SCF Baseball Readies for Suncoast Play

The SCF baseball team (15-7) will now set their sights on opening Suncoast Conference play as they open a three-game series against South Florida State College (10-11) on Monday night, March 1 at Wynn Field, Wednesday, March 3 at the SFSC Panther Field and Friday night, March 5 back at Wynn Field. All three games will start at 6 pm.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of a three game series over St. John’s River State where they swept them by scores of 18-0, 11-1 and 14-6. It was the third sweep of the season as they earned sweeps over Santa Fe College and Tallahassee Community College.

Temporary TKO:

The Manatees will be without sophomore Owen Ayers and freshman Harrison Long for a few games as they both suffered injuries (Ayers: ankle; Long: Hip). They will return for conference play.

Ayers is batting .361 with four home runs and 18 RBI, while Long is batting .339 with four home runs and 22 RBI.

Sophomore AJ Fritz is also ruled out with an ankle injury he suffered in game two against St. John’s River. Fritz is batting .269 with a home run and 10 RBI. It is not determined if he will be back at the end of the season.

Powerhouse Duo:

The sophomore duo of Tucker Mitchell and Jack Anderson have putting their power to the test. 

Mitchell is batting .357 with 12 RBI, while Anderson is batting .362 with two home runs and 16 RBI. Against St. John’s River, Mitchell was 5-for-10 with six RBI while Anderson was 7-for-11 with three RBI.

Jake the Rake:

A unexpected source of power came into play for the Manatees when a few of the players were injured, freshman Jake Jackson. In the series against St. John’s River, Jackson was 7-for-8 with a home run and nine RBI. Currently he is .381 with a home run and 11 RBI.

A Batch of Wins:

While he will start game three of conference play, sophomore Daniel Batcher has been the main benefactor on the mound. Batcher is currently 3-1 with a 3.14 ERA and 28 strikeouts. In his last appearance, Batcher threw six innings in game one against St. John’s River with five strikeouts.

Big Returns:

Sophomore Cole Ayers and Cameron Lee are set to make their returns. Ayers, who hasn’t pitched since February 6, has been out with an arm injury. Currently he is 1-0 with a 6.92 ERA and 17 strikeouts.

Lee would be making his 2021 season debut as he has not played since March 11, 2020. He finished last season batting .222 with two home runs, 13 RBI and 14 stolen bases.

Karstetter Hitting Fire:

Freshman Kevin Karstetter has played big with his bat. Karstetter is currently batting .279 with two home runs and 21 RBI. He was 4-for-6 with a home run and seven RBI.

Scouting South Florida State College:

The Panthers are coming off of a split of a doubleheader against ASA Miami winning game one 8-3 before losing game two 6-4.

Freshman Bryce Bitting is leading the way batting .298 with four home runs and 18 RBI, while sophomore Zeddric Burnham is batting .300 with a home run, seven RBI and 10 stolen bases.

Freshman Myles Caba is their lead pitcher as he is currently 2-1 with a 2.01 ERA and 28 strikeouts.

Series History (2012-Present):

The Manatees are currently 36-17 against the Panthers. Last season, the Manatees claimed the series winning games one and two before losing game three.

Livestats will be provided via GameChanger and will air on the SCF Sports Network.

GameChanger Link: https://gc.com/t/spring-2021/state-college-of-florida-baseball-21-6006c9046d2f825a1c98e005

SCF Sports Network: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/scf/

Kahai-Enos Brings Aloha Spirit to Volleyball

PC: SCFManatees.com

Last year, I did two feature stories on SCF volleyball, the first was now sophomore Leilani Wilcox-Nanai and then it followed with then sophomore Sydney Jaco. For 2021 and SCF volleyball, this feature story will talk about one of the newcomers that joined the squad this season, sophomore Kaysha Kahai-Enos. Kahai-Enos is a middle blocker that hails from Puna, Hawaii that joined the team with a plethora of experience, although her athletic journey did not start on the court.

“I grew up in a very athletic family,” said Kahai-Enos. “Before playing volleyball, I used to be a swimmer and very quickly I lost interest in it because it was the same thing all the time and I wasnʻt able to work with a team. I wanted to play a sport where it involved teammwork and not just doing something on my own because it seemed too boring for me.”

“I wanted to do volleyball because it seemed like a much more fun sport to do and I wanted to play in a sport with teammates. I would always play volleyball during recess at school with my friends and it was a good way to make new friends and have fun.”

After elementary school, Kahai-Enos’ journey with volleyball commenced for her career.

“Starting out middle school, my papa and aunty asked me if I wanted to play volleyball and my parents wanted me to do something active. My papa brought me to my first volleyball practice and every since then I never stopped playing volleyball.”

Although it was fun and competitive for her, Kahai-Enos did have a few moments where it was difficult for her, but ultimately found a way to ignore it.

“There were a few moments in life where I wanted to stop playing volleyball due to challenges that made me think I was losing interest and my passion for volleyball and that is a challenge I had to overcome,” said Kahai-Enos on her challenges. “Coming back to a new platform of volleyball, I refreshed my brain and looked at the bigger picture of the value and opportunities that volleyball has brought me and can continue to bring me. I had to find that passion and motivation again and I had so much hunger that I wanted to be the best version of myself in every aspect of life.”

“While becoming a market partner, there were many values and lessons that it has taught me that helped motivate me in volleyball and to be mentally tough and leave nothing behind because I had nothing to lose. During down time and any breaks that I had, I worked as hard as I can and pushed myself to improve on my skills, strength and my knowledge of the game so I could come back for the season strong. I had to make this a set back rather than a failure.”

Kahai-Enos would then continue to a higher level in high school and became a standout at Kamehameha High where she helped them to a star tournament for a fifth place her senior year which had a very favorite memory.

PC: pilipaa.com

​“One of my favorite moments of my senior year in high school was competing in the Blaisdel arena, where all the big games are held, which I had never gotten to play in so it was very exciting,” said Kahai-Enos. “We were on our final last game and at the end, families and friends came to give us leis and congratulate us for an amazing season we had, having made it the farthest we have made it in years.”

“During that time I was very proud to be a part of this wonderful team and thankful for all the awesome coaching staff that we had and for helping us make it this far into our season. It was a bitter-sweet moment because we were all so happy that we made it far off into our season and brought our team a long way, but we were sad that the season had come to an end, for everyone on the team were so closely bonded like a family and we made so much memories with each other. 

After high school, Kahai-Enos received a few offers to play collegiate volleyball from colleges like Midland College in Texas and Western Nebraska Community College. Eventually, she chose to enroll at Lee College in Baytown, Texas. Upon her arrival at Lee College, the culture shock of being away from home hit.

“When I arrived at Lee College, I felt very far away from home by myself and an overall culture shock,” said Kahai-Enos. “I felt excited to get to know my teammates and for the season to get started so it was very bitter-sweet. 

Kahai-Enos did not see much action with Lee College as she only played in five matches. Then when COVID-19 hit, things changed for the college as they decided to suspend the athletics program for the 2020-21 year.

After finding out about it, Kahai-Enos entered the transfer portal and joined SCF to play volleyball and continue her academic career there.

“Amongst many other colleges that gave me opportunities as well, I choose SCF because it is close to the ocean which I love and I have a family here that I know I can call on that always takes care of me,” said Kahai-Enos on choosing SCF.

When she first arrived to Bradenton, the first ones to greet her in Florida were head coach Coach Lynn Burnette and former Manatee volleyball player Barbora Tichackova as well as her family, who were living in Florida as well.

Upon her enrollment at SCF, Kahai-Enos said that she felt at peace and was happy about the transition.

“I knew I was exactly where I needed to be and in my own environment,” said Kahai-Enos. “I felt like I had nothing to worry about and that everything was going to work out just fine. I knew that I had the right people around me in case I ever needed help with anything.”
She was even excited to meet her new teammates.

“When I met my new teammates, I first felt so excited to meet every one of them because I have lots of new teammates and some from different places from around the world. I knew that we would become a close family and have lots of fun together throughout school and volleyball.”

While she loves volleyball, Kahai-Enos does enjoy doing things outside of volleyball.

“When I donʻt play volleyball, I like to go to the beach, spend time with families and friends, play ukulele, sing with family, dance hula and go camping,” said Kahai-Enos. 

Kahai-Enos is no stranger to enjoying memories at SCF 

“One memory that I enjoyed while being at SCF is waking up every morning being so happy and thankful that I am in such a wonderful place, surrounded with amazing teammates, a very nice and coach, and excited for playing at the beach on our ride there.”

While the season still is in session for SCF, Kahai-Enos plans to continue her with collegiate volleyball while seeking a career in community leadership. She hopes to do so while transferring to a university and being the best version of herself as a player and as an individual.

SCF Baseball Sweeps St. John’s River

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (15-7) pulled off a big sweep in their doubleheader Saturday as they defeated St. John’s River State (12-10) 11-0 (5) in game one before winning game two by a score of 14-6. With the sweep, the Manatees are now 5-1 against the Vikings.

“It was very encouraging to see our guys sweep a very good St. Johns river ball club,” said head coach Tim Hill II. “They threw two of the top pitchers in the state and our hitters did a nice job against them. We challenged our guys to maintain their focus throughout the three-game series so that we could have some positive things going into conference starting on Monday. The guys responded well and that was nice to see.”

“It was awesome knowing that St. John’s River is a pretty solid team with some pretty good pitching,” said sophomore Jack Anderson. “It was good to see that we dominated all three games on both sides of the ball as we head into conference.”

“It felt pretty good today,” said freshman Jake Jackson. “I was saying yesterday after the first win that we were going to sweep them and we did. We had a lot of guys swing the bat well and had really good pitching. We did have a slow inning, but we bounced back, put up the seventh spot and just feels really good to come away with the sweep as we head into conference.”

Game One:

For game one, Hill II sent freshman Nick Consentino to the mound to start. St. John’s River State head coach Ross Jones went with his ace in sophomore Jason Gonzalez to counter.

After Consentino got out of the first with success, the Manatees would score first in the bottom half in big proportion. After sophomore Rook Ellington and freshman Harrison Long drew back-to-back walks, sophomore Tucker Mitchell would send a double to left and bring in Ellington. One batter later, freshman Kevin Karstetter and sophomore AJ Fritz would send back-to-back RBI single to bring the lead to 3-0 SCF. Karstetter would then score on a error from the same single off of Fritz.

After freshman Brayden Woodburn hit a single before stealing second, tragic suddenly hit the Manatees as Fritz was pulled out of  after an ankle injury and replaced by freshman Joel Pérez.

“AJ‘s injury is disappointing, especially for him I’m sure,” said Hill on losing Fritz from injury. “He’s a veteran guy and knows how to play the game. I love his attitude and his mature demeanor on how he approaches every day. We are going to miss him but hopefully we’ll get him back at some point later in the season.”

After the change, freshman Jake Jackson would bring back the Manatees confidence as he hit a three-run blast to right for his first collegiate home run of the season to make it 7-0 SCF

“It definitely felt good,” said Jackson on his first home run. “After AJ went down like that, it felt to get a home run. Obviously, it was my first and of many coming up.”

Perez would then another run to the Manatees’ score in the bottom of the second as he hit into a fielder’s choice while bringing in Mitchell.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Manatees would add three final runs to the board. After a one-out double by Mitchell, sophomore Jack Anderson would send a single to center and bring in Mitchell for a 9-0 SCF lead before Karstetter sealed the deal with a two-run homer for his second home run of the season which woud then be the decider as the Manatees pulled away with the win with a mercy rule in effect.

Consentino would get his first collegiate win of the season after throwing four scoreless innings, giving up four hits while walking two and striking out five.

Freshman Dylan Vega threw a score inning of relief with one strikeout.

Gonzalez would be hit with his first loss of the season after giving up 10 runs on 11 hits with two walks and two strikeouts in three and a third. He is now 3-1 on the year.

Freshman Jordan Wimpleberg gave up one run on one hit in two-thirds of an inning of relief.

Mitchell was the leader of the first game as he was 3-for-3 with two doubles, three runs and an RBI.

Anderson (2-for-3, one RBI and a run), Karstetter (2-for-3, one home run and three RBI) and Jackson (2-for-2, a home run and three RBI) each had two hits.

Ellington (1-for-2, one run scored), Fritz (1-for-1, one RBI) and Woodburn (1-for-3, one run scored and a stolen base) had the remaining hits.

Sophomore Chase Malloy had the Vikings lone multi-hit game as he went 2-for-3.
Game Two:Hill sent sophomore Matt Gelorme to the mound to start game two, while Jones went with freshman Logan Schmidt to counter.
The Vikings would get on the board first at the top of the first off of a double play, but the Manatees would respond back in the bottom half from a bases-loaded two-RBI double by Jackson to make 2-1 SCF. Two innings later, Jackson would extend the Manatees lead to 3-1 on a sacrifice fly. Two batters later, freshman Charlie Davidson would send a single to left and bring in Anderson for a 4-1 lead.
At the top of the fourth, the Vikings would come back and tie the game at 4-4 after one scored on a passed ball before freshman Ramses Cordova hit a two-RBI single. This would signal the end for freshman Sean Dertinger, who entered the game for Gelorme, as Hill would send sophomore David Barrett to the mound as he got out of the inning.
The Vikings would then take the lead at the top of the fourth after an RBI single by Malloy to make it 5-4, but the Manatees would respond back in the bottom half. After a lead-off single by Perez, Woodburn would send a triple to right and tie the game at 5-5. One batter later, Anderson would give the Manatees a 6-5 lead with a single to center to bring in Woodburn.
After Karstetter and Jackson drew back-to-back walks, sophomore Jacob Steinberg would a sacrifice fly to center and bring in Anderson to make it 7-5 SCF.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Manatees continued to add on to their lead, beginning with a one-out single by Pérez. After Woodburn drew a walk, Mitchell would send a single of his own to bring in Pérez. Anderson would then draw a walk to load the bases before Karstetter drew a walk to bring in Woodburn. Jackson would then send a single to center and bring in Mitchell and Anderson to make it 11-5 SCF before Steinberg drew a walk to load the bases again. Freshman Charlie Davidson would then clear the bases with a double to make it 14-5 SCF.
The Vikings would get one more run on the board from a sacrifice fly by freshman Daniel Labrador, but it was all they could produce as the Manatees completed the sweep.
“We just hit and hit and hit,” said Mitchell on the sweep. “It was really good to see from our team to just knock guys in and product from guys that might not have gotten in if it weren’t for some injuries, so that was great to see guys step up for that. We also had some good pitching from Batch (Daniel Batcher), (Matt) Gelorme and many of the other pitchers.
Gelorme and Schmidt both earned no decisions for their games. Gelorme gave up three runs (one earned) on one hit with three walks and three strikeouts in three and two-thirds, while Schmidt threw two-thirds of an inning giving up two runs (one earned) on no hits with two walks.
“Matt (Gelorme) did a nice job in the third game,” said Hill on Gelorme. “He started off a little slow with some erratic command but then really picked it up and threw well. Matt is a guy that we are counting on. He can fill a variety of roles for us including starting or coming out of the pen.”

Barrett earned the win for the Manatees after throwing one and a third scoreless inning, giving up two hits with one strikeout. Freshman Clay Callan gave up one run on one hit with one walk and two strikeouts in one inning of relief. Barrett is now 1-0 on the year.
Freshman Tanner Bauman was dubbed with the loss after giving up five runs on eight hits with one walk and three strikeouts in two and two-thirds.
Perez finished game two 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
Jackson lead the way for game two as he finished 2-for-2 with five RBI, while also throwing a scoreless inning of relief, giving up one hit with one walk and one strikeout. He finished the series 7-for-8 with a home run and eight RBI.
Anderson finished game two 2-for-3 with an RBI, four runs and two walks and finished the series 7-for-11 with three RBI.
“I felt pretty locked in for all three games,” said Anderson on his game. “I kind of knew what their pitchers were trying to do and we just made adjustments of that. Overall, it was a good weekend for me.”
Davidson finished game two 2-for-4 with four RBI.
Mitchell finished 1-for-4 with an RBI, two runs scored and a walk. He finished 5-for-10 with six RBI.
“It felt good and I got a lot more pitches to hit today that I was able to take advantage of it,” said Mitchell on his game.
“Jack and Tucker both had a very good weekend at the plate,” said Hill on Anderson and Mitchell. “They are both physical guys who give us a presence in the middle of our lineup. It was good to see them both have consistently good at bats and drive in a lot of runs for us.”

Karstetter was 1-for-1 with an RBI, two runs and three walks and finished the series 4-for-6 with a home run and seven RBI.
Woodburn (1-for-4, one RBI, two runs scored and a walk) and Steinberg (1-for-3, one RBI and one run scored) had the remaining two hits.
I think what made our hitters successful against St Johns was getting good balls to hit,” said Hill on the team’s hitting. “We didn’t chase very many pitches out of the zone. Our approach at the plate was very good and our hitters were able to use the entire field, not just to the pull side.”

Freshman Kyle Smith was 2-for-4 with a run. Smith was the only Viking with a multi-hit game in game two, Cordova was the only Viking with a multi-RBI game as he finished 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Notes:Dertinger made his debut for the Manatees after joining fellow teammate Aidan Gallagher from Rockland Community College in New York.
The two wins for Hill were #293 and #294 as he remains six away from reaching 300.
Sophomores Cole Ayers and Cameron are set to return to action for conference play.
The Manatees outscored St. John’s River 43-7.
Other Suncoast Scores:Florida Southwestern State (16-7) defeated Pasco-Hernando State (9-12) 12-2. The Buccaneers will open Suncoast play against Polk State.
Polk State (14-9) defeated Daytona State (10-3) 18-17.
South Florida State College (10-11) split a doubleheader with ASA Miami (2-12*) winning game one 8-3 before losing game two 6-4.
Upcoming Weekly Suncoast Games:3/1:SPC vs HCC at 3 pmFSW vs Polk State at 6 pm
3/3:Polk State vs FSW at 2 pmHCC vs SPC at 5 pm
3/5:SPC vs HCC at 1 pmFSW vs Polk State at 5 pm
Up Next:The Manatees will begin Suncoast Conference play as they will face South Florida State College (10-11) for a three-game series. Game one will be at Wynn Field Monday night, March 1. Game two will be at SFSC Panthers Field Wednesday night, March 3 before returning back to Wynn Field for game three Friday night, March 5. All three games will start at 6 pm.
Sophomore Jakob Mattos will start game one at home. Classmate Tony Rossi will start game two on the road, while sophomore Daniel Batcher starts game three at home.
”We are looking forward to starting conference play on Monday,” said Hill on starting Suncoast Conference play.

SCF Baseball Take Game One Over SJRS

Bradenton, Fla - The bats of the SCF baseball team (13-7) were unrelenting as they were able to take the first game of the three-game series over St. John’s River State (11-8) by a score of 18-1 in seven innings. With the win, the Manatees are now 3-1 against the Vikings.

“St. John’s River threw a really good arm at us with Gause, who I heard signed with LSU,” said head coach Tim Hill II. “We had a couple of big innings and that turned out to be the difference in the game for us to get the win.”

Hill II sent sophomore Daniel Batcher to the mound, while St. John’s River State head coach Ross Jones sent freshman Dawson Gause to counter.

After Batcher breezed through the top of the first  with two strikeouts, Gause was able to do the same and make it into a pitchers dual.

In the bottom of the second, the Manatees would get on the board first. After a lead-off double by sophomore Jack Anderson, freshman Kevin Karstetter would send a single to left. After Karstetter stole second and third, freshman Brayden Woodburn would hit a single to right and bring in Karstetter for a 2-0 SCF lead.

The Vikings would get their first run on the board at the top of the third after freshman Kyle Smith drew a bases-loaded walk to cut the SCF lead to 2-1, but Batcher was still able to get out of the inning.

While Batcher got out of a couple of tough situations for the next two innings, the Manatees would add on to their lead. After a one-out triple by freshman Jake Jackson would send a triple to left before sophomore Richard Rodriguez sent a hard single to center to bring in Jackson.

After sophomore Rook Ellington and freshman Harrison Long drew back-to-back walks, sophomore Tucker was hit by a pitch and brought in Rodriguez. Anderson would then send a single to right to bring in Ellington before Karstetter drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Manatees a 6-1 lead. This signaled the end for Gause as Jones sent in freshman Jackson Hodnick to the mound.

After the pitching change, sophomore AJ Fritz would clear the bases with a double and give the Manatees a 9-1 lead. Woodburn would then follow with an RBI single to bring in Fritz as the Manatees batted around to make it 10-1 SCF before the end of the inning.

The Manatees would continue to add runs in the bottom of the sixth while Jones sent . After a one-out walk by Mitchell and a ground rule double by Anderson, Karstetter would send a sacrifice fly to right and bring in Mitchell. Fritz would then reach first on a fielding error while Anderson scored to make it 12-1 SCF. After Woodburn reached first after being hit by a pitch before freshman Charlie Davidson came in to pinch run, Jackson would send a single to center to bring in Fritz for a 13-1 SCF lead.

After Steinberg drew a walk to load the bases, Ellington would then draw a bases loaded walk before freshman Joel Perez came in to pinch run. Freshman Aidan Gallagher would drew a bases loaded walk to bring in Davidson before Mitchell cleared the bases with a double to put the Manatees up 18-1 before Fritz came in to pitch for Batcher and close the door for the win.

Batcher would earn the win after giving up one run on four hits with three walks and five strikeouts in six innings. Batcher is now 3-1 on the season.

Fritz threw a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts while going 1-for-3 with three RBI and two runs.

“Although he hasn’t been on the mound that many times, I really like him as a pitcher,” said Hill on Fritz pitching. “He’s a great position player for us, but I like him on the mound too. We just haven’t put him in the game and hasn’t come up for whatever reason, but he’s a guy I look back to see where we’re at and who we need to be able to throw some significant innings for us when it really counts and he for sure is one of them. He competes, throws strikes and can spin it a little bit.”

“It was his third appearance today, but that’s no indicator to say that I won’t put him in to pitch and I plan to pitch him a lot because he's one of our better guys out of the bullpen.”

Gause would go to 3-1 after the loss after giving up nine runs on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts in four and a third.

Anderson and Jackson each had three hits and an RBI. Anderson added three runs scored, while Jackson added two. Woodburn would go 2-for-3 with two RBI.

Mitchell lead the team with four RBI while going 1-for-3 with two runs and a walk, while Karstetter was 1-for-2 with three RBI, two stolen bases and two runs scored and Rodriguez and went 1-for-3 with an one RBI.

Freshman Connor Morgan was the lone Viking with a multi-hit game as he went 2-for-3 with a run.

Notes:
This was win #292 for Hill and he remains eight away from reaching 300 career wins as head coach for the Manatees.

Other Suncoast Scores:
South Florida State College (10-11) split a doubleheader with ASA Miami (2-11) at home winning game one 8-3 before losing game two 6-4.

St. Pete College (10-5) defeated Lake Sumter State (10-9) 29-9.

Florida Southwestern State (15-7) defeated Miami Dade (11-9)8-6.

Polk State (13-9) fell to Daytona State (10-2) by a score of 11-8.

Up Next:
The Manatees remain at home to wrap up the series with St. John’s River with a doubleheader at Wynn Field. Game one will start at 1 pm and game two will start at 4 pm*. Hill will give freshman Nick Consentino the nod to start the first game and sophomore Matt Gelorme the nod for the second game.
Postgame Interview Link^: 
^side note: this was the first postgame game with more than three players and the first postgame Interview in video form.

SCF Baseball Gets 21 Run Win for Coach 21

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (12-6) showed no mercy Monday night at Wynn Field as they shutout Eastern Florida State (6-10) 21-0 via mercy rule. With the win, the Manatees are now 5-0 against the Titans (2012-present).

“Everything went right for us tonight and wrong for Eastern Florida State,” said head coach Tim Hill II. 

Hill sent sophomore Jakob Mattos to the mound to start, while EFSC head coach Jason Arnold sent redshirt sophomore JT Larson to counter.

Mattos was off to a shaky start at the top of the first as he walked the first two batters, but after striking out the next two, he was able to get out of the top half of the inning. Larson was the opposite in the bottom half as he struck out the side.

“The first inning was a little shaky after walking the first two batters,” said Mattos. “But when I got two big strikeouts back-to-back, I was making a comeback to take control of the mound and competed. When I saw one of the pitchers in the bullpen, I knew I had to command the zone right away with the two strikeouts and use the team for a ground ball situation to get out of the inning. I took control of the game afterwards.”

“The game didn’t start off well when Jake walked the first two batters,” said Hill on Mattos’ first inning. “He ended up kicking it up a notch to get us out of the inning without giving up a run it hit, while EFSC’s pitcher struck out all three of our batters. It looked like it was going to be a dog fight and the floodgates started opening up for us.”

After Mattos had a strong inning at the top of the second, the Manatees would get on the board in the bottom half beginning with sophomore Tucker Mitchell getting hit by a pitch to start the inning. After classmate Jack Anderson hit a deep double to left center that almost turned into a home run, freshman Brayden Woodburn would draw a walk to load the bases for sophomore Richard Rodriguez. On the 1-2 pitch, Rodriguez was able to get a single to bring in Mitchell, but Anderson would be the third out after trying to score from second.

One inning later, the Manatees extended their lead. After a one-out single by sophomore Rook Ellington before advancing to third on a pickoff attempt, freshman Harrison Long would send a single to left to bring in Ellington. Mitchell and Anderson would draw back-to-back walks freshman Kevin Karstetter sent a single left to bring in Long. One batter later, Woodburn would send a single to left to bring in Mitchell and Anderson to make it 5-0 SCF.

In the bottom of the fourth, sophomore Owen Ayers would hit a leadoff solo blast for his fourth of the season. After Long and Mitchell drew back-to-back walks, Arnold would make a switch to send freshman Daemon Woodruff to the mound.

After the pitching change, Anderson would send a hard single to left and bring in Long. Sophomore AJ Fritz would then send a single to center and bring in Mitchell. Woodburn would then send a double to left to bring in Karstetter and Fritz for a 10-0 lead before freshman Cory Leech came in for Woodruff to get out of the inning.

While Mattos continued his dominance on the mound with a no-hitter, the Manatees continued their offensive onslaught in the bottom of the fifth. After Ayers drew a leadoff walk and Ellington hit a single to left, freshman Drew Macciocchi would come in to pinch run for Ellington before Long sent a triple to left to bring in Ayers and Macciocchi to extend the lead. Mitchell would then get hit by a pitch before freshman Jake Jackson came in to pinch run. Anderson would then send a sacrifice fly to bring in Long to make it 13-0 SCF. Sophomore Jacob Steinberg would then hit a single to right before Woodburn drew a walk to load the bases for freshman Aidan Gallagher, who came in to pinch hit for Rodriguez. On a 3-1 count, Gallagher would send a single to center and bring in Jackson and Steinberg to make it 15-0 SCF.

Arnold would make another pitching change and send freshman Dominic Baratta to the mound before Ayers sent a triple to left to bring in Woodburn and Gallagher for before Macciocchi struck out to end the inning.

Mattos’ no-hitter would come to an end early as freshman Jason Blackstone would hit a leadoff single. After Mattos threw a walk and got one out on a fielder’s choice, Hill decided to make a switch and send freshman Dylan Vega to the mound while Mattos got a standing ovation from his teammates. Vega was able to end the top half of the sixth after coming in.

“Honestly, I wasn’t worried about how many hits I gave up, I was trying to command the zone and letting the defense take control,” said Mattos on his no-hitter broken.

“I took Mattos out because I was trying to pay attention to his pitch count,” said Hill on pulling Mattos. “This was about as deep as Jake has been in a game and we had some long innings, so with him sitting down for that prolong period of rest, that’s why I warmed up Vega just in case Jake wasn’t effective.”

In the bottom of the sixth, the Manatees decided to add a few more runs to the scoreboard. After back-to-back singles by Jackson and freshman Charlie Davidson before Karstetter drew a walk to load the bases, Steinberg would then draw a bases-loaded walk to bring in Davidson. Jackson would then score on a Woodburn sacrifice fly before Gallagher drew a walk to load the bases for Ayers as he sent a double to left to bring in Karstetter and Steinberg to make it 21-0 SCF.

Vega would throw the final inning in success as the mercy rule came in for an SCF win.

Mattos earned his first win of the season after throwing five and a third scoreless innings, giving up the lone hit with three walks and five strikeouts. Mattos is now 1-0 this season.

Vega threw one and two-thirds innings of relief with one strikeout.

Larson would be dubbed with the loss after giving up five runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts in three innings.

Five Manatees had a multi-RBI game. Ayers lead the way for the Manatees offense as he went 3-for-5 with five RBI. In fact, he was a single shy of hitting the cycle.

Woodburn finished 2-for-4 with five RBI, while Long finished 2-for-3 with three RBI, Anderson finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and Gallagher went 1-for-1 with two RBI and a walk.

“I’ve been struggling recently on the little things and I feel like I’ve been taking a step back and watching videos to see what I can work on with coach Glass, who has been a big help,” said Woodburn on his game. “It felt good to get back into it.”

Karstetter (1-for-4, one RBI), Fritz (1-for-2, one RBI), Steinberg (1-for-1, one RBI) and Rodriguez (1-for-3, one RBI) had the remaining 

Notes:

Gallagher made his SCF debut after transferring from Rockland Community College in Ramapo, New York.

“It was awesome,” said Gallagher on his debut. “It’s a lot different than what I’m use to up north, but it was a lot of fun.”

“Aidan is a good player,” said Hill on Gallagher. “That’s why I brought him in and told him that we’re bringing him in for some depth. He came highly recommended by a very well respected scout even though he got here a little late and his teammate Sean (Dertinger), who will also be making his debut in the near future for us. Aidan is very athletic player and it was good to get him in the game with a couple of nice at-bats and a nice play in the infield.”

This was win #291 for Hill as head coach for the Manatees.

The 21 runs were the most scored under the Hill II era.

Other Suncoast Scores:
Florida Southwestern State (14-6) defeated Pasco-Hernando State (9-9) 5-2.

South Florida State College (8-10) fell to Seminole State College (8-6) 8-3.

St. Pete College (9-4) defeated TNXL Tampa 14-3.

Up Next:
The Manatees will face EFSC in a rematch Wednesday night, February 24 at 5 pm at Bruce Bochy Field in Melbourne. Sophomore Tony Rossi will be given the nod to start the game.

SCF Softball Wraps Up Invitational With Upset Win

Longwood, Fla - The SCF softball team (7-8-1) wrapped up day two of the Courtney Miller Invitational at the Boombah Sports Complex and finished up 3-1 overall. The Manatees pulled off an upset win over #2 Indian River State (8-2) by a score 5-2 in game one before defeating Chipola (4-10) 6-2. With the wins, the Manatees are now 4-14 against the Pioneers and 1-7 against the Indians.

“We played 27 great innings out of 28,” said Mandy Schuerman. “We played well as a team, which was great to see.”

“We played really well as team,” said sophomore Kristin Kopp. “We took advantage of every opportunity we saw. We kept an upbeat energy no matter what was the score. We came out to play this weekend and it paid off.”

“The team finally came together and played by our motto of the season 'WE' over 'ME',” said sophomore Madi Schaefer. “We stayed hungry the whole weekend and never lost our fight even if it became close. Every girl had each others back and picked one another up no matter what. It was an amazing feeling to know your team has your back no matter what.”

“The team really came out with hunger to win and that’s how we played all weekend,” said sophomore Lauren Hutcherson. “We really played with the mindset WE over ME. everyone on the team played apart in the teams success.”

“We came out this weekend determined win,” said freshman Remi Herbert. “I thought overall as a team we had a really good weekend. This weekend definitely boosted everyone’s confidence. Everyone was up the whole time, energy was good, defense, and offense did their job.

Game One- SCF vs IRS:

For game one, Schuerman sent Herbert to the mound, while IRS head coach Dale Atkinson sent redshirt sophomore Casey Kurent to counter.

The Manatees were listed as the away team as they would get on the board at the top of the first off of a lead-off home run by Hutcherson. It was her fourth home run of the season.

In the bottom of the third, the Pioneers would respond and tie the game as redshirt sophomore Jaden Williamson would hit an RBI single to tie the game at 1-1. The Manatees, however, would respond back at the top of the fourth. After loading the bases with Herbert getting hit by a pitch and back-to-back singles by freshman Gracie Mullett and sophomore Carly Bogart, sophomore Emily Hughes would send a sacrifice fly to right and bring in classmate Lilly Salazar, who came in to pinch run for Herbert, despite it being ruled a double play as Mullett was called out trying to go to third.

The top of the fifth remained in favor for the Manatees beginning with a lead-off double by sophomore Maddie Kozcersut. After Schaefer and freshman Mya Achenbach reached on two straight fielding errors, Hutcherson would send a single to center and bring in Kozcersut. Schaefer would then score on fielding error from the catcher before Achenbach scored on a double play caused by Herbert to make it 5-2 SCF.

The Pioneers would make one more effort to get more on the board in the bottom of the sixth as redshirt sophomore Meghan Branche would send a solo shot to right for her third of the season, but it was all they could produce as the Manatees claimed the upset win.

“Indian River is a great quality team,” said Schuerman on the upset win. “We were able to capitalize on some of their mistakes. We played a very good defensive game and Remi pitched a solid games keeping their hitters’ off balance.”

“It felt great,” said Kopp on upsetting Indian River State. “Now we’re gaining respect on our name.

“This was a great confidence boost for our team,” said Schaefer on the win. “Going into this weekend Coach’s and team’s at the invitational doubted us and thought we would fall to Indian River without a fight. That lit a fire under us and we pushed. We took advantage of every error they made mentally and physically. It was an amazing team win for us and we can’t wait to play Thursday and keep the momentum going.”

Schaefer opened day one of the invitational with her first collegiate home run against Tallahassee.

“It felt amazing,” said Schaefer on her first career home run. “A lot of the times I feel as I may think to much in the box and I approached the pitcher thinking hit the first pitch, and that is what I did. It felt effortless and was amazing rounding the bases with my teammates waiting at the end.”

Herbert would earn her second win of the season after throwing a complete game, giving up two runs on four hits with five strikeouts. Herbert is now 2-2 on the year.

“It felt really good to win against Indians River today,” said Herbert on the win. “I knew the defense had my back the whole time and that they would make plays for me which made me relaxed in the mound. Offense came out swinging hard and scored runs which also took pressure off of me on the mound. It was a great team win today.”

Kurent would be dubbed with the loss after throwing a complete game, giving up all five runs (three earned) on five hits with one walk and nine strikeouts. Kurent is now 1-1 on the year.

Hutcherson had the lone multi-hit and multi-RBI game for the Manatees as she went 2-for-3 with the home run and two RBI.

Mullett, Kozcersut and Bogart had the Manatees remaining three hits.

Williamson was the only Pioneer that had a multi-hit game as she went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Branche (1-for-3, home run) and freshman Nicolette Luzzi-Salern had the remaining two hits for the Pioneers.

Game Two- SCF vs Chipola:

Schuerman decided to go with her ace pitcher as she sent sophomore Ally Hulme to the mound, while Chipola head coach Belinda Hendrix sent freshman Zayla McBurrows to respond.

The Manatees were playing as the home team and would get on the board first in the bottom of the first beginning with a lead-off single by Hutcherson. After Herbert reached on a fielder’s choice before advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch, Hughes would get hit by a pitch to load the bases for sophomore Kristin Kopp. On a 1-1 count, the Tampa native would clear the path with a double and send Hutcherson, Herbert and Hughes home for a 3-0 SCF lead.

The Indians would get on the board at the top of the third from an RBI single by freshman Kayla Hurley to cut the Manatees lead to 3-1.

At the top of the sixth, Hulme was starting to struggle, so Schuerman decided to send sophomore Samantha Hampton to the mound for a relief appearance. The Indians would then get their second run on the board with an RBI single by freshman Kinzie Nelson before Hampton got out of the inning.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Manatees would extend their lead beginning with a lead-off double by Bogart before freshman Marissa Addision came in to pinch run. Hendrix would then make a change as she sent freshman Kyra Ward to the mound.

After Hughes reached first on a fielding error, Kopp would smack a triple to right to bring in Addision and Hughes for a 5-2 lead. Hampton would then draw a walk before Achenbach came in to pinch run. Kopp would then score on drop third strikeout to make it 6-2 SCF before the Manatees claimed the victory.

Hulme would be credited with the win after giving up two runs on six hits with four walks and six strikeouts in five and a third. Hulme is now 5-3 on the year.

Hampton threw one and two-thirds scoreless innings of relief, giving up one hit with two strikeouts.

McBurrows would be dubbed with the loss after giving up four runs on four hits with one walk and eight strikeouts in five innings.

Ward gave up two runs on one hit with two walks and one strikeout in one inning of relief.

Kopp lead the way for game four with the lone multi-hit and multi-RBI game as she went 2-for-2 with five RBI and 4-for-10 in the invitational with six RBI.

Hutcherson went 1-for-4 with a run scored and 9-for-14 with a home run and three RBI.

“I’m happy with the way I performed this weekend,” said Hutcherson on her overall performance. “I tried to tell myself to keep it simple and to have my players backs at all time and to never get down no matter what.”

“Hutch had an excellent weekend on both sides of the ball,” said Schuerman on Hutcherson. “She gave us a solid performance at shortstop and has been a very effective lead off."

Mullett (1-for-3) and Bogart (1-for-3) and the remaining two hits for the Manatees.

Freshman Gabby Bess had the Indians only multi-hit game as she went 2-for-4.

Up Next:

The Manatees will take on Santa Fe College (8-5). They will travel to the Santa Fe Softball Complex in Gainesville first Thursday, February 25 at 1 and 3 pm before returning home to welcome the Lady Saints to the SCF Softball Complex Saturday afternoon, March 6 at 1 and 3 pm.

“You can see us continue to compete against another quality team in Santa Fe,” said Schuerman on facing Santa Fe. “We anticipate needing our whole team including our bench to help us be successful. This weekend proved that we are going to need everyone to be successful.

“As we come into Santa Fe we need to stay aggressive and hungry,” said Schaefer on preparing for Santa Fe. “We are looking to work on getting ahead early on in the game and staying hungry no matter what. It was an amazing team win for us and we can’t wait to play Thursday and keep the momentum going.”

“We are ready to play Santa Fe and to keep the same energy we had this weekend into the double header against Santa Fe,” said Hutcherson on Santa Fe.

“Santa Fe College is a well coached team and competitive but so are we,” said Hebert on Santa Fe. “We will fight till the last out and we expect a good game.”

SCF Baseball Sets Sight on EFSC

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (11-6) prepare themselves for a two-game one-and-one series as they face Eastern Florida State (6-9). The Manatees will welcome the Titans to Wynn Field Monday night, February 22 at 5 pm before traveling to Melbourne for the second game Wednesday night, February 24 at 5 pm at Bruce Bochy Field.

Sophomore Jakob Mattos will be the starter for the home game, while classmate Tony Rossi will pitch the away game.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of a bounce back after a 9-7 loss to Pasco-Hernando on the road. They would make it up with a doubleheader sweep over Tallahassee winning by scores of 4-0 and 7-6.

A Batch(er) of Success:

Sophomore Daniel Batcher has been one of the top pitchers leading the way on the mound. Batcher is currently 2-1 on the mound with a 3.65 ERA and 23 strikeouts. In the first game against Tallahassee in the doubleheader, He threw a two-hit seven inning shutout with nine strikeouts.

The Sailor 1-2 Punch:

For the duo of sophomore Owen Ayers and freshman Harrison Long, products of Sarasota High, they have been a dynamic threat for the lineup at the one and two since their reunion.

Ayers is batting .355 with three home runs and 12 RBI, while Long is batting .357 with three home runs and a team-leading 17 RBI. Against TCC, Ayers was 4-for-6 with three RBI, while Long was 2-for-7 with four RBI.

Scouting EFSC:

The Titans are coming off of a doubleheader loss to Florida Southwestern losing by scores of 4-2 and 10-2.

Freshman Lake Fisher has a team-leading two home runs and four RBI, while sophomore Kaeber Rog is batting .389 with a home run and nine RBI.

Sophomore Darien Smith and freshman Tyler Vogel are both 2-1 on the year. Smith is throwing a 4.24 ERA with 31 strikeouts, while Vogel is throwing a 3.86 ERA with 23 strikeouts.

Series History (2012-present):

Overall the Manatees are 4-0 against the Titans

Livestats will be provided on GameChanger for both games and will air livestream on the SCF Sports Network for the home game.

GameChanger Link: https://gc.com/t/spring-2021/state-college-of-florida-baseball-21-6006c9046d2f825a1c98e005

SCF Livestream Link: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/scf/

SCF Finishes Day One of Invitational

Longwood, Fla - The SCF softball team (5-8-1) wrapped up day one of the Courtney Miller Invitational at the Boombah Sports Complex in Longwood in a tough battle as they split the day defeating Tallahassee (2-8) 8-2 in the first game before losing to St. John’s River State (7-3) 7-5 in game two. With the split, the Manatees are now 5-5 against the Eagles and 8-8 against the Vikings.

Game One - SCF vs TCC:

For game one, head coach Mandy Schuerman sent sophomore Ally Hulme to the mound while TCC head coach Patti Townsend sent sophomore Emma Fowler to counter.

After the first two innings went scoreless, the Eagles would score the first run at the top of the third after an RBI single by freshman Emily Mayne, but the Manatees would respond back in the bottom half. After back-to-back singles by sophomores Lauren Hutcherson and Maddie Kozcersut, before moving to scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Grace Mullett, they would both score on a fielding error to make it 2-1 SCF before the inning ended.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Manatees would extend their lead. Sophomore Madi Schaefer would bring the lead to 3-1 on a one-out solo home run. This was Schaefer’s first home run of the season and her first collegiate home run on her career. After back-to-back singles by Hutcherson and freshman Remi Herbert and Kozcersut would reach on a fielding error while Herbert scored to make it 4-1 SCF.

TCC would get their second run at the top of the fifth on an RBI double by Mayne to cut the Manatees lead to two, but the Manatees would respond back in the bottom of the sixth beginning with a lead off solo home run off the bat of sophomore Kristin Kopp for her first of the season. After a single by Herbert and a double by Hutcherson, Mullett would send a sacrifice fly to left to bring in Herbert and move Hutcherson to third. Sophomore Carly Bogart would send a triple to right to bring in Hutcherson before classmate Emily Hughes brought Bogart home on an RBI single before sophomore Samantha Hampton sealed the deal for the win.

Hulme would get her fourth win of theseason after giving up two runs on five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in four and two-thirds innings. Hulme is now 4-3 on the year.

Hampton threw two and a third scoreless innings, giving up one hit with three strikeouts. She was also 1-for-3 at the plate.

Fowler would fall to 1-3 on the loss after giving up five runs (two earned) on seven hits with three walks in five innings.

Sophomore Casey Erb gave up three runs on four hits with one strikeout.

Hutcherson and Herbert were the only Manatees with a multi-hit games and each had two runs. Hutcherson lead the way after going 3-for-4, while Herbert went 2-for-3.

Kozcersut, Bogart, Hughes, Schaefer and Kopp each had one hit.

Mayne was the only Eagle with a multi-hit game as she went 2-for-3.

Game Two - SCF vs SJR:

For game two, Schuerman sent Herbert to the mound, while SJR head coach Marti Littlefield sent sophomore Syhia Marks to counter.

After the first two innings went scoreless, the Manatees would get on the board first at the top of the third after Mullett bunted into a fielder’s choice to bring in Hutcherson. At the top of the fifth, they would extend their lead. After Kozcersut and Mullett reached on back-to-back fielding errors, Hughes would send a triple to right to bring in two before scoring on a wild pitch to make it 4-0 SCF.

The Vikings would get on the board and take the lead after freshman Emily Stewart was hit by a pitch and sophomore Ashley Kirkbride hit a bases loaded single before classmate Maddie McAllister scored on a passed ball, sophomore Breanna Cefaliello hit another bases loaded single and classmate Brealyn Holly hit a three-run homer to make it 7-4 SJR.

The Manatees would try one more effort as Hutcherson would hit an RBI double to bring in sophomore Kiersten Adams and cut the lead to 7-5, but it was not enough as the Vikings would take the win.

Herbert would be dubbed with the loss after giving up all seven runs on seven hits with a walk and two strikeouts in four and two-thirds innings.

Hulme would throw one and a third scoreless innings of relief with four strikeouts.

Marks would earn the win after throwing a complete game, giving up all five runs on eight hits with two strikeouts.

Hutcherson and Hughes each had two hits as they both went 2-for-4. Hutcherson added an RBI and a run and finished day one 5-for-7. Hughes added two RBI and a run. 

Kozcersut (1-for-3, one run and one stolen base), Hampton (1-for-4), Adams (1-for-3, one run scored) and Kopp (1-for-3, one stolen base) had the remaining hits.

Cefailiello was the lone Viking with a multi-hit game as she went 2-for-3 with a RBI and a run, while Holley had the only multi-RBI game as she went 1-for-1 with the three-run home run.

Up Next:

The Manatees return for day two of the Courtney Miller Invitational as they will face #2 Indian River State (8-1) and Chipola (4-9). The Pioneers were upset by Santa Fe College on day one

SCF SB Splits at JUCO Kickoff

Clearwater, Fla - The SCF softball team (1-1) opened day one of the JUCO Kickoff Classic as they defeated Louisburg College (0-1) 3-2 before falling to St. Johns River (1-0) 6-3 in nine innings. With the wins, the Manatees are now 1-0 against the Hurricanes and 8-7 against the Vikings.

SCF vs Louisburg:

To open the season, Schuerman sent her ace in redshirt freshman Ally Hulme, while Louisburg head coach Eric Lee sent redshirt freshman Ina Womack to counter.

The Manatees would open the floodgates first at the top of the first. After loading the bases, freshman Ava Coticchio would bring in redshirt freshman Lauren Hutcherson with a sacrifice fly for the first run of the game.

Meanwhile on the mound, Hulme, despite walking two batters, pounded the strike zone with six Ks.

At the top of the second, the Manatees would extend their lead beginning with freshman Remi Herbert being hit by a pitch. After redshirt freshman Emily Hughes drew a second, Hutcherson would drive a double to left to bring in Herbert before classmate Carly Bogart was hit by a pitch that brought in classmate Lilly Salazar for a 3-0 SCF lead.

The Hurricanes would finally get on the board in the bottom of the third after taking advantage of a fielding error to score two to cut the deficit to 3-2, yet Hulme stayed composed as she was able to brush off the unearned runs and strikeout three more batters.

At the bottom of the sixth, Schuerman made the decision to pull Hulme and send freshman Gracie Mullett to the mound after Hulme was in a jam with two runners on from two straight walks. While Mullett did load the bases, she was still able to get out of the jam in success before the Manatees sealed the deal for the win.

Hulme would get the win after giving up two runs (both unearned) on one hit with seven walks and 11 strikeouts.

Mullett would get the save after throwing two scoreless innings

Womack would be hit with the loss after giving up three runs on two hits with one walk and one strikeout in one and a third innings.

Freshman Ellen Palya threw 5.2 scoreless inning while walking two batters and striking out 10.

Hutcherson and redshirt freshman Maddie Kozcersut had the Manatees lone two hits, while freshman Abbie Yarboro had the Hurricanes lone hit.

SCF vs SJR:

For game two, Schuerman sent redshirt freshman Kristin Kopp to the mound while Vikings head coach Marti Littlefield sent freshman Macy Kelley to counter.

After a scoreless first inning, the Manatees would get on the board first in the bottom of the second after an RBI single by redshirt freshman Madi Schaefer sent sophomore transfer Kiersten Adams home for a 1-0 lead.

The Vikings would eventually take the lead after an RBI groundout by sophomore Ashley Kirkbride and an RBI double by classmate Bre Cefaliello for a 2-1 St. John’s lead.

By the bottom of the sixth, the Manatees were able to tie the game at 2-2 thanks to an RBI double by Adams before the game went to extra innings with the Texas Tiebreaker rule in effect.

At the top of the eighth, the Vikings would regain the lead after freshman Angie Frias scored on a fielding error, but the Manatees would answer back thanks to an RBI single by redshirt freshman Samantha Hampton made it 3-3.

The top of the ninth proved to be ender for the Manatees as the Vikings were able to regain the lead and add insurance runs thanks to a two-run home run by sophomore Maddie Houtz for the win.

Kopp and Kelley would earn no-decisions for the game. Kopp gave up two runs on seven hits with three strikeouts in four and two-thirds innings, while Kelley gave up two runs on eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts in six innings.

Hampton would be dubbed with the loss after giving up four runs on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts in four and a third innings, while going 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Sophomore Savannah LePain earned the win after giving up one run on one hit with one strikeout.

Koczersut and Adams were both 2-for-4 with a run scored. Adams added an RBI.

Hutcherson, Herbert, Schaefer and Mullett had the teams remaining hits.

Kirkbride, Houtz, Cefaliello and sophomore Soraya Hernandez each had two hits.

Notes:

This mark the debuts for Coticchio, Adams, Herbert, Mullett and redshirt freshman Ciarra Morales. Adams and Morales joined the Manatees after spending their first season at Palm Beach State before they ended their softball program after 43 years.

The win over Louisburg was Schuerman’s 199th won as head coach for the Manatees. She needs one win to reach 200 careers as head coach.

Other Suncoast Scores:

South Flroida State College (0-4) opened their season at home last Tuesday where they fell to Lake Sumter State by scores of 9-8 and 8-1 before losing at home again to #5 Indian River State by scores of 9-8 and 8-7. The Panthers will be on the road as they face #15 Seminole State.

#1 FSW will open their season with four game Saturday, January 30 against Tallahassee (@8:30 am), Santa Fe (@11 am), Louisburg (@4 pm) and Eastern Florida State (@6:30 pm).
Hillsborough will open their season on the road as they face #3 College of Central Florida in a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon, February 2 at 2 and 4 pm.
Polk State was originally scheduled to open their season at home against the Warner University JV team, but was cancelled. The Eagles will open their season on the second day of the JUCO Kickoff Classic at against a team TBA 1:30 before facing #5 Indian River at 6:30 pm.

Up Next:
The Manatees return for day two of the JUCO Kickoff Classic as they face Eastern Florida State (@11 am) and Georgia Military College (@1:30 pm).