Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (27-20, 13-3 Suncoast) will look to the next series of Suncoast Conference play in the second half of conference. The Manatees will face Hillsborough (9-34, 3-13 Suncoast) for the next series of games.
The Manatees swept the Hawks earlier in conference by scores of 12-1 (7), 16-6 (7), 8-6 and 8-7.
Possible Listed Starters:
Game One: Michael Forret
Game Two: Ed Wagner
Game Three: Ryan Stefiuk
Game Four: Jeremy Weaver
Suncoast Conference Standings:
1. SCF (28-20, 13-3)
2. Polk State (28-17, 10-5)
3. St. Pete (15-24, 6-10)
4. Hillsborough (9-34, 3-13)*
*eliminated from playoff contention
Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off of completing their second series in conference against St. Pete. They defeated St. Pete by scores of 8-0, 7-6, 12-10 in the first three games before losing the series finale 13-11. With the series win in the second half of conference, the Manatees remain in first place in the conference standings by three games ahead of Polk State. Additionally, Polk State were upset by Hillsborough in the series finale after losing by a score of 14-6.
King Manatee:
Sophomore Kevin Karstetter has been the leader when it comes to batting, despite going 0-for-6 in the finale against St. Pete. Karstetter is batting .407 with 79 hits, 24 doubles, 10 home runs, 57 RBI and 53 runs.
Karstetter has already broken six of the Manatees' records offensively: At-bats (606 and counting), runs (150 and counting), hits (212 and counting), doubles (52 and counting) and RBI (150 and counting). In addition, the upcoming Arizona State transfer has set the record for the longest hitting streak in program history (31 games).
The Power is Theirs:
Alongside Karstetter's power, sophomore Lucas Ismaili has also been showing his part at the plate. Ismaili is batting .399 with 65 hits, seven home runs, 52 RBI and 46 runs. He went 2-for-4 with an RBI and three runs in his last outing.
Via social media, Ismaili has confirmed that he will be committing to the University of South Alabama with up to three years of eligibility remaining.
Another batter showcasing his power is freshman Jayce Blalock. Blalock is batting .286 with 22 hits, five home runs and 21 RBI. He went 2-for-4 with two RBI in his last outing.
Pitching Away:
Freshmen Michael Forret and Ed Wagner still continue to lead the way on the mound for the Manatees.
Forret is currently 8-2 with a 3.42 ERA, 13 walks and 73 strikeouts. In fact, he is tied for second in the nation in wins and #16 in the nation in strikeouts. In his last outing, Forret threw seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in the 8-0 win over SPC.
Wagner is currently 5-1 with a 4.20 ERA, 25 walks and 57 strikeouts. He earned a no-decision in the second game against St. Pete with three strikeouts.
Relieving Duties:
In two of the games against St. Pete, sophomore Connor Hults and freshman Liam Best have shown promise on the mound in relief.
Hults is currently 2-0 with a 2.69 ERA, 15 walks and 35 strikeouts. In the 7-6 win over St. Pete, the upcoming Florida State transfer threw a career-high 10 strikeouts in five and a third scoreless and hitless innings.
Best is 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA, 21 walks and 29 strikeouts. Like Hults, the transfer George Washington University threw a career-high 10 strikeouts in four and two-thirds innings of relief.
Sophomore Nick Romagnola has also show some progress on the mound as well. Romagnola is 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA, 11 walks and 10 strikeouts.
Out of the Cold Spell:
Sophomore Mario Lopez, Jr. was hitless in four of his last five games until his last outing in the finale against St. Pete where he went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Lopez is batting .341 with 46 hits, 19 doubles, four home run and 43 RBI.
Hybrid Power:
Sophomore Ben Gilbert has been one of the key hybrid players for the Manatees at the plate and on the mound. Gilbert is batting .320 with 32 hits, three home runs and 25 RBI at the plate, while on the mound he is 1-0 with a 2.20 ERA, three saves, 10 walks and 28 strikeouts. In his last outing at the plate, the upcoming transfer for Florida Atlantic University went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs.
Walking Along:
Sophomore Brayden Woodburn and freshman Erick Almonte remain as two of the Manatees' leaders in walks from a national level.
Woodburn is currently batting .345 with 53 hits, six home runs, 33 RBI and 40 walks. His 40 walks tie for third in the nation. As far as in the record books, the upcoming transfer for the University of Tampa needs 20 to surpass Jody Reed (59, 1981-82) for the single season record and 30 to surpass Joey Callies (109, 1994-95) for the career record. Woodburn was 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
Almonte is batting .302 with 45 hits, one home run, 25 RBI and 35 walks. His 35 walks rank tied for #19 in the nation. Almonte went 1-for-2 with three walks in his last outing.
Much Waited Debut:
For most of the entire season, the Manatees have been waiting and anticipating the debut of freshman Brandon Clarke. Clarke, a transfer from the University of Alabama, has not played all season due to injury. He will likely make his official debut for the Manatees possibly in the first game against HCC.
After his stint with the Manatess, Clarke will be transferring to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia with three years of eligibility remaining.
Wilding Out:
As far as the wildcards, sophomore Richie Morales, Ryan Stefiuk and Victor Sanchez and freshmen Jeremy Weaver, Jalen Hairston and LT Cockrill play the roles.
Morales, another hybrid on the team, is batting .306 with 33 hits, one home run and 18 RBI, while on the mound he is 2-0 with a 3.80 ERA, two walks and six strikeouts. He went 0-for-5 at the plate with an RBI in his last game, while throwing one scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts.
Stefiuk is 2-3 with a 5.69 ERA, 23 walks and 46 strikeouts.
Sanchez is batting .283 with 32 hits, three home runs and 21 RBI.
Weaver is 2-3 with a 5.00 ERA, 40 walks and 63 strikeouts.
Hairston is batting .262 with 11 hits, one home run and three RBI, while going 1-0 with a 8.18 ERA, one save, 10 walks and 12 strikeouts on the mound.
Cockrill is batting .288 with 17 hits, one home run and 13 RBI.
Scouting HCC:
The Hawks are coming off of losing their last conference series to Polk State. They would in the first three games by close scores of 9-6, 6-4 and 5-3 before winning the final game of the series by a score of 14-6. They are currently in last place in the Suncoast and have already been eliminated from playoff contention.
Freshman Blake Williams is batting .207 with six home runs and 33 RBI, while redshirt sophomore Jacob Griffith leads the team in hitting batting .345 with 58 hits, one home run and 30 RBI.
On the mound, classmate Logan O'Leary leads the way as he is 6-7 with a 4.63 ERA, 22 walks and 57 strikeouts.
How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be provided by GameChanger. For games one and three, they will air livestream on the SCF Sports Network. Fans can also keep up the Manatees on Twitter.
Twitter - @SCFBaseball
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