeat sophomore Braelyn Mittauer and freshman Sophia Cooper 21-16, 21-15 at the #1 spot, but the Lakehawks would ultimately win on pairs #2, #3 and #4 to go 3-0 in pool play. Redshirt freshman Bianca Guerrero and freshman Aryanna Spainhower would give the Manatees their second point as they defeated sophomore Rylee Martineau and redshirt freshman Sydney Pickle in three sets (21-12, 20-22, 15-13) at the #5 pair. As a result of the loss, the Manatees were listed as the #3 seed in the bracket.

In the remainder of pool play, Sandhills CC (8-21) defeated Wake Tech (4-21) 4-1, Palm Beach State (25-6) shutout Richard Bland 5-0 and Mesa (16-10) defeated Trinidad State (3-24) 4-1.

SCF vs Richard Bland:

Wrobel and Acedo Lapieza would open with a 21-13, 21-9 win over sophomore Phoebe Heath and freshman Lovina Teel at the #1 spot. The Stateswomen would then take a 2-1 lead after securing wins at the #2 and #3 pairs.

With two matches left, the Manatees would not give up as Guerrero and Spainhower would defeat freshmen Aliyah Milner and Rachel Pickens 21-15, 21-14 at the #5 pair spot before sophomore Shelby Pillow and freshman Isabela Cardenas Estrella sealed the Manatees' victory at the #4 pair spot with 21-12, 21-18 victory over freshmen Braelyn Boyd and Rachelle Martin.

Notes:

With her two wins, Wrobel now has 37 career wins in program history.

Acedo Lapieza's two wins bumped her to 19 in her careers as she surpassed Anna Chechelynstka (18, 2022), Kayla Gentry (18, 2023-24) and Amanda Goudinho Pizzol (18, 2023-24) for seventh all-time.

Other Tournament Scores:

Mesa CC 3, Sandhills CC 0

Palm Beach State 3, Wake Tech 0

Lake Sumter 3, Trinidad State 0

Day Three Schedule:

Main Bracket - 

Palm Beach State vs Mesa CC (@ 10:15 am/9:15 am central)

SCF vs Lake Sumter State (@ 10:15 am/9:15 am central)

Consolation Bracket - 

Wake Tech vs Sandhills (@ 9 am/8 am central)

Trinidad State vs Richard Bland (@ 9 am/8 am central)

Up Next:

The Manatees will take on Lake Sumter State in the semifinals Saturday morning, May 3 at 10:15 am. If they win, then they will play the winner between Palm Beach State and Mesa CC at 12:45 pm (11:45 am central) in the championship bracket. If they lose, then they will play the loser in the third place bracket.

SCF BVB Opens Strongly at Nationals

Huntsville, Ala - The SCF beach volleyball team (14-5) opened up strongly on day one of the NJCAA National Beach Volleyball Tournament as they shutout both Wake Tech CC (4-19) and Sandhills CC (7-20) by a score of 5-0.

"The team was really solid all the way around," said athletic director and interim head coach Nick Cichielo. "I thought all the pairs were very much in control and seemed to play within themselves while working together, so I was very happy with what I saw today"

SCF vs Wake Tech:

The Manatees opened up against Wake Tech with a bang as sophomore Aleksandra Wrobel and freshman Emma Acedo Lapieza would defeat sophomore Gabi Carter and freshman Chloe Stein 21-13, 21-8 at the #1 spot. After sophomore Morgan McGuire and freshman Liepa Kucinskaite defeated freshmen Mary Barnes and Marlaina Vicente 21-13, 21-10 at the #3 spot, redshirt freshman Bianca Guerrero and freshman Aryanna Spainhower would defeat freshman Skylar Bakowski and Morgan Barnes 21-10, 21-13 at the #5 spot to seal the overall victory.

With two matches remaining, sophomore Shelby Pillow and freshman Isabela Cardenas Estrella would then defeat freshmen Amber Bittner and Madison Fisher 21-13, 21-19 at the #4 spot before sophomore Addison Beaver and freshman Taylor Orris defeated sophomores Abby Carver and Olivia Garzelloni in three sets (20-22, 21-12, 15-8) to complete the sweep.

SCF vs Sandhills:

A few hours after their match with Wake Tech, the Manatees would remain on a hot streak as Beaver and Orris would open with a 21-6, 21-10 win over sophomore Jenna Laquer and Caroline Bradford at the #2 spot. After McGuire and Kucinskaite defeated sophomore Lainey Mullins and freshman Reagan Smith 21-8, 21-11 at the #3 spot, Wrobel and Acedo Lapieza would seal the victory with a 21-16, 21-8 win over sophomore Aydan Bullard and Nikki Lambert at the #1 spot.

Guerrero and Spainhower would then defeat freshman Emery Freeman and Jacque Holden 21-16, 21-10 at the #4 spot before Pillow and Cardenas Estrella defeated sophomore Zoey Hall and freshman Katelyn Bunting 23-21, 21-16 at the #4 spot to complete the sweep.

Notes:

With her two wins in pool play, Wrobel now has 35 wins in her career.

Beaver's two wins in pool play put her at 30 career wins and she becomes the third Manatee to reach 30 career wins.

McGuire's two wins in pool play put her at 22 and needs four to surpass Ana Broadhead (25, 2021-22) for fifth all-time.

Other NJCAA Scores:

Lake Sumter State (10-14) 5, Sandhills CC 0 

Lake Sumter 4, Wake Tech 4-1

Palm Beach State (23-6) 5, Trinidad State (3-22) 0

Palm Beach State 5, Mesa CC (14-10) 0

Mesa CC 3, Richard Bland (13-10) 2

Richard Bland 3, Trinidad State 2

Pool Standings:

Pool A -

(#1) Palm Beach State (2-0)

(#4) Richard Bland (1-1)

(#5) Mesa CC (1-1)

(#8) Trinidad State (0-2)

Tri

Pool B - 

(#2) SCF (2-0)

(#3) Lake Sumter State (2-0)

(#7) Wake Tech CC (0-2)

(#6) Sandhills CC (0-2)

Day Two Schedule:

Trinidad State vs Mesa CC (@8 am)

Wake Tech CC vs Sandhills CC (@8 am) 

Palm Beach State vs Richard Bland (@ 9:30 am)

SCF vs Lake Sumter State (@9:30 am)

Up Next:

The Manatees will wrap up pool play as they play Lake Sumter State Friday morning, May 2 at 9:30 am. From there, they will find out who they will play in the main bracket.

SCF BVB Readies for National Tournament

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF beach volleyball team (12-5) will now set their sights on their next goal: the three-day NJCAA National Beach Volleyball Tournament at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama. The Manatees will open the tournament with pool play as they face Wake Technical CC (4-17) and Sandhills CC (7-18) Thursday, May 1 at 9 am and 1:30 pm before facing Lake Sumter State (8-14) Friday, May 2 at 10:30 am.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of a runner-up finish in the two-day NJCAA Region 8 Beach Volleyball Tournament. On day one, they would defeat Lake Sumter State 3-2 before falling 4-1 to eventual winners Palm Beach State. On day two, they would defeat Lake Sumter State 3-1 to reach the finals before falling 3-1 to Palm Beach State. Despite losing in the finals, the Manatees would automatically qualify for the NJCAA National Beach Volleyball Tournament as they were one of the two teams in the finals and were named the #2 seed.

NJCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament Breakdown:

The NJCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament will be n eight-team tournament that is put into two pools of play. Both pools will play a series of round robin matches to determine the seed order of the tournament. 

Palm Beach State (21-6) are the defending champions after winning the tournament for the second straight year and are the #1 seed in the tournament.

Qualifying Teams:

Aside from Palm Beach State, the following is the list of teams that will join the Manatees in the national tournament and the pool order:

(#3) Lake Sumter State (8-14) - Region 8^

(#4) Richard Bland (12-9) - Region 10*

(#5) Mesa CC (13-9) - Region 1*

(#6) Sandhills CC (7-18) - Region 10*

(#7) Wake Tech CC (4-17) - Region 10*

(#8) Trinidad State (3-20) - Region 9*

*Automatic qualifier

^At-Large Bid

Pool 1 -

(#1) Palm Beach State

(#4) Richard Bland

(#5) Mesa CC

(#8) Trinidad State

Pool 2 -

(#2) SCF

(#3) Lake Sumter State

(#6) Sandhills CC

(#7) Wake Tech CC

Pair Dominators:

Leading the way for the Manatees is the duo of sophomore Aleksandra Wrobel and freshman Emma Acedo Lapieza. The duo is currently 15-2 overall as the #1 pair. At the NJCAA Region 8 Tournament, Wrobel and Acedo Lapieza went 4-0 in the tournament. Additionally, both were named to the All-NJCAA Region 8 Conference First Team and the NJCAA Region 8 All-Pairs Teams as the #1 pair.

Sophomore Addison Beaver and freshman Taylor Orris follow suit with Wrobel and Acedo Lapieza as the #2 pair. Beaver and Orris are currently 13-4 teaming together. Like Wrobel and Acedo Lapieza, they were also named to the NJCAA Region 8 All-Pairs team as the #2 pair.

Wildcard Duo:

Another pair that has made some noise is the duo of redshirt freshman Bianca Guerrero and freshman Aryanna Spainhower. The local duo from Palmetto and Bradenton respectively are currently 7-4 as the #5 pair. They went 2-1 in the NJCAA Region 8 Tournament.

All-Time Leaders:

From an individual standpoint, Wrobel and Beaver have also been putting their names and work at the top of the program list.

Wrobel surpassed Yeva Serdiuk (31, 2022-23) as the all-time leader in wins. She currently has 33 career wins and counting.

Beaver is also on the top of the list as she has 28 career wins on her possession and is third all-time after surpassing Kayla David (28, 2021-22). She needs four to surpass Serdiuk for second all-time.

Scouting Wake Tech CC:

Wake Tech CC hails from Raleigh, North Carolina and represent NJCAA Region 10. They are lead by head coach Darren Roberts, who enters his second season as head coach.

The Eagles are entering the national tournament on a six-match losing streak. They would automatically qualify despite losing in the NJCAA Region 10 Tournament. Sophomores Abby Carver and Olivia Garzelloni lead the way as they are 8-7 overall as the #2 pair.

This will be the first meeting between SCF and Wake Tech.

Scouting Sandhills CC:

Sandhills CC hail from Pinehurst, North Carolina and also represent NJCAA Region 10. They are lead by director of volleyball operations Alicia Riggan, who enters her fifth season as the head coach.

The Flyers are coming off splitting their part of the NJCAA Region 10 Tournament. They would defeat Wake Technical 4-1 before falling to eventual winners Richard Bland. Sophomores Nikki Lambert and Aydan Bullard are currently 10-13 as the #1 pair, while sophomore Lainey Mullins and freshman Reagan Smith following going 10-14 as the #3 pair.

The Manatees are currently 2-0 against the Flyers, which includes a 5-0 win over them earlier in the season (March 14)

Scouting Lake Sumter State:

The Lakehawks finished third in the NJCAA Region 8 Standings and enter the NJCAA National Tournament as an at-large bid after going 1-2 in the NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament.

Freshmen Brooke Walker and Mariana Comartin lead the way as they are currently 6-4 as the #4 pair. Walker and Comartin were named to the All-NJCAA Region 8 Pairs Team.

The Manatees are currently 19-4 against the Lakehawks, which includes going 5-0 this season (including the NJCAA Region 8 Tournament).

How to Keep Up:

All matches will air on the NJCAA Network. Fans can also keep up with the Manatees on all social media platforms:

Livestream Link - https://www.njcaa.org/network/landing/index

Social Media Links - 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SCFvolleyball/ (SCF Volleyball)

X - https://twitter.com/SCFVolleyball (@SCFVolleyball)

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scfbeachvolleyball/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D (@SCFBeachVolleyball)

Davis Takes Home Two Weekly Accolades

Bradenton, Fla. - Freshman Myles Davis took home two weekly awards for the SCF baseball team as he was not only named the NJCAA Region 8 Player of the Week, but was named the NJCAA National Player of the Week. He became the first Manatee since Brandon Fields (2022) to receive the national weekly award.

Davis, a native of Marion, Iowa, batted .625 (10-for-16) with three home runs and nine RBI in four games last week against then #11 Florida Southwestern (now #7) and St. Pete. He is currently batting .374 with 55 hits, 35 runs, five home runs and 34 RBI as the starting DH.

Against FSW, Davis went 4-for-5 with two home runs, four runs scored and five RBI, in which he was the first Manatee to hit a multi-home run game since Owen Ayers on March 28, 2022. In the series against St. Pete, Davis went 6-for-11 with a home run and four RBI.

Davis and the Manatees will look to keep their momentum going as they travel to Niceville to take on Northwest Florida State in the Niceville Regional of the NJCAA Region 8 State Baseball Tournament.

SCF Baseball Reach NJCAA Top 25 Polls

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team rose in the ranks nationally as they landed at #25 in the NJCAA National Poll on Monday.

The Manatees had a busy and important week in their last four games of the regular season.  On Tuesday, they would win an 12-11 extra inning game over then #11 Florida Southwestern (now #7). Following that win over #11 FSW, the Manatees would head into the weekend against St. Pete College where they would sweep them by scores of 12-2, 7-4 and 13-2. As a result, they would finish in third place in the Citrus Conference with a helping hand from then #7 Indian River State (now #11) winning a doubleheader and the series over then #21 Central Florida. 

The Manatees finished the regular season 35-19 with nine wins over Top 25 ranked opponents at the NJCAA Division I and II levels. SCF will now focus on the postseason where they will be on the road in a best-of-three series Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in the Nicevillw Regional at the NWFSC Baseball Complex.

SCF Baseball Sweeps SPC in Regular Season Finale

Clearwater, Fla - The SCF baseball team (35-19, 20-13 Citrus) were able to take their second sweep of Citrus Conference play on the road as they defeated St. Pete (9-39, 6-27 Citrus) 7-4 in nine innings and 15-2 in five innings on St. Pete's sophomore day. With the two wins and #7 Indian River State taking two wins over #21 Central Florida in their doubleheader, the Manatees finished third in the Citrus Conference.

"It was nice to finish the season on a positive note," said head coach Tim Hill II. "It’s always  tough to sweep teams in our conference when were down to our last out in the first game, but Luke (Boykin), Ryan (Kaitz) and Mario (Trivella) had some tough at-bats to give us the lead and then we did what we needed to do in extra innings. The bats came alive better in the second game and Oscar threw well. We have some guys in our lineup that can hit the ball out, so that obviously helped us today, especially Myles (Davis), who had a big week for us. I'm very glad to be back in postseason for our 50th state tournament appearance and I'm so very happy for the guys who have worked hard to get us back into the state tournament.

"Overall, I thought we played very well," said sophomore Oscar Hernandez. "The first game was a bit of a battle, but good teams are able to win games like that. The sweep was definitely huge for us to gain momentum before next week while still locking in on the little things for the playoffs. Making the playoffs feels great, but we know the job is far from over. Getting this program back to the playoffs was the first step and now we have to keep winning."

"It felt good to take this series," said sophomore Walker Vanecek. "We took care of who we needed to take care of."

"We definitely handled our business today," said sophomore Connor O'Sullivan. "We had a lot of contributions from a lot of different players. It was a nice series series win and sweep as a team. Going into the playoffs with all this positive momentum cannot be understated. We are all very excited for the opportunity that we have in front of us in the next coming weeks."

Game One:

Hill II sent freshman Lochlan Radloff (7-4, 3.33 ERA) to start game one, while St. Pete head coach Oscar went with sophomore Mel Rubiera (0-2, 5.28 ERA) to counter.

For the first four innings of the game between Radloff and Rubiera as both pitchers were able to prevent runs from getting on the board. Eventually, the Titans would get on the board first in the bottom of the fifth after a bases loaded walk by freshman Drew Pynes and sophomore Yeriel Pastrana getting hit by a pitch would give them a 2-0 lead. The Manatees would then cut the Titans' lead to 2-1 at the top of the sixth after Vanecek drove in freshman Ryan Kaitz with a single to left to make it 2-1 SPC.

At the top of the seventh, the Manatees would take their first lead of the game as sophomore Mario Trivella would send a triple to right-center to bring in Kaitz and sophomore Luke Boykin to make it 3-2 SCF. The Titans would not go down quietly as they tied the game at 3-3 after an RBI single by Pynes before the game went into extra innings.

After eighth went scoreless for both teams, the Manatees would rally together and retake the lead. After Boykin (hit by a pitch), Kaitz (single) and Trivella (walk) loaded the bases, Vanecek would pump up the Manatees bats as he grounded a single to center to bring in Boykin and Kaitz before sophomore Connor O'Sullivan would pop a single to center to bring in Trivella. After freshman Clayton Evans hit a single to load the bases, classmate Dominic Donatucci would bring in freshman Bernard Barnes, who came in to pinch run for Vanecek, with a groundout to make it 7-3 SCF.

The Titans would add one more run to the board as sophomore Jose Rangel would send a solo home run to right for his third of the season, but it would not be enough as the Manatees took the game and the overall series.

Both Radloff and Rubiera would each earn a no-decision in their starts. Radloff gave up two runs (one earned) on six hits with three walks and six strikeouts in five innings, while Rubiera gave up one run on four hits with four walks and five strikeouts in five innings.

Redshirt freshman Cole Dement would get the win and improve to 3-2 after giving up one run on two hits with three strikeouts in two innings of relief. Sophomore Daniel Hartley gave up one run on three hits in two innings of relief.

Sophomore Garrett Moran would get the loss and fall to 1-2 after giving up two runs on three hits with one walk in one inning of relief.

Vanecek would be the only Manatee with a multi-hit game and lead the offense as he went 2-for-3 with three RBI.

"I felt good out there today," said Vanecek. "It felt good to get back in the groove of things timing wise."

Trivella would follow on offense as he went 1-for-2 with two RBI, one run and three walks. Boykin (1-for-4, two runs), Kaitz (1-for-1, three runs and one walk), O'Sullivan (1-for-1, one RBI), Evans (1-for-4), sophomores CJ Richard (1-for-4) and Allan Gil Fernandez (1-for-5) and freshmen Myles Davis (1-for-4, two walks) and Ben Ryan (1-for-2) had the remaining hits.

For the Titans, Rangel (3-for-3) and freshman Joseph DiCesare each had three hits, while Pynes lead the way offensively going 1-for-4 with two RBI.

Game Two:

Looking to take the sweep, Hill II sent Hernandez (7-4, 5.27 ERA) to the mound, while Espada countered with freshman Chris Conde (0-3, 9.90 ERA).

The Manatees would open on the board first at the top of the first as freshman Holden Brauner would hit a lead off solo home run to right for his fifth of the season. After Davis reached first on a fielding error, Gil Fernadez would send a triple to right-center to bring in Davis. Two batters later, freshman Mattie Counts would send a single to right to bring in Gil Fernandez to make it 3-0 SCF.

The Manatees would then extend their lead at the top of the second as O'Sullivan would show off his first bit of power as he sent a solo homer to right for his first collegiate home run of his career.

"It was a great feeling being greeted at the dugout by all of my teammates," said O'Sullivan on his first home run. "It always feels special to contribute in a big way to a big win for the team."

After freshman Will Rawls hit a single and moved to second on a groundout, Davis would show his power as well as he sent a solo home run to left-center for his fifth of the season and make it 6-0 SCF. The Titans would put in their only runs on the board in the bottom half of the inning as freshman Amarri Daniel would send a two-run homer to center for his fifth of the season and make it 6-2 still in SCF's favor. At the top of the third, Trivella would lead the inning off with power as he hit a solo home run to right for his sixth of the season. 

The lead would increase further at the top of the fourth. After Rawls and Davis each hit a single, Rawls would get caught stealing before Gil Fernandez and Ryan drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Trivella would then draw a walk of his own to bring in Davis and reload the bases before Counts lined a single to center to bring in Gil Fernandez and Ryan. Kaitz would then draw a walk to reload the bases before O'Sullivan sent a single of his own to center and bring in Trivella and Counts and Rawls lined a single to left to bring in Kaitz to make it 13-2 before sealing the victory and the series sweep.

Hernandez would improve to 8-4 after throwing a five inning complete game, giving up two runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

"I felt good, but it's very easy to pitch when your team gives you such a big cushion," said Hernandez on his game. "I love pitching for these guys and hopefully I have a few more wins left in the chamber.

Conde would fall to 0-4 on the year after giving up six runs (four earned) on six hits with one strikeout in one and a third innings. Sophomore Emilio Rodriguez would give up six runs on four hits with three walks in two and a third innings of relief, while classmate Christian Del Campo gave up one run on three hits with one walk and one strikeout in one and a third innings.

Four Manatees had a multi-hit game. It was Davis and Rawls that lead the way in hitting with three hits each. Davis (3-for-4) had a home run, two RBI and three runs, while Rawls (3-for-3) had one run and one RBI.

Counts (2-for-3) and O'Sullivan (2-for-3) lead the way offensively with two hits, one run and three RBI each.

Brauner (1-for-4, one home run), Gil Fernandez (1-for-2, one RBI, two runs and one walk) and Trivella (1-for-3, one home run, two runs, two RBI and one walk) had the remaining hits.

For the Titans, freshman Lenin Nunez lead the way in hitting as he went 2-for-3 at the plate, while Daniel had the lone multi-RBI game as he went 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

#7 Indian River State (34-14, 24-9 Citrus) swept #21 Central Florida (34-16, 19-14 Citrus) 10-0 and 8-6.

#11 Florida Southwestern (39-13, 24-9 Citrus) swept Polk State (27-28, 14-19 Citrus) 6-5 (8) and 12-0 (5).

Seminole State College of Florida (29-22, 17-16 Citrus) split with Daytona State (14-30, 12-21 Citrus) losing game one 9-3 before winning game two 12-2 in five innings.

Santa Fe (24-26, 15-18 Citrus) split with Hillsborough (20-30, 12-21 Citrus) winning game one 2-1 before losing game two 4-3.

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #11 Florida Southwestern (39-13, 24-9)*^

2. #7 Indian River State (34-14, 24-9)*^

3. SCF (35-19, 20-13)*

4. #21 Central Florida (34-16, 19-14)*

5. Eastern Florida State (29-19, 17-14)

6. Miami Dade (28-21, 16-15)

7. Seminole State College of Florida (29-22, 17-16)

8. Santa Fe (24-26, 15-18) e

9. Polk State (27-28, 14-19) e

10. Hillsborough (20-30, 12-21) e

11. Daytona State (14-30, 12-21) e

12. St. Pete (9-39, 6-27) e

* - Clinched spot in the tournament

^ - Citrus Conference Regular Season Champions

e - eliminated from playoff contention

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to see who they face in the regionals of the NJCAA Region 8 State Baseball Tournament.

SCF Baseball Takes Win Over SPC; Secures Playoff Spot

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (33-19, 18-13 Citrus) pulled off a second walk-off win as they defeated St. Pete (9-37, 6-25 Citrus) 12-2 in six innings via the mercy rule. As a result of their win, the Manatees clinched an automatic spot in the NJCAA Region 8 State Baseball Tournament.

"It was a nice win for sure and that win also clinched a state tournament spot for us so that was big," said head coach Tim Hill II. "After a rough start, Aidan pitched pretty well and anytime you run rule somebody, the bats must have done some good things. Just about everybody contributed. We're looking to close out the season on a positive note on Saturday to get some momentum headed to the playoffs next week."

"Overall, I felt the team did great," said freshman Mattie Counts. "We attacked early and didn't let off the gas from start to finish. Aidan (Ray) gave us a great effort on the mound limiting their offense, working out of jams and gave us a chance to run up the score. Our goal when we face St. Pete on Saturday is to relentlessly attack, quickly jump on their pitching and trust our pitchers to throw strikes while controlling the game and playing clean defense to help our pitchers stay efficient."

"I thought the team did great," said freshman Clayton Evans. "We played hard and stayed focused the entire game. For Saturday, we just need to stay locked in, play our game and finish strong."

Hill II sent freshman Aidan Ray (3-2, 4.42 ERA) to the mound, while St. Pete head coach Oscar Espada went with sophomore Andres Bermudez (1-2, 9.11 ERA) to counter.

The Titans would end up on the board first at the top of the first after an RBI triple by sophomore Jose Rangel and an RBI single by freshman Drew Pynes made it 2-0 St. Pete. The Manatees would respond in the bottom half of the inning beginning with a one-out walk by freshman Myles Davis, sophomore Allan Gil Fernandez being hit by a pitch and freshman Ben Ryan drawing a walk to load the bases, sophomore Mario Trivella would get hit by a pitch and bring in Davis and reload the bases for freshman Mattie Counts. On a 3-1 count, the transfer from the University of South Florida would clear the bases with a double to make it 4-2 SCF. One inning later, the Manatees would extend the lead to 5-2 after an RBI single by sophomore Luke Boykin drove in freshman Holden Brauner.

In the bottom of the third, the Manatees would continue adding to their lead. After a two-out single by sophomore Connor O'Sullivan and a walk by freshman Clayton Evans, Brauner would send a single to center and bring in O'Sullivan before Davis brought in Evans with a single to left to make it 7-2 SCF. One inning later, Counts would bring in Boykin with an infield single to make it 8-2 SCF.

The Titans would try to score a run at the top of the fifth off of a single by freshman Lenin Nunez, but a strong throw by Brauner would tag out sophomore Mel Rubiera at home and prevent the Titans from scoring.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Manatees would bump their run total to double digits beginning with leadoff double by Evans before moving to third on a fly out. Davis would then send a single to left to bring Evans. After Gil Fernandez reached on a fielding error, Boykin would send a double to center and bring in Davis to make 10-2 SCF. One inning later with O'Sullivan hitting a pop single to center, Evans would seal the victory for the Manatees as he hit a two-run home run to left for his third of the season and walk off the game.

"It felt amazing," said Evans on the walk-off home run. "I just wanted to help the team and I'm glad I came through."

Ray would improve to 4-2 after throwing a six-inning complete game, giving up two runs on seven hits with one walk and five strikeouts.

Bermudez would fall to 1-3 after giving up five runs on three hits with two walks and one strikeout in two innings. Freshman Logan Zavala gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits with two walks and one strikeout in two and a third innings of relief, while sophomore Gabriel Vargas gave up two runs on two hits in one inning of relief.

Six Manatees had a multi-hit game. It was Counts that would lead the way offensively as he went 2-for-4 with four RBI.

"I felt good at the plate tonight," said Counts. "I'm definitely happy to see myself getting back on track with hard contact when my team needs it, especially in the later stages of the season when we're looking to make a playoff run."

Evans (2-for-3) and Davis (2-for-3) would follow with two hits and two RBI each. Evans added three runs, one walk and one stolen base, while Davis added two runs and one walk.

Brauner (2-for-4) and O'Sullivan (2-for-4) rounded out the order with two hits each as well. Brauner added one run, one RBI and one stolen base, while O'Sullivan added two runs and one stolen base.

Nunez would be the leader in hitting for the Titans as he went 2-for-3 with a run at the plate, while Rangel (1-for-3) and Pynes (1-for-3) each drove in a run.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

Seminole State College of Florida (28-21, 16-15 Citrus) 7, Daytona State (13-29, 11-20 Citrus) 1

Hillsborough (19-29, 11-20 Citrus) 11, Santa Fe (23-25, 14-17 Citrus) 3

#21 Central Florida (34-14, 19-12 Citrus) 9, #7 Indian River State (32-14, 22-9 Citrus) 5

#11 Florida Southwestern (37-13, 22-9 Citrus) 7, Polk State (27-26, 14-17 Citrus) 4

Miami Dade (28-21, 16-15 Citrus) 5, Eastern Florida State (29-19, 17-14 Citrus) 3

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #11 Florida Southwestern (37-13, 22-9) *

2. #7 Indian River State (32-14, 22-9) *

3. #21 Central Florida (34-14, 19-12) *

4. SCF (33-19, 18-13) *

5. Eastern Florida State (29-19, 17-14)

6. Miami Dade (28-21, 16-15)

7. Seminole State College of Florida (28-21, 16-15)

8. Polk State (27-26, 14-17) e

9. Santa Fe (23-25, 14-17) e

10. Hillsborough (19-29, 11-20) e

11. Daytona State (13-29, 11-20) e

12. St. Pete (9-37, 6-25) e

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to go for the sweep over St. Pete as they play them in a doubleheader at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon, April 26 at 1 and 4 pm. Freshman Lochlan Radloff (7-4, 3.33 ERA) will start game one, while sophomore Oscar Hernandez (7-4, 5.27 ERA) will start game two.

SCF Baseball Walks it Off Over FSW

Bradenton, Fla. - In their last non-conference game of the season, the SCF baseball team (32-19, 17-13 Citrus) were able to pull off a walk-off victory at Wynn Field as they defeated #11 Florida Southwestern (36-13, 21-9 Citrus) 12-11 in 10 innings.

"A nice win tonight against a really good FSW team," said head coach Tim Hill II. "It was a back-and-forth game, but in the end it was nice to come out on top, especially after a rough series against Eastern Florida where we did not play our best baseball like we’re capable of. Myles (Davis) had a big night And Holden (Brauner) came up big when we needed it. Both are good players who have done some good things for us this season. We're looking to finish strong with the St. Pete series to punch our ticket to postseason."

"I felt like the team brought the energy tonight," said freshman Myles Davis. "We played really good especially after a hard weekend series. It was very good to carry this game into this weekend where we can bring the energy for our series against St. Pete."

"The team handled business well," said freshman Holden Brauner. "We just went in treating it like the most important game of the season. The more we start building up as a team towards the playoffs, the better."

Hill II sent sophomore Gavyn Bowen (2-0, 6.59 ERA) to the mound, while FSW head coach Zac Cole went with redshirt sophomore Logan O'Leary (2-0, 3.00 ERA) to counter.

After the first two innings went scoreless, the Buccaneers would get on the board first at the top of the third after RBI singles by sophomore Anthony Ruocco and Carlos Sanchez and an RBI groundout by sophomore Jake Mueller made it 3-0 FSW. The Manatees would respond in the bottom half of the inning beginning with freshman Ryan Kaitz hitting a leadoff solo home run to left for his third of the season. After classmate Clayton Evans hit a single of his own before moving to second and sophomore Allan Gil Fernandez drew a walk, Davis would show his power as he sent a three-run homer to left for his third of the season and give the Manatees a 4-3 lead.

FSW would then retake the lead at the top of the fourth after a sacrifice fly by freshman Alex Kuenzle and sophomore Ty Hamilton scored on a wild pitch. One inning later, they would make it 7-4 after a two-run double by redshirt freshman Nathan Fink.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Manatees would start to rally beginning with a leadoff single by Davis. After sophomore Luke Boykin hit a double, classmate Mario Trivella would send a double of his own to right to bring in Davis and Boykin before freshman Dominic Donatucci brought in Trivella with a single to right and tie the game at 7-7. After a wild pitch moved Donatucci to second, Kaitz would send a single to right and bring in Donatucci to make it 8-7 SCF.

The Buccaneers would continue their back-and-forth onslaught at the top of the seventh as Mueller would tower a solo homer to left for his 11th of the season before redshirt sophomore Michael McAloose hit a two-run double to make it 10-8 FSW. The Manatees would then cut the lead to 10-9 in the bottom half of the inning as Trivella brought in sophomore Walker Vanecek with a single to right.

At the top of the eighth, Muller would once again show off his power as he sent another solo home run to right for his 12th of the season and second of the game to make it 11-9 FSW. 

After the Buccaneers failed to score at the top of the ninth, the Manatees would pull off the moment they needed. After Gil Fernandez was hit by a pitch, Davis would pull it together on a full count and send a two-run homer to right for his fourth of the season and second of the ballgame before the game went into extra innings with the International tiebreaker rule in effect.

After FSW failed to bring in a run at the top of the 10th, the Manatees would have a go at it as they placed Kaitz on the second. After one out, Brauner would become the hero as he sent a single to right-center to bring in Kaitz and seal the victory for the Manatees.

"I felt good helping the team secure the win," said Brauner on the game-winning hit. "Without the guys getting the job done throughout the entire season, I wouldn't have been blessed enough to be out in that position. I honestly knew as soon as Hayden (Gustavson) shut the door in the 10th, it would be me or Connor (O'Sullivan) would finish the game off."

Both Bowen and O'Leary earned a no-decision for their starts. Bowen gave up five runs on four hits with six walks and three strikeouts in three and a third innings, while O'Leary gave up four run on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts in three innings.

Sophomore Hayden Gustavson would earn the win after throwing one-third of a scoreless inning of relief. Freshman Bernard Barnes threw three innings of relief, giving up one run on one hit with one walk and two strikeouts, while sophomore Duke McCarron gave up two runs on two hits with one walk and one strikeouts in one inning of relief and freshman Austin Monahan gave up three runs (two earned) on three hits with one walk and one strikeout in two and a third innings of relief.

Sophomore Brett Dennis would get the loss after giving up one run on one hit in one-third of an inning.

Three Manatees had a multi-hit game. It was Davis that lead the way in hitting and offense as he went 4-for-5 with a two home runs, three runs scored and five RBI.

"I felt good today," said Davis. "It was just one of those days. The only thing on my mind when I hit those home runs was just trying to drive the ball into the gap and that was my approach all night and it worked for me."

Trivella would follow going 2-for-4 with three RBI, one run, one walk and one stolen base, while Kaitz rounded out the order going 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs and two RBI. Brauner (1-for-6, one RBI), Boykin (1-for-5, one run) and Evans (1-for-3, one run) had the remaining hits.

For the Buccaneers, Mueller was their offensive leader as he went 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI.

Notes:

Davis' two home run game was the first time a Manatee had a multi-home run game since Owen Ayers on March 28, 2022.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

Miami Dade (27-21, 15-15 Citrus) defeated #7 Indian River State (32-13, 22-8 Citrus) 14-7.

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #7 Indian River State (32-13, 22-8)

2. #11 Florida Southwestern (36-13, 21-9)

3. #21 Central Florida (33-14, 18-12) 

4. SCF (32-19, 17-13)

5. Eastern Florida State (29-18, 17-13)

6. Miami Dade (27-21, 15-15)

7. Seminole State College of Florida (27-21, 15-15)

8. Polk State (27-25, 14-16)

9. Santa Fe (23-24, 14-16)

10. Daytona State (13-28, 11-19)

11. Hillsborough (18-29, 10-20)

12. St. Pete (9-36, 6-24)

Up Next:

The Manatees wrap up the regular with their finale against St. Pete College (9-36, 6-24 Citrus). Game one will take place at Robert C. Wynn Field Thursday night, April 24 at 6 pm, while games two and three take place at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium in Clearwater Saturday afternoon, April 26 at 1 and 4 pm.