Suncoast Conference Standings:
1. RV SCF (32-23, 18-6) #^
2. Polk State (32-20, 13-9) #
3. St. Pete (18-29, 9-15) *
4. Hillsborough (13-38, 7-17) *
^: Suncoast Conference Champions
#: Clinched playoff spot
*: Eliminated from playoff contention
Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off of closing Suncoast Conference play with their final series against Polk State. They would win games one (8-2) and two (21-4) and fall in game three (8-7) before winning the final game (14-1). The Manatees won the overall series against the Eagles 6-2.
As a result of the end of conference, the Manatees won the Suncoast Conference Regular Season Championship and secured a spot in the regionals of the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament. They will welcome #10 Santa Fe College (39-8, 15-8 Mid-Florida) May 5-7.
Mr. Manatee Reigns:
Sophomore Kevin Karstetter has been the all-time leader this season for the Manatees in offense. Karstetter is still batting .418 with 94 hits, 29 doubles, 11 home runs, 62 runs scored and 72 RBI.
From a national standpoint in stats, Karstetter is in the top 50 in the following categories: at-bats (225, #1), runs (62, #20), hits (93, #1). doubles (29, #1), triples (4, tied for #39) and RBI (72, tied for #5).
Aside from the stats, the upcoming Arizona State University transfer has six records in the Manatees' program history: at-bats (637 and counting), hits (226 and counting), runs (159 and counting), doubles (57 and counting), RBI (163 and counting) and the longest hitting streak (31 straight games). He is five doubles away from setting the single season doubles record held by Paul Stryhas (1997).
Major Power Game:
Joining Karstetter on the power game is classmate Lucas Ismaili. Ismaili is batting .405 with 81 hits, 53 runs, eight home runs and 65 RBI. In the home finale, the upcoming transfer for the University of South Alabama went 2-for-5 with a run.
Like Karstetter, Ismaili is also ranked in the top 50 in the nation in the following categories: at-bats (200, #3), hits (81, #5) and RBI (65, #14).
Sophomores Mario Lopez Jr. and Ben Gilbert and freshman Jayce Blalock have also show power on their end.
Lopez is batting .313 with 50 hits, 40 runs, 19 doubles, five home runs and 47 RBI. He is ranked tied for #17 in the nation in doubles.
Gilbert is batting .281 with 36 hits, 27 runs, three home runs and 27 RBI at the plate. On the mound, he is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA, three saves, 13 walks and 32 strikeouts.
Blalock is batting .293 with 22 hits, 15 runs, five home runs and 21 RBI.
The Flame is On:
Freshman Brandon Clarke has been making some improvements since coming back to the rotation after an injury. While Clarke is 0-2 with a 20.45 ERA, eight walk and four strikeouts this season, he had a strong inning in the final home game against Polk State where he threw one scoreless inning of relief with one strikeout.
Clarke will be transferring to Liberty University with three years of eligibility remaining.
Pitching to the End:
Freshmen Michael Forret and Ed Wagner continue to be the leaders on the mound as starting pitchers. Forret is currently 10-2 with a 3.38 ERA, 17 walks and 95 strikeouts, while Wagner is 7-1 with a 3.69 ERA, 30 walks and 66 strikeouts. In their last outings, Forret threw eight innings with a career-high 15 strikeouts in the 8-2 win over Polk State, while Wagner threw six innings with six strikeouts in the 21-4 win over Polk State.
Relieving Pitches:
Alongside Forret and Wagner, sophomore Connor Hults and freshman Liam Best have been the key role pitchers in the bullpen for the Manatees.
Hults is currently 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA, 18 walks and 39 strikeouts. He threw two-thirds of an inning in his last outing on the mound.
Best came off of one of his best starts this season as he struck out 10 batters in the 14-1 win over Polk State, his third 10 strikeout game this season. The former George Washington Colonial is 3-0 with a 3.59 ERA, 26 walks and 49 strikeouts.
Walking Strong:
Sophomore Brayden Woodburn and freshman Erick Almonte continue to lead the path when reaching base. Woodburn is batting .337 with 67 hits, 65 runs, seven home runs, 40 RBI, 22 stolen bases and 46 walks, while Almonte is batting .322 with 59 hits, 57 runs, two home runs, 36 RBI and 41 walks. In the final home game, Woodburn was 2-for-4 with an RBI, three runs and a walk, while Almonte went 1-for-4 with a home run, four RBI and one walk.
Nationally, both Woodburn and Almonte are ranked in the top 50 in the nation in walks (Woodburn: 46, tied for #6; Almonte: 41, tied for #16) as well as couple of other categories: runs (Woodburn: 65, tied for #16; Almonte: 57, tied for #40), hits (Woodburn: 67, tied for #37) and triples (Woodburn: 4, tied for #37).
New Noise:
A few other players have also been making some noise at the plate for the Manatees: sophomores Liam Moreno, Victor Sanchez and Austin Dearing and freshman Evan Mastromauro.
Moreno is currently batting .309 with 30 hits, one home run, 12 RBI and 35 runs scored. He went 1-for-2 with three runs in the finale against Polk State. Additionally, he has a 1.000 fielding percentage in the outfield.
In the last nine games he played, Sanchez had no RBI until the home finale against Polk State where he went 2-for-4 with three RBI to snap the cold streak. The transfer from Chipola College is batting .299 with 38 hits, three home runs and 24 RBI.
Dearing is batting .289 with 39 hits and 13 RBI. He went 1-for-1 with two RBI and three walks against Polk State.
Mastromauro, a hybrid player like Gilbert, is batting .291 with 16 hits and eight RBI. He was 2-for-3 with two RBI in the finale against Polk State.
Wild Draw:
Aside from Moreno, Sanchez, Dearing and Mastromauro, sophomores Richie Morales and Ryan Stefiuk and freshmen Jeremy Weaver, LT Cockrill and Bryan Gomez play a key role as the wildcard player.
Despite suffering a minor injury, Morales still plays a key role in hybrid fashion. The upcoming transfer for the University of Arizona is batting .310 with 40 hits, 33 runs, one home run, 21 RBI and 12 stolen bases at the plate while on the mound, he is 2-0 with a 3.12 ERA, two saves, three walks and nine strikeouts.
Stefiuk is 2-3 with a 5.02 ERA, 34 walks and 56 strikeouts.
Weaver is 2-3 with a 5.52 ERA, 34 walks and 56 strikeouts.
Cockrill is batting .269 with 18 hits, 15 runs, one home run and 16 RBI. In the 21-4 win over Polk State, Cockrill went 1-for-4 with three RBI.
Gomez, who returned from injury, is 0-2 with a 4.95 ERA, 17 walks and 22 strikeouts. In his last appearance at the plate, he threw 1.2 scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts in the third game against Polk State.
How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be provided by GameChanger and will air on the SCF Sports Network. Fans can also keep up with the Manatees on Twitter.
Livestream link - https://portal.stretchinternet.com/scf/
GameChanger Link: https://gc.com/t/spring-2023/state-college-of-florida-baseball-63d48f85286d367aef01de22/schedule/games
Twitter - @SCFBaseball
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