FGCU Baseball: A-SUN Conference Tournament Preview

With the regular season over, the FGCU baseball team (34-19) prepare for their next hurdle, the A-SUN Conference Tournament from May 22-25 at Melching Field at Conrad Park in Deland, Florida, hosted by Stetson.

Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off of winning their final home series against A-SUN newcomer Liberty at Swanson Stadium. The Eagles would defeat the Flames 7-4 in the first before falling 4-2 in the second game. In the rubber match, which was also FGCU's senior day, the Eagles claimed the series in a nail biter as they won 10-9.

The Standings for the tournament are the order of the seeds by overall and conference record:
1. #1 FGCU (34-19, 16-7 A-SUN)*^
2. #2 Liberty (37-18, 15-9 A-SUN)*
3. #3 Lipscomb (30-23, 14-10 A-SUN)*
4. #4 Jacksonville (30-25, 13-11 A-SUN)*
5. #5 UNF (31-23, 12-11 A-SUN)*
6. #6 Stetson (24-30, 11-12 A-SUN)*

Kennesaw (27-29, 11-13 A-SUN), North Alabama (16-38, 7-16 A-SUN) and NJIT (17-27-1, 7-17 A-SUN) were not eligible to be in the tournament due to their conference records.

For North Alabama, this is their first year with the A-SUN, so regardless if they went to the A-SUN Tournament, they would not be able to play in the national tournament per the four-year transitional period and if they would win the tournament, the same rules would be implied and FGCU would go to the national tournament as the regular season champions.

A-SUN Tournament Breakdown:
The A-SUN Conference Baseball Tournament is a double elimination tournament. Once a team loses a game, they will get sent down to a losers bracket. Once a team get two losses, they are eliminated from the tournament.

What's at stake? The winner of the A-SUN Conference Tournament will earn an automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA National Tournament. Any of the other teams will await for an at-large bid.

FGCU will face Stetson in the opening round of the conference tournament.

A-SUN Awards and Accolades:
Before the tournament began, the A-SUN released awards for the players mentioned.

A-SUN Player of the Year:
In their first year in the A-SUN, Liberty would be the one to take A-SUN Player of the Year as it was claimed by redshirt-junior Jonathan Embry. Embry finished with a .296 batting average, nine home runs and 37 RBI.

A-SUN Pitcher of the Year:
For the A-SUN Pitcher of the Year award, it belonged to UNF's redshirt senior Brad Deppermann. Deppermann went 6-4 with a conference leading 2.09 ERA and 101 strikeouts.

A-SUN Coach of the Year:
FGCU was able to get one of the big awards as head coach Dave Tollett was named A-SUN Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career. Tollett currently has 599 career wins and a win in the conference tournament will earn his 600th career win as head coach.

A-SUN Defensive Player of the Year:
For the A-SUN Defensive Player of the Year, it was awarded to Jacksonville's redshirt junior Dakota Julylia. Julylia posted a .983 fielding percentage while batting .305 with a home run and 25 RBI.

A-SUN Freshman of the Year:
For the A-SUN Freshman of the Year, Stetson's Daniel Paret would earn the title. Paret was 5-3 with a 3.47 ERA and 97 strikeouts.

A-SUN All-Conference First Team:
Junior Mason Studstill would be the only Eagle to make the A-SUN All-Conference First Team after putting up a 5-2 record with a 2.31 ERA (2nd in the A-SUN) and 91 strikeouts. Studstill, a double transfer from Miami and Eastern Florida State (NJCAA), has posted the lowest opponent batting average (.164) in a single season in FGCU history, while allowing an average of 5.18 hits per nine innings, good for eighth in the national standings. Studstill pitched a no-decision against Liberty after throwing five innings with no strikeouts.

Other members that joined the A-SUN All-Conference First Team are as listed:
UNF: Deppermann, senior Jay Prather and junior Tanner Murphy

Lipscomb: seniors Chris Kachmar and Tevin Symonette

Jacksonville: Julylia and senior Angel Camacho

Liberty: Embry, senior Evan Brabrand and sophomore Will Wagner

Kennesaw State: senior Jake Franklin and juniors Terence Norman and Justin Russell

A-SUN All-Conference Second Team:
For the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team, four Eagles were named: senior Keith Stevens and Jay Hayes and junior Alex Brait and Hunter McGarry.

A double transfer from FAMU and Hillsborough Community College (HCC) (NJCAA), Stevens, who was named FGCU's Scholar-Athlete of the Month, is currently batting .345 with three home runs and 28 RBI. In fact, in conference play, Stevens is batting .411 with 15 RBI. Against Liberty, the Miami native was 6-for-10 with two RBI.

Hayes earned his first accolade with the Eagles as he led the team with nine home runs and 47 RBI. Against Liberty, Hayes was 3-for-11 with a home run and three RBI.

Brait is batting .328 with four home runs and 30 RBI. He leads the conference with 75 hits and is a perfect 10-10 on stolen bases this season. He has caught 24 runners stealing throughout his career, including 11 this season, which is good for fifth all-time in the Eagle record book. He leads the team this season with 22 multi-hit games and is currently on a 10-game hitting streak. Brait was 5-for-13 against Liberty with a home run and two RBI.

McGarry, a Bradenton native and transfer from State College of Florida (SCF) (NJCAA), is 6-1 with a 2.57 ERA, 41 strikeouts and nine saves, which ties for second on the single season record list and ties for fifth on the career records list. Against Liberty, McGarry threw 3.2 innings in two games with six strikeouts.

Other members that joined the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team are as listed:
UNF: senior Nick Marchese and junior David Maberry

NJIT: sophomore Julio Marcano

Jacksonville: senior John Cassala and juniors Zach Byrant and Scott Dubrule

Liberty: junior Andrew McInvale,

Kennesaw State: sophomore Tyler Simon

Stetson: senior Jacob Koos

A-SUN All-Freshman Team:
Freshman Joe Kinker was named the lone member of the A-SUN All-Freshman Team. Kinker has appeared in every game for FGCU this season and started all but one. The Venice native is batting .318 with seven home runs and 38 RBI. Kinker was 4-for-10 against Liberty with a home run.

Other members that joined the A-SUN All-Freshman Team are as listed:
Lipscomb: Tyler Guilfoil

Jacksonville: Nick Love,

Liberty: Joseph Adametz, Gray Betts and Jaylen Guy

Kennesaw State: Tyler Tolve and Jared Rine

NJIT: Brett Helmkamp

Stetson: Paret, Danny Garcia, Noah Dickerson and Mark Townsend

A-SUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year:
For the A-SUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year, UNF's Murphy earned the award. Murphy, who was named a member of the A-SUN All-Conference First Team, is batting .297 with six home runs and 35 RBI while holding a 3.90 GPA

A-SUN All-Academic Team:
Along with Stevens, who had a 3.68 GPA, senior Kohl Gilmore was named a member of the A-SUN All-Academic Team. Gilmore is currently batting .278 with four home runs and 41 RBI while maintaining a 3.68 GPA. Against Liberty, Gilmore was 2-for-10 with three RBI.

Other members that joined the A-SUN All-Academic Team are as listed with their GPA:
UNF: Murphy (3.90)

Jacksonville: Camacho (3.58) and senior Reagan Wright (3.81),

Liberty: Embry (3.58)

Kennesaw State: sophomore Monty Horn (4.0)

NJIT: senior Sean Lubreski (4.0) and Marcano (3.67)

North Alabama: junior Bryant Claunch (3.64) and senior Josh Stillman (3.93)

Stetson: sophomore Chris Gonzalez (3.86) and junior Andrew MacNeil (4.0)

Scouting Stetson:
Stetson clinched its spot in the A-SUN Tournament after taking two-of-three from UNF at Melching Field last weekend. The Hatters were on the bubble of making the postseason entering the final weekend of regular season play. After winning the 2018 AS-UN Championship and advancing to a Super Regional, the Hatters were at the top of the preseason conference poll.

Senior Vlad Nunez leads the conference with 12 saves this season. He owns a 3.30 ERA through 43.2 innings of work. Freshman Daniel Paret leads the Hatters' pitching staff with a 3.47 ERA. The southpaw has 97 Ks on the season, the second-most in the league.

Senior Jacob Koos paces the Hatters with a .274 batting average. The outfielder has scored a team-high 32 runs and leads the team with 18 stolen bases.

Junior Jorge Arenas has cranked out a team-high 17 extra-base hits and has driven in 37 runs. The shortstop also leads the defense with 122 assists.

The Hatters own a 19-14 mark at Melching Field this season.

Series History:

The Hatters claimed the series against the Green and Blue at their home ballpark in DeLand earlier this month. In the opening game of the series, Stetson defeated the Eagles 2-1. The reigning A-SUN Champions earned a 5-3 triumph during game two. The third game was cancelled due to weather.

With the pair of wins, the Hatters have now won the last six meetings between the two teams. FGCU still holds an 18-17 advantage in the history between the programs, which includes an 11-9 mark at Melching Field.

The Eagles own a 2-1 edge over the Hatters in head to head championship play.

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be available for all the games in the tournament and will air on ESPN+. Fans can also keep up to date on Twitter: @FGCU_Baseball

ESPN+:

The A-SUN will air on the new, subscription-based digital platform ESPN+, which will be the new home for select FGCU and A-SUN games and event broadcasts. Subscribers can try the new app for free for 30 days, which follows to $4.99 a month fee afterwards or can pay $39.99 per-year based on the viewers subscription choice.

Livestats Link: https://statbroadcast.com/events/tournament.php?tid=790

ESPN+ Link: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/725e567f-d574-4a22-8c86-f28e8d286982/asun-baseball-tournament

FGCU Baseball vs Liberty Game Three Recap

Champs, champs, champs. One of the only words that describe the feeling as the FGCU baseball team (34-19, 16-7 A-SUN) went on to the milestone as they claimed a nail-biting rubber match against Liberty (37-18, 15-9 A-SUN) by a score of 10-9 in the final A-SUN regular season game. With the win, several moments happened in FGCU's favor:
1. The Eagles claimed the #1 seed in the A-SUN Conference Tournament
2. The Eagles finished the A-SUN in first place
3. The Eagles became the A-SUN Regular Season Champions for the first time since 2014.

"All we wanted was to make it permanent," head coach Dave Tollett said. "We wanted to be A-SUN champs. This is such a special group of guys. There isn't one guy that makes the team complete. We have a group of guys that work hard. And I know that they are still hungry for more."

Before the game went underway, the Eagles recognized six seniors as part of their senior day: Justin Gill, Eric Gonzalez, Evan Lumbert, Kohl Gilmore, Keith Stevens and Jay Hayes for their accomplishments and their futures ahead of them.

After the lineups were announced, Lumbert's mother, Cathi, performed the national anthem and I have to say that she has some pipes. I was really amazed.

Back to the game, Tollett sent Lumbert to the mound while Liberty head coach Scott Jackson sent sophomore Noah Skirrow to counter.

In the bottom of the first, the Eagles would get on the board as quick as a hiccup. It all started with junior Richie Garcia at the plate.

Before I get to Garcia's at-bat, I'll start by saying this: Garcia has one of the catchiest walk-up songs in college baseball, "Bailar" by Derorro ft Elvis Crespo. When he was up to the plate, he had a new walk-up song by a classic artist, "Smooth" by Carlos Santana ft Rob Thomas. Fans were wondering where it went and why he changed it and he told me after the game that he wanted to "spice things up". Now I was a little questionable about it, but I did let him off the hook on it because it helped the team.

Back to the at-bat, on a full count, Garcia would send a deep shot to left for a solo home run. This was Garcia's sixth home run of the season and second of the series.

Following a single by junior Alex Brait, Hayes would come alive on a 0-2 count and send a shot to left for a two-run home run. This was Hayes' ninth home run of the season. Following walks drawn by Gonzalez and Gilmore, Jackson would pull Skirrow and send sophomore Mason Meyer to the mound for relief. After sophomore Christian Proffitt drew a walk load the bases, freshman Jalen Townsend would send a single to center to send Gonzalez home for a 4-0 lead. The Eagles would bat around as Garcia drew a walk that send Gilmore home to make it 5-0 FGCU before the inning ended.

The Flames would get their first run on the board at the top of the fourth from sophomore Logan Mathieu scoring on a fielding error, but the Eagles would respond back immediately in the bottom half beginning with a lead-off walk by Garcia. Brait would then try to bring in Garcia with a double, but to no success. Hayes would then avenge the run opportunity by bringing in Brait on a double of his own. After Stevens hit a single, Jackson would make another call to the bullpen and sent sophomore Logan Barker to the mound. After the pitching change, Gonzalez would hit a sacrifice fly to send Hayes home for a 6-1 lead. This would bring freshman Joe Kinker to the plate, and on the first pitch, the North Port native sent a shot to left center for a home run and and 9-1 FGCU lead. This was Kinker's seventh home run of the season.

At the top of the fifth, the Flames add two more runs to the board as sophomore Will Wagner hit a two-run blast for his sixth home run of the season, but the Eagles would add another run in the bottom of the sixth as Gilmore sent Gonzalez home on a sacrifice fly.

At the top of the eighth, the Flames began to cut the deficit to 10-7 after RBI singles by Mathieu, freshman Gray Betts, redshirt junior Jonathan Embry.

At the top of the ninth, with junior Hunter McGarry on the mound for the Eagles, the Flames cut the deficit to one run after an RBI single by Betts and a fielder's choice by Embry. With determination still in his grasp and a full count, the Bradenton native locked in and got junior Cam Locklear to strikeout and end the game and the A-SUN Regular Season Championship.

Lumbert would earn his sixth win of the season, putting him at 6-2 on the year. Lumbert gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits, walking six and striking out four in 5.2 innings.

Junior Nick Bitner threw 1.2 innings of relief, giving up three runs on three hits with one strikeout.

McGarry gave up three runs on three hits with three strikeouts.

Skirrow would earn his sixth loss, putting him at 4-6 after giving up five runs on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning.

In relief for the Flames, Meyer gave up three runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 2.2 innings, Barker gave up one run on three hits with a strikeout in two-thirds of an inning, sophomore Landon Riley gave up one run on two hits with three strikeouts in three innings, freshman Cole Garrett gave up a walk on 10 pitches and junior Garret Price struck out two batters in a scoreless inning.

Brait, Hayes, Stevens and Kinker finished with two hits apiece with Hayes and Kinker with a multi-RBI game.

Garcia, Gonzalez, Gilmore and Townsend had one hit and at least one RBI each. Proffitt also had a hit.

For the Flames, Betts, Mathieu, Wagner, freshman Jaylen Guy, senior Tyler Galazin and sophomore Brandon Rohrer had two hits each with Betts, Mathieu and Wagner with two RBI each.

A-SUN Standings:
1. #1 FGCU (34-19, 16-7 A-SUN)*^
2. #2 Liberty (37-18, 15-9 A-SUN)*
3. #3 Lipscomb (30-23, 14-10 A-SUN)*
4. #4 Jacksonville (30-25, 13-11 A-SUN)*
5. #5 UNF (31-23, 12-11 A-SUN)*
6. #6 Stetson (24-30, 11-12 A-SUN)*
7. Kennesaw (27-29, 11-13 A-SUN)
8. North Alabama (16-38, 7-16 A-SUN)
9. NJIT (17-27-1, 7-17 A-SUN)

*Clinched a spot in A-SUN Tournament
^ Regular Season Champions

Up Next:
With the results set in stone, the seeding for the A-SUN Tournament are locked in for May 22-25. The tournament will take place at Stetson's Melching Field at Conrad Park in Deland, Florida.

#1 FGCU vs #6 Stetson (11 am)
#2 Liberty vs #5 UNF (3 pm)
#3 Lipcomb vs #4 JU (7 pm)

FGCU Baseball vs Liberty Game Two Recap

 The FGCU baseball team (33-19, 15-7 A-SUN) fell to Liberty (37-17, 15-8 A-SUN) by a score of 4-2 on Friday night in one of the tightest matchups seen at Swanson Stadium this season. With the loss, the series between the Eagles and the Flames that decides the 2019 A-SUN Regular Season Champion is now knotted up at 1-1.

"The game was decided in the first," head coach Dave Tollett said. "We made a couple of plays that they capitalized on and we weren't very sharp. They got the big hit, whereas we had them all last night. We needed one today. Gus Carter did an absolutely fabulous job, by far his best performance. Nikolas Bitner did a great job coming in and keeping the game close. We had a lot of chances and we left plenty of runners on, so we will have to do a better job. That being said, if you told me in August that we could come in and play one game for the conference championship, I would've taken it. So we're going to wipe our bruises away and be ready to go tomorrow."

The Flames' offense got to work early, tagging senior starter Justin Gill with three runs in the opening frame. Sophomore Gus Carter relieved Gill to start the second inning. Liberty used a sac fly to make it a 4-0 game, but a diving catch by freshman Jalen Townsend prevented any more scoring.

The initial 4-0 edge was the team's largest over the Eagles so far, as they never led by more than two during Thursday night's game.

Senior Keith Stevens was FGCU's first base runner of the night after reaching with an infield single to start the bottom of the second. Freshman Joe Kinker and junior Kohl Gilmore got on to load up the bases, but all three were stranded at the end of the frame.

After three scoreless innings, the Eagles got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Eric Gonzalez and Kinker cranked out back-to-back hits and were pushed across by Gilmore's single through the right side, trimming the lead down to 4-2.

While the Green and Blue offense tried to rally, Carter kept the visitors away from home plate. Coming into tonight's game, his longest outing was 1.2 innings and the most strikeouts he had recorded was three. After six innings of work, he was relieved at the start of the eighth by sophomore Nikolas Bitner. Carter finished his night with a career-high seven strikeouts and at one point retired nine straight Flames.

Bitner cruised through the final six outs of the night and struck out four but did not receive any run support. Liberty's closer Evan Brabrand stifled the Eagles' offense as sophomore Christian Proffitt cranked out the team's only hit over the last three innings.

This was FGCU's first loss in A-SUN Conference play at Swanson Stadium this season. The Eagles entered this series having swept Lipscomb, Jacksonville and North Alabama on their home field.

Up Next:
The teams will be back in action tomorrow at 1 p.m. for the series finale. The winner of the rubber match will determine the 2019 Regular Season Champion. The Eagles will be going for their fifth title, having taken home the trophy in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2014. Beginning at 12:30 p.m., head coach Dave Tollett will honor the six members of the class of 2019: Justin Gill, Eric Gonzalez, Kohl Gilmore, Jay Hayes, Evan Lumbert and Keith Stevens.

FGCU Baseball vs Liberty Game One Recap

The FGCU baseball team (33-18, 15-6 A-SUN) came out on top of a 7-4 clash against Liberty (36-17, 14-8 A-SUN) Thursday night at Swanson Stadium.

"It was a great win against a team that was as good as we anticipated," head coach Dave Tollett said. "A come-from-behind win is always special. We got some big hits in some key situations and we got the ball to leave the park. When we turned the ball over to our bullpen, they were really good at ending the game."

Senior Keith Stevens, who is the reigning A-SUN Player of the Week, broke open a tight ballgame in the bottom of the seventh with a two-run shot that brought in junior Alex Brait and put the Eagles on top 6-4. From there, FGCU held on to its lead for the win.

The battle for the 2019 regular season title proved to be just that as neither team earned more than a two-run lead through the first seven innings.

In the opening frame, Brait stepped into the batter's box and sailed his fourth home run of the season over the left field wall to give the home team an early 1-0 lead. The Flames responded with a two-run push in the following inning after a single up the middle that made it a 2-1 game.

Liberty struck again in the top of the fourth, sending its third run of the night across after a single to left field. Ahead 3-1, the Flames managed to load up the bases later that inning, but the Eagles' junior starter Mason Studstill worked out of the jam.

Junior Richie Garcia tied the game up at three apiece after a long shot to left field that plated freshman Jalen Townsend in the bottom of the fourth. Liberty's Logan Mathieu answered in the following inning with a homer of his own that put Liberty back on top 4-3.

After five innings of work, Studstill was relieved by sophomore Tyler Shuck who started the top of the sixth. The starter left the game with a no-decision after allowing four earned runs on seven hits.

Over the next few innings, the Green and Blue led a three-run attack to regain the lead. After starting off the bottom of the sixth with a triple, senior Eric Gonzalez came in on a wild pitch and tied the game up at 4-4. Stevens capped off the spree with his two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh.

FGCU called junior Hunter McGarry out from the Green and Blue bullpen to start the eighth inning. Liberty put runners on the corners, but sophomore Christian Proffitt, Gonzalez and junior Kohl Gilmore ended the inning with a double play.

The Eagles loaded up the bases in the bottom of the eighth and Brait capitalized on the opportunity with a sac fly that brought in junior pinch runner Marc Coffers, putting the home team up 7-4. After allowing the first two runners on, McGarry closed out the game with three back-to-back Ks.

Shuck was awarded the win for his two scoreless innings of relief work and improved to 7-1 on the season. McGarry picked up his ninth save of the year, which ties for the second-most of any Eagle arm in program history. He needs three more to tie Sterling Koerner who holds the record with 12 (2017). Tonight's three home runs are the most in a single game since March 22 against UNF.

Up Next:
The teams will return to Swanson Stadium at 6:30 p.m. on Friday for game two of the series. The finale is slated for 1 p.m. on Saturday. Prior to first pitch of game three, head coach Dave Tollett will honor all six members of the Class of 2019 – Justin Gill, Kohl Gilmore, Eric Gonzalez, Jay Hayes, Evan Lumbert and Keith Stevens. With one more win in the series, the Eagles will claim the 2019 A-SUN Regular Season Championship.

FGCU Baseball vs Liberty Preview

The FGCU baseball team (32-18, 14-6 A-SUN) will close out the regular season at home as they welcome A-SUN newcomer Liberty (35-16, 14-7) to Swanson Stadium from May 16-18. On May 16 and 17, first pitch is at 6:30 pm while for the 18th, it will be at 1 pm with a delay for senior day.

Last Time Out:
The Eagles wrapped up their last conference road trip against NJIT where they took the series 2-1, losing the first game (8-4) before winning the second and the rubber game (6-1, 4-3) to claim the season.

ASUN Standings:
1. FGCU (32-18, 14-6 A-SUN) *
2. Liberty (36-16, 14-7 A-SUN) *
3. Jacksonville (29-23, 12-9 A-SUN) *
4. UNF (30-21, 11-9 A-SUN)
5. Lipscomb (27-23, 11-10 A-SUN)
6. Stetson (22-29, 9-11 A-SUN)
7. Kennesaw State (25-28, 9-12 A-SUN)
8. North Alabama (16-35, 7-13 A-SUN)
9. NJIT (17-27-1, 7-17 A-SUN)
* - Clinched a spot in A-SUN Championship

What's at Stake:
For this series, the Eagles need to win at least two out of three games to win at least a share of the A-SUN Regular Season Championship. If they sweep Liberty, then they will be named A-SUN Regular Season Champions for the first time since 2014. In addition, the Eagles would also be the #1 seed in the Suncoast Conference Tournament and earn a first round bye.

Senior Sound Off:
For the final regular season game, the Eagles will recognize their six seniors: Justin Gill, Kohl Gilmore, Eric Gonzalez, Evan Lumbert, Keith Stevens and Jay Hayes. Gill, Gilmore, Gonzalez, Lumbert and Stevens all came to FGCU as transfers with Gonzalez and Stevens being double transfers. They will be recognized prior to the first pitch.

Justin Gill:
A native of Winter Haven, Florida, Gill joined FGCU fall 2017 as a junior after spending his first two seasons at Polk State College (NJCAA). There, Gill produced a 6-5 overall record with a 87 career strikeouts with the Eagles while earning a spot on the All-Suncoast First Team as a sophomore.

Gill was 1-3 his junior with FGCU with a 3.38 ERA and 43 strikeouts and is currently 1-4 with a 5.22 ERA and 39 strikeouts. In his last game against NJIT, Gill threw five innings with four strikeouts.

Kohl Gilmore:
Gilmore, a native of Fort Pierce, joined FGCU fall 2017 after playing only one season at Indian River State (NJCAA). While at IRS, Gilmore batted .364 with eight home runs and 42 RBI in 42 games.

Upon arrival to FGCU his junior year, Gilmore became an immediate impact as he batted .282 with 11 home runs and 43 RBI. As a result, Gilmore was named a member of the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team.

Currently, Gilmore is batting .279 with four home runs and 37 RBI. In his last series against NJIT, Gilmore was 4-for-12 with four RBI.

Eric Gonzalez:
Coming from Miami, Gonzalez joined FGCU fall 2017 as a double JUCO transfer after spending his freshman year at Palm Beach State (NJCAA) before transferring to ASA Miami (NJCAA) for his sophomore year.

At PBSC, Gonzalez played in 10 games batting .333 with two RBI before transferring to ASA Miami. After sitting out the 2015-16 season per the NJCAA transfer rule, Gonzalez finished the 2016-17 season batting .277 with 16 RBI and 32 stolen bases before transferring to FGCU. Gonzalez ended his junior campaign with the Eagles batting .242 with five home runs and 20 RBI.

Currently, Gonzalez is batting .292 with 50 hits, four home runs, 30 RBI and a .949 fielding percentage. Against NJIT, Gonzalez was 4-for-14 with three runs scored.

Evan Lumbert:
One of the main starting pitchers for the Eagles, Lumbert joined FGCU fall 2017 after spending his first two seasons at South Florida State (NJCAA). There, the Orlando native made 29 appearances on the mound with a 3-4 career record and 107 career strikeouts before transferring to FGCU.

As a junior at FGCU, Lumbert went 6-3 with a 3.11 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 14 appearances (10 starts). Currently, Lumbert is 5-2 with a 3.64 ERA and 57 strikeouts. In his last start against NJIT, Lumbert pitched 8.1 innings with three strikeouts.

Keith Stevens:
Stevens joined FGCU fall 2017 after spending his freshman year at Florida A&M (FAMU) before transferring his sophomore year to Hillsborough Community College (HCC) (NJCAA).

At FAMU, the Miami native batted .083 with two runs scored in 16 games before transferring to HCC his sophomore year. At HCC, Stevens ranked second on the team with a .345 average, two home runs and 36 RBI before transferring to FGCU for his junior year, despite batting only .100 with three runs scored.

Currently, Steven has improved drastically and is currently batting a team-leading .329 with two home runs and 26 RBI. He was recently named A-SUN Player of the Week for his performance against NJIT where he went 7-for-14 with five RBI.

"We're extremely happy for Keith and we know how hard he's been working," head coach Dave Tollett said. "He's been paying attention during film and taking his preparation very seriously. It's been paying off for him because he's been performing well each weekend."

Jay Hayes:
Out of all the seniors, Hayes is the only one that has played for the Eagles all four years.

After beginning his freshman year redshirting to maintain all four years, Hayes opened the season as a redshirt freshman batting .222 with a home run and 11 RBI.

After being removed from the team for the 2017 season due to disciplinary reasons, Hayes was reinstated and increased his hitting as he batted .279 with four home runs and 32 RBI.

Currently, the Altamonte Springs native leads the team with a .322 batting average, a team-leading eight home runs and 42 RBI. In his last series against NJIT, Hayes was 3-for-9 with two RBI.

Meet the Other Eagles:
Along with the seniors, key players for the Eagles include juniors Richie Garcia, Alex Brait, Mason Studstill and Hunter McGarry and freshmen Joe Kinker and Jalen Townsend.

Garcia is batting .295 with four home runs, 25 RBI and a .935 fielding percentage. Garcia was 3-for-13 with two doubles against NJIT.

Brait is batting .324 with three home runs and 28 RBI. Brait was 4-for-13 with an RBI against NJIT.

Studstill has been a main work force on the mound. The Titusville native is 5-2 with a 2.00 ERA and 91 strikeouts (10.7 strikeouts per game). Studstill did lose in his last start against NJIT where he threw three innings and struck out one batter.

McGarry, who took over as the closer, is 6-1 with a 2.11 ERA, 35 strikeouts and eight saves. In his last game, McGarry threw four scoreless and hitless innings with five strikeouts against NJIT.

Kinker is batting .313 with six home runs and 36 RBI. Kinker was 3-for-10 with two RBI against NJIT.

Mainly as a pinch runner, Townsend has earned some more playing time as we speak. Townsend is batting .222 with seven RBI and 10 stolen bases. Townsend was 3-for-8 with an RBI against NJIT.

Scouting Liberty:
The Flames are coming off of taking two-of-three against Lipscomb in an A-SUN conference series last weekend. The Flames dropped Friday night's game 9-1, but claimed back-to-back 5-3, 11-0 victories to win the series. The Flames enter the weekend with just one conference sweep under their belt (vs. UNF March 29-31) and a split 3-3 record in A-SUN road games.

The Liberty pitching staff is one of the best in the nation. The team ERA of 3.35 leads the league and checks in at 10th in the national standings. The Flames have combined for seven shutouts, the fourth-most of any staff in the nation, and allow an average of 7.58 hits per nine innings, which checks in at 16th in the national ranks. Redshirt senior Evan Brabrand ranks as one of the nation's top closers. He has picked up 10 saves this season, the most of any A-SUN arm, and sits at 24th in the national standings.

Sophomore Will Wagner leads the team with a .326 batting average and has started all but one game for the Flames. The infielder has cranked out 19 extra-base hits. Redshirt-junior Jonathan Embry has been credited with a team-high 100 total bases, which is good for second in the league. He is the only player that has played in all 52 of Liberty's games this season. Freshman Jaylen Guy has established himself as a threat on the base path. The rookie has stolen 11 bags and only been thrown out once.

Expected Starters:
Game One- Studstill vs Andrew McInvale (8-2, 3.04 ERA)
Game Two- Gill vs Joseph Adametz (6-2, 3.84 ERA)
Game Three- Lumbert vs Noah Skirrow (4-5, 3.54 ERA)

How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available for all three games and will air on FGCU's YouTube page.

Livestats Links:
Game One- http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=252517
Game Two- http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=252518
Game Three- http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=252519

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_1ISjt5aVZZLdGCQqVAPGw?view_as=subscriber

SCF Baseball: FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament Day Three Recap

After a long game before them, the SCF baseball team (38-19) were able to keep their dreams alive as they defeated Santa Fe (38-17) 8-2. With the win, the Manatees are now 4-2 against the Saints and have advanced closer to their goal in the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland.

Before SCF played, Miami Dade (31-19) played #1 seed #2 CCF in an elimination game. MDC opened the tournament with a 2-0 loss to RV Chipola and were sent to the losers bracket where they faced #11 FSW and were able to upset the Suncoast Regular Season Champions by a score of 14-11 and eliminate them from the tournament on day two.

Going into day three, the Sharks were in a challenge as they were to face #2 CCF, the #1 seed in the state tournament. Through five innings, the Sharks were down 11-0 heading into the fifth, but they were able to score five runs and avoid the eight-run mercy rule.

After scoring another run in the sixth and two in the eighth, the Sharks were able to cut the deficit to one after freshman Sujel Arias-Auzon hit a leadoff double and scored on a wild pitch. After sophomore Richard Nunez-Prado walked and classmate Luis Guerrero struck out, Nunez-Prado would reach second on a wild pitch, freshman Jose Crisostomo-Bock would line a single to left and tie the game at 11-11.

In the bottom of the 10th, the Sharks would seal the deal with Nico Martinez-Bautista drawing a bases-loaded walk to make it 12-11 for the win. The game's duration was over five hours.

Now let's fast forward to SCF facing Santa Fe. For the game, SCF head coach Tim Hill II decided to send sophomore Chris Holcomb to the mound, while Santa Fe head coach Johnny Wiggs sent sophomore Donovan Benoit to counter.

After a scoreless first inning, the Manatees opened the scoreboard first at the top of the second. Beginning with freshman Max Dineen hitting a leadoff single and sophomore Collin Moore was hit by a pitch, freshman Tyler Acosta would send them to scoring position from a sacrifice bunt. This would set up freshman Remi Patry to send Dineen and Acosta home with a two-RBI single for a 2-0 SCF lead. After freshman  All-Suncoast Second Team member Nick Winkelmeyer grounded out for the second out, redshirt sophomore All-Suncoast First Team member Brian Dillingham would smack a long shot to left for a two-run homer. This was Dillingham's third home run of the season. At the top of the fourth, the Manatees would extend the lead to 5-0 after an RBI by Winkelmeyer.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Saints were able to get their first run on the board after an RBI single by freshman Jonathan Logsdon. Holcomb would get pulled in the bottom of the fifth as Hill made a change and sent freshman Logan Fraiser to the mound, who was able to strikeout the last batter to end the fifth.

At the top of the seventh, the Manatees would extended their lead. After loading the bases with back-to-back-to-back singles by sophomores Bryce Hulett, All-Suncoast First Team member Josh Crouch and All-Suncoast First Team member Geovany Lorenzo, Dineen would send Hulett home on fielder's choice. This was then followed with Crouch scoring on a wild pitch and Dineen advancing to second. After Moore drew a walk, Wiggs would make a pitching change and send sophomore Connor Churchill to the mound, who was able to get out of the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Saints would get their second run of the game as freshman Edgar Brito would hit a pinch hit single to make it 7-2 SCF.

At the top of the ninth, the Manatees would increase the lead even further. Moore would start with a one out ground rule double before Acosta sent him home with a single to make it 8-2 SCF before the end of the inning.

From there, redshirt freshman Josh Bonynge would secure the final inning for another SCF win in the tournament.

Holcomb would earn a no-decision after giving up one run on five hits while walking three and striking out two in 4.2 innings.

Fraiser would earn his second win on the night after giving up one run on three hits with three strikeouts. Fraiser is now 2-1 on the year.

Bonynge would throw one scoreless, walking two batters and striking out three.

Benoit would be dubbed with his second loss after giving up five runs on seven hits while walking one batter and striking out one in 3.2 innings. Benoit ended his sophomore year at 5-2.

In relief, sophomore Tyler Jones threw 1.1 innings, giving up two hits and walking two batters, redshirt freshman Emanuel Fernandez gave up two runs on three hits with one walk in 1.1 innings and Churchill gave up one run on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts in 2.2 innings.

Five Manatees led the way with a multi-hit game with Patry leading the way going 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored while Dillingham (2-for-5, one home run and two RBI), Hulett (2-for-5, one run scored), Crouch (2-for-5, one run scored) and Acosta (2-for-4, one RBI) had two hits each. In fact, all of the Manatees in the starting lineup had at least one hit in the game.

Logsdon and sophomore All-Mid-Florida Conference Second Team member Brock Edge were each 2-for-4. Logsdon had one RBI, while Edge scored a run.

As a result, Santa Fe became the fourth team eliminated from the tournament.

Following SCF's win, RV Chipola College (36-17) defeated #5 Northwest Florida State (42-11) 6-3. As a result, NWFS will now play in the losers bracket against Miami Dade.

Scores in Other Districts:
Monroe College (32-17) (NJCAA Region 15) earned the first spot in the NJCAA College World Series as they defeated Spartanburg Methodist (33-17) (Region 10) 8-3. Monroe will represent the Eastern District (Regions 10, 15, 20).

Up Next:
Four teams remain in the tournament as the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament continues Monday, May 13. Miami Dade will play first against NWFS at 1 pm. SCF will then follow against RV Chipola at 4 pm. The winners of those two games will go on to the championship game on Tuesday, May 14 at 11 am and claim a spot as one of 10 teams in the NJCAA to go to the 2019 NJCAA College World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado.

SCF is 9-11 when facing Chipola, 5-7 against Miami Dade and 0-4 against NWFS, which includes the 15-6 loss in the first round of the tournament.

SCF Baseball: FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament Day One and Day Two Recap

The SCF baseball team (37-19) have entered in a crucial situation on the first two days of the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament as they fell 15-6 to #5 Northwest Florida State before defeating Broward College 8-1. With the split of the first two days, the Manatees still have yet to beat the Raiders as they are now 0-4 overall, while against the Seahawks the Manatees are 17-6 (2012-present).

Day One:
Prior to SCF playing, #2 College of Central Florida defeated Broward 12-2 via the 10-run mercy rule.

SCF and NWFS then went underway. For game one, SCF head coach Tim Hill II sent sophomore All-Suncoast First Team and FCSAA All-State Second Team member Aaron Brown to the mound, while NWFS head coach and Panhandle Coach of the Year Doug Martin sent sophomore All-Panhandle First Team member Matt Boswell to counter.

After a scoreless first inning, the Raiders would be the first to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second after a two-run shot by freshman Justice Thompson. This was his third home run of the year. The Raiders would add another run in the bottom of the third after a sacrifice fly by sophomore Jake Randa to make it 3-0 NWFS.

At the top of the fourth, the Manatees would finally get on the board beginning with sophomore All-Suncoast First Team member Josh Crouch getting hit by a pitch. Two batters later, freshman Max Dineen would get hit by a pitch before both runner advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch. After sophomore Collin Moore drew a walk to load the bases, freshman Remi Patry would crack a single down the middle and send Crouch and Dineen home to cut the Raiders lead to 3-2, but the Raiders would extend the lead to 4-2 from a solo shot by freshman Brock Franks. This was his second home run on the year.

At the top of the fifth, the Manatees would finally take the lead. After a one out walked issued to sophomore Bryce Hulett and a double by Crouch, sophomore All-Suncoast First Team member Geovany Lorenzo would send a single to third and send Hulett home. This signaled the end for Boswell as Martin went to his bullpen and sent All-Panhandle Second Team member Connor Stephens to the mound. With runners on the corners, Moore would send a three-run shot to left to give the Manatees their first lead at 6-4. This was Moore's fourth home run on the year.

Soon the Raiders would answer back from RBI single by sophomore All-Panhandle First Team member Kyle Fitzgerald in the bottom of the fifth. In the bottom of the sixth, the Raiders would regain the lead from another solo shot by Franks. It was Franks' third home run on the year. Two batters later, sophomore All-Panhandle Second Team member Kaden Polcovich hit a solo shot to give the Raiders the lead. This was his 11th home run on the year.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Raiders would claim the win via mercy rule after an eight-run rally. Freshman Justice Lucas would seal the deal with a three-run shot to left-center for the win. It was his second home run of the season.

Brown would be dubbed with his third loss on the year after giving up seven runs on nine hits while walking three and striking out four in 5.2 innings.

Sophomores Cole Beavin and Brock Bell and freshman Logan Fraiser would give up a combined eight runs (one earned) on eight hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

Boswell would earn a no-decision after giving up five runs on five hits while walking two and striking out 10 in 4.1 innings.

Stephens would earn his first win on the win after giving up one run on three hits while striking out three batters in 3.2 innings.

Lorenzo (2-for-4, one RBI) and freshman Nick Winkelmeyer (3-for-5) were the only Manatees with a multi-hit while Moore (1-for-3, three RBI) and Patry (1-for-4, two RBI) would be the only Manatees with a multi-RBI game.

Polcovich led the team going 3-for-5 with a home run and three runs scored while six Raiders, Fitzgerald, Franks, Thompson, sophomore All-Panhandle First Team member and Panhandle Defensive Player of the Year Mikey Madej, redshirt freshman All-Panhandle First Team member Will Moriarty and sophomore All-Panhandle First Team member Jake Randa all had two hits each.

As a result, NWFS would advance to the winners bracket while SCF dropped to the losers bracket.

Following SCF's loss, #11 FSW would fall 2-1 to Santa Fe in the 4 pm game, while RV Chipola defeated Miami Dade 2-0. #11 FSW and MDC would fall to the losers bracket.

Day Two:
To make up for the loss, Hill sent sophomore All-Suncoast First Team and FCSAA All-State Second Team member Corey Ireson to the mound while Broward head coach John Broderick sent freshman Jean C. Toro to counter.

The Manatees would open the floodgates on the scoreboard first at the top of the first. Beginning with a leadoff walk drawn by Winkelmeyer, sophomore All-Suncoast First Team member Brian Dillingham would reach on a fielder's choice after Winkelmeyer was called out. Hulett would then hit a two-run shot to right center for a 2-0 SCF lead. This was Hulett's third home run on the year.

Three scoreless innings later, the Manatees would add another two runs to the mix at the top of the fifth. After Moore drew a walk, freshman Tyler Acosta would send a two-run shot of his own to left center to make it 4-0. This was Acosta's second home run of the year.

At the top of the sixth, two more Manatees run made it 6-0 after Lorenzo hit a two-run blast that also sent Hulett home. This was Lorenzo's third home run of the year. The Seahawks would get their first run on the board from a RBI triple by sophomore AJ Hendricks, but it was all they could produce.

At the top of the eighth, the Manatees would add two more finals runs after Moore hit a two-RBI single that sent Lorenzo and Dineen home to make it 8-1 SCF, which would then be the final score.

Ireson earned his eighth win on the year after giving up the Seahawks' lone run on three hits while walking one and striking out six in six innings. Ireson is now 8-2 on the year.

Beavin threw two scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out two batters.

Redshirt sophomore Josh Bonynge threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.

Toro would be dubbed with his seventh and final loss on the year after giving up six runs on five hits while walking three and striking out six in 5.1 innings. Toro ended his freshman campaign at 3-7.

Redshirt freshman Angel Rodriguez and sophomores Austin Genao, Perez Nichols and Jake Kodros gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits while walking two and striking out three in a combined 4.2 innings.

Hulett (2-for-5, home run and two RBI), Lorenzo (2-for-4, home run and two RBI) and Acosta (2-for-4, two RBI) had two hits and two RBI each while Moore went 1-for-3 with the two-run home run.

Dineen and Patry had the Manatees' other two hits as they both went 1-for-4 each.

Hendricks, freshmen Nico Montes and ​Jeissy De La Cruz and sophomore ​Eddy Arteaga had one hit each with Hendricks having the only RBI in the game for Broward.

As a result, Broward would be the first team eliminated from the tournament as they finished 17-23 for the season.

Following SCF's win, Miami Dade (30-19) upset #11 FSW by a score of 14-11 in the losers bracket. FSW would be the second team eliminated from the tournament as the Suncoast Regular Season Champions ended their season at 40-14.

Meanwhile in the winner's bracket, #5 NWFS (42-10) defeated #2 CCF (44-8) 9-2, while RV Chipola (35-17) defeated Santa Fe (38-16) 8-7. CCF and Santa Fe would be sent to the losers bracket for Sunday's games.

Up Next:
SCF looks to continue to remain in the tournament as they face Santa Fe in the losers bracket at 4 pm. SCF is 3-2 against the Saints (2012-present).

Miami Dade will play CCF before SCF plays Santa Fe at 1 pm. Both teams are facing elimination for this game.

After SCF vs Santa Fe, NWFS plays RV Chipola. The winner will await face either SCF or Santa Fe, while the loser faces the winner between Miami Dade and #2 CCF.

FGCU Baseball @ NJIT Doubleheader Recap

The FGCU baseball team (32-18, 14-6 A-SUN) swept a doubleheader on Saturday against NJIT (17-27-1, 7-17 A-SUN) to capture the overall series against the Highlanders. The Eagles earned 6-1, 4-3 victories over NJIT and became the first team to clinch a spot in the 2019 A-SUN Conference Tournament.

"It was good to see the guys come out and grab these two wins," head coach Dave Tollett said. "I thought our pitching was much better all-around and I thought that we did a good job of hanging in during the second game when things got tight."

FGCU 6, NJIT 1
Energized by one of senior starter Evan Lumbert's strongest outings this season, the FGCU baseball team rebounded from its Friday night loss to take game two of the series.

The Highlanders were the first to get on the board, pushing a run across in the second inning, but Lumbert kept them off the boards from there as the Eagles' offense got to work.

Freshman Joe Kinker evened the score up at 1-1 with an RBI groundout in the fourth inning that sent senior Eric Gonzalez across and the Eagles took over the game from there.

The Green and Blue used a three-spot in the fifth to extend the lead. Senior Jay Hayes started the spree with a double down the left field line that pushed junior Richie Garcia across, which was followed up by a two-RBI single off the bat of senior Keith Stevens. Junior Kohl Gilmore rounded out the scoring with a bases-clearing double that plated Gonzalez and Stevens.

Freshman Jalen Townsend came in as the final run of the ballgame after Stevens drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth.

Lumbert (5-2) made it through 8.1 innings of the game, the longest outing of any FGCU arm this season. He allowed one earned run on six hits, while fanning three. Freshman Cody Woodring relieved Lumbert in the bottom of the ninth and made a brief appearance before handing the game over to sophomore Tyler Shuck.

The Highlanders had managed to load up the bases, but Shuck ended the game with a strikeout and a flyout, earning his first save of the season. With the win, the Eagles became the first team to clinch a spot in the 2019 A-SUN Tournament and knotted up the overall series at 1-1.

FGCU 4, NJIT 3
In the opening inning of game three, the Green and Blue jumped out to a 2-0 lead, as Stevens and Gilmore each pushed a runner across. The Highlanders responded to the early push with a run of their own, but Gilmore, Gonzalez and sophomore Christian Proffitt ended the first with a rundown.

Senior Justin Gill started on the mound for FGCU and kept NJIT off the board for the next few frames. The Eagles' offense struck again in the top of the fifth when Gilmore sent Gonzalez in with a double, making it a 3-1 ballgame. The Highlanders pushed one of their own runners across and sent another one in after a miscue by the Green and Blue defense to even things up at 3-3.

Gill left the game with a no-decision after being relieved by junior Hunter McGarry to start the sixth. The starter finished his day after facing 22 batters, fanning four and allowing six hits.

FGCU had a solid chance to put the game away in the seventh inning. Gonzalez, Kinker, and Proffitt all reached with walks to load up the bases, but NJIT battled back and shut down the inning before the Green and Blue could plate anyone.

Finally, the Eagles were able to string something together in the top of the ninth. Gilmore led off the inning with a double and was replaced by junior pinch runner Marc Coffers. A sac bunt via junior pinch hitter Cameron Krzeminski sent Coffers over to third and Townsend plated the winning run with a sac fly to left field.

McGarry kept NJIT from coming back in the bottom of the ninth and improved to 6-1 on the season.

Up Next:
The Eagles will return to Swanson Stadium to host Liberty (33-16, 12-7 A-SUN) May 16-18. Thursday's game will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs, as the Flames are new to the A-SUN this year. Prior to the game on Saturday, May 18, head coach Dave Tollett and his staff will honor the six graduating seniors: Justin Gill, Kohl Gilmore, Eric Gonzalez, Jay Hayes, Evan Lumbert and Keith Stevens. First pitch both Thursday and Friday is slated for 6:30 p.m. and Saturday's game will be played at 1 p.m..

FGCU Baseball @ NJIT Game One Recap

The FGCU baseball team (30-18, 12-6 A-SUN) came out on the losing side of an 8-4 battle against NJIT (17-25-1, 7-15 A-SUN) on Friday afternoon at Skylands Stadium.

"Obviously, we wanted to come out here and earn that Friday win," head coach Dave Tollett said. "But it's hard to do that when you play the way that we did today. We have adjustments to make before we come back here tomorrow. This team knows how to bounce back."

The Highlanders' bats got hot early in the game as they eventually put up their most runs in a conference match-up since a 9-2 victory over Liberty back in March.

In the opening frame, NJIT tagged the Eagles' junior starter Mason Studstill with three runs and never relinquished their lead from there. Studstill and classmate Sebastian Gruszecki finished the game tagged with four earned runs apiece and gave up a combined total of 10 hits.

After relieving Studstill to start the fourth, Gruszecki ended up tossing the final five frames, which stands as the longest outing of his career.

Despite trailing the whole game, the Eagles did have a few chances to close in on NJIT. In the second inning, freshman Joe Kinker cut the game down to 3-1 with a single that pushed senior Keith Stevens across. A two-out scoring spree brought the Green and Blue up to 7-4 in the fifth, but the Highlanders held on to their lead.

The trio of Stevens, junior Alex Brait and senior Jay Hayes accounted for the three RBIs in FGCU's scoring spurt and combined for seven hits.

This was just the fourth Friday-night loss for the Green and Blue and the second for Studstill (5-2) so far this season. Overall, the Eagles are 8-4 in Friday games.

Up Next:
The teams will return to Skylands Stadium tomorrow at 11 a.m. for a doubleheader. The teams will wrap up the series approximately 30 minutes after the completion of the first game.

FGCU Softball: A-SUN Conference Tournament Day Two Recap

 The No. 3-seeded FGCU softball team (29-21) defeated No. 5 seed Kennesaw State (26-29), 2-0, Friday afternoon to head into the loser's semifinal bracket against UNF.

The Eagles and the Ospreys went through two weather delays in the second inning before the game was halted and postponed until 8 am Saturday morning as UNF holds a 5-0 lead. 

"Our kids came out in that first inning and then our defense along with Riley [Randolph] made it stand up," said head coach David Deiros about the KSU contest. "We just didn't give them too many chances to breathe until the last inning and then we withstood their best shot."

FGCU 2 | KSU 0
The Eagles got off to an early start right out of the gates scoring their two runs in the bottom of the first. Senior Kate Kelly ignited the offense with single to second as a grounder moved her into scoring position. Freshman of the Year Reedy Davenport then stepped in a roped an RBI double down the left-field line for the 1-0 lead.

Up next, sophomore Haley Morrell followed it up with a double of her own to left-center to give FGCU its 2-0 margin. Meanwhile, the two runs proved to be enough insurance for senior starting pitcher Riley Randolph. She limited the Owls to just two hits while giving up one walk, retiring the KSU side four different times.

The visitors threaten in the bottom of the seventh placing runners on first and second but a pair of pop flies to center and right closed out the game for the Eagles.

Randolph moves to 18-8, matching her single-season high win totals from 2017 and 2018. Kelly finished the game going 2-for-3 with a run scored.

SCF Baseball: FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament Preview

The SCF baseball team (36-18) will now set their sight on their next task: the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament. For the tournament, the Manatees will open the second game as they face #5 Northwest Florida State (40-10) in the first round.

Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off of qualifying for the state tournament after winning a rubber match against Hillsborough winning by a score of 4-2 in a playoff to go to the state tournament. The Manatees joined #11 FSW (40-12) as one of two teams in the Suncoast Conference. FSW won the Suncoast Regular Season Championship after remaining in first place.

Tournament Participants:
Along with SCF, the following teams, conference regular season champions and conference runner-up, will also be participating in the tournament:

Mid-Florida: #2 CCF (43-7, 18-6 Mid-Florida)*

Mid-Florida Runner-up: Santa Fe (37-15, 16-8 Mid-Florida)

Panhandle: #5 Northwest Florida State (40-10, 19-5 Panhandle)*

Panhandle Runner-up: RV Chipola (33-17, 18-6 Panhandle)

Southern: Miami Dade (29-18, 15-9 Southern)*

Southern Runner-up: Broward (20-24, 10-14 Southern)

Suncoast: #11 FSW (40-12, 21-9 Suncoast)*

Suncoast Runner-up: SCF (36-18, 20-11 Suncoast)

*Regular Season Champion

Breakdown of Tournament and What's at Stake:
The FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament is a five-day double elimination tournament located at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida.

Once a team loses a game, they will get sent down to a losers bracket. When a team get two losses, they are eliminated from the tournament.

The FCSAA will sell tournament and all-day game passes for the tournament as well as other items. Link is listed here with information:
http://thefcsaasports.com/championships/Baseball/2019_FCSAA_Baseball_Tournament_Packet_Coaches.pdf

What's at Stake?:
One team will represent the Gulf District and be one of 10 teams to compete in the NJCAA College Baseball World Series at Sam Suplizio Field in Grand Junction, Colorado.

State Tournament Bracket and Times:
Friday, May 10
Game 1 - (1) Central Florida (43-7) vs. Broward, 10 a.m.
Game 2 - (2) Northwest Florida State (40-10) vs. (6) State College of Florida (36-18), 1 p.m.
Game 3 - (3) Florida SouthWestern (40-12) vs. (4) Santa Fe (37-15), 4 p.m.
Game 4 - (7) Miami Dade (29-18) vs. (5) Chipola (33-17), 7 p.m.

Saturday, May 11
Game 5 - Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 10 a.m.
Game 6 - Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 1 p.m.
Game 7 - Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 8 - Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 7 p.m.

Sunday, May 12
Game 9 - Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 loser, 1 p.m.
Game 10 - Game 5 winner vs. Game 8 loser, 4 p.m.
Game 11 - Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 7 p.m.

Monday, May 13
Game 12 - Game 9 winner vs. Game 11 loser, 1 p.m.
Game 13 - Game 11 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 4 p.m.

Tuesday, May 14
Game 14 - Game 13 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 11 a.m.
Game 15 - if necessary, 3 p.m.

Baseball Awards:
All four conferences had specific awards and accolades: Player of the Year (all conferences and states), Coach of the Year (all conferences and states), Pitcher of the Year (all conferences and states), Fireman of the Year (all conferences and states), 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 player.

Suncoast Player of the Year:
This years' Suncoast Player of the Year belonged to St. Pete College's sophomore Dustin Harris. Harris batted .409 with four home runs and 42 RBI.

Suncoast Pitcher of the Year:
For Suncoast Pitcher of the Year, the award was given to sophomore Ryan Gusto from #11 FSW. Gusto was 7-1 this season with a 3.00 ERA and 102 strikeouts.

Suncoast Coach of the Year:
FSW would claim the second award as head coach Ben Bizier was named Suncoast Coach of the Year. Bizier entered his first season as head coach after replacing James Corr.

Defensive Player of the Year:
Sophomore Shamir Morales from FSW was named Suncoast Defensive Player of the Year. Morales is batting .309 with a home run and 21 RBI, but defensively he has a .997 fielding percentage with one error, 319 putouts, a .390 runners caught stealing percentage and caught 16 runners stealing base.

Fireman of the Year:
The Suncoast Fireman of the Year award is a pitching award for the best relief pitcher in the Suncoast. This year, freshman Damien Torres from HCC was named the winner. Torres was 2-2 with a 3.63 ERA, 35 strikeouts and nine saves.

All-Suncoast First Team:
For the All-Suncoast First Team, five Manatees that were named and they were all sophomores: Shane Shifflett, Brian Dillingham, Giovany Lorenzo, Josh Crouch, Corey Ireson and Aaron Brown.

Shifflett is batting .330 with five home runs and 23 RBI. Shifflett was 2-for-4 with a triple against HCC.

Mainly the speedster, Dillingham is batting .346 with two home runs, 19 RBI and 23 stolen bases despite going 0-for-4 last game.

Lorenzo is batting .316 with two home runs and 41 RBI. Lorenzo, a transfer from Bethune-Cookman, will be transferring to Stetson University for the 2019-20 school year.

Crouch is batting .292 with a team-tied five home runs (with Shifflett) and 25 RBI. Crouch, who will transfer to UCF for his junior year, was 1-for-3 against HCC.

On the mound, Ireson is 7-2 with a 1.88 ERA and 85 strikeouts. Ireson, a transfer from Charleston Southern, will be transferring to Florida Atlantic for the 2019-20 school year.

Alongside Ireson, Brown, a Vanderbilt transfer, is 9-2 with a 3.10 ERA and 97 strikeouts. Brown will be transferring to Middle Tennessee State University after his season with SCF. In his last game, Brown threw two scoreless innings of relief while earning the win over HCC.

Other members that joined  included the following by teams:
FSW: Gusto and freshman Warner Rincones,

HCC: Torres, freshmen Erick Orbeta and sophomores Kyle Jacobsen and Colton Gordon

Polk State: sophomores Max Korushak, Tor Sehnert and Brady Gulakowski

St. Pete: Harris

SFSC: sophomore P.J. Cimo

All-Suncoast Second Team:
For the All-Suncoast Second Team, it was freshman Nick Winkelmeyer and sophomore Nick Long that made it for SCF.

Winkelmeyer is batting .319 with a home run, 19 RBI and 12 stolen bases while batting 1-for-3 against HCC.

Long is 5-3 with a 2.78 ERA and 73 strikeouts.

Other members that joined SCF on the All-Suncoast Second Team included the following by teams:
FSW: Morales, redshirt freshman Conor Bagnieski and sophomores Rafael Santos and Mitch Myers

HCC: sophomores Javier Rosario and Rafael Marquez-Acosta

Polk State: sophomores Trent Sinkfield, Danny Berg, Nico Limoncelli and Billy McKay

SPC: sophomores Denis Filipovski and Andrew Mills and freshman Jonathan Rodrigues,

SFSC: sophomore Jakobe Smith

FCSAA All-State Team:
Shifflett, Dillingham, Brown and Ireson were also named members of the FCSAA All-State Second Team.

Scouting NWFS:
The Raiders, who were ranked #2 in the final NJCAA Region 8 Baseball Coaches' Poll, won the Panhandle Regular Season Championship. In their last series, the Raiders played and swept NJCAA Region 23 Delgado Community College (9-3 and 6-3) on neutral grounds in Mobile, Alabama.

The Raiders have won 14 accolades in the Panhandle, which includes the Panhandle Coach of the Year won by Doug Martin.

On the offensive front for the Raiders, sophomore Kaden Polcovich is batting .275 with 10 home runs and 35 RBI. As a result, Polcovich was named a member of the All-Panhandle Second Team.

Meanwhile, classmates Mikey Madej and Jake Randa are two of three batters that are batting over .300.

Madej is batting .363 with two home runs, 34 RBI and team-leading 18 stolen bases. As a result, Madej was named a member of the All-Panhandle First Team while being named Panhandle Defensive Player of the Year for .978 fielding percentage and conference-low four errors.

Randa is batting a team-leading .372 with three home runs and 29 RBI. Randa was 1-for-2 against Delgado while being named a member of the All-Panhandle First Team.

Redshirt freshman Will Moriarty is batting .364 with six home runs and a team-leading 46 RBI. Morarity was named a member of the All-Panhandle First Team.

On the mound, the Raiders are led by a trio of freshmen in the starting lineup and in relief.

In the starting lineup, Jacob Kelchner is 9-0 with a 2.65 ERA and 58 strikeouts while Jacob Kush is 9-2 with a 1.97 ERA and 81 strikeouts. Both were named to the All-Panhandle First Team with Kelchner being named Panhandle Pitcher of the Year.

Jackson Boyd joined Kelchner and Kush on the All-Panhandle First Team while being named Panhandle Fireman of the Year after a 2-2 record with a 0.73 ERA, 37 strikeouts and nine saves.

Other members that joined Madej, Randa, Moriarty, Kelchner, Kush and Boyd were sophomores Kyle Fitzgerald (All-Panhandle First Team), Matt Boswell (All-Panhandle First Team) and Connor Stephens (All-Panhandle Second Team).

Fitzgerald batted .341 with two home runs and 24 RBI while Stephen was 4-0 on the mound with a 2.78 ERA and 35 strikeouts.

Series History (2012-Present):
The Manatees have yet to beat NWFS as they are 0-3 overall. Last time both teams met, the Raiders defeated the Manatees on May 2, 2016 9-6 in 10 innings at the 2016 FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament.

How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available via Game Changer and will air livestream on the FCSAA Digital Network.

Fans can also keep up to speed on Twitter:
SCF: @SCFBaseball
NWFS: @NWFSCbaseball
FSW: @FSWBucs
Santa Fe: @santafesaints
Chipola: @Chipola_BSB
CCF: @cfpats
Miami Dade:@MDCSharks
Broward: @BrowardATH

Livestats Link: https://www.scfmanatees.com/links/jokgs7

Livestream Link: https://team1sports.com/fcsaa/

Bracket Link: http://thefcsaasports.com/championships/Baseball/2019_FCSAA_BB_Tournament_Bracket.pdf

FGCU Baseball @ NJIT Preview

 The FGCU baseball team (30-17, 12-5 A-SUN) will wrap up its conference road swing with a series at NJIT (16-25-1, 6-15 A-SUN) May 10-12 at the Skylands Stadium in Augustana, N.J.

Last Time Out:
The Eagles dropped two close games to Stetson at the Hatters' home stadium in DeLand. The series finale was cancelled due to weather.

Junior Richie Garcia scored the first run of the series after being pushed across by senior Eric Gonzalez in the opening frame of Friday night's game. The initial 1-0 lead was the Eagles' only advantage of the weekend.

Junior Mason Studstill (5-1) was charged with his first loss of the season as the Eagles eventually fell to the reigning A-SUN champs by a score of 2-1.

The Hatters posted a 5-0 edge over FGCU in game two before senior Jay Hayes got the team on the board by driving in Garcia.

Junior Kohl Gilmore made it a two-run ballgame with a single that sent Garcia and Gonzalez home, but it was the closest the team ever got.

The series loss was the first for the Eagles since dropping two-of-three to UNF back in March.

A Look at FGCU:
Studstill has established himself as one of the best arms in the nation. His average of 4.40 hits allowed per nine innings is the second-lowest in the nation and his earned run average (1.59) checks in at 13th. Studstill leads the A-SUN with 90 strikeouts so far, which stands alone as the sixth-most dealt by an Eagle in single-season history.

As a team, the Green and Blue sit at the top of the league standings. They pace the conference in runs (314), RBIs (279) and on-base percentage (.387).

Junior Alex Brait leads the team in the batter's box. The catcher owns a .325 batting average and has cranked out 66 hits, the most by any player in the A-SUN. Brait has caught 11 runners stealing so far, which ties for tenth on the FGCU single-season list. He needs just four more to check into the top five. He is also a perfect 10-10 on stolen bases and is one of two players in the league to have stolen at least 10 bags without being caught.

With 289 career assists, Garcia is currently tied for ninth in the Eagles' record book. He and Gonzalez have combined for 200 assists and 35 double plays this season.

Junior Hunter McGarry has been a force in the back end of the FGCU bullpen. He has already picked up eight saves this season, which ties for the third-most in Green and Blue single-season history. McGarry's eight saves are more than Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale, Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Barnes and former Chicago Cubs pitcher Casey Coleman accumulated in their careers as Eagles.

Scouting NJIT:
Last weekend, NJIT faced off against conference newcomer North Alabama. The Highlanders and the Lions split the first two games, but North Alabama claimed the series after winning Sunday's rubber match 8-3.

Sophomore Paul Franzoni finished the three-game series 5-for-12 with seven RBIs, three runs, two doubles and two home runs.

On Tuesday night, the Highlanders rallied to an 18-11 win over St. Peter's. After scoring just two runs, the Highlanders posted a combined total of 16 over the last two frames of the night.

Freshman Brett Helmkamp finished the night 4-for-6 with three RBI and two runs. On the season, Helmkamp leads the team with a .329 batting average, the highest of any freshman in the A-SUN.

Sophomore Julio Marcano has cranked out a team-high eight home runs and paces the Highlanders with 81 total bases. His twin brother, David Marcano, has stolen nine bags and turned in 10 extra-base hits.

The Highlanders' starting rotation of junior Tyler Stafflinger, redshirt-senior Sean Lubreski and junior Jared Kasco have a combined ERA of 5.39. The trio has given up 264 hits and been charged with 128 earned runs.

Freshman Joe Georgini has made a team-high 18 appearances. He and Kasco have each picked up one save so far this season.

Series History:
The Eagles are 5-1 against the Highlanders with their lone loss on April 8, 2018 where the Eagles fell 4-3 in the series finale.

A-SUN Standings:
1. FGCU (30-17, 12-5 A-SUN)
2. Liberty (33-15, 12-6 A-SUN)
3. Lipscomb (26-21, 10-8 A-SUN)
4. UNF (28-20, 9-8 A-SUN)
4. Stetson (21-16, 9-8 A-SUN)
6. Jacksonville (26-23, 9-9 A-SUN)
7. Kennesaw State (23-26, 8-10 A-SUN)
8. North Alabama (15-33, 7-13 A-SUN)
9. NJIT (16-25-1, 6-15 A-SUN)

How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be provided for all three games and will air on Highlanders Sports Network. It will cost $6 per game. Is it worth it?

Fans can also keep updated with FGCU baseball on Twitter @FGCU_Baseball

Livestats Link:
Game One- https://www.njithighlanders.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
Game Two- https://www.njithighlanders.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
Game Three- https://www.njithighlanders.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary

Livestream Link ($): https://www.njithighlanders.com/watch/?Live=353&type=Live

FGCU Softball: A-SUN Tournament Day One Recap

The FGCU softball team (28-21) fell in its opening game of the A-SUN Tournament to UNF (27-22), 3-2, Wednesday afternoon at the FGCU Softball Complex.

"We have to be disappointed in the way the game turned out. I don't think we took advantage of our opportunities when we had them," said head coach David Deiros. "We kind of imploded in one inning that at worse could've of been one run instead of two and that was the difference. It just means that our road to the championship just got a little bit longer but until they take the bats out of our hands, we still have a chance."

Without a score through three frames, FGCU got on the board with a run in the bottom of the fourth. Senior First Team All-Conference selection Kate Kelly began the bottom half with a single to third. After swiping her 19th bag of the season, Kelly scored as the throw from the third baseman sailed on sophomore Haley Morrell's sac bunt.

UNF though, responded in its next top two innings scoring one in the fifth and used two runs on one hit and three FGCU errors in the top of the sixth to jump ahead 3-1.

Facing two outs in the bottom of the seventh, sophomore Taylor Bauman reached after getting hit on the elbow. Marcella Parrado  would enter and run for her. Freshman McKenna Batterton then dug in and laced a double to center field, scoring Parrado to make it a one run game. Batterton raced to third after the throw home skipped past the catcher.

Despite the rally, a grounder to right back to the pitcher in the next at-bat ended the contest for FGCU in the 3-2 final.

Starting pitcher and A-SUN Second Team selection Riley Randolph suffered the loss moving her record to 17-9. She pitch 6.0 innings and struck out three batters.

FGCU produced four hits on offense and stranded five on the bags.

Up Next:
FGCU will face the winner of No. 4 UNA/No. 5 Kennesaw State Thursday afternoon at 1:30 pm.

FGCU Softball: A-SUN Tournament Preview

The No. 3-seeded FGCU softball team (28-20) is set for a 1:30 p.m. battle on Wednesday against the No. 6-seeded UNF Ospreys (26-22) at the FGCU Softball Complex. The game was originally scheduled for 3 p.m., but was moved up due to weather concerns.

A-SUN Championship:
FGCU will play host to the 2019 A-SUN Softball Tournament Wednesday-Saturday. This will mark the third time FGCU will serve as hosts for the tournament, the first time since 2016. The winner of the event will earn the A-SUN's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship tournament.

The Green and Blue:
At the plate senior Kate Kelly leads the team in hits (54), batting average (.370) and stolen bases (18). Senior Racquel Fournet is hitting .316 while leading the team in RBI (28). Freshman Reedy Davenport owns a .293 BA and is second on the team in RBI (23).

In the circle, senior Riley Randolph has collected 17 wins in 26 starts, holding opposing batters to a .194 BA. She is currently 11th nationally in ERA (1.16), and 25th in strikeouts (209).

Sophomore Marissa Mesiemore is 10-7 with a 1.71 ERA in 23 appearances. During conference play, she posted a 0.86 ERA and went 7-3.

The pitching staff as a whole has combined to post a 1.75 ERA which sits 11th in the country.

A-SUN Awards and Accolades:
Before the tournament began, four Eagles received awards and accolades for the team: Kelly, Fournet, Davenport and Randolph.

Kelly was named a member of the A-SUN All-Conference First Team.

"Kate has had a fantastic senior year and she's really solidified our leadoff spot since the middle of the year," said head coach Dave Deiros. "Our offense is best when she sets the table for us."

Davenport was named on the A-SUN All-Freshman Team along with being named A-SUN Freshman of the Year. FGCU hasn't earned A-SUN Freshman of the Year since the 2016 season (Randolph).

"Reedy has made an immediate impact for us on both sides of the ball," said head coach David Deiros "She's an exceptional athlete with really good instincts."

Fournet and Randolph were both named on the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team. This was the second time Fournet has won the accolade.

"What else can I say about Riley and Racquel?" said Deiros. "They've had phenomenal careers with the Green and Blue and their names will be forever etched in our record books."   

A-SUN Tournament History:
Entering this week's bracket, the Eagles are 13-10 (.565) all-time in A-SUN tournament games. Last May, the Green and Blue entered the tournament with a first round bye and the No. 2 seed. FGCU took down the third-seeded USC Upstate Spartans (left the A-SUN after the season) in its first game before falling in the next two games to top-seeded KSU (4-2) and the Spartans (6-3, 10 innings).

A Glance At The Field:
No. 1 Lipscomb – 38-13-1, 16-4 A-SUN (regular season champion)
No. 2 Liberty – 36-18, 16-5
No. 3 FGCU – 28-20, 13-7
No. 4 UNA – 25-18, 10-10
No. 5 KSU – 26-27, 10-11
No. 6 UNF – 26-22, 8-12

RPI Watch:
Heading into the weekend the A-SUN has three teams represented in the top-70 of the RPI standings. Lipscomb checks in at 40, Liberty at 52 while FGCU rounds out the list at 67. The Eagles own a win over No. 8 Minnesota (ranked No. 15 at the time) who boast a No. 8 RPI.

Scouting the Ospreys:
Senior Dominica Cocuzza leads the Ospreys in hitting with a .378 BA as she's driven in a team-best 36 runners while senior Navia Penrod is second on the team with 24 RBI and is batting .373. She also leads the team in stolen bases with 13.

In the circle, UNF has thrown four pitchers as they've combined for a 2.84 ERA. Redshirt senior Sydney Matzko is 13-11 overall with a team-low 2.41 ERA in 32 outings.

How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available for all the games and will air on ESPN+. Fans can also keep up to date on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_Softball
Liberty: @LiberySB
Lipscomb: @LipscombSB
UNA: @UNASoftball
KSU: @KSUOwlsSB
UNF: @OspreySB

ESPN+:

The A-SUN will air on the new, subscription-based digital platform ESPN+, which will be the new home for select FGCU and A-SUN games and event broadcasts. Subscribers can try the new app for free for 30 days, which follows to $4.99 a month fee afterwards or can pay $39.99 per-year based on the viewers subscription choice.

Livestats Link: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=262731

ESPN+: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/0113725a-c46c-41e0-9744-b34f7b344d04/asun-softball-tournament

SCF Tennis Finishes 5th at NJCAA Nationals

For day three and four at the NJCAA National Tennis Tournament in Tyler, Texas, the SCF tennis team pulled in winning only one singles match and the Flight 2 Consolation Doubles Championship before finishing their season. The Manatees finished tied for fifth place with Cowley College with 26 points. The eventual overall winner of the national title was #1 ASA Miami as they finished with 47 points. #3 Hillsborough would finish as the runner-up.

Beginning with singles, freshman Sara Ramirez-Goncalves (#4 seed) would be the first to finish her match at Flight 3 Singles by defeating sophomore Kely de Souza Oliveira (Laredo CC) with a 6-1 pair decision. The native of Cancun, Mexico has advanced to the semifinals and will face the #1 seed freshman Irina Lapustina (ASA Miami). Lapustina defeated sophomore Nicole Maldonado (Collin College) 6-1, 6-0.

Following Ramirez-Goncalves win, the Manatees lost two matches in the quarterfinals as freshman Britain Bostford fell 6-0, 6-4 to #3 seed freshman Julia Khamula (Tyler) at Flight 5 Singles while sophomore Sara Jamal fell 6-2, 6-3 to Lucie Devier (Tyler) at Flight 2 Singles.

Sophomore Camille Portalier would lose 6-4, 6-2 to freshman Georgina Kaindoah (Cowley College) at Flight 4 singles before sophomore Laura Illanes-Rodriguez fell in three sets at Flight 6 Singles to sophomore Coraline Lamer (Cowley College) 6-0. 3-6, 1-6.

In doubles play, Sara Jamal and Ramirez-Goncalves fought in three sets against the freshmen duo of Michaela Krauskova and Tatiana Simova (ASA Miami) losing 6-4, 2-6, 3-6 at Flight #1 doubles, while the duo of Botsford and sophomore Diarra Thomas fell 6-3, 6-2 to the #1 seeded freshman duo of Zulay Castaneda and Ji-Youn Lee (ASA Miami) at flight 3 doubles, the eventual winner.

At the Flight 2 Consolation doubles quarterfinals, despite rain coming in, Zeba Jamal and Portalier fought hard against sophomore Sofia Guaglianon and freshman Nora Ribeiro (Abraham Baldwin) and managed to pull away with a 6-0 win and advance to the semifinals. From there, the duo faced the sophomore duo of Monika Cantu and Priscilla Morales (Laredo CC) winning 6-2 in one set and went on to face the freshman duo of Kristina Laboone and Sarah Rushing (Central Alabama CC), who defeated the freshman duo of Jenese Fulgenzi and Venus Ubiebi (NM Military) 6-2, in the championship match. With one final push, Jamal and Portalier managed to defeat Fulgenzi and Ubiebi 6-2 in the finals to claim the title.

At the other doubles matches, Kaindoah and freshman Takalani Molaoa (Cowley) won the Flight 1 Consolation Doubles Finals after defeating Morgan Bishop and Olivia Hayes (Central Alabama) 6-4, while at the Flight 3 Consolation Doubles, the freshmen duo Chrissy Cruz and Kailee Upchurch won after defeating freshmen Gabby Herzog and Sara Martin (Barton CC) 6-3.

After the quarterfinals ended, the rest of the tournament was moved to the Turpin Stadium & Brookshire Family Pavilion at Southern Methodist University in Dallas due to the inclement weather. From there, Ramirez-Goncalves would fall to Lapustina 6-0, 6-3. Lapustina would eventually win the Flight 3 Singles Championship after defeating freshman Summer Yardley (Tyler) 6-2, 6-3.

The winners of the singles and double matches are in order by flight:

Singles:

1. Maria Genovese (Tyler) def Hana Kvapilova (HCC) 6-1, 6-0
2. Tatiana Simova (ASA Miami) def Lucie Devier (Tyler) 6-1,6-2
3.  Irina Lapustina (ASA Miami) def Summer Yardley (Tyler) 6-2, 6-3
4. Helena Jensen (Tyler) def Shaylee Syme (HCC) 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (5)
5. Michaela Kraskova (ASA Miami) def Renata Gonzalez-Leon (HCC) 6-1, 6-1
6. Ji-Youn Lee (ASA Miami) def Lolita Kozina (HCC) 6-1, 6-0

Doubles:
1. Michaela Kraskova and Tatiana Simova (ASA Miami) def Lucie Devier and Maria Genovese (Tyler) 6-1, 6-4
2. Helena Jensen and Summer Yardley (Tyler) def 7-6 (3), 6-1
3. Renata Gonzalez and Fabiola Candal-Ranalli def Zulay Castaneda and Ji-Youn Lee (ASA Miami) 6-2, 6-4.

Final Results
1. ASA Miami (47)
2. HCC (42)
Tyler (42)
4. Broward (27.5)
5. Cowley (26)
SCF (26)
7. SPC (25.5)
8.Seward County (23)
9. Collin (19)
10. Laredo (18)
North Central Texas (18)
12. Abraham Baldwin (16.5)
Barton (16.5)
14. Copiah-Lincoln (15.5)
15. Meridian (14)
16. Mesa (13.5)
17. Wallace State (10.5)
18. Central Alabama (10)
19. New Mexico Military (9.5)
20. Lewis & Clark (8.5)
21. Jones (7.5)
22. Snead State (7)
23. Lake County (6)
Pima (6)
25. Harford (5.5)
26. Iowa Central (5)
27. Eastern Arizona (3.5)
28. Marion Military (2)
29. Mississippi Gulf Coast (1)
30. Moraine Valley (0.5)
31. Jacksonville (0)
Mercer County (0)

In the end, all the players with their following records in singles and doubles:
Singles-
Sara Jamal (8-9)
Zeba Jamal (5-11)
Botsford (8-10)
Ramirez-Goncalves (13-4)
Portalier (7-10)
Illanes-Rodriguez (10-7)

Doubles:
Ramirez-Goncalves/Sara Jamal (8-10)
Thomas/Botsford (10-8)
Portalier/Zeba Jamal (13-8)

Nonetheless, I'm proud of all of them and what they've done for SCF. The roads at SCF for the sophomores are done, but their journeys are not yet over.

SCF Tennis Bumps to 4th in Nationals

The SCF tennis team pulled away in another round winning five of their singles matches and two doubles match on day two of the NJCAA National Tennis Tournament in Tyler, Texas. With the results, the Manatees are at 23.5 points and bumped up five spots to fourth place behind Broward.

Beginning with singles, freshman Zeba Jamal would fall to freshman Soo-min Kim (ASA Miami) 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) at Flight 1 Singles. As a result, Zeba has been eliminated from the main draw and would be the only Manatee eliminated in singles action so far.

The older sister, sophomore Sara Jamal (#7 seed) would avenge Zeba's loss with a 6-1, 6-3 win over sophomore Jasmine Abunaim (Moraine Valley) at Flight 2 Singles. Sara will face Lucie Devier (Tyler), who defeated freshman Olivia Hayes (Central Alabama) 6-0, 6-2, Tuesday 9:30 am EST/8:30 CST.

Sophomore Camille Portalier (#5 seed), who had a first round bye, would follow with a 6-1 pair decision win over freshman Rachel VanHorn (Meridian) at Flight 4 Singles. Portalier will face freshman Georgina Kaindoah (Cowley) in the quarterfinals Tuesday at 10:45 am EST/9:45 am CST. Kaindoh defeated freshman Nina Pigeassou (Abraham Baldwin) with a 6-1 pair decision .

After receiving a first round bye at Flight 3 Singles, freshman Sara Ramirez-Goncalves defeated sophomore Katy Clark (Copiah-Lincoln) 6-2, 6-3 in the second round. Ramirez-Goncalves will face the winner between sophomore Andrea Isabella Ladera (Broward) and sophomore Kely de Souza Oliveira (Laredo CC) in the quarterfinals.

At Flight 5 Singles, freshman Britain Botsford (#6 seed) defeated sophomore Tiffany Weech (Eastern Arizona) with a 6-0 pair decision. The Delray Beach native will face #3 seed freshman Julia Khamula (Tyler), who had a first round bye before defeating freshman Chrissy Cruz (Wallace State) with a 6-0 pair decision, on Tuesday at noon EST/11 am CST.

At Flight 6 Singles, sophomore Laura Illanes-Rodriguez (#4 seed), who received a first round bye, defeated freshman Kasey Griffin (Abraham Baldwin) with a 6-0 pair decision in the second round. The native of Villahermosa, Tobasco, Mexico and 2019 Vicki Schnurr Scholar-Athlete Award will face the #5 seed, sophomore Coraline Lamer (Cowley College), in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at noon EST/11 am CST. Lamer, who also had a first round bye defeated freshman Kori Obert (Lewis & Clark) 1-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Heading into doubles, Botsford and sophomore Diarra Thomas, who received a first round bye at Flight 3 doubles, defeated the freshman duo of Judith Mills and Danielle Viljoen (Jones College) by a score of 6-7 (6), 6-1, 6-0. They will face the #1 seeded freshman duo of Zulay Castaneda and Ji-Youn (ASA Miami) Lee in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at 3:45 pm EST/2:45 pm CST. Castaneda and Lee defeated sophomores Carolina Cardosa-Fabbri and Laura Rincon Arias (North Central Texas) by a score of 7-5, 6-0.

At Flight 2 doubles, Zeba Jamal and Portalier (#5 seed) would fall to sophomore Barbara Damiani and freshman Karla Ortega (St. Pete) by a score of 6-2, 0-6, 3-6. As a result, Zeba Jamal and Portalier were sent down to the Flight 2 Double Consolations where they defeated the sophomore duo of Jessie Griffith and Macklyn Hubbard (Snead State) by a score of 8-0. They will face sophomore Sofia Guaglianone and freshman Nora Ribeiro (Abraham Baldwin) in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at 2:30 pm EST/1:30 pm CST. Guaglianone and Riberio fell to sophomore Kennedy Rodriguez and VanHorn (Meridian College) 6-2, 6-4 in the first round before earning a first and second round bye to advance to the quarterfinals.

At Flight 1 doubles, Sara Jamal and Ramirez-Goncalves advanced to the quarterfinals after they defeated the sophomore duo of Chantal Lozano and Kely de Souza Oliveira (Laredo CC) 6-1, 6-0. The 'Sara's' will play the #2 seed in the freshmen duo of Michaela Krauskova and Tatiana Simova (ASA Miami) Tuesday at 2:30 pm EST/1:30 pm CST. Krauskova and Simova defeated sophomore Julia Candiotto and freshman Mariane Lima (Barton) with a 6-1 pair decision.

Up Next:
Day Three of the tournament resumes for SCF. Five singles teams remain in the main draw of their flight singles matchups: Zeba Jamal (Flight 2), Ramirez-Goncalves (Flight 3), Portalier (Flight 4), Botsford (Flight 5) and Illanes-Rodriguez (Flight 6).

For doubles, Sara Jamal and Ramirez-Goncalves (Flight 1) and Botsford and Thomas (Flight 3) will continue to fight in the main draw, while Portalier and Zeba Jamal (Flight 2) will look to continue in the Flight 2 Consolation Draw.

Day Two Standings:
T-1. ASA Miami (27)
HCC (27)
3.Tyler (26)
4. SCF (23.5)
5. SPC (22)
6.Cowley (21.5)
Seward County (21.5)
8. Broward (21)
9. Collin (19)
10. Laredo (18)
11. North Central Texas (16)
12. Abraham Baldwin (15.5)
T-13. Barton CC (14.5)
Copiah-Lincoln (14.5)
15. Meridian (13.5)
16. Mesa (13)
17. Wallace State (9.5)
18. Lewis and Clark (9)
19. New Mexico Military (8.5)
20. Lake County (7.5)
21. Central Alabama (7)
22. Snead State (6.5)
23.  Harford (6)
T-24. Iowa Central (5.5)
Pima (5.5)
26. Jones (4.5)

27. Eastern Arizona (3.5)

28. Marion Military (2)
T-29. Jacksonville (0.5)
Mississippi Gulf Coast (0.5)
Moraine Valley (0.5)
32. Mercer County (0)

SCF Tennis Opens Strong for Day One of Nationals

The #5 SCF tennis team wrapped up day one of the NJCAA National Tennis Tournament in Tyler, Texas in successful fashion as they pulled away with three singles and a doubles win Sunday morning. At the end of day one, the Manatees have 10 points and are tied for ninth place with Cowley College, St. Pete and Wallace State.

In the first singles match, freshman Zeba Jamal (#6 seed) secured the first match for SCF as she defeated sophomore Clara Desbiolles (Eastern Arizona College) 6-1, 6-4 at Flight 1 singles. She will face freshman Soo-min Kim (ASA Miami) Monday 9:30 am EST/8:30 am CST. Kim defeated sophomore Syvoney Ybarra (Jacksonville CC) with a 6-0 pair decision.

Following her younger sister, sophomore Sara Jamal (#7 seed) would defeat freshman Zoe Freke  (Mercer County CC) 6-4, 6-1 at Flight 2 singles. She will face freshman Mariane Lima (Barton CC), who defeated sophomore Jasmine Abunaim (Moraine Valley CC) 6-0, 6-1. The match will start Monday 9:30 am EST/8:30 am CST.

At the Flight 5 singles, freshman Britain Botsford (#6 seed) defeated freshman Keely Mulcahy (College of Lake County) with a 6-0 pair decision. Botsford will play Tiffany Weech (Eastern Arizona) who freshman Alisa Handrugan (Seward County CC) via retire. Botsford and Weech will play Monday at noon EST/11 am CST.

In the Flight 1 doubles, Sara Jamal and freshman Sara Ramirez-Goncalves upset #7 seed freshmen duo of Georgina Kaindoah and Takalani Molaoa (Cowley College) by a score of 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. Sara Jamal and Ramirez-Goncalves will face the sophomore duo of Chantal Lozano and Kely de Souza Oliveira (Laredo CC) after they defeated Abunaim and freshman Brooke Zielke (Moraine Valley CC) by a score of 6-1, 6-2. That match will take place at 1:15 pm EST/12:15 CST.

Up Next:
Day two of the NJCAA National Tennis Tournament will go underway Monday morning.

For singles play for SCF, Ramirez-Goncalves, the #4 seed that received a first round bye, will face sophomore Katy Clark (Copiah-Lincoln). Clark defeated freshman Venus Ubiebi (New Mexico Military Institute) 6-0, 6-2 at Flight 3 singles at 10:45 EST/9:45 CST.

Sophomore Camille Portalier, who drew the #5 seed at Flight 4 singles and also received a first round bye, will face freshman Rachel VanHorn (Meridian). VanHorn defeated sophomore Sofia Samra (Harford CC) by a score of 6-2, 6-1 at 10:45 EST/9:45 CST.

Sophomore Lauren Illanes-Rodriguez, who drew the #4 seed at Flight 6 singles and received a first round bye, will face freshman Kasey Griffin (Abraham Baldwin), who defeated freshman Kallie Upchurch (Wallace State) 7-5, 6-1 Monday at noon EST/11 am CST. .

As for doubles, Zeba Jamal and Portalier (#5 seed) received a first round bye at Fight 2 doubles and will play sophomore Barbara Damiani and freshman Karla Ortega (St. Pete College). Damiani and Ortega defeated sophomores Jessie Griffith and Macklyn Hubbard (Snead State) by a score of 6-0, 6-1 1:15 pm EST/12:15 CST.

Botsford and sophomore Diarra Thomas, who also received a first round bye at Flight 3 doubles, will play the freshman duo of Judith Mills and Danielle Viljoen (Jones College), who defeated freshman duo of Gabrielle Herzog and Sara Martin (Barton) by a score of 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-0 at 2:30 pm EST/1:30 CST.

Day One Standings:
1. Collin (18)
2. Laredo (14)
North Central Texas (14)
4. Abraham Baldwin (12)
Barton CC (12)
Copiah-Lincoln (12)
Meridian (12)
Mesa (12)
9. Cowley (10)
SCF (10)
SPC (10)
Wallace State (10)
13. Broward (8)
14. HCC (6)
New Mexico Militarty (6)
Snead State (6)
17. ASA Miami (4)
Central Alabama (4)
Lake County (4)
Pima (4)
Seward County (4)
Tyler (4)
25. Eastern Arizona (2)
Harford (2)
Jones (2)
Marion Military (2)
Mercer County (0)
Mississippi Gulf Coast (0)
Moraine Valley (0)

SCF Softball Finishes 2019 Postseason 1-2

The #20 SCF softball team (45-16) ended their season at the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament as they fell 3-2 to RV Indian River State (36-16). With the loss, the Manatees are eliminated from the tournament and finished 1-2.

Suncoast Head Coach of the Year Mandy Schuerman sent freshman All-Suncoast Second Team member Madi LoCastro to the mound while Southern Conference Head Coach of the Year Dale Atkinson sent sophomore Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year Dawn Bodrug to counter.

After a scoreless first inning, the Manatees would get on the board first at the top of the second after LoCastro hit a two-RBI double that sent freshmen Kailey Christian and Alexis Bridges home to make it 2-0 SCF, but the Pioneers would answer back as sophomores Brittini Norwood and Rachael Samaniego hit back-to-back RBI singles to tie the game at 2-2.

In the bottom of the third, LoCastro was pulled and Christian would come in for relief. Freshman Brooke Mathews would give the Pioneers a 3-2 lead with an RBI.

In the last four innings, the Manatees were unable to score as IRS pulled away with the win.

Bodrug would be credited with her 24th win of the year after throwing a complete game, giving up two runs on two hits while walking five and striking out five.

LoCastro would earn a no-decision after throwing 2.2 innings, giving up two runs on two hits, walking one batter and striking out one while going 1-for-1 with two walks and two RBI. LoCastro finished her freshman campaign 11-3.

Christian would be dubbed with her fifth loss and finished her freshman campaign 23-5 after giving up one run on three hits while walking two and striking out three. Christian will now be preparing for Delaware for the 2019-20 season.

Aside from LoCastro, sophomore Kyria Holcomb had SCF's other hit as she finished 1-for-3.

Norwood would be the only Pioneer with a multi-hit game as she finished 2-for-3 with an RBI.

IRS will advance to the semifinals of the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 District H Championship and face #3 Chipola (45-5), who defeated and eliminated #17 Seminole State College (45-16) 12-2 via mercy rule.

#1 FSW (54-2) fell in the finals of the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 District G Championship game after losing 6-3 to #4 College of Central Florida (54-9). The Buccaneers will be competing in the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 District H Championship and await the winner between IRS and Chipola. The winner of that game will join CCF and punch their ticket to the national tournament.

The CCF Patriots are the 2019 FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Champions and will be punching their ticket to the NJCAA JUCO Softball World Series for the first time since 2014.

To conclude this story, I'm very proud of what the SCF softball team has done this season and I'm thankful that I got to write stories on their games, even if some of them did not go according to plan.

Nevertheless, I wish the best of luck to Kailey Christian at Delaware and sophomores Cheyenne Nunez (USC Upstate), Haley McFadden (NAIA Warner), Megan Seeds, Nicci Palumbo (FAU), Sydney Parks, Kyria Holcomb and Madison Yoder on their next journeys. I know they'll be successful wherever it takes them.

Schuerman ends her fifth season with SCF at 177 career wins and a overall record of 177-99 and a 67-30 record in Suncoast play.

Thank you Coach Mandy and the SCF softball team for one thrill of a lifetime.