Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team will look to put the 2023 season to rest and move forward for the 2024 season as they open their season with the second annual three-day SCF Legends Classic. The Manatees will first face Gulf Coast State College at CoolToday Park in Venice Friday afternoon, January 26 at 3 pm. They will then have their home opener at Robert C. Wynn Field against #6 Northwest Florida State Saturday afternoon, January 27 at 12 pm before wrapping up the classic against Indian River State Sunday afternoon, January 28 at 2:30 pm.
#16 Florida Southwestern and Miami Dade will also be participating in the classic but will not face SCF until later in the season.
Schedule of Times:
January 26 -
#6 NWFS vs #16 FSW @12 pm
SCF vs Gulf Coast State @3 pm
#6 NWFS vs Miami Dade @ 6 pm
January 27 -
SCF vs #6 NWFS @ 12 pm
Indian River State vs Gulf Coast State @ 3:30 pm
Indian River State vs Miami Dade @ 7 pm
January 28 -
Gulf Coast State vs Miami Dade @ 11 am
SCF vs Indian River State @ 2:30 pm
Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off of finishing last season 35-26 overall with an 18-6 record in the now defunct Suncoast Conference. They would win the Suncoast Conference Regular Season Championship after finishing in first place in conference for the first time since 2018. They would then qualify for the FCSAA State Tournament by defeating then #9 Santa Fe College 2-1 in a best-of-three regional qualifier to advance to the final four of the state tournament before losing to Miami Dade and Northwest Florida State.
The Manatees are lead by head coach Tim Hill II. Hill II enters his 12th season as head coach after taking over for his father, the late Tim Hill Sr. in 2013. Last season, Hill II was named the Suncoast Conference Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. He is joined by long time associate head coach Barry Batson, pitching coach Don Robinson and assistant coach Chris Sabo.
Batson, the founder of Athletics in Christ ministry, enters his 18th season with the Manatees since joining in 2006 under then head coach Tim Hill Sr.
Robinson, the former Pittsburgh Pirate that won the 1978 National League Rookie of the Year and 1979 World Series Champion, enters his 10th season as pitching coach for the Manatees.
Sabo enters his first season with the Manatees after spending the last four seasons as the head coach of the University of Akron. The Detroit native and former Michigan Wolverine played nine seasons in the MLB where he was the 1988 National League Rookie of the Year and the 1990 World Series with the Cincinnati Reds.
Conference Changes:
This year, the FCSAA has made a change to the conferences as the Mid-Florida, Southern and Suncoast Conference will merge together to form the Citrus Conference. The Panhandle Conference and Sun Lakes Conference (DII) will remain the same.
The team are listed in the conference as followed -
Panhandle:
Chipola College
Gulf Coast State
Northwest Florida State
Pensacola State
Tallahassee CC
Citrus:
SCF
St. Pete
Hillsborough
Polk State
Florida Southwestern
Miami Dade
Eastern Florida State
Seminole State College of Florida
Central Florida
Daytona State
Indian River State
Santa Fe
Sun Lakes (DII):
Pasco Hernando State
South Florida State
St. John's River State
Palm Beach State
Lake Sumter State
Florida State College at Jacksonville
Out with the Old:
The Manatees have parted ways with 17 players who helped lead the 2023 Suncoast Conference Regular Season Champions team. Richie Morales (Arizona), Liam Moreno (St. Cloud State: NCAA DII), Kevin Karstetter (Arizona State), Ben Gilbert (Florida Atlantic), Austin Dearing (Florida International), Nick Romagnola (Eckerd: NCAA DII), Connor Hults (Florida State), Brayden Woodburn (Tampa: NCAA DII), Lucas Ismali (South Alabama), Ryan Stefiuk (Tampa: NCAA DII), Victor Sanchez (Oklahoma Wesleyan: NAIA), Mario Lopez, Jr. (South Florida), Cameron Clines (Florida International) and Aidan Troy (New College of Florida: NAIA) have all committed to continue playing collegiately. Pitcher Michael Forrett was the only player on the Manatees that was drafted for the 2023 MLB Draft as he was selected in the 14th round of the draft to the Baltimore Orioles.
Welcome the Newbloods:
With the veteran players moving on, Hill was able to have 28 newcomers join the team for the 2024 season (16 freshmen and eight transfers) and help the returners from last season.
Christopher 'Pip' Smalley:
A local product from Sarasota, Smalley, a pitcher/outfielder/infielder, joins the Manatees after transferring from Stetson University in Deland, Florida. He is listed as a freshman and will use one year of eligibility with the Manatees. Following this season, Smalley will then transfer to the University of Houston with three remaining years of eligibility.
Upon his arrival with the Hatters, Smalley would redshirt for the 2023 season before arriving to SCF. Prior to Stetson, he attended Riverview High School in Sarasota.
As a player for the Rams, Smalley played three seasons on varsity where he finished his career batting .396 with 72 hits, three home runs, 47 RBI, 38 runs, 32 walks and 13 stolen bases, while on the mound he finished 9-1 with a 1.45 ERA, 46 walks and 114 strikeouts. Additionally, he helped lead the Rams to two straight appearances in the FHSAA 7A State Tournament.
Collin Mastromauro:
An infielder from Port Orange, Florida, Mastromauro joins the Manatees after graduating from Spruce Creek High School. He follows in the footsteps of his elder brother, Evan, who also currently plays for the Manatees.
As a member of Hawks, Mastromauro played three years on varsity where he put together a .255 career batting average with 38 hits, one home run, 29 runs scored and 22 RBI while also helping the team to the FHSAA State Baseball Tournament in 6A (Regional Semifinals) and and 7A (Final Four).
Walker Vanecek:
A first baseman/catcher from Riverview, Florida, Vanecek joins the Manatees after spending time at A3 Academy in Tampa. He is ranked the #14 first baseman in the state and has won several awards for seven years.
Gavyn Bowen:
A left-handed pitcher from Waukesha, Wisconsin, Bowen joins the Manatees after spending time at P27 Academy in Lexington, South Carolina.
Dylan DeLeo:
A right-handed pitcher from Winter Haven, DeLeo joins the Manatees after graduating from Winter Haven High School. As a member of the Blue Devils, he played one year on junior varsity before being bumped up to the varsity team for the remaining three years. During his varsity career, he finished 5-3 with a 2.89 ERA, 60 walks and 135 strikeouts in 106.2 innings on the mound while batting .268 with 22 hits, one home run, 11 runs and 19 RBI. Additionally, he helped the Blue Devils to three straight appearances in the FHSAA 6A and 7A State Baseball Tournaments.
DeLeo reunites with rising sophomores and high school teammates Jeremy Weaver and Jalen Hairston.
Santiago Ordóñez:
A catcher from Fort Myers, Ordóñez joins the Manatees as a transfer from Florida State University with one year of eligibility remaining. As a member of the Seminoles, Ordóñez played in two games with one at-bat.
Prior to Florida State, Ordóñez graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. As a member of the Eagles, he played all four years on varsity and became a big part of the team's offense. He would finish his career there batting .415 with 85 hits, seven home runs and 67 RBI. Additionally, Ordóñez helped the Eagles to back-to-back championship wins in the FHSAA 7A State Baseball Tournament (2021 and 2022), which included hitting a walk-off home run to send the Eagles to the 2021 FHSAA 7A State Baseball Tournament.
Per Perfect Game, Ordóñez was ranked the No. 5 catcher and No. 264 overall player in the nation while being tabbed a two-time first team All-American.
Daniel Hartley:
A right-handed pitcher/infielder from Auburndale, Florida, Hartley joins the Manatees after graduating from Lakeland Christian High School in Lakeland, Florida where he played football and baseball.
As a member of the Vikings' football team, Hartley played as a wide receiver and a defensive back while helping the team to the final four of the FHSAA 3A State Tournament before switching to playing baseball.
As a member of the Vikings' baseball team, he played two years on varsity where he batted .419 with 78 hits, three home runs, 67 runs and 32 RBI at the plate while on the mound, he went 5-4 with a 2.75 ERA, 32 walks and 76 strikeouts in 63.2 innings. During his senior year, Hartley would help the Vikings to win the FHSAA 2A Baseball State Championship.
Aidan McBride:
A right-handed pitcher from Debary, Florida, McBride joins the Manatees after graduating from University High School in Orange City, Florida. As a member of the Titans, McBride played his last two years on varsity where he went 4-5 with a 4.54 ERA, 46 walks and 87 strikeouts in 57 innings. Additionally, he helped the team to make a trip to regional finals in the FHSAA 6A State Baseball Tournament his junior year.
Trey Wilson:
A right-handed pitcher from Valrico, Florida, Wilson joins the Manatees after graduating from Bloomingdale High School. As a member of the Bulls, he played three years on varsity where he went 3-2 with a 2.20 ERA, 27 walks and 74 strikeouts in 57.1 innings pitched while helping the team to two appearances in the FHSAA 6A State Baseball Tournament his sophomore and senior years. In fact, he helped Bloomingdale win the 2021 FHSAA 6A State Baseball Tournament Championship his sophomore year after defeating Fleming Island by a score 5-1.
Luke Boykin:
An outfielder from Jessup, Georgia, Boykin joins the Manatees after transferring from the University of Georgia. He will have two years of eligibility with SCF. While Boykin did redshirt during the 2023 season, he was a part of a Bulldogs team that did advance to the SEC Tournament.
Prior to committing to Georgia, Boykin graduated from Wayne County High School where he helped the Yellow Jackets to the regional finals of the GHSAA 5A Baseball State Tournament his senior despite being limited to 57 at-bats due to an injury. His junior year was his most productive year after hitting .431 with 14 home runs, 39 RBI and 10 stolen bases while leading them
Hayden Gustavson:
A catcher/infielder/right-handed pitcher from Lake City, Gustavson joins the Manatees after graduating from Columbia High School. Playing the final two seasons for the Tigers on varsity, Gustavson finished batting .405 with 70 hits, three home runs, 59 RBI, 45 runs and 33 stolen bases at the plate while on the mound, he went 2-1 with a 1.60 ERA, five saves, six walks and 51 strikeouts. Additionally, he helped the Tigers to two straight final four appearances in the FHSAA 5A Baseball State Tournament.
Rex Smith:
An infielder/outfielder and local product from Sarasota, Smith joins the Manatees after graduating from Sarasota High School. As a member of the Sailors, Smith played his last three seasons on the varsity team where he finished batting .423 with 30 hits, 19 runs, one home run, 14 RBI and 21 walks. Additionally, he helped the team to two appearances in the FHSAA 6A and 7A State Baseball Tournament (both regional quarterfinals).
Ryan Slattery:
A right-handed pitcher from Windemere, Slattery joins the Manatees after transferring from the University of Pittsburgh with up to two years of eligibility remaining. With the Panthers, he would utilize a redshirt to maintain his eligibility before transferring to SCF.
Prior to Pitt, Slattery played three years at TNXL Academy in Ocoee, Florida, where he helped the team win the 2022 NAA Championship while being recognized as an AP Scholar.
Luis Garrido:
An outfielder and local product from Palmetto, Garrido returns home to join the Manatees after transferring from Wabash Valley College (NJCAA) in Mount Carmel, Illinois with one year of eligibility remaining. As a member of the Warriors, Garrido played in 10 games where he produced four runs and a stolen base. Additionally, he was a part of the Warriors team that finished #3 in the nation, won the NJCAA Region 24 Championship and the NJCAA Midwest District Championship before making a trip to NJCAA JUCO College Baseball World Series as runner-up behind then champion #1 College of Central Florida.
Prior to signing at Wabash Valley, Garrido graduated from Palmetto High School where he was a team captain for the Tigers and played all four years on varsity. Throughout his career with the Tigers, he put together a batting average of .317 with 44 hits, two home runs, 30 runs scored, 15 RBI and 17 stolen bases. Additionally, he helped the Tigers to make an appearance in the FHSAA 6A State Baseball Tournament.
Devan Meran:
An outfielder from Aventura, Florida, Meran joins the Manatees from the Elite Squad Baseball Academy in Pembroke Pines. There, he competed in several national and world tournaments while piling together preseason All-American awards from Perfect Game.
Prior to Elite Squad Baseball Academy, Meran played for St. Thomas Aquinas High School where in his lone season, he batted .364 with eight hits and one RBI before the COVID-19 Pandemic stopped his season.
Palmer O'Beirne:
A left-handed pitcher from Cutchogue, New York, O'Beirne joins the Manatees after graduating from Huntington High School in Huntington, New York. O'Beirne sat out last season as a redshirt to maintain his eligibility.
Allan Gil-Fernandez:
An infielder from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Fernandez joins the Manatees after transferring from College of Central Florida. He joined the Manatees last year and sat out from injury, but will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Prior to Central Florida, Gil-Fernandez played and graduated from IMG Academy where he batted .407 with 24 hits, 16 runs, two home runs and 14 RBI.
Trevor Ziegler:
A right-handed pitcher from Cincinnati, Ohio, Ziegler joins the Manatees after transferring from the University of Cincinnati. He will have two years of eligibility remaining after joining during the 2024 spring semester. Prior to Cincinatti, Ziegler graduated from West Clermont High School where he was a two-sport athlete playing both basketball and baseball. On the Wolves' baseball team, he played two years on varsity where put together an 8-1 record with a 2.33 ERA, 28 walks and 77 strikeouts. Additionally, he helped the Wolves to the regional semifinals of the OHSAA DI State Baseball Tournament.
James Asmus:
A first baseman from New Hyde Park, New York, Asmus joins the Manatees after transferring from Charleston Southern University this semester with up to two years of eligibility remaining. Prior to committing to Charleston Southern, Asmus played at New Hyde Park Memorial where he was a two-sport athlete playing both football and baseball for the Gladiators. On the football team, he was a fullback and linebacker where he helped the team to the quarterfinals of the NYHSAA DII State Tournament. With baseball, he helped them to a 16-7 record his senior year.
Following the end of his tenure with New Hyde Park Memorial, Asmus would then play a year of prep at P27 Academy in Lexington, South Carolina before committing to Charleston Southern.
Mario Trivella:
An infielder from Caracas, Venezuela, Trivella joins the Manatees after graduating from Sarasota High School. As a member of the Sailors, he played two years on varsity where he finished batting .324 with 44 hits, four home runs and 23 RBI. Additionally, he helped the Sailors to two appearances in the FHSAA 6A and 7A State Baseball Tournament (both regional quarterfinals) with fellow teammate Smith.
Trivella joined the Manatees last season, but sat out and utilized a medical redshirt.
Returning Blood:
Hill will bring back 10 returners to help the newcomers out for this season: Erick Almonte, Trey Clucas, LT Cockrill, Preston Wetherell, Ed Wagner, Liam Best, Brandon Clarke, Jalen Hairston, Bryan Gomez and Jayce Blalock.
Almonte finished his freshman campaign batting .317 with 65 hits, 61 runs, two home runs, 39 RBI, 14 stolen bases and 44 walks while being named a member of the All-Suncoast Conference First Team. His 44 walks ranked tied for #42 in the nation. Following the end of this season, the Dominican native will head to the University of Central Florida in Orlando with two years of eligibility remaining.
Clucas, who transferred from Rice University, is coming off finishing his first season with the Manatees after going 1-1 with a 5.48 ERA with 11 walks and 18 strikeouts.
Cockrill, who played primarily as a backup catcher, comes off of finishing his freshman campaign batting .261 with 18 hits, 16 runs, one home run and 16 RBI.
Wetherell, a transfer from Florida State, went 1-0 with a 9.20 ERA, six walks and 13 strikeouts on the mound while batting .216 with a home run in his first year.
Wagner, a transfer from George Washington University, finished his first year with the Manatees going 8-2 with a 3.82 ERA, 36 walks and 71 strikeouts. He would also be named on the All-Suncoast First Team for his performance. His eight wins last season ranked tied for 55th in the nation.
Best, who joined Wagner from George Washington University, finished his first year with the Manatees 3-0 with 3.56 ERA, 28 walks and 49 strikeouts, which included three games where he had 10 strikeouts in those games. He would secure a spot on the All-Suncoast Second Team from the season. Following this season, Best will transfer to Appalachian State University with two years of eligibility remaining.
Clarke, a transfer from the University of Alabama, finished his first season on a limited basis due to injury as he went 0-2 with a 12.27 ERA, eight walks and six strikeouts. Following the completion of this season, the native of Cary, North Carolina was originally playing to transfer to Liberty University, but instead he will transfer to the University of South Carolina with two years of eligibility remaining while also declaring himself for the 2024 MLB Draft.
Hairston, a hybrid player, comes off finishing his first season going 1-0 on the mound with a 7.90 ERA, one save, seven walks and 12 strikeouts while batting .262 with 11 hits, one home run and three RBI.
Gomez finished his first year 0-2 with a 3.91 ERA, 18 walks and 26 strikeouts on a limited basis due to injury.
Blalock, a transfer from Georgia Tech, finished his first season with the Manatees batting .259 with 22 hits, five home runs and 21 RBI.
Scouting Gulf Coast State:
The Commodores are coming off of finishing last season 28-19 overall with a 10-14 record in the Panhandle Conference where they would finish in last place. They are lead by head coach Tyler Younger, who enters his second year as head coach.
The Commodores did have one player get drafted in the 2023 MLB Draft in which it was left-handed pitcher Christian Oppor as he was selected in the fifth round by the Chicago White Sox.
Key returners for the Jeremy Todd (.319, 52 hits, two home runs and 42 RBI; All-Panhandle Conference Second Team), Coleman Rowan (.360, 31 hits, one home run and 18 RBI; All-Panhandle Conference Second Team) and Broc Parmer (.425, 37 hits, six home runs and 28 RBI; All-Panhandle Conference Second Team).
Overall, the Manatees are 17-8 against the Commodores.
Scouting Northwest Florida State:
The Raiders are coming off of finishing last season 34-19-1 overall with a 15-9 record in the Panhandle Conference. They would win the Panhandle Regular Season Championship before defeating Polk State 2-1 in the best-of-three series in Niceville to advance to the FCSAA State Final Four where they would fall to eventual winner and then #1 Central Florida in the finals.
The Raiders are lead by head coach Doug Martin, who enters his 16th season as head coach and is coming off of winning the Panhandle Conference Coach of the Year award.
Key returners for the Raiders include Kendry Maduro (.261, 48 hits, 14 home runs and 44 RBI; All-Panhandle Conference Second Team), Colby Jones (.339, 58 hits, seven home runs and 44 RBI; All-Panhandle Conference First Team and All-NJCAA Region 8 Second Team), Tyler Lejune (.299, 44 hits and 26 RBI; All-Panhandle Conference Second Team) and Colin Linder (5-2, 5.71 ERA, 36 walks and 73 strikeouts).
The Manatees are 1-9 against the Raiders.
Scouting Indian River State:
The Pioneers are coming off of finishing last season 25-18 overall with a 10-11 record in the now defunct Southern Conference. They are lead by head coach Frank Torre, Jr, who enters his sixth season as head coach.
Key returners for the Pioneers include Diego Alana (.331, 48 hits, one home run and 30 RBI; All-Southern First Team), Vincent Samuel (.355, 59 hits, 11 home runs and 47 RBI; All-Southern First Team), Raul Feliz (.418, 56 hits, eight home runs and 43 RBI; All-Southern First Team) and Daniel Baez (.299, 41 hits, five home runs and 27 RBI and 14 stolen bases; All-Southern Second Team).
Overall, the Manatees are 20-19 against the Pioneers.
How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be provided by GameChanger with the home games airing on Team One Sports livestream. Fans can also keep up with the Manatees on all social media platforms
Livestats Link: https://web.gc.com/teams/wbkG6N4UTmsV/2024-spring-state-college-of-florida
Livestream Link ($): https://team1sports.com/scfmanatees/?B=847350
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