SCF Baseball Takes Home Five Awards

Bradenton, Fla - As the #22 SCF baseball team prepares for the final four in the NJCAA Region 8 Baseball Tournament, five of the players were able to take home conference recognitions for their hard work on the field, which was highlighted by freshman Lochlan Radloff winning the Citrus Conference Pitcher of the Year accolade. Radloff also joins freshman Myles Davis and sophomore Luke Boykin on the All-Citrus Conference First Team, while freshman Aidan Ray and sophomore Hayden Gustavson were named to All-Citrus Conference Second Team.

"Very proud of Lochlan, Luke, Myles, Aidan and Hayden for their hard work on the field," said head coach Tim Hill II. "They really deserved this recognition for the work they have done for this season."

Radloff became the fourth Manatee under Hill II to win conference pitcher of the year (Robby Kalaf [2013], Zach Attianese [2018], Michael Forret [2023]). The local product from Lakewood Ranch High School is currently 7-4 with a 3.53 ERA, 32 walks and 93 strikeouts in 81.21 innings of work while throwing six complete games (five of them being shutouts), which is #1 in the state and tied for #1 in the nation. Additionally, Radloff was named as one of the top 10 players in the Citrus Conference. In his start at regionals, he earned a no-decision after throwing six and a third innings with two strikeouts.

"Lochlan is incredible and deserved to win conference pitcher of the year," said Hill II on Radloff. "He's super competitive and had some really good games for us, which even included three straight shutouts. I still think there's a lot of room for hims to keep getting better."

Davis, who has been the team's starting designated hitter after returning to the lineup on March 18, is currently batting .374 with 55 hits, 35 runs, five home runs and 34 RBI. Additionally, the native of Marion, Iowa is currently on a 17-game hitting streak, dating back to April 3.

"Myles has been slowed down by a few injuries, but he has been one of our best hitters," said Hill II on Davis. He has a great approach and good balance in the box where he has been getting some really big hits for us.

Boykin is currently batting .342 with 53 hits, 44 runs, 18 home runs and 48 RBI. His 18 home runs ranks #2 in the state and #10 in the nation.

"Luke winning first team all-conference was well deserved," said Hill II on Boykin. "He improved a lot from last year and proved that in his hitting this year. He's been a really huge par of this team's path to success."

After transitioning from a relief pitcher to starting pitcher, Ray, a native of Anchorage, Alaska, finished the regular season 5-2 with a 4.72 ERA, 36 walks and 69 strikeouts in 68.2 innings.

"Aidan's progression has been really good," said Hill II on Ray. "He's got good stuff and he's continuing to learn how to us the stuff we taught him while being competitive and keeping his emotions under control, so it was nice to see him do well.

Guastavson, who earned second team recognition as a catcher, is currently batting .340 with 49 hits, 36 runs, two home runs and 31 RBI. He went 4-for-8 in the regionals with two RBI. In fact, Gustavson hit the clutch RBI single that gave the Manatees the win over Northwest Florida State for game one of the regionals.

"If you would have told me starting this season he'd be our number one catcher and do something, I'd say probably not," said Hill II. "I think Hayden has worked really had behind the plate to become a pretty good defensive catcher. He's not just a defensive guy, he gives us a lot of offense, knows how to play the game, plays hard and is very versatile while playing other positions when he is not a catcher, but you'll really see the improvement from him behind the plate and has been a key to our success."

The Manatees look to add more to their regime as they face #6 Florida Southwestern to open the final four of the tournament.

SCF Baseball Edges Game One of Regionals

Niceville, Fla - The #25 SCF baseball team (36-19) were able to open game one of regional play in tight-knit fashion as they defeated #18 Northwest Florida State (32-16) 13-9 in the Niceville Regional of the NJCAA Region 8 State Baseball Tournament.

"It was a very hard fought game," said head coach Tim Hill II. "I thought both sides played with a lot of intensity and energy. I thought we were in control of the game the entire way until the seventh and eighth inning got away from us a little bit, but during that ninth inning the guys had some tough at-bats that became clutch hits for a big win."

Hill II sent freshman Lochlan Radloff (7-4, 3.23 ERA) to the mound, while Northwest Florida State head coach Doug Martin went with freshman Cooper Powell (5-0, 4.19 ERA) to counter.

The Manatees would open on the board first beginning with a one-out walk by freshman Myles Davis. After a double by sophomore Allan Gil Fernandez, classmate Luke Boykin would send a double to left to bring in Davis and Gil Fernandez before freshman Ben Ryan brought in Boykin with a double of his own. One batter later, sophomore Hayden Gustavson would pop a single to right to bring in Ryan to make it 4-0 SCF.

In the bottom of the second, the Raiders put their first runs on the board as freshman Sam Bradley would send a leadoff solo home run to left for his 10th of the season before redshirt sophomore Preston Murphy sent a two-run homer to left for his first of the season and cut the Manatees lead to 4-3.

At the top of the third, the Manatees began to extend their lead beginning with Boykin hitting a solo home run to left for his 16th of the season. After Ryan drew a walk, sophomore Mario Trivella would show his power as he sent a two-run homer to left for his seventh of the season to make it 7-3 SCF.

After the next two innings went scoreless, the Manatees would increase the lead further as Davis would bring in sophomore CJ Richard with a two-run homer to left for his sixth of the season and bump the Manatees' lead to 9-3.

In the bottom of the seventh, after redshirt freshman Cole Dement came in for Radlofff, the Raiders started to catch up and cut the lead to 9-7 after two sacrifice flies by sophomores Matt Farner and David Alvarez and classmate Sylas Boris scoring on an error. One inning later, the score would be tied at 9-9 after an RBI single by sophomore Mathew Keller and an RBI double by freshman Tristan Bittle before sophomore Daniel Hartley was able to finish the inning.

At the top of the ninth, the Manatees would put together their finishing touches with the rally they needed. After back-to-back singles by Trivella and sophomore Walker Vanecek before freshman Will Rawls came in to pinch run for Vanecek, Gustavson would line a single to right and bring in Rawls to make it 10-9 SCF. One batter later, freshman Clayton Evans would give the Manatees some insurance runs as he sent a double to right to bring in Trivella and Gustavson before freshman Mattie Counts brought in Evans with a single to right to make it 13-9 SCF. From there, Hartley was able to get out of the inning and seal the victory for the Manatees.

Both Radloff and Powell would earn a no-decision from their starts. Radloff gave up seven runs on nine hits with two walks and two strikeouts in six and a third innings, while Powell gave up four runs on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts in one and two-third innings.

Hartley would improve to 4-1 after giving up one run on four hits with four strikeouts in one and two-thirds innings of relief, while Dement gave up one run on no hits with one walk and two strikeouts in one inning of relief.

Sophomore Bryon Rincones would fall to 2-3 after giving up four runs on four hits in two-thirds of an inning of relief.

Five Manatees had a multi-hit game. It was Davis (3-for-5) and Gustavson (3-for-5) that lead the way in hitting as they each had three hits. Davis added two RBI, two runs and one walk, while Gustavson added two RBI, one run and one stolen base.

Boykin would lead the way offensively as he went 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs and three RBI, while Trivella (2-for-5) and freshman Holden Brauner (2-for-4) rounded out the order also with two hits each. Trivella would also add two runs and two RBI to the mix.

Richard (1-for-5, one run), Gil Fernandez (1-for-4, one run), Ryan (1-for-3, two runs, one RBI and one walk), Evans (1-for-4, two RBI, one run and two walks), Counts (1-for-1, one RBI) and Vanecek (1-for-1) had the remaining hits for the Manatees.

For the Raiders, Murphy would lead the way offensively as he went 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI.

Other Regional Scores:

Pensacola State (27-19) defeated #7 Florida Southwestern (39-14) 12-6 in the Fort Myers Regional.

Central Florida (35-16) defeated #11 Indian River State (34-15) 13-4 in the Fort Pierce Regional.

Miami Dade (31-21) defeated #12 Gulf Coast State 5-3 in the Panama City Beach Regional.

Regional Schedule (May 2):

#25 SCF vs #18 Northwest Florida State (@2 pm/1 pm central) - Niceville Regional

#12 Gulf Coast State vs Miami Dade (@ 3 pm/ 2 pm central) - Panama City Regional

#11 Indian River State vs Central Florida (@1 pm/12 pm central) - Fort Pierce Regional

#7 Florida Southwestern vs Pensacola State (@1 pm/12 pm central) - Fort Myers Regional

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to go for the sweep over Northwest Florida State Saturday afternoon, May 3 at 2 pm (1 pm eastern). 

SCF Baseball Reach NJCAA Top 25 Polls

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team rose in the ranks nationally as they landed at #25 in the NJCAA National Poll on Monday. 

The Manatees had a busy and important week in their last four games of the regular season.  On Tuesday, they would win an 12-11 extra inning game over then #11 Florida Southwestern (now #7). Following that win over #11 FSW, the Manatees would head into the weekend against St. Pete College where they would sweep them by scores of 12-2, 7-4 and 13-2. As a result, they would finish in third place in the Citrus Conference with a helping hand from then #7 Indian River State (now #11) winning a doubleheader and the series over then #21 Central Florida. 

The Manatees finished the regular season 35-19 with nine wins over Top 25 ranked opponents at the NJCAA Division I and II levels. SCF will now focus on the postseason where they will be on the road in a best-of-three series Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in the Nicevillw Regional at the NWFSC Baseball Complex.

SCF Baseball Takes Win Over SPC; Secures Playoff Spot

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (33-19, 18-13 Citrus) pulled off a second walk-off win as they defeated St. Pete (9-37, 6-25 Citrus) 12-2 in six innings via the mercy rule. As a result of their win, the Manatees clinched an automatic spot in the NJCAA Region 8 State Baseball Tournament.

"It was a nice win for sure and that win also clinched a state tournament spot for us so that was big," said head coach Tim Hill II. "After a rough start, Aidan pitched pretty well and anytime you run rule somebody, the bats must have done some good things. Just about everybody contributed. We're looking to close out the season on a positive note on Saturday to get some momentum headed to the playoffs next week."

"Overall, I felt the team did great," said freshman Mattie Counts. "We attacked early and didn't let off the gas from start to finish. Aidan (Ray) gave us a great effort on the mound limiting their offense, working out of jams and gave us a chance to run up the score. Our goal when we face St. Pete on Saturday is to relentlessly attack, quickly jump on their pitching and trust our pitchers to throw strikes while controlling the game and playing clean defense to help our pitchers stay efficient."

"I thought the team did great," said freshman Clayton Evans. "We played hard and stayed focused the entire game. For Saturday, we just need to stay locked in, play our game and finish strong."

Hill II sent freshman Aidan Ray (3-2, 4.42 ERA) to the mound, while St. Pete head coach Oscar Espada went with sophomore Andres Bermudez (1-2, 9.11 ERA) to counter.

The Titans would end up on the board first at the top of the first after an RBI triple by sophomore Jose Rangel and an RBI single by freshman Drew Pynes made it 2-0 St. Pete. The Manatees would respond in the bottom half of the inning beginning with a one-out walk by freshman Myles Davis, sophomore Allan Gil Fernandez being hit by a pitch and freshman Ben Ryan drawing a walk to load the bases, sophomore Mario Trivella would get hit by a pitch and bring in Davis and reload the bases for freshman Mattie Counts. On a 3-1 count, the transfer from the University of South Florida would clear the bases with a double to make it 4-2 SCF. One inning later, the Manatees would extend the lead to 5-2 after an RBI single by sophomore Luke Boykin drove in freshman Holden Brauner.

In the bottom of the third, the Manatees would continue adding to their lead. After a two-out single by sophomore Connor O'Sullivan and a walk by freshman Clayton Evans, Brauner would send a single to center and bring in O'Sullivan before Davis brought in Evans with a single to left to make it 7-2 SCF. One inning later, Counts would bring in Boykin with an infield single to make it 8-2 SCF.

The Titans would try to score a run at the top of the fifth off of a single by freshman Lenin Nunez, but a strong throw by Brauner would tag out sophomore Mel Rubiera at home and prevent the Titans from scoring.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Manatees would bump their run total to double digits beginning with leadoff double by Evans before moving to third on a fly out. Davis would then send a single to left to bring Evans. After Gil Fernandez reached on a fielding error, Boykin would send a double to center and bring in Davis to make 10-2 SCF. One inning later with O'Sullivan hitting a pop single to center, Evans would seal the victory for the Manatees as he hit a two-run home run to left for his third of the season and walk off the game.

"It felt amazing," said Evans on the walk-off home run. "I just wanted to help the team and I'm glad I came through."

Ray would improve to 4-2 after throwing a six-inning complete game, giving up two runs on seven hits with one walk and five strikeouts.

Bermudez would fall to 1-3 after giving up five runs on three hits with two walks and one strikeout in two innings. Freshman Logan Zavala gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits with two walks and one strikeout in two and a third innings of relief, while sophomore Gabriel Vargas gave up two runs on two hits in one inning of relief.

Six Manatees had a multi-hit game. It was Counts that would lead the way offensively as he went 2-for-4 with four RBI.

"I felt good at the plate tonight," said Counts. "I'm definitely happy to see myself getting back on track with hard contact when my team needs it, especially in the later stages of the season when we're looking to make a playoff run."

Evans (2-for-3) and Davis (2-for-3) would follow with two hits and two RBI each. Evans added three runs, one walk and one stolen base, while Davis added two runs and one walk.

Brauner (2-for-4) and O'Sullivan (2-for-4) rounded out the order with two hits each as well. Brauner added one run, one RBI and one stolen base, while O'Sullivan added two runs and one stolen base.

Nunez would be the leader in hitting for the Titans as he went 2-for-3 with a run at the plate, while Rangel (1-for-3) and Pynes (1-for-3) each drove in a run.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

Seminole State College of Florida (28-21, 16-15 Citrus) 7, Daytona State (13-29, 11-20 Citrus) 1

Hillsborough (19-29, 11-20 Citrus) 11, Santa Fe (23-25, 14-17 Citrus) 3

#21 Central Florida (34-14, 19-12 Citrus) 9, #7 Indian River State (32-14, 22-9 Citrus) 5

#11 Florida Southwestern (37-13, 22-9 Citrus) 7, Polk State (27-26, 14-17 Citrus) 4

Miami Dade (28-21, 16-15 Citrus) 5, Eastern Florida State (29-19, 17-14 Citrus) 3

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #11 Florida Southwestern (37-13, 22-9) *

2. #7 Indian River State (32-14, 22-9) *

3. #21 Central Florida (34-14, 19-12) *

4. SCF (33-19, 18-13) *

5. Eastern Florida State (29-19, 17-14)

6. Miami Dade (28-21, 16-15)

7. Seminole State College of Florida (28-21, 16-15)

8. Polk State (27-26, 14-17) e

9. Santa Fe (23-25, 14-17) e

10. Hillsborough (19-29, 11-20) e

11. Daytona State (13-29, 11-20) e

12. St. Pete (9-37, 6-25) e

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to go for the sweep over St. Pete as they play them in a doubleheader at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon, April 26 at 1 and 4 pm. Freshman Lochlan Radloff (7-4, 3.33 ERA) will start game one, while sophomore Oscar Hernandez (7-4, 5.27 ERA) will start game two.

SCF BVB Opens States with Split

Lakewood Ranch, Fla - The SCF beach volleyball team (8-5) were able to start off strong to open their portion of the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament at the UMR Sports Complex as they defeated Lake Sumter State (8-13) 3-2 before falling to Palm Beach State (16-8) 3-2.

FSCJ vs SJR:

On Thursday, St. John's River State (3-15) open the state tournament with a qualifier as they shutout Florida State College at Jacksonville (0-9) to face Palm Beach State in the next round.

PBSC vs SJR:

Following their victory over Florida State College at Jacksonville, Palm Beach State would shutout St. John's River 5-0 to advance to the winner's bracket, while the Vikings fell into the loser's bracket.

SCF vs Lake Sumter:

The Manatees would open with a quick victory as the freshmen duo of Aleksandra Wrobel and Addison Beaver defeated the duo of sophomores Cassidy Rountree and Leanne Blue 21-14, 21-13 at the #2 spot. The sophomore duo of Bailee Perry and Isabella Rebimbas would follow with a two-set victory over sophomores Berklee Andrews and Allie Cox 21-14, 21-11 at the #4 spot.

Needing only to clinch one more match, the duo of sophomore Kayla Gentry and freshman Rhea Kohl defeated sophomore Kaylee Hunt and Yarelis Lopez Osorio 21-7, 21-12 at the #1 spot to help the Manatees advance to the winner's bracket and face Palm Beach State.

Despite the Manatees winning the first three matches, play would resume as the Lakehawks would win at the #3 and #5 spots in three sets. The Lakehawks would move down to the loser's bracket.

LSSC vs SJR:

Following SCF's win, Lake Sumter would defeat St. John's River State 3-1 to advance in the loser's bracket while St. John's ended their season.

SCF vs PBSC:

The Manatees opened quickly with Wrobel and Beaver defeating the duo of Marilyn Cesaro and Aleksandra Hamuda at the #2 spot before Perry and Rebimbas defeated Giovanna Bock and Patrycja Kabala at the #4 spot, but the Panthers ultimately took the remaining pairs to advance to the finals of the tournament.

Up Next:

The Manatees would look to keep their playoff hopes alive as they face Lake Sumter in the loser's bracket Saturday morning, April 20 at 11 am. If they win, then they will automatically qualify for the NJCAA Beach Volleyball Championship in Huntsville, Alabama. If they lose, they will await for a chance for an at-large bid.

SCF VB Concludes Their Season

Lake Worth Beach, Fla - The SCF volleyball team (14-9) concluded their season for 2023 at the FCSAA/NJCAA DII Region 8 Tournament in Lake Worth Beach as they split their last two matches shutting out Lake Sumter State (15-12) 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 28-26) in the quarterfinals before being shutout by #12 Gulf Coast State (19-5) 3-0 (23-25, 24-26, 17-25) in the semifinals.

#13 Pensacola State (31-3) would defeat Gulf Coast State 3-0 in the finals to qualify for an automatic spot in the NJCAA National Volleyball Tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

SCF vs Lake Sumter State:

The first set saw the Manatees getting off to a little rocky start, but after a few modifications, the Manatees were able to take the first set after a Lake Hawk attack error. The second set continue would be have 12 ties and six lead changes, but a final kill from freshman Aleksandra Wrobel would seal the second set for the Manatees.

Heading into the third set, the Lake Hawks would once again scare the Manatees down the stretch after tying the set at 24 apiece before possibly taking the set, but a Lake Hawk net violation would keep the set going to another tie at 26 apiece after a kill by sophomore Isabella Rebimbas before a double block by Wrobel and freshman Teresa Briefender and kill by Wrobel sealed the deal for a Manatee win.

Sophomore Katie Keefe would be the offensive leader of the match as she finished with 13 kills, one assist, two aces, four digs and a block. Rebimbas would follow with nine kills and one dig, while sophomore Bailee Perry rounded out the order with seven kills, one ace, one assist and eight digs.

In setting, freshman Morgan McGuire would finish one dig shy of a double-double as she finished with 32 assists, one kill, one ace and nine digs.

Defensively, Wrobel would lead the back row defense with a career-high 17 digs to go along with six kills, two assists, one ace and two blocks, while Briefender lead the front row defense with three blocks to go along with four kills, one assist and one dig.

Sophomores Kloe Pinto (four digs and one assist), Rachel Carroll (three digs and one assist), Caelan Cook (three kills, two digs and one block) and Emily Lyons (six digs) also contributed in the match.

For the Lake Hawks, sophomore Kaylee Hunt lead the way offensively with 18 kills, two aces, nine digs and two blocks, while classmate Jayden Ponsford lead the defense with 18 digs and one assist. In setting, freshman Emily Warner finished with 25 assists, three kills and five digs.

After SCF's win, #13 Pensacola State shutout St. John's River State (24-13) 3-0 to advance to the semifinals.

SCF vs #12 Gulf Coast State:

The first two sets were nail biters as the Manatees cut the Commodores lead and even took the lead in the second set, but the Commodores would pull it together and seal it before finalizing the third set, despite the Manatees attempting a brief comeback.

Wrobel would lead the way offensively with 10 kills, one ace, six digs and two block. Keefe would follow with six kills, two assists, one ace, seven digs and five blocks, while Perry rounded out the order with five kills, one ace, 10 digs and three blocks.

McGuire would lead the way in setting with 20 assists, four digs and one block, while freshman Elise Bakken would add seven assists and two digs.

Defensively, aside from Keefe's blocks and Perry's digs, Carroll would also lead the back row with 10 digs while sophomore Shelby Pillow added two blocks and three kills.

Rebimbas (three kills), Briefender (two kills), Cook (two kills, one ace and three digs) and Lyons (two digs) also contributed in the final match.

After SCF's loss, Pasco Hernando (14-10), who were the #1 seed that received a first round bye, would fall to Pensacola State by a score of 3-0.

Notes:

Following the end of the tournament, Wrobel and Keefe were named as members to the FCSAA DII All-Tournament Team.

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to focus on beach volleyball season for 2024 spring semester.

We thank all of our sophomores, coaches and support staff for their contributions to this season and we also wish Pensacola State the best of luck in route to Iowa for nationals.

SCF VB Takes Home Conference Awards

Lake Worth, Fla - While the SCF volleyball team (13-8) prepare for their goal of winning the FCSAA DII State Championship, three of the players secured yearly honors for their hard work on the court. Freshman Aleksandra Wrobel would secure a spot on the All-Sun Lakes South Division First Team, while sophomore Caelan Cook and Katie Keefe would land a spot on the All-Sun Lakes South Division Second Team. Additionally, Wrobel would secure a spot on the All-FCSAA DIIAll-NJCAA Region 8 Team.

Wrobel, a native of Poland, finished her part of the regular season with 164 kills, 16 aces, 108 digs and 20 blocks.

Keefe, a native of London, England and a transfer from the Stetson University beach volleyball team has 114 kills, 14 aces, 105 digs and 23 blocks. After this season, Keefe will be transferring to Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona for beach volleyball.

Cook earns her first conference award in her collegiate career. Currently, the native of Indian Harbour Beach has 108 kills, 16 aces, 89 digs and 18 blocks. Throughout her two years with the Manatees, Cook has 300 kills, 18 aces, 181 digs and 35 blocks.

The Manatees will look to keep their postseason dreams alive as they will open the championship tournament in the quarterfinals against Lake Sumter State (15-11).

Sun Lakes Player of the Year: Kiara Vega (Pensacola State)

All-Sun Lakes North Division First Team:

Izzy Denton (Gulf Coast State)

Kaylee Hunt (Lake Sumter State)

Jaiden Rogers (Gulf Coast State)

Anyaliz Rodriguez (Pensacola State)*#

Gianna San Filippo (St. John's River State)*

Kiara Vega (Pensacola State)*

All-Sun Lakes North Division Second Team:

Annabell Chancy (Gulf Coast State)

Cadence Goeden (Pensacola State)

Lauren Herz (St. John's River State)

Martina Soler Marti (Florida State College at Jacksonville)

Maddie Mire (Pensacola State)

Yarelis Lopez Osorio (Lake Sumter State)#

All-Sun Lakes South Division First Team:

Kylie Ciani (Pasco Hernando State)*

Kelsey Dodd (South Florida State)

Patrycja Kabala (Palm Beach State)

Elizabeth McDonald (Pasco Hernando State)*

Zuzanna Michalska (Palm Beach State)

Aleksandra Wrobel (SCF)*

All-Sun Lakes South Division Second Team:

Ashlyn Banton (Palm Beach State) #

Caelan Cook (SCF)

Haley Ebbert (Pasco Hernando State)

Isabella Griefenstein (Pasco Hernando State) #

Ahnika Johnston (St. Pete College)

Katie Keefe (SCF)

All-FCSAA DIIAll-NJCAA Region 8:

Kylie Ciani (Pasco Hernando State)*

Izzy Denton (Gulf Coast State)

Kelsey Dodd (South Florida State)

Kaylee Hunt (Lake Sumter State)

Elizabeth McDonald (Pasco Hernando State)*

Zuzanna Michalska (Palm Beach State)

Yarelis Lopez Osorio (Lake Sumter State)

Jaiden Rogers (Gulf Coast State)

Anyaliz Rodriguez (Pensacola State)*

Gianna San Filippo (St. John's River State)*

Kiara Vega (Pensacola State)*

Aleksandra Wrobel (SCF)*

*Denotes as a unanimous decision

#Denotes as a two-time selection

Dulcie 'Cookie' Stevens Player of the Year: Kiara Vega (Pensacola State)

SCF Volleyball Set for FCSAA Tournament

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF volleyball team (13-8) will look to keep their dreams alive and running to go national bound, but in order for them to do that, they must face their current challenge this week as they will travel to Lake Worth to participate in the two-day FCSAA DII/ South Atlantic District Volleyball Championship Tournament at the Elisabeth W. Erling Gymnasium, hosted by Palm Beach State College. The Manatees, who will be listed as the #3 seed in the tournament, will face the #6 seed Lake Sumter State (15-11) Friday morning, November 3 at 10 am.

Final Sun Lakes Conference Standings:

North - 

1. #15 Gulf Coast State (18-4, 11-2, 7-1) #

2. #10 Pensacola State (28-3, 12-1, 7-1) #*

3. Lake Sumter State (15-11, 7-6, 3-5) #

4. St. John's River State (24-12, 7-6, 3-5) #

5. Florida State College at Jacksonville (8-15, 3-10, 0-8) e

South - 

1. Pasco Hernando State (14-9, 9-4, 7-1) #

2. SCF (13-8, 6-7, 5-3) #

3. Palm Beach State (6-16, 6-7, 4-4) e

4. South Florida State (5-11, 3-10, 3-5) e

5. St. Pete (5-15, 1-12, 1-7) e

* Conference Champions

# Clinched playoff berth

e Eliminated from playoff contention

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of splitting their last two matches of conference play where they fell 3-2 to Pasco Hernando State Wednesday, October 18 before defeating Palm Beach State Saturday, October 21 on their 'sophomore day'. The win over Palm Beach was what helped the Manatees secure a spot in the championship and bump up to second place in south division play.

Following the closing of their part of the regular season, the Manatees warmed up with two scrimmages against the IMG Academy U18 and U16 National Teams.

Tournament Breakdown:

The FCSAA DII Volleyball Championship Tournament is single elimination where six teams will compete at. The team that loses their match is eliminated from the tournament and ends their season. The winner of the final match will win the tournament and represent the Gulf District as one of 16 teams for the NJCAA National Volleyball Tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Pasco Hernando State (15-8) will be listed as the #1 seed, while #12 Gulf Coast State (18-4), who are the reigning and defending state champions is listed as the #2 seed. As a result of their seedings, both teams will receive a first round bye.

The following listed are the six teams that qualified for the and their seedings:

#1 Pasco Hernando State (15-8)

#2 (#12) Gulf Coast State (18-4)

#3 SCF (13-8)

#4 (#10) Pensacola State (28-3)

#5  St. John's River State (24-12)

#6 Lake Sumter State (15-11)

November 3 - 

Match 1: #3 SCF vs #6 Lake Sumter @ 10 am

Match 2: #4 (#10) Pensacola State vs #5 St. John's River State @ 1 pm

Match 3: #2 Pasco Hernando vs Match 1 winner @4 pm

Match 4: #1 (#12) Gulf Coast State vs Match 2 winner @ 7 pm

November 4 - 

Match 5:  Match 3 winner vs Match 4 winner, 1 pm (FCSAA Championship)

Award Winners:

Prior to the start of the tournament, the FCSAA Athletics Commissioner Rob Chaney and Steve Winterling, the Sun Lakes Conference Chairman and Pasco-Hernando State Athletic Director, presented the yearly awards to several players.

Sun Lakes Player of the Year:

The Sun Lakes Conference Player of the Year was crowned to sophomore Kiara Vega. Vega, a setter from Lake Mary, Florida finished the regular season with 1,114 assists (#11 in the nation; 10.51 assists per set: #3 in the nation), 38 aces, 285 digs and 34 blocks. Additionally, she was named a member of the All-Sun Lakes North Division First Team and the Dulcie 'Cookie' Stevens Player of the Year award as the best player overall in NJCAA Region 8.

All-Sun Lakes First Team:

For the Manatees, freshman Aleksandra Wrobel was named to the All-Sun Lakes First Team. Wrobel, a native of Poland, finished her part of the regular season with 164 kills, 16 aces, 108 digs and 20 blocks. In the final match against Palm Beach State, Wrobel had a double-double of 12 kills and 11 digs to go along with five blocks.

Members from the other teams are as listed:

Gulf Coast State - Izzy Denton and Jaiden Rogers

Pensacola State - Kiara Vega and Anyaliz Rodriguez

Palm Beach State - Patrycja Kabala and Zuzanna Michalska

South Florida State - Kelsey Dodd

St. John's River State - Gianna San Filippo

Lake Sumter State - Kaylee Hunt

Pasco Hernando State - Kylie Ciani and Elizabeth McDonald

All-Sun Lakes Second Team:

Representing the Manatees on the All-Sun Lakes Second Team are sophomores Katie Keefe and Caelan Cook.

Keefe, a native of London, England and a transfer from the Stetson University beach volleyball team has 114 kills, 14 aces, 105 digs and 23 blocks. After this season, Keefe will be transferring to Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona for beach volleyball.

Cook earns her first conference award in her collegiate career. Currently, the native of Indian Harbour Beach has 108 kills, 16 aces, 89 digs and 18 blocks. Throughout her two years with the Manatees, Cook has 300 kills, 18 aces, 181 digs and 35 blocks.

Members from the other teams are as listed:

Gulf Coast State - Annabell Chancy

Pensacola State - Maddie Mire and Cadence Goeden

Palm Beach State - Ashlyn Banton

St. Pete College - Ahnika 'AJ' Johnston

Florida State College at Jacksonville - Martina Soler Marti

St. John's River State - Lauren Herz

Lake Sumter State - Yarelis Lopez Osorio

Pasco Hernando State -Haley Ebbert and Isabella Griefenstein

All-FCSAA/NJCAA DII Region 8 Team:

Aditionally, Wrobel was named a member of the All-FCSAA DII/NJCAA Region 8 Team.

Members from the other teams are as listed:

Gulf Coast State - Kylie Ciani, Jaiden Rogers

Pensacola State - Kiara Vega and Anyaliz Rodriguez

Palm Beach State - Zuzanna Michalska

St. John's River State - Gianna San Filippo

South Florida State- Kelsey Dodd 

Pasco-Hernando State - Kylie Ciani, Elizabeth McDonald

Lake Sumter - Kaylee Hunt, Yarelis Lopez Osorio

Scouting #12 Gulf Coast State:

The Lady Commodores, who bumped up to three spot in the NJCAA Top 20 National Polls, are coming off of a 3-0 shutout over Coastal Alabama - South in their season finale. They were originally in second place in the north division to secure a spot in the state tournament, however they were able to edge pass Pensacola State in a tiebreaker iof points (Gulf Coast State: 136; Pensacola State: 134). As a result, they would finish first in the north division and were named the #2 seed in the tournament..

On offense, freshman Jaiden Rogers leads the way with 137 kills and 35 blocks, while sophomore Erica Irby follows with 134 kills, 70 digs and 23 blocks.

In setting, freshman Isabel Mulita leads the way with 362 assists, 22 aces and 152 digs, while sophomore Breanna Tanton follows with 298 assists and 148 digs.

Defensively, sophomore Izzy Denton leads the way with 314 digs, 84 assists and 16 aces, while freshman Abigail Willis leads the front row with 82 blocks (75 block assists) and 99 kills.

Scouting Pasco Hernando State:

The Lady Bobcats are coming off of 3-2 loss to Hillsborough to conclude their season. They were named the Sun Lakes South Division Champions and secured the #1 seed in this year's state tournament. 

Freshman Elizabeth McDonald is currently leading the offense and part of the front row defense as she leads with 279 kills, 42 aces, 181 digs and 31 blocks (18 solo). Sophomore Kylie Ciani follows with 249 kills, 26 aces and 218 digs.

In setting, sophomore Haley Ebbert leads with 314 assists, 28 aces and 110 digs, while freshman Alyssa Bentley follows with 290 assists, 18 aces and 108 digs and classmate Kiersten Osborne adds 252 assists, 28 aces and 148 digs.

Defensively, freshman Blake Samon leads with 38 blocks (23 solo) to go along with 27 kills, while sophomore Elena Castillo-Wetzell leads the back row defense with 139 digs and 11 aces.

Scouting #13 Pensacola State:

The Lady Pirates, who are the #4 seed in the tournament and are ranked #13 in the nation, are coming off of closing their portion of the season on the road in Alabama for the last five matches. They would sweep the first part of the trip in Andalusia where they defeated Enterprise State CC 3-1 before shutting out Lurleen B. Wallace CC 3-0. On the second leg of their Alabama trip, the Pirates would compete in the Calhoun CC Warhawk Showdown in Decatur where they would fall to host Calhoun by a score of 3-2 before shutting out Enterprise State CC and Bevill State CC both by a score of 3-0. While they did have the best record in conference play, they would finish behind Gulf Coast State in the north division through a tiebreaker in points.

Sophomore Anyaliz Rodriguez leads the way offensively for the Lady Pirates as she currently has 425 kills (ranks #13 in the nation; 3.94 kills per set ranks tied for #11 in the nation), 28 aces, 345 digs and 54 blocks. Classmate Paige Patterson adds 200 kills and 62 blocks, while freshman Cadence Goeden adds 264 kills and 56 blocks.

In setting, sophomore Kiara Vega joins Rodriguez on the All-Sun Lakes North Division First Team. Vega currently has 1,114 assists (ranked #8 in the nation; 10.51 assists per set ranks #3 in the nation), 39 kills, 38 aces, 285 digs and 84 blocks. 

Defensively, freshman Maddie Mire leads the back row with 545 digs (tied for #32 in the nation) to go along with 46 aces, while classmate Riley Carter leads the front row with 78 blocks (16 solo), 171 kills and 19 aces.

Scouting St. John's River State:

The Lady Vikings, who enter the state tournament as the #5 seed in the tournament, are coming off of a 3-2 win over Indian River State to conclude their season.

Sophomore Gianna San Filippo leads the Lady Vikings' offense and front row defense as she currently has 285 kills and 120 blocks (92 solo; tied for #17 in the nation), while classmate Brittany Cowart follows with 216 kills and 70 blocks (45 solo) and freshman Becky Thiem adds 199 kills and 52 blocks (33 solo). Alongside San Filippo, Cowart and Thiem, sophomore Katelynn Wright (175 kills, 126 digs and 22 blocks) and freshman Zoey Matichak (193 kills, 24 aces and 267 digs) help move around the offense for the Lady Vikings.

In setting, sophomore Taylor Delaney and freshman Gianna Mora lead the way with 500 plus assists (Delaney: 555; Mora: 550). Delany also has 71 aces (tied for #18 in the nation) and 261 digs, while Mora adds 42 aces, 54 kills, 226 digs and 28 blocks (21 solo).

On defense, apart from San Fillipo, Cowart and Thiem in the front row, freshman Lauren Herz leads the back row defense with 638 digs (#15 in the nation), 100 assists and 42 aces.

Scouting Lake Sumter State:

The Lakehawks, who are the #6 seed in the tournament, are coming off of a 3-0 shutout win over Trinity College of Florida. They would finish in fourth place in the north division.

Sophomore Kaylee Hunt leads the offense for the Lakehawks with 295 kills, 29 aces, 308 digs and 43 blocks, while classmate Yarelis Lopez Osorio follows with 241 kills, 25 aces and 340 digs. Freshman Emily Warner leads all the players in setting with 546 assists, 36 aces and 234 digs.

Defensively, freshman Sydni Hunter leads the front row with 57 blocks and 90 kills, while sophomore Saniaa Dickey has 276 digs and 32 aces.

How to Keep Up:

All five matches will air on the FCSAA Digital Network and fans can keep up with the Manatees on all social media platforms:

Livestream Link -  https://team1sports.com/fcsaa/

Social Media Links - 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SCFvolleyball

X - https://twitter.com/SCFVolleyball?s=09

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/volleyball_scf/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D

SCF Baseball Takes Home State Accolades

Lakeland, Fla - As the final four of the NJCAA South Atlantic District commences Friday afternoon, the RV SCF baseball team (35-24), #2 College of Central Florida (48-6), #11 Miami Dade (33-14-1) and RV Northwest Florida State (32-17-1) gathered together at Publix Field at Joker Merchant Stadium for the 2023 All-NJCAA Region 8 DI State Team. The Manatees were able to take two of the three main awards for it.

The Manatees will look to keep their eyes on the prize as they will face Miami Dade in the first game.

NJCAA Region 8 DI Player of the Year:

For the FCSAA DI Player of the Year, the award was presented to sophomore Kevin Karstetter. Karstetter is the first Manatee since C.J. Alexander (2018) to win the award. Additionally, he was named a member of the All-NJCAA Region 8 First Team.

Karstetter is currently batting .421 with 101 hits, 69 runs, 30 doubles, 12 home runs, 76 RBI and 16 stolen bases. He ranks in the top 50 in the nation in the following categories: At-bats (240, #1), hits (101, #1), runs (69, tied for #26), doubles (30, #1) and RBI (76, #9).

During Conference, Karstetter was named the Suncoast Player of the Year after the Manatees won the Suncoast Conference Championship. Through his three year with the Manatees, he has set seven program records as listed: career at-bats (648 and counting), career hits (233 and counting), career runs (166), career doubles (58 and counting), career RBI (167 and counting), and the longest hitting streak (31 straight games). He is four doubles away from setting the single season doubles record held by Paul Stryhas (33, 1997) and 10 hits away from breaking Al Corbeil's single season hit record (110, 1999).

NJCAA Region 8 DI Pitcher of the Year:

The FCSAA DI Pitcher of the Year was awarded to freshman Michael Forret. Forret, who was named the Suncoast Conference Pitcher of the Year, is 11-2 with a 3.33 ERA, 17 walks and 104 strikeouts in 78.1 innings pitched. Forret joined Karstetter on the All-NJCAA Region 8 First Team.

Forret's 11 wins are #1 in the state and #4 in the nation.

NJCAA Region 8 DI Fireman of the Year:

Sophomore Cam Schuelke from Central Florida was named the FCSAA DI Fireman of the Year. Schuelke, who was named the Mid-Florida Conference Fireman of the Year, is 7-1 with a 0.96 ERA, eight saves, 10 walks and 66 strikeouts.

NJCAA Region 8 DI Defensive Player of the Year:

Freshman Kareh Valentin from Central Florida was named the NJCAA Region 8 DI Defensive Player of the Year. Valentin, who was named the Mid-Florida Conference Defensive Player of the Year, is batting .398 with 84 hits, two home runs and 65 RBI offensively, while he posted a .970 fielding percentage after committing only five errors in 168 chances.

All-NJCAA Region 8 First Team:

Alongside Karstetter and Forret, sophomores Lucas Ismaili and Mario Lopez, Jr. were also named to the All-NJCAA Region 8 First Team.

Ismaili, who was named a member of the Suncoast First Team, is batting .397 with 83 hits (#17 in the nation), 56 runs, eight home runs and 66 RBI (#22 in the nation).

Lopez, who was also named a member of the Suncoast First team, is batting .320 with 56 hits, 43 runs, 19 doubles (#42 in the nation), six home runs and 56 RBI.

All-NJCAA Region 8 First Team:

The following names also joined Karstetter, Forret, Ismaili and Lopez on the All-NJCAA Region 8 First Team:

#3 CCF: Juan Correa, Edwin Toribio, John Morant

Pensacola State: Blayden Plain

Santa Fe: Josh Hogue, Tobin Marin

St. Pete: Andrey Martinez

Florida Southwestern: A.J. Shaver

#11 Miami Dade: Wooyeoul Shin, Herrick Hernandez

Tallahassee CC: Marcos Dinges

Gulf Coast State: Carson Dorsey

All-NJCAA Region 8 Second Team:

The following players were named to the All-NJCAA Region 8 Second Team -

#3 CCF: Kareh Valentin, Brian Holiday 

Santa Fe: JP Herrholz, Drake Harman

RV Northwest Florida State: Colby Jones, Scott Mulder, Ramsey David

Indian River State: Vincent Samuel, Raul Feliz

Florida Southwestern: Derek Williams

#11 Miami Dade: Max Galvin

Seminole State (FL): Kishon Frett, Johander Irigoyen

Polk State: Nelson Taylor, Evan Koehler

Pensacola State: Josiah Glodfelter

All-NJCAA Region 8 Gold Glove Team:

The following names were named to the All-NJCA Region 8 Gold Glove Team by position -

1B - Wooyeoul Shin (Miami Dade)

2B - Carter McCully (Pensacola State)

3B - Brady Browing (Chipola)

SS - Kareh Valentin (Central Florida)

OF - Jahlani Rogers (Santa Fe)

OF - Nelson Taylor (Polk State)

OF - Albert Serano (Florida Southwestern)

C - Eddiel Tolentino (Eastern Florida State)

SCF Baseball Set for State Final Four

Bradenton, Fla - The RV SCF baseball team (35-24) will now focus on their next journey in the FCSAANJCAA South Atlantic District Championship Final Four at The Publix Field at Joker Merchant Stadium in Lakeland. The Manatees will open their part of the final four against #11 Miami Dade (33-14-1) Friday afternoon, May 12 at 1 pm.

RV Northwest Florida (32-17-1) and #2 College of Central Florida (48-6) will also be joining the Manatees and Sharks in the final four.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees, who are the Suncoast Conference Champions, are coming off of winning the Bradenton Regional in the state tournament by defeating #9 Santa Fe 2-1 in the best of three series. They would win game one 4-3 and lose game two 5-4 before shutting out Santa Fe 10-0 in six innings. This is the first time since 2019 that the Manatees will head to the state tournament.

In playoff games, the Manatees are 18-16 overall.

Breakdown of Tournament and What's at Stake:
FCSAANJCAA South Atlantic District Championship Final Four consists of the four teams that won their respected regional. The four teams will play in double elimination style tournament. Once a team loses two games, they are eliminated from the tournament. The winner will secure a spot in the NJCAA College Baseball World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado and represent the South Atlantic District.

The King Reigns:

Sophomore Kevin Karstetter has been one of the glues of the Manatees hitting for the entire season. Karstetter, who will be transferring to Arizona State University, is batting .424 with 101 hits, 68 runs, 30 doubles, 12 home runs, 76 RBI and 15 stolen bases. During conference, he was named the Suncoast Conference Player of the Year and a member of the All-Suncoast First Team.

In the finale against #9 Santa Fe, he went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. In the full regional, he finished 5-for-12 (.417), one home run, three RBI and five runs. Additionally, Karstetter is one of the nations top hitters in the following categories: At-bats (236, #1), hits (100, #1), runs (68, tied for #26), doubles (30, #1) and RBI (76, #9).

Outside of the nation, Karstetter has set several records for the Manatees in batting as listed: career at-bats (648 and counting), career hits (233 and counting), career doubles (58 and counting), career RBI (167 and counting), and the longest hitting streak (31 straight games). He is four doubles away from setting the single season doubles record held by Paul Stryhas (1997) and 10 hits away from breaking Al Corbeil's single season hit record (110, 1999).

Dirty Tall Rocket Fire:

Freshman Michael Forret has been the ace of the Manatees starting pitchers this season. Forret was named the Suncoast Conference Pitcher of the Year and a member of the All-Suncoast First Team. In fact, he was recently named a member of the NJCAA DI JUCO All-Digs Team as one of 10 pitchers in the nation with the best defense. Currently, Forret is 11-2 overall with a 3.33 ERA, 17 walks and 104 strikeouts in 78.1 innings. In the first game against #9 Santa Fe, he threw a nine inning complete game with nine strikeouts. His 11 wins are tied for #4 in the nation, while his strikeouts ranked #9 in the nation and his innings pitched is at #11 in the nation.

Joining Forret is classmate Ed Wagner, who was also named a member of the All-Suncoast First Team. While he did fall in the second game against #9 Santa Fe, Wagner still has a good record as he is 8-2 (#40 in the nation in wins) with a 3.67 ERA, 32 walks and 68 strikeouts in 73.2 innings (#34 in the nation).

Powering Up:

Aside from Karstetter's power, sophomores Lucas Ismaili and Mario Lopez, Jr. have been showcasing some power for a while.

Ismaili is batting .397 with 83 hits (#17 in the nation), 56 runs, eight home runs and 66 RBI (#22 in the nation). The upcoming transfer for the University of South Alabama was named a member of the All-Suncoast First Team.

Lopez is batting .320 with 56 hits, 43 runs, six home runs and 56 RBI. He went 1-for-3 with two RBI in the finale against #9 Santa Fe while being named a member of the All-Suncoast First Team.

Freshman Jayce Blalock has also shown some power in his swing too. Blalock, despite not playing many games this season, is batting .262 with 22 hits, 15 runs, five home runs and 21 RBI.

Walking the Sands of Time:

When it comes to reaching base, sophomore Brayden Woodburn and freshman Erick Almonte lead the way. Woodburn is batting .341 with 71 hits, 68 runs (#26 in the nation), seven home runs, 42 RBI, 24 stolen bases and 50 walks (#6 in the nation), while Almonte is batting .325 with 63 hits, 59 runs, two home runs, 38 RBI, 13 stolen bases and 41 walks (#35 in the nation). 

Both were named members of the All-Suncoast First Team. Additionally, Woodburn has 90 career walks with the Manatees and is 10 shy of surpassing Jody Reed (59, 1982) for the single season record and 20 from breaking Joey Collis (109, 1994-95) for the career walks record. 

Defensive Prowl:

Sophomore Liam Moreno has been a factor of defense in the outfield. Moreno is batting .292 with 31 hits, 38 runs, one home run and 14 RBI while maintaining a 1.000 fielding percentage with nine assists. In the final game against Santa Fe, Moreno made several catches, including a diving catch in the fifth inning, while finishing 1-for-2 with a run.

Hybrid Game:

Sophomores Ben Gilbert and Richie Morales play key roles as the hybrid players on the team.

Gilbert, who was named a member of the All-Suncoast Second Team, is batting .290 with 40 hits, 30 runs, three home runs and 28 RBI while on the mound he is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA, three saves, 13 walks and 32 strikeouts. He went 1-for-2 with an RBI against Santa Fe. He will be transferring to Florida Atlantic University after SCF.

Morales, who was also named a member of the All-Suncoast Second Team before transferring to the University of Arizona, is batting .299 with 41 hits, 36 runs, one home run, 22 RBI and 15 stolen bases, while on the mound he is 2-0 with a 3.12 ERA, two saves, three walks and nine strikeouts.

Coming to Aid:

Sophomore Connor Hults and freshman Liam Best are the primary relief pitchers that helped set the tone on the mound. Both were named on the All-Suncoast Second Team

In his lone season, Hults is currently 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA, 18 walks and 39 strikeouts in 22.2 innings. He will be transferring to Florida State University.

Best is 3-0 with a 3.56 ERA, 26 walks and 49 strikeouts in 30.1 innings.

Riding Wild:

Sophomores Ryan Stefiuk, Victor Sanchez and Austin Dearing and freshmen Evan Mastromauro and LT Cockrill remain as key wildcards for the Manatees.

Stefiuk is coming off of his best outings on the mound as he threw a six-hit shutout with five strikeouts in the finale against Santa Fe. He is currently 3-3 with a 4.54 ERA, 36 walks and 62 strikeouts in 73.1 innings.

Sanchez was one of the key parts in the finale against Santa Fe as he went 1-for-3 with two RBI. The two RBI he had played big part of the Manatees winning the game by mercy rule. Sanchez is currently batting .290 with 40 hits, 23 runs, three home runs and 26 RBI.

Dearing is batting .291 with 41 hits, 33 runs and 15 RBI.

Mastromauro is batting .298 with 17 hits and 10 RBI.

Cockrill is batting .261 with 18 hits, 16 runs, one home run and 16 RBI.

Scouting #3 CCF:

The Patriots, who are ranked #2 in the nation and are the Mid-Florida Conference Champions, are coming off of sweeping the Ocala Regional over Florida Southwestern (Southern Conference runner-up) by scores of 11-3 and 12-6. Out of the four regionals, they were the only team with a clean sweep. The Patriots are lead by head coach Marty Smith. Smith, who enters his 29th season as head coach, was named the Mid-Florida Head Coach of the Year for the sixth time in his career and remains one of two active coaches in the state to reach 800 wins.

At the plate, freshman Edwin Toribio leads the way offensively. Toribio, who was named the Mid-Florida Player of the Year, is batting .409 with 88 hits (#5 in the nation), 20 home runs and 72 RBI. In fact, his 20 home runs ranked tied for #9 in the nation.

Following Toribio at the plate is sophomores Juan Correa, John Morant and Bradke Lohry and freshmen Kareh Valentin and Kainen Jorge.

Correa is batting .366 with 67 hits, 19 home runs and 60 RBI. He was named a member of the All-Mid-Florida Conference First Team and his 19 home runs ranked tied for #12 in the nation.

Morant is batting .460 (#11 in the nation) with 74 hits, 12 home runs and 55 RBI. He was named on the All-Mid-Florida Conference First Team.

Lohry is batting .349 with 45 hits, 11 home runs and 36 RBI. He was named on the All-Mid-Florida Conference Second Team.

Valentin is batting .398 with 84 hits (#14 in the nation), two home runs and 65 RBI. For his defense, he had 122 assists and a .970 fielding percentage. As a result, he was named the Mid-Florida Conference Defensive Player of the Year along with being named a member of the All-Mid-Florida Conference First Team.

Jorge is batting .296 with 59 hits, 13 home runs and 51 RBI.

On the mound, sophomores Brian Holiday and Cam Schuelke and freshman Isaac Sewell lead the way.

Holiday is 8-0 with a 3.01 ERA, 28 walks and 106 strikeouts. He was not only named a member of the All-Mid-Florida Conference First Team, but joined Forret on the NJCAA DI JUCO All-Digs Team.

Schuelke, the closer for the Patriots, is 7-1 with a 0.96 ERA, eight saves, 10 walks and 66 strikeouts. Alongside being named a member of the All-Mid-Florida Conference First Team, he was named the Mid-Florida Conference Fireman of the Year.

Sewell leads the Patriots in wins. He is 9-2 with 3.73 ERA, two saves, 20 walks and 56 strikeouts.

Scouting RV NWFS:

The Raiders, who are the Panhandle Conference Champions and are receiving votes in the NJCAA Top 20 polls, are coming off winning the Niceville Regional 2-1 against Polk State. They would the first game 5-3 and win the second game 14-8 before winning the deciding game 14-11. They are lead by head coach Doug Martin. Martin, who enters his 14th season as head coach, was named the Panhandle Conference Coach of the Year this year.

Leading the way at the plate for the Raiders offense is sophomore Blake Cavill and freshman Kendry Maduro.  Cavill, who was named a member of the All-Panhandle Conference First Team, is batting .362 with 58 hits, 14 home runs and 46 RBI. The Australian helped the Raiders advance to the final four as he hit a walk-off three run home run to win the game over Polk State. Maduro is batting .274 with 46 hits, 14 home runs and 43 RBI. He was named a member of the All-Panhandle Conference Second Team.

On the mound, sophomore Ramsey David and freshman Kyson Witherspoon lead the way. David is 5-1 with a 3.03 ERA, 32 walks and 82 strikeouts, while Witherspoon is 6-2 with a 3.11 ERA, 29 walks and 67 strikeouts.

Scouting #11 Miami Dade:

The Sharks, who were the Southern Conference Champions and are #11 in the nation, are coming off of winning the Miami Regional 2-1 over Pensacola State. They would win the first game 11-3 in seven innings and lose game two 5-2 before winning the decider by a score of 6-0. The Sharks are lead by head coach Adrian Morales. Morales, who enters his fourth season with the Sharks, was named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year for the third straight year.

At the plate, sophomore Wooyeoul Shin lead the way on offense. Shin, who has committed to the University of Miami, is batting .417 (#48 in the nation) with 65 hits, 15 home runs (#33 in the nation) and 45 RBI. Classmate Jose Hernandez follows Shin batting .295 with 54 hits, 11 home runs and 43 RBI. Both Shin and Hernandez were named on the All-Southern Conference First Team.

Leading the Sharks on the mound is sophomore Herick Hernandez. Hernadez is 8-3 with a 2.70 ERA, 32 walks and 45 strikeouts. Alongside being named a member of the All-Southern Conference First Team, he was named the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year.

Classmate Kader Rabagh follows as he is 5-3 with a 2.68 ERA, two saves, 18 walks and 40 strikeouts. He joined Hernandez on the All-Southern Conference First Team.

Final Four Schedule:

Friday, May 12 - 
#11 Miami vs RV SCF @ 1 pm (game one)
RV Northwest Florida vs #2 College of Central Florida @ 5 pm

Saturday, May 13 - 

Game one loser vs game two loser @ 1 pm
Game one winner vs Game two winner @ 5 pm

Sunday, May 14 - 

Game four loser vs Game three winner @ 1 pm

Game four winner vs Game five loser @ 5 pm

Monday, May 15 (if necessary) - 

Game six winner vs Game six loser (if team loses) @ 11 am.

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be provided via GameChanger with all six to seven games airing livestream on the FCSAA Digital Network. Fans can also keep up with the Manatees on Twitter.

GameChanger Link: https://gc.com/t/spring-2023/state-college-of-florida-baseball-63d48f85286d367aef01de22

FCSAA Livestream: https://team1sports.com/fcsaa/

Twitter: SCF Manatees (@SCFManatees) or SCF Baseball (@SCFBaseball)

SCF Baseball Dances to States

Bradenton, Fla - After falling in game two and being forced to play a third game, the dreams for the next focus became a reality for the RV SCF baseball team (35-24) as they punched their ticket to the NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament Final Four by shutting out #9 Santa Fe (40-10) 10-0 in six innings via the 10-run playoff mercy rule.

"I'm just really proud of the guys," said head coach Tim Hill II. "They worked their butts off and we faced a really good team. Ryan (Stefiuk) put up an amazing shutout and the guys coming out the gate and they were so focused. I couldn't be more proud of them, not just because they're good ballplayers, but are a fun group that I said from the beginning."

"From the beginning of the year, we wanted to win," said sophomore Kevin Karstetter. "They (Santa Fe) came out here to force a third game, but it did not matter because we are going to Lakeland for the first time in a while and that's all that matters."

"I think everybody rolling into the field today was very optimistic and very comfortable coming into this game," said sophomore Ryan Stefiuk. "Santa Fe is a very good team and in order to win, we have to pitch well, get ahead on defense and hit, which we did all three of those tasks. Just looking forward to playing in Lakeland."

"Santa Fe is a very good team with very good defense," said sophomore Victor Sanchez. "We were a big family and I'm happy that we worked together and won as a team."

Hill went with Stefiuk (2-3, 4.95 ERA) to start game three while Santa Fe head coach Johnny Wiggs went with sophomore Jacob Phillips (5-1, 5.62 ERA).

At the top of the first, Stefiuk would get into some trouble after the Saints hit back-to-back singles, but thanks to sophomore Richie Morales and freshman Erick Almonte getting redshirt sophomore JP Herrholz to turn a double play, Stefiuk would strikeout sophmore Jahlani Rogers to end the top half.

In the bottom of the first, the Manatees would get on the board first beginning with Morales leading off with a walk and stealing second. After Almonte bunted and reached base on a fielding error by Phillip, and moved Morales to third, Karstetter would line a single to left and bring in Morales. Sophomore Lucas Ismaili would then draw a walk to load the bases before Wiggs pulled Phillips and sent sophomore Jalen Hudson to the mound.

After the pitching change, sophomore Mario Lopez would smack a single to left to bring in Almonte and Karstetter. After Sanchez drew a walk to reload the bases, the Saints would make another pitching change as sophomore Gavin Book would come in. After that, sophomore Ben Gilbert would hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Ismaili and make it 4-0 SCF.

In the bottom of the second, Karstetter would show why he was named the Suncoast Conference Player of the Year as he belted a two-run homer to left to bring in Morales for his 12th of the season and increased the Manatees' score to 6-0. In the bottom of the third, Almonte would then extend the lead to 7-0 after bringing in sophomore Liam Moreno.

While the Manatees kept their lead, Stefiuk and the defense played a big part at the top of the fifth. After Stefiuk gave up a lead off single from freshman Corey Filley, sophomore Hunter Keen would try to add another hit to the board, but Karstetter's quick reaction got him to dive after a line drive for the out. Two batters later, Herrholz would send a fly ball that was going foul, but Moreno would make an incredible diving catch to keep the Saints from getting another runner on base.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Manatees added their final runs of the game. After a leadoff single by Karstetter and an Ismaili walk, sophomore Brayden Woodburn would pop a single to center to bring in Karstetter and move Ismaili to third. After Lopez was intentionally walked to load the bases, all eyes turned to Sanchez to make something happen. On a 1-0 count, the transfer from Chipola College would line a single to left and bring in Ismaili and Woodburn to seal the deal.

"When I got up to the plate to get a hit, my mind was saying 'I need to help my team in someway' and that's what I did with my team," said Sanchez on the game-winning hit.

"I told Victor the inning before to stay focused," said Hill on Sanchez. "If you get up next inning, then you have a chance to win the game for us."

Stefiuk would improve to 3-3 after throwing a six-inning six-hit shutout with two walks and five strikeouts.

"I felt pretty good," said Stefiuk on his game. "I knew the difference in the game was going to be me limiting that one inning. In comparison to my last few games, there is always one inning that bites me on the butt, so I was trying to limit as much as I could to get ahead and luckily I was able to do it."

Phillips would finish his sophomore season 5-2 after giving up three runs (two earned) on one hit with one walk in no innings pitched.

Eight of the Manatees in the lineup had at least one hit in the game. Karstetter would lead the way in hitting and offense as the Suncoast Player of the Year finished 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and three runs.

"I felt good," said Karstetter. "When it come down the line, you want to win and I was super focused today. While I had to make up some ground for the first two games, it paid off with a team win."

"While he didn't swing the bat like he did all year, credit to Santa Fe's pitching where they threw good arms at us, Kevin busted out today," said Hill on Karstetter. "He was the man for sure"

Lopez and Sanchez would follow Karstetter offensively as they were both 1-for-3 with two RBI and a walk each.

Almonte (1-for-3, one RBI and one run), Ismaili (1-for-1, two runs and three walks), Woodburn (1-for-3, one RBI, one run and one walk), Gilbert (1-for-2, one RBI) and Moreno (1-for-2, one run) had the remaining four hits, while Morales (two runs, two walks and a stolen base) also contributed in the game.

For the Saints, freshman Drake Harman would lead the way in hitting as he finished 2-for-3 at the plate.

Notes:

With his three hits, Karstetter now has 233 career and 101 hits this season. He is the first Manatee to get 100 hits since Al Corbeil and is 11 away from breaking Corbeil's single season hit record (110, 1999).

With his one walk, Woodburn now has 50 this season and 90 in his career. He is 11 shy of surpassing Jody Reed (59, 1982) for the single season record and 20 away from breaking Joey Collis (109, 1994-95) for the career walks record. 

Other Regional Scores:

#14 Miami Dade (34-14-1) defeated Pensacola State (35-18) 6-0 in the third game and took the series 2-1.

#3 College of Central (48-6) defeated Florida Southwestern (31-23) and took the series 2-0 on Saturday.

Northwest Florida State (32-17-1) defeated Polk State (33-23) 14-11 on a walk-off homer. The Raiders took the series 2-1.

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to keep their focus in session as they prepare for Lakeland and the final four of the NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament. They will face Miami Dade in the opening round.

SCF Baseball Upsets #9 Santa Fe in Regionals

Bradenton, Fla - Freshman Michael Forret became the story of the game as the RV SCF baseball team (34-23) upset #9 Santa Fe (39-9) 4-3 at Robert C. Wynn Field for game one of regionals in the NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament.

"What a great ballgame it was for us, especially it being a playoff game," said head coach Tim Hill II. "Santa Fe is an excellent ball club and coach Wiggs has been doing it for a quite a while and knows what he's doing with great athletes. Fortunately, we came out on top and it was a really good win."

"I think right from the first pitch, we were a little more focused on this game where it's like 'no one is going to beat us on our field," said Forret. "We came focused, prepared and energetic. We did a good job and even if we only scored four runs, it was enough to get the win while the guys battled the balls in play with some great plays of their own, but overall we came in prepared for this game."

While Hill went with Forret to start the game, Santa Fe head coach Johnny Wiggs went with the Mid-Florida Conference Pitcher of the Year in sophomore Tobin Moran to counter.

For the first two innings, it was a pitcher's duel between Forret and Moran getting out, however Forret would have the advantage with five strikeouts after the top of the third.

In the bottom of the third, the Manatees would get on the board first. After sophomores Liam Moreno (reached on an error) and Richie Morales (hit by a pitch) reached base, freshman Erick Almonte would line a single to right to bring in Moreno for the first run of the game. Sophomore Lucas Ismaili would then groundout and bring in Morales to make it 2-0 SCF.

At the top of the fourth, the Saints would take their first lead of the game as freshman Josh Hogue would hit an RBI single before redshirt sophomore JP Herrholz would hit a two-run double to make it 3-2 Santa Fe. Even though the Saints had the lead, Forret remained calm and was able to finish the fourth.

After Forret shutdown the top of the fifth, the Manatees would fight back in the bottom half of the inning beginning with a leadoff double by Almonte and an infield single by sophomore Kevin Karstetter, sophomore Mario Lopez, Jr. would pop a single center to bring in Almonte to tie the game before sophomore Brayden Woodburn lined a single of his own to bring in Karstetter to make it 4-3 SCF.

From there, Forret would cruise through the sixth, seventh and eighth innings and prevent the Saints from scoring and reaching no more than first base. At the top of the ninth, Hill had sophomore Ben Gilbert warm up and be on standby in case Forret wanted to come out, but Forret made the decision to finish the game. With one final push and a strikeout to redshirt sophomore Jahlani Rogers, the Suncoast Pitcher of the Year would seal the deal for the win.

Forret would improve to 10-2 after throwing a complete game, giving up three runs on five hits with nine strikeouts.

"I kind of locked in after they (Santa Fe) had their inning and good teams usually have that kind of inning," said Forret. "After that, I locked in after their pitcher made me mad and when I get mad, I turn into a new kind of machine and that's what they got."

"I'm glad he pitched the entire game," said Hill on Forret. "While we were monitoring his pitch and he nearly reaches his limit and I'm glad he got the final three outs. He was definitely the story of the game tonight."

Moran would be hit his first loss and bump to 8-1 after giving up four runs (two earned) on seven hits with one walk and three strikeouts in four and a third innings. Sophomore Ryan Brown threw a third of a scoreless inning of relief, while freshman Chase Chappell threw three and a third scoreless innings of relief, giving up one hit with five strikeouts.

Almonte and Gilbert lead the way in hitting as they each had two hits and one stolen base. Almonte added one RBI and one run.

Karstetter (1-for-4, one run), Lopez (1-for-4, one RBI), Woodburn (1-for-3, one RBI and one walk) and sophomore Victor Sanchez (1-for-2) had the remaining four hits, while Ismaili (one RBI), Morales (one run) and Moreno (one run) also contributed in the game.

For the Saints, Herrholz lead the way offensively as he finished 1-for-4 with two RBI.

Notes:

With his one hit, Karstetter now has 230 career hits.

With his one walk, Woodburn now has 47 this season (87th in his career). He is now 18 away from surpassing Jody Reed (59, 1982) for the single season record and 23 away from breaking Joey Collis (109, 1994-95) for the career walks record.

Other Regional Scores:

#3 College of Central Florida (47-6) defeated Florida Southwestern (31-21) 11-3 in eight innings.

#14 Miami Dade (32-13-1) defeated Pensacola State (34-17) 11-3 in seven innings.

Polk State (32-21) defeated Northwest Florida State (30-16-1) by a score of 5-3.

Up Next:

The Manatees will to complete the sweep in regionals over Santa Fe. Freshman Ed Wagner (8-1, 3.63 ERA) will be given the nod to start for the Manatees, while the Saints will likely go with sophomore Corey Braun (6-1, 3.70 ERA).

While game two is at Wynn Field, the Manatees will be the away team for the game.

SCF Baseball Earns 13 Awards

Bradenton, Fla - As the SCF baseball team (33-23) set their focus on the NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament, 13 members of the the team have earned several recognitions to represent the Suncoast Conference. Seven players were named on the Suncoast First Team while five were named to the Suncoast Second Team.

"This was a very nice honor for all of our guys who were well represented on the all-conference teams," said head coach Tim Hill II. "They have played really well and it's been a fun group to be around as well as a very talented group."

Suncoast Conference Coach of the Year:

Hill II was named the Suncoast Coach of the Year for the third time in his career (2013, 2018).

"I'm just very proud to coach these guys on this journey," said Hill.

Suncoast Player of the Year:
This years' Suncoast Player of the Year was awarded to sophomore Kevin Karstetter. He is the first Manatees since CJ Alexander (2018) to win the Player of the Year Award. Karstetter was also named a member of the All-Suncoast First Team, which is his third All-Suncoast Team accolade in his career. 

"Kevin had a tremendous year after setting numerous records," said Hill on Karstetter. "I think the most impressive thing he did was that hitting streak he set, which is not easy to do in Florida. He by far is the best player in the conference."

Karstetter is currently batting .421 with 96 hits, 30 doubles, 65 runs, 11 home runs and 73 RBI. The upcoming Arizona State University transfer went 2-for-3 with an RBI in the final game against IMG Academy. Throughout his three-year career with the Manatees, Karstetter has already set six records in the Manatees' program history so far in at-bats (641 and counting), hits (229 and counting), runs (162 and counting), doubles (58 and counting), RBI (164 and counting) and the longest hitting streak (31 straight games). He is four doubles away from setting the single season doubles record held by Paul Stryhas (1997).

Suncoast Pitcher of the Year:
For Suncoast Pitcher of the Year, the award was given to freshman Michael Forret. Forret was also named on the All-Suncoast First Team. He is the first Manatee since Zach Attianese (2018) to win the Pitcher of the Year award. Forret is 10-2 this season with a 3.38 ERA, 17 walks and 95 strikeouts. He ranks #1 in the state and tied for #8 in the nation in wins.

"Michael had a tremendous year," said Hill on Forret. "Every time he took the mound, we knew we had a great chance to win. He is very competitive, has good stuff and knows how to pitch."

All-Suncoast First Team:
Alongside Karstetter and Forret, sophomores Lucas Ismaili, Brayden Woodburn and Mario Lopez, Jr. and freshmen Ed Wagner and Erick Almonte joined them on the All-Suncoast First Team.

Ismaili, who will be transferring to the University of South Alabama, is batting .402 with 84 hits, 55 runs, eight home runs and 65 RBI. He went 1-for-4 with a run in his last outing.

"Lucas is a very polished hitter," said Hill on Ismaili. "He handles the bat well and uses the whole field while driving in a ton of runs for us. Having him and Kevin (Karstetter) hitting back to back makes it tough for opposing pitchers to get through the lineup."

Woodburn, who will be transferring to the University of Tampa, is batting .340 with 70 hits, 69 runs, seven home runs, 41 RBI, 23 stolen bases and 47 walks (#7 in the nation). In his career, Woodburn has 86 career walks and is 19 away from surpassing Jody Reed (59, 1982) for the single season record and 24 away from breaking Joey Collis (109, 1994-95) for the career walks record.

"Brayden brought a lot of experience to our lineup," said Hill on Woodburn. "I know he was disappointed sitting out last year due to injury, but I'm sure glad he was back with us. Like Lucas, he is a player who uses the whole field and draws a lot of walks while playing a variety of positions for us very well, which is really good to have. He has some pop in his bat and is able to turn a game around at any time."

Lopez is batting .327 with 54 hits, 43 runs, six home runs and 51 RBI. He went 4-for-5 with a home run and four RBI in the win over IMG.

"Mario was a great addition to our team this year," said Hill on Lopez. "He's very tough behind the plate and does not give many at-bats away when he's hitting. He drove in a lot of runs for us and had some very big hits throughout the season."

Wagner is 8-1 with a 3.65 ERA, 30 walks and 66 strikeouts. He earned the win in the game against IMG Academy after throwing one scoreless inning.

"Ed was a big addition for us," said Hill on Wagner. "I knew he had a chance to be pretty good when he decided to come our way. It was just a matter of him getting healthy from an injury from last year. He threw some really good games for us this year and we're really counting on him in the postseason."

Almonte is batting .318 with 61 hits, 59 runs, two home runs, 40 RBI and 42 walks (tied for #23 in the nation). He went 1-for-5 in his last game.

"Erick did an awesome job for us," said Hill on Almonte. "He is a very talented player on both sides of the ball while getting some very big hits for us and being a good defender. Like Woodburn, he has drawn many walks to help and is a tough out for the other teams."

All-Suncoast Second Team:
For the All-Suncoast Second Team,  there were four that made it for SCF: sophomores Richie Morales, Ben Gilbert, Connor Hults and Victor Sanchez and freshman Liam Best.

Morales, who will be transferring to the University of Arizona, is batting .310 with 40 hits, 33 runs, one home run and 21 RBI at the plate. On the mound, he is 2-0 with a 3.12 ERA, two saves, four walks and nine strikeouts.

"Richie has been one of the keys to our team" said Hill on Morales. "He brings some toughness to our lineup and plays outstanding at shortstop, which is not an easy position to play on the field. He only committed two errors and made some outstanding plays. He is one of the big keys to our offense leading off and setting the table for the guys behind him to drive him in."

Gilbert, who will be transferring to Florida Atlantic University, is batting .275 with 36 hits, 30 runs, three home runs and 27 RBI at the plate while on the mound, he is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA, three saves, 13 walks and 32 strikeouts.

"Ben really helped to solidify our team when he started playing centerfield every day," said Hill on Gilbert. "He is an excellent defender and had some really key hits for us throughout this season. A very experienced and talented player who's willing to do anything to help our team. While we haven't been able to use him much as a closer due to some big conference wins that didn't require him to come in for, he is very tough one the mound and has a ton of strikeouts to show that he is very tough to hit off of."

Hults, who will transfer to Florida State University, is 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA, 18 walks and 39 strikeouts. In one of his best outings on the mound, he threw 10 strikeouts in the 7-6 win over St. Pete.

"Connor had a really good year coming out of the bullpen for us," said Hill on Hults. "He pitched some very key innings and got some big win for us. His fastball is very good and he has one of the best curveballs around. He's another guy with a lot of strikeouts and is very competitive on the mound. Like Ben (Gilbert), he is very tough to hit off of."

Sanchez is batting .301 with 40 hits, 24 runs, three home runs and 27 RBI.

"Victor had some good moments at the plate for us and has done a good job catching when we give Mario (Lopez) some rest," said Hill on Sanchez. "He's a very personable guy who brings some energy to the field."

Best is 3-0 on the mound with a 3.56 ERA, 26 walks and 49 strikeouts. In his last outing on the mound, he threw six innings with 10 strikeouts in the 14-1 win over Polk State.

"Liam has been a really big arm for us," said Hill on Best. "He has an excellent breaking ball as evidenced by all the strikeouts he has. He's another great player who I knew had a chance to be very good once he decided to come our way after recovering from an injury. Now, he is finally healthy and has been pitching really well down the stretch for us."

The Manatees will look to focus on #9 Santa Fe College (39-8) in the Bradenton Regional of the state tournament.