SCF Returns Home for SJR

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (12-7) return home for a three-game series at Robert Wynn Field. The Manatees will welcome St. John’s River State (11-7) Friday night, February 26 at 6 pm for game one before playing a doubleheader Saturday afternoon, February 27 at 1 and 4 pm*. This will be the last series before Suncoast Conference play.

*Time for game three is the not officially time

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of a split with Eastern Florida State in a one-and-one series. They defeated the Titans at Wynn Field on Monday by a score of 21-0 in seven innings for game one but lost game two by a score of 8-5.

Sailor Power:

The duo of sophomore Owen Ayers and freshman Harrison Long have the benefactors for the Mantees at the top of the order:

Ayers is batting .361 with four home runs and 18 RBI. He went 4-for-6 in the series against EFSC with five RBI. Ayers was pulled out of the game on the road after suffering a sprained ankle.

Long is batting .364 with four home runs and 22 RBI. He finished the series 3-for-8 with a home run and five RBI.

Jack on the Attack:

Sophomore Jack Anderson got back in his groove at the plate. Anderson is batting .310 with two home runs and 13 RBI. Anderson finished the series against EFSC 4-for-7 with a home run and four RBI.

On the mound, sophomore Daniel Batcher is currently 2-1 with a 3.57 ERA and 23 strikeouts. In his last game, Batcher threw a shutout in a doubleheader series against Tallahassee CC.

From a relief standpoint, sophomores Matt Gelorme and Clay Callan and freshmen Eli Thurmond and Dylan Vega play vital roles.

Although he has no win, Gelorme has one save with a 1.54 ERA and 11 strikeouts.

Callan is currently 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA, one save and 13 strikeouts. Callan earned the win in his last appearance against Tallahassee with two strikeouts in one and a third.

Vega is currently 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA and six strikeouts. He had one strikeout in one and two-third innings of relief in the 21-0 win over EFSC.

Wild Cards:

Sophomore Jakob Mattos, Tucker Mitchell and Rook Ellington and freshmen Kevin Karstetter and Brayden Woodburn are the wild card players for the Manatees.

While he is throwing a 4.50 ERA with 14 strikeouts, Mattos had one of his best outings against EFSC as he earned his first win after throwing five and a third with six strikeouts. In fact, he almost had a no-hitter until it was broken in the sixth inning.
Despite going 1-for-4 with three walks and four runs scored, Mitchell is batting .341 with seven RBI.
While battling injury, Ellington is still batting .200 with a home run and four RBI.
Despite going 1-for-8 with two runs scored, Karstetter is still batting .242 with a home run and 14 RBI.
Woodburn went 3-for-5 with a home run and six RBI. He is currently batting .207 with two home runs and 11 RBI.
New Debut:The Manatees saw another new player make their debut. Aidan Gallagher, a native of Naunet, New York, joined the team after transferring from Rockland Community College in Ramapo, New York. He made his in-game debut in the home game against EFSC going 1-for-1 with two RBI and a walk.
Scouting St. John’s River State:The Vikings are coming off of a 10-1 road win over South Georgia State College.
On the mound, sophomore Jason Gonzalez and freshman Dawson Gause are both 3-0 on the season. Gonzalez is throwing a team-low 0.45 ERA with 26 strikeouts, while Gause is throwing a 1.42 ERA with a team-leading 27 strikeouts.
At the plate, freshman Tripp McKinlay is leading the Vikings offense batting .293 with three home runs and 13 RBI while classmate Kyle Smith is batting a team-leading .413 with two home runs and 11 RBI.
Series History:Overall, the Manatees are 2-1 against the Vikings.
GameChanger Link: https://gc.com/t/spring-2021/state-college-of-florida-baseball-21-6006c9046d2f825a1c98e005

Livestream Link: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/scf/#live

SCF Tennis Starts Strong at Nationals

Mesa, AZ - The SCF tennis got off to a strong start as they finished day one of the NJCAA Women’s Tennis Championship the Mesa Tennis Center at Gene Autry Park in Mesa, Arizona. The Manatee are leading in first place with 14 points. All six players advanced to the second round (Round of 16) in singles and doubles action.

Sophomore Karla Menedez would open the doors first at the flight #1 singles as she defeated freshman Itzel Lara-Gonzalez (Hinds CC) in three sets (6-3, 3-6, 6-3). Menendez will face Hillsborough’s freshman Mbali Langa, the #5 seed in the flight. Langa defeated sophomore Cameron Ward (Collin CC) with a 6-2 pair decision.

At the flight #2 singles, Lou Bonet De Frietas would defeat Madelyn Dibble (Marion Military) 6-0, 6-1. Bonet De Freitas will face freshman Elizabeth Wooten (Hinds CC), who defeated Sonia Chino (Sauk Valley CC) 6-2, 7-5.

Sophomore Brie Botsford would defeat classmate Kaylen Bond (Mississippi Gulf Coast) 6-1, 6-0 at flight #3 and will face HCC’s Viktoryian Zhadzinskaya, the #2 seed who earned a first round bye.

At flight #4, freshman Sarah Forsyth would defeat redshirt sophomore Judith Mills (Jones) 6-2, 6-0. Forsyth will face #1 seed Saara Kunakunova (Cowley CC), who received a first round bye.

Meanwhile freshmen Kia Caravalho-Landell, the #4 seed and Luna Mouton, the #6 seed, each received a first round bye at flights #4 and #5 respectively. While Caravalho-Landell awaits the winner between sophomore Breanna Vann (Wallace State) and sophomore Nina Pigeassou (Abraham Baldwin), Mouton will face freshman Cammie Wallace (Eastern Arizona), the #5 seed.

After singles action, doubles went underway, beginning with Caravaggio and Bonet De Freitas, who were the #7 seed, would advance to the second round in the flight #1 doubles by defeating the sophomore duo of Valentina Kukuruzovic and Desiree Ahlberg (Bryant & Stratton) 6-0, 6-1. They will face sophomore Krissy Georgieva and freshman Kasey Kent (Mississippi Gulf Coast), who defeated the freshman duo of Noelani Lui and Krystel Quintero (Paradise Valley).

At flight #2 doubles, Botsford and Forsyth defeated sophomores Nia Black and Mikayla Herrera (Eastern Arizona) 6-1, 6-0. They will face sophomore Maria Garcia-Pulido and Lucia Popluharova, the #3 seed that earned a first round bye.

Mendez and Mouton defeated the sophomore duo of Emma and Rachel Slade (Iowa Central) 6-2, 6-1 at flight #3 doubles. They will face sophomore Lillian Hotstetter and freshman Reagan Ramsey (Collin CC), who earned a first round bye.

Day One Standings:

1. SCF (14)

2. Abraham Baldwin (12)

Collin (12)

Eastern Florida State (12)

Iowa Central (12)

Meridian (12)

7. Barton (10)

Copiah-Lincoln (10)

10. Eastern Arizona (8)

Wallace State (8)

12. Jones (6)

Mississippi Gulf Coast (6)

New Mexico Military (6)

Seward (6)

16. Central Alabama (4)

East Central (4)

Hartford (4)

Hinds (4)

Kaskaskia (4)

21. Bryant and Stratton (2)

Hillsborough (2)

Marion Military (2)

Paradise Valley (2)

St. Pete (2)

26. Mesa (0)

Sauk Valley (0)

Tyler (0)

South Carolina-Sumter (0)

Up Next:

Day two of the tournament will commence Sunday morning.
Times of Matches:

Singles-

1. Mendez vs Langa @ 3 pm EST/12 pm MST
2. Bonet De Freitas vs Wooten @ 1:30 pm EST/10:30 MST
3. Botsford vs Zhadzinskaya @ 1 pm EST/10 am MST
4. Forsyth vs #1 Kunakunova @ 11:30 am EST/8:30 am MST
5. #4 Caravalho-Landell vs Pigeassou @ 10:30 am EST/7:30 am MST
6. #6 Mouton vs Wallace @ 10:30 am EST/7:30 am MST

Doubles-
1. Carvalho-Landell/Bonet De Freitas vs Georgieva/Kent @ 3 pm EST/12 pm MST
2. Botsford/Forsyth vs Garcia-Pulido/Popluharova @ 5:30 pm EST/2:30 pm MST
3. Mendez/Mouton vs Hotstetter/Ramsey @ 4:30 pm EST/1:30 pm MST

SCF BVB Closes Season With Home Opening Sweep

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF beach volleyball team (6-4) closed out the regular season with their home opener/finale at Holmes Beach as they swept Lake Sumter State College (1-6) by scores of 4-1 and 5-0.

In the opening matchup, the duo sophomore Leilani Wilcox-Nanai and freshman Laugene Arnsby won their matchup at the #2 pair in two straight sets by scores of 21-8 and 21-12. This was then followed by the freshman duo of Ana Broadhead and Kaylee Forman winning in three sets at the #3 spot.

After sophomore Gracee Carpino and freshman Jadyn Wallen fell in two straight sets at the #5 pair, the freshman duo of Brianna Sweitzer and Kayla David would finish in two straight sets at the #1 spot to seal the series before the sophomore duo of Bailey Sikkema and Lisa Jaunet won in two straight sets at the #3 spot for the finish.

Prior to the second matchup, head coach Lynn Burnett recognized all five seniors that were a part of the team, Wilcox-Nanai, Carpino, Sikkema, Jaunet and Jazmin Spencer.

After the intermission, the teams resumed as Burnett made a few adjustments to the lineups.

Sikkema and Jaunet would move to the #2 spot as they won in straight sets, which was then followed by Spencer and freshman Faith Blaise winning in straight sets at the #4 spot before Sweitzer and David won in straight sets at the #1 spot to claim the series for the second straight time.

The Manatees would finish the final two matches as Forman and Broadhead and Wilcox-Nanai and freshman Guilia Rodrigues would win in three sets at the #3 and #5 spots respectively for a clean sweep to end the season.

The Manatees will be back in action for the 2022 season (third season) next March.