SCF VB Builds Up for 2025 Season

Bradenton, Fla - Court volleyball season has officially begun and practice time in the NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, USCAA, NCCAA, ACCA, CCCAA and NWAC is underway for all colleges and universities.

For the SCF volleyball team, they look to bounce back after a difficult outcome last season involving postponed and cancelled games due to the effect of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The Manatees, who finished last season 3-12 overall with a 3-12 record in the Sun Lakes Conference, will open with five scrimmages before opening their season in Sun Lakes Conference play against nationally ranked Pensacola State.

Second year head coach Courtney Bobo-McKenzie will lose two players from last season and looks to her eight sophomore returners, primarily Aryanna Spainhower, Ericka Freeman and Sarah Stouky, to help the seven newcomers she recruited during the offseason.

Five Players to Watch:

1. Aryanna Spainhower, So., Outside hitter/Right Side Hitter/Setter: Spainhower, a local product from Braden River High School, is coming off of finishing last season as the team's primary offensive player as she finished with 190 kills, 220 points, 17 assists, 16 aces, 27 blocks and 215 digs. Additionally, Spainhower was named as a member of the FCSAA 25 Dig Club one time and was named to the All-Sun Lakes Conference Second Team.

2. Erick Freeman, So., Middle Blocker/Right Side Hitter: Freeman, another local product from Braden River High School, joined the Manatees late September last season and was able to put together 42 kills,  32 digs and 22 blocks in 10 matches.

3. Liliana Palacios, Fr., Setter/Middle Blocker: Palacios, a native of Tampa, Florida, joined the Manatees for her freshman year after graduating from Freedom High School. She helped the Patriots to four straight appearances in the FHSAA 5A Girls State Volleyball Tournament.

4. Natalie Schwenk, So., Libero/Defensive Specialist: Schwenk, a native of Reading, Pennsylvania, returns for her second season after she finished last season with 129 digs, two aces and seven assists. After joining the team as a walk-on, she would then, during the season, earn a scholarship.

5. Abigail Jaquay, Fr., Middle Blocker/Right Side Hitter: A native of Wesley Chapel, Jaquay joins the Manatees from Wesley Chapel High School where she helped the Wildcats win three district championships and make four straight appearances in the FHSAA 5A Girls State Volleyball Tournament.

Five Matches to Watch:

1. vs Pensacola State (September 5): The Manatees open the regular season and Sun Lakes Conference play at home against Pensacola State, who finished ranked #11 in the NJCAA DII National Polls last season. After winning the NJCAA Region 8 DII State Championship, the Lady Pirates would play in the NJCAA DII National Tournament where they would finish 1-2.

2. vs Gulf Coast State (September 6): Following their match against Pensacola State, the Manatees will take on Gulf Coast State, who finished last season #5 in the NJCAA DII National Polls. After falling to Pensacola State in the finals of the NJCAA Region 8 DII State Championship, the Lady Commodores would qualify for the NJCAA DII National Tournament where they would reach the final four before finishing 2-2.

3. vs Trinity College of Florida (September 5): The non-conference match against Trinity College of Florida will be the first time both teams meet since October 12, 2023, where the Manatees were victorious. The Lady Tigers finished last season 5-17 in their first year as a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA).

4. at South Florida State (September 26): The Manatees look for another sweep over South Florida State after doing so last season. The Panthers finished last in the Sun Lakes Conference.

5. vs Palm Beach State (October 25): The match against Palm Beach State will be the Manatees' final regular season home match, which is also their sophomore day match. The Panthers finished fourth in the Sun Lakes Conference before falling to St. John's River State in the NJCAA Region 8 DII State Championship.

SCF VB Closes Season

Bradenton, Fla - While their playoffs chances are diminished, the SCF volleyball team (3-10, 3-10 Sun Lakes) will look to close their season with their final two road matches. The Manatees will first return to New Port Richey to take on Pasco Hernando State (12-11, 10-4 Sun Lakes) at the PHSC Gymnasium Wednesday night, October 30 at 6 pm before taking on St. Pete (10-8, 8-6 Sun Lakes) at the St. Pete Gibbs Campus Gymnasium Thursday afternoon, October 31 at 4 pm.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of their last three games on the road where they went 1-2. They would defeat Lake Sumter State 3-2 before falling to 3-2 to Florida State College at Jacksonville and 3-1 to St. John's River State.

Sophomore Soundoff:

While they were unable to have their 'sophomore day' match against Trinity College, sophomores Jaycie Sheean and Katrina Tallo played key roles for this season as their sophomore seasons wind down. Sheean currently has 96 kills, 14 aces, 56 digs and 13 blocks. In the game against Lake Sumter, She set career-highs in kills (13) and aces (4).

 Tallo has 28 kills, 77 digs and 16 blocks. In the last three matches, she had 28 digs and four kills.

Ultima Weapon:

Freshman Aryanna Spainhower continues to lead the way offensively and defensively for the Manatees. Spainhower currently has 170 kills, 11 aces, 192 digs and 27 blocks while putting together eight double-doubles in kills and digs. In the three matches on the road, Spainhower had a combined 59 kills, five aces, 53 digs and 13 blocks.

AK7 Setting:

Freshman Adasyn Konopka has been on the role since being named the starting setter for the remainder of the season. Konopka currently has 196 assists, 16 kills and 116 digs while putting together five double-doubles of assists and digs. In the last three matches, she had 109 assists, 10 kills and 42 digs, which included a season-high 39 assists against Florida State College at Jacksonville.

Defensive Back Line:

Freshmen Sarah Stouky, Johaliz Colon and Natalie Schwenk have played the back row defense profoundly for serve receive.

Stouky currently has 155 digs, eight aces and 13 digs in her name this season. In the match against St. John's River, she had one of her best outings in serving and defense as she had a season-high 20 digs and four aces.

Colon, who shares rotation with Stouky, currently has 143 digs, 14 assists and eight aces. In the match against St. John's River, she had three aces and 13 digs.

Schwenk, who started in the lineup the last two matches, currently has 116 digs in her name since being bumped up from walk-on to a scholarship player. Schwenk had a combined 34 digs in the last three matches.

Wildberries:

Freshmen Sabrina Calhoun, Ericka Freeman and Lily Shoemaker plays as the wildcards of the team.

Calhoun currently has 45 kills, nine aces, 56 digs and 10 blocks. She had eight kills and 12 digs in the match against St. John's River.

Freeman currently has 35 kills, 28 digs and 21 blocks. She had 13 kills, 11 digs and 13 blocks in the last three matches.

Shoemaker currently has 23 kills, 13 digs and 26 blocks, which included a combined nine blocks in the last three matches.

Scouting Pasco Hernando State:

The Bobcats are coming off of a finishing this past week 3-0 after defeating Lake Sumter 3-1 before shutting out St. John's River and Florida State College at Jacksonville 3-0. They are currently in third place in the standings and secured a spot in the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament.

Sophomore Elizabeth McDonald continues to lead the offensive onslaught for the Bobcats as she has 335 kills, 27 aces, 139 digs and 30 blocks.

Scouting St. Pete:

The Titans are coming off of finishing 2-1 in their last three matches where they shutout Florida State College at Jacksonville (3-0) and Lake Sumter (3-0) and lost 3-2 to St. John's River. They secured the final spot in the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament.

Redshirt sophomore Ranya Mehta leads the way offensively with 204 kills and 34 blocks.

How to Keep Up:

Both games will air livestream and fans can keep with the Manatees on Twitter.

Livestream Links:

@ Pasco Hernando - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjSJASib7q8

@ St. Pete - https://athletics.spcollege.edu/broadcast/watch

SCF VB Ready for Next Two Matches

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF volleyball team (1-4, 1-4 Sun Lakes) will look to get on the positive side and bounce back in their next two games as they travel to St. Pete to take on St. Pete College (4-5, 2-3 Sun Lakes) at the Gibbs Campus Gymnasium Thursday night, September 19 at 6 pm before returning home at Hal Chasey to take on Pasco-Hernando State (3-10, 2-3 Sun Lakes) Friday night, September 20 at 6 pm.

Sun Lakes Conference Standings:

1.#8 Gulf Coast State (12-2, 6-0)

2. RV Palm Beach State (10-2, 5-1)

3. #9 Pensacola State (11-3, 5-1)

4. St. John's River State (11-7, 3-2)

5. Indian River State (7-5, 3-3)

6. St. Pete (4-5, 2-3)

7. Pasco-Hernando State (3-10 2-3)

8. Lake Sumter State (5-5, 1-4)

9. Florida State College at Jacksonville (4-9, 1-4)

10. SCF (1-4, 1-4)

11. South Florida State (1-5, 1-5)

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of a tough match up this past weekend in the panhandle after falling to #8 Gulf Coast State (then #9) and #9 Pensacola State (then #10) both by a score of 3-0.

Freshman Aryanna Spainhower continues to lead the way offensively and in the back row as she has 49 kills and 73 digs so far. Sophomore Jaycie Sheean follows with 26 kills, two aces, 15 digs and 10 blocks, while freshman Sabrina Calhoun has 22 kills, 19 digs and four blocks.

On the setting side of things, sophomore Morgan McGuire leads the way with 73 assists and 40 digs while freshman Adasyn Konopka follows with 30 assists and 28 digs.

Defensively, aside from Spainhower, freshmen Johaliz Colon (five assists, two aces and 55 digs), Sarah Stouky (seven assists, one ace and 57 digs) and Natalie Schwenk (two aces and 36 digs) play strong in the back row, while sophomore Kat Tallo (nine kills, one aces, 22 digs and 10 blocks) and freshman Immani Brown (six kills, six digs and 11 blocks) run the front row defense.

Scouting St. Pete College:

The Titans are entering the matchup on a three-game losing streak after losing to Palm Beach State (3-2), Gulf Coast State (3-0) and Pensacola State (3-1). They are currently in sixth in the standings.

Redshirt sophomore Rayna Mehta leads the way for the Titans offensively as she has 104 kills, 17 digs and 10 blocks, while freshman Lucy Raines follows with 82 kills and 84 digs. Defensively, sophomore Larianys Serrano Santiago leads with 126 digs and 33 assists, while classmate Ahnika Johnston has 19 blocks and 47 kills.

Prior to playing SCF, the Titans will play Pasco-Hernando State Wednesday night, September 18 at 6 pm.

Scouting Pasco Hernando State:

Like St. Pete, the Bobcats are also entering their match with SCF on a three-game losing skid after falling to Santa Fe (3-2), Gulf Coast State (3-0) and Pensacola State (3-2). They are currently seventh in the standings.

Sophomore Elizabeth McDonald leads the Bobcats with 195 kills, 77 digs and 16 blocks, while Kendyl Okin follows with 103 kills, 15 aces, 33 digs and 38 blocks (12 solo). Defensively, sophmore Mallori Grey leads with 214 digs and 17 assists.

How to Keep Up:

Both matches will air livestream and fans can keep up with both teams on all social media platforms.

Livestream Links:

@ St. Pete - https://athletics.spcollege.edu/broadcast/watch

vs Pasco-Hernando State - https://team1sports.com/scfmanatees/

Social Media:

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

X - https://X.com/SCFVolleyball?s=09

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

SCF VB Set for Weekend Challenge

Bradenton, Fla. - After securing their first win of the season, the SCF court volleyball team (1-2, 1-2 Sun Lakes) will look to keep their momentum going for their first road trip of the season. The Manatees will travel six hours to the panhandle as they face #9 Gulf Coast State (10-2, 3-0 Sun Lakes) at the Billy Harrison Fieldhouse in Panama City Friday night, September 13 at 7 pm (6 pm central) before traveling to Pensacola to take on #10 Pensacola State (8-3, 2-1 Sun Lakes) at the Hartsell Arena Saturday afternoon, September 14 at 2 pm (1 pm central).

Sun Lakes Conference Standings:

1. Palm Beach State (9-1, 4-0)

2. #9 Gulf Coast State (10-2, 4-0)

3. #10 Pensacola State (8-3, 2-1)

4. Pasco-Hernando State (3-7, 2-1)

5. Indian River State (6-4, 2-2)

6.St. Pete (4-4, 2-2)

7. #25 St. John's River State (9-7, 1-2)

8. SCF (1-2, 1-2)

9. South Florida State (1-3, 1-3)

10. Lake Sumter State (4-3, 0-3)

11. Florida State College at Jacksonville (3-8, 0-2)

Last Time Out:

After falling in their first two matches to Indian River State (3-0) and Palm Beach State (3-0), the Manatees are coming off securing their first win of the season and in conference play at home after defeating South Florida State 3-2 in a come from behind victory.

They are currently tied for seventh in conference with Indian River State, but are eighth in the standings overall.

Super Saiyan Built Juggernauts:

The trio of sophomore Jaycie Sheean and freshmen Aryanna Spainhower and Sabrina Calhoun have been leading the offense for the Manatees on attacking.

Since making her debut with the Manatees this year from Purdue University - Northwest, Sheean has became a key part of the their offense. The native of Rockford, Illinois currently has 21 kills, eight digs, seven blocks and one ace. In the match against South Florida State, Sheean had a career-high 10 kills.

Spainhower had one of her best offensive and defensive games in her match with South Florida State as she secured her first collegiate double-double of 16 kills and 25 digs. The local product from Braden River currently has 30 kills, 49 digs, three aces and five blocks. Additionally, Spainhower's 25 digs put her in the FCSAA 25 Dig Club.

Calhoun currently has 18 kills, three aces and 10 digs in her name so far. Against South Florida State, she had 14 kills and three digs in the match.

Libero  Domination:

The freshmen duo of defensive specialists Johaliz Colon and Sarah Stouky have played strongly in the back row. Colon currently has 33 digs and three assists this season, while Stouky currently has 29 digs, five assists. In the match against South Florida State, Colon had 14 digs in her name, while Stouky had 15 digs and three assists.

Mighty Assist:

Sophomore Morgan McGuire plays a strong role at the setter position. McGuire currently has 43 assists, 16 digs and four blocks. She secured her eight career double-double against South Florida State as she had 34 assists and 11 digs.

Freshman Adasyn Konopka also plays a key part in assists as she has 30 assists and 26 digs. Konopka had four assists and seven digs against South Florida State.

Wildcard Status:

Sophomore Katrina Tallo and freshman Natalie Schwenk play as the wildcards of the team.

Tallo currently has five kills, 18 digs and eight blocks. She had a career-high 11 digs in the win over South Florida State.

Schwenk, the lone walk-on on the team, currently has 21 digs and two aces so far. The Pennsylvanian had nine digs and two aces against South Florida State.

Scouting Gulf Coast State:

The Lady Commodores are coming off of 3-0 win over St. Pete College. They are currently second in conference and are ranked #9 in the NJCAA Top 25 National Polls.

Freshman Danna Aguilera leads the offense as she has 146 kills, 11 aces and 119 digs while sophomore Morgan Langley leads the defense with 233 digs and nine aces.

Scouting Pensacola State:

The Lady Pirates are coming off of a 3-0 win over Florida State College at Jacksonville. They are currently ranked #10 in the NJCAA Top 25 National Poll.

Freshman Catie Woolf leads the offense with 110 kills, 12 aces, 79 digs and 12 blocks, while sophomore Maddie Mire leads the defense with 163 digs and 12 aces.

How to Keep Up:

Both games will air livestream and fans can keep up the Manatees on all social media platforms.

Livestream Links:

@ Gulf Coast State - https://www.commodoreproductions.com/live/

@ Pensacola State - https://piratenetwork.live/broadcastevents/

Social Media - 

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

X - https://X.com/SCFVolleyball?s=09

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

SCF VB Opens Season at Home

Bradenton, Fla. - With the 2023 season faded away in the distance, the SCF volleyball team will look to open the 2024 season at home at Hal Chasey Gymnasium as the Manatees welcome Indian River State (4-2) Friday night, September 6 at 5 pm, Palm Beach State (5-1) Saturday afternoon, September 7 at 1 pm and South Florida State Tuesday night, September 10 at 6 pm.  It will be the first time since the 2021 fall season that the Manatees open their season at home.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off off one of their best seasons since 2014 as they went 14-9 overall with a 6-7 record in the Sun Lakes Conference (5-3 in the south division). They would finish second in their division behind Pasco-Hernando State and qualify for the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament where they would shutout Lake Sumter State in the quarterfinals before falling to runner-up Gulf Coast State in the semifinals.

Following the end of their season, then head coach Lynn Burnett would take on a new role as the head coach for court volleyball and beach volleyball at New College of Florida (NAIA) in Sarasota.

Conference/Rule Changes:

The Sun Lakes Conference will go amongst another change this year as Indian River State will move their volleyball program to division two after dropping their women's basketball program this upcoming year. Additionally, because the number of teams expanded, the Sun Lakes will now be one full conference instead of being separated into two divisions. Additionally, all teams will be allowed to have up to two liberos per team.

The conference for division one and division two will be as listed:

Citrus Conference -

Florida Southwestern State

Miami Dade

Polk State

Daytona State

Santa Fe

Eastern Florida State

Hillsborough

Sun Lakes -

SCF

St. Pete

South Florida State

Palm Beach State

Gulf Coast State

Pensacola State

Florida State College at Jacksonville

Pasco-Hernando State

Indian River State

St. John's River State

Lake Sumter State

New Leader of the Pack:

After the departure of Burnett, a nationwide search took place to find a new head coach for the Manatees and in a successful move, the new head coach was decided: Courtney Bobo-McKenzie.

Bobo-McKenzie, a native of Tampa, joins the Manatees after four seasons being the head coach for Sumner High School in Tampa.

McKenzie is joined by assistant coach Eunyce Vercosa. Vercosa, a native of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, Vercosa, joined the Manatees in September 2023 as an assistant coach for the beach volleyball program before she was promoted to be the head coach where she helped the Manatees to a third-place finish in the NJCAA National Beach Volleyball Championship in May. She is also the current head coach for Premium Beach Volleyball Academy in St. Petersburg, Be Volleyball Academy, INC and Manatee High School. 

Additionally, Vercosa is a current beach volleyball player professionally in the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) where she has participated in numerous beach tournaments in Brazil and the US as well as several FIVB tournaments in Russia, Korea, Mexico and China with her highest finish being ninth on two occasions.

Bring in The Newcomers:

The Manatees will be without 12 players as they have graduated and/or continued playing volleyball collegiately: Bailee Perry, Kloe Pinto, Amee Beedle, Alannah McCaughey, Rachel Carroll, Elise Bakken, Isabella Rebimbas, Teresa Briefeneder, Shelby Pillow, Caelan Cook, Katie Keefe and Emily Lyons.

Despite that, Bobo-McKenzie was able to bring in nine newcomers to join the Manatees for the 2024 season.

Johaliz Colon:

A defensive specialist/setter from Davenport, Florida, Colon joins the Manatees after graduating from Davenport High School where she was a two-sport athlete playing both volleyball and flag football.

As a member of the flag football team, Colon helped the Broncos to a 5-5 record during her junior year. On the volleyball team, she helped the Broncos in the same year to the semifinals of the FHSAA 5A District Tournament while finishing her lone season with 14 kills, 55 aces, 239 digs and 17 assists before continuing to play at the club level for the Orlando Tampa Volleyball Academy.

Prior to Davenport High School, Colon played for Ridge Community High School during her freshman and sophomore years where she had six kills, 45 aces, 350 digs and 37 assists. There she helped the Bolts to appearances in the FHSAA 7A District Tournament.

Sabrina Calhoun:

An outside hitter from Zephyrhills, Florida, Calhoun joins the Manatees after graduating from Zephyrhills High School. As a player for the Bulldogs, Calhoun helped them to three straight appearances in the FHSAA 5A District Tournament.

Adasyn Konopka:

A setter from Riverview, Florida, Konopka joins the Manatees from All-In Volleyball Academy in Brandon, Florida.

Prior to All-In Volleyball Academy, Konopka played at East Bay High School in Gibsonton, Florida where in her lone season (junior year) with the Indians finished with 375 assists, 156 digs, 36 kills, 45 aces and six blocks while leading them to an appearance in the FHSAA 6A District Tournament.

Immani Brown:

A middle blocker from Orlando, Florida, Brown joins the Manatees from Lake Nona Volleyball Academy in Orlando where she helped them to win several tournaments, including a third place finish at club nationals.

During her time with Lake Nona, Brown also graduated from Econ River High School in Orlando, Florida.

Sarah Stouky:

A defensive specialist from Port St. Lucie, Florida, Stouky joins the Manatees after graduating Jensen Beach High School in Jensen Beach, Florida. As a member of the Falcons, Stouky helped them to a 25-6 overall record with a 2-0 record in 5A District 13, which would follow with a trip to the semifinals in the FHSAA 5A Girls Volleyball State Tournament.

Prior to Jensen Beach, Stouky played her first three years at Centennial High School in Port St. Lucie where she was a two-sport athlete playing both indoor volleyball and flag football for the Eagles before transferring.

On the flag football team during her freshman year, Stouky played in four games while helping the Eagles to an appearance in the FHSAA 2A Flag Football State Tournament. On the volleyball team, Stouky played four years on varsity where she helped the Eagles to four straight appearances in the FHSAA 7A District Tournament. 

Throughout her high school career, Stouky compiled a combined 901 digs, 125 aces, 254 assists, 1,293 receptions and 25 kills in her high school career.

Aryanna Spainhower:

A local product and outside hitter/setter from Bradenton, Spainhower joins the Manatees after graduating from Braden River High School where she was a three-sport athlete playing court volleyball, beach volleyball and flag football for the Pirates.

On the flag football team, Spainhower played her senior year where she was a wide receiver, linebacker and defensive end. Offensively, she had 68 catches for 851 yards (50.1 yards per game) and 15 touchdowns (12 receiving touchdowns), while defensively she had 44 tackles, one sack and eight interceptions. She would help the Pirates to an 18-2 record (3-0 in districts) and win the FHSAA 1A District Championship before helping them to the FHSAA 1A State Final Four. Additionally, she was named a member of the Herald-Tribune All-Area First Team.

On the beach volleyball team during her sophomore year, she helped the Pirates to an 8-4 overall record (5-3 in districts) while making an appearance in the FHSAA 1A District Tournament.

On the indoor volleyball team, Spainhower would play her junior and senior year on varsity for the Pirates where she finished with 339 kills, 49 aces, 29 blocks (16 solo) and 695 digs while being named a member of Herald-Tribune All-Area First Team. Additionally, she helped the team to two straight regional semifinal appearances in the FHSAA 5A State Volleyball Tournament.

Nora Leonard:

A outside hitter/defensive specialist from Inverness, Florida, Leonard joins the Manatees from Seven Rivers Christian School in Lecanto, Florida where she was a four-sport athlete playing court volleyball, basketball, tennis and softball.

Leonard first volleyball played at Osceola High School in Seminole, Florida for the junior varsity team where she helped the Warriors to a 5-3 overall record before transferring to Seven Rivers Christian School.

On the basketball team in her sophomore year at Seven Rivers Christian, Leonard played in 22 games for the Warriors where she averaged 0.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 0.6 steals per game while helping them to an appearance in the FHSAA 2A State Tournament.

On the softball team in her sophomore year, Leonard played in 11 games where she batted .143 with two hits, three runs and two RBI while helping them to an appearance in the FHSAA 2A State Softball Tournament.

On the tennis team for her junior and senior year, Leonard helped them to an appearance in the FHSAA 1A Districit Tournament her senior year.

For the volleyball team at Seven Rivers Christian, Leonard played three years on varsity where she finished with 122 kills, 74 aces, 11 blocks (four solo) and 428 digs while leading the Warriors to three straight appearances in the FHSAA 2A District 9 Tournament. Her junior year was her most productive as she finished with 73 kills, 42 aces and 195 digs.

Lily Shoemaker:

A middle blocker/right side hitter from Valrico, Florida, Shoemaker joins the Manatees from Bloomingdale High School in Valrico. As a member of the Warhawks, she played her senior where she finished with 102 kills, 40 blocks (22 solo), 31 digs and two assists while leading them to the final in the FHSAA 5A District 10 Tournament.

Natalie Schwenk:

A libero/defensive specialist from Reading, Pennsylvania, Schwenk joins the Manatees as a walk-on after graduating from Exeter Township High School in Reading, Pennsylvania. As a member of the Eagles, Schwenk helped them to the semifinals of the Berks County Interscholastic Athletic Association (BCIAA) girls volleyball tournament.

Key Returners:

Bobo-McKenzie was able to also bring back three returners to help the newcomers out: Katrina Tallo, Morgan McGuire and Jaycie Sheean.

Tallo, a middle blocker/right side hitter and local product from Sarasota, finished her freshman year with 42 kills, 17 assists, eight aces, 46 digs and 29 blocks (eight solo).

McGuire, a setter from Brandon, Florida finished her first year with 491 assists, 11 kills, 28 aces and 199 digs. Additionally, she put up seven double-doubles in assists and digs.

Sheean, a middle blocker/right side hitter from Rockford, Illinois, joined the Manatees after transferring from the University of Purdue - Northwest (NCAA II) last season where she sat out and utilized a medical redshirt.

Scouting Indian River State:

Indian River State is coming off of finishing last season 7-16 overall with a 1-13 record in the Citrus Conference before they dropped down to the Sun Lakes Conference this year. They are lead by first-year head coach Erin Ergle, who was the assistant coach for Indian River State last season.

The Pioneers are coming off of opening their first six matches of the 2024 season.  At the Viking Invitational in Leesburg, they would sweep Bishop State Community College (3-1), USC Lancaster (3-0), #16 Cape Fear Community College (3-0) and College of Southern Maryland (3-0) before falling in their home opener to Hillsborough (3-2) and Santa Fe (3-2). Prior to facing SCF, they will face Pasco-Hernando State Wednesday night, September 4.

Sophomore Katejion Robinson leads the way in offense and front row defense as she has 78 kills, nine aces, 59 digs and 13 blocks. Freshmen Amelia Langelier (48 kills, 12 digs and eight blocks) and Camryn Childers (47 kills, 13 aces and 60 digs) follow Robinson's offense, while classmate Maya Rhamy (18 assists and 95 digs) and rising sophomores Hannah St. Croix (29 kills, eight aces, 12 digs and 13 blocks) lead the defense.

Overall, the Manatees are 14-4 against the Indian River State. Last time both teams met was during the 2021 season where they split with the Manatees winning the first match 3-0 (forfeit) and losing the second match 3-0.

Scouting Palm Beach State:

Palm Beach State is coming off of finishing last season 6-16 overall with a 6-7 record in the Sun Lakes Conference. They would finish third behind SCF and fail to make the NJCAA Region 8/FCSAA DII State Volleyball Tournament, despite being the host of the tournament. The team is lead by head coach Drew Colvin, who enters his 18th season with the program and ninth as the head coach.

The Panthers are coming off off opening their season at the Viking Invitational in Palatka where they would sweep Monroe College (3-1), College of Southern Maryland (3-0), Bishop State Community College (3-2) and USC Lancaster (3-2) before splitting a doubleheader in Fort Pierce after defeating Santa Fe (3-2) before being swept by Hillsborough (3-0). They will play Pasco-Hernando State Wednesday night, September 4 prior to facing SCF.

Sophomore Patrycja Kabala leads the way offensively with 85 kills, 13 aces and 49 digs, while freshman Sophia Soderbeg leads the defense with 105 digs

Overall, the Manatees are 15-21 against the Panthers. In their last series, the Manatees swept Palm Beach State at home and on the road both by a score of 3-1.

Scouting South Florida State:

The Panthers are coming off of finishing last season 5-11 overall with a 3-10 record in the Sun Lakes Conference. They would finish fourth overall in the standings and would not qualify for the state tournament. 

The team is lead by head coach Kim Crawford, who enters her 22nd season as head coach. Key returners for the Panthers include Kelsey Dodd (39 assists, 12 aces and 282 digs; All-Sun Lakes First Team), Ce'Mone Jose (62 kills, 17 digs and 41 blocks) and Danielle Worthy (68 kills, 27 digs and 53 blocks).

Prior to playing SCF, the Panthers will take on St. Pete College Wednesday night, Sept 4.

Overall, the Manatees are 32-12 against the Panthers. Last time, both teams split their series with the Manatees winning 3-0 at home before losing 3-0 in Avon Park.

How to Keep Up:

All three matches will will air on the SCF Sports Network and fans can keep up with the Manatees on all forms of social media.

Livestream Link - https://team1sports.com/scfmanatees/?B=1014290

Social Media - 

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

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

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

SCF BVB Set for Nationals

Bradenton, Fla - Despite a heartbreaking loss at the NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament, the SCF beach volleyball team (8-6) will make their dream a reality for a national championship as they will travel 10 hours northwest to compete in the three-day nine-team NJCAA Beach Volleyball Championship at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama May 2-4. The Manatees will open their part of the tournament with pool play against Bryant and Stratton (0-4) and Richard Bland (20-11). 

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of finishing third in the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament at the UMR Sports Complex in Lakewood Ranch. They would defeat Lake Sumter State 3-2 in their opening match before falling 3-2 to eventual winners and defending champions Palm Beach State. They would try to go for the second automatic qualifying spot against Lake Sumter State, but they would fall 3-1.

Despite finishing third in the tournament, the Manatees were able to secure a spot in the national tournament as an at-large bid.

NJCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament Breakdown:

The NJCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament will be a nine-team tournament that is put into three pools of play. All three pools will play a series of round robin matches to determine the seed order of the tournament. Following round robin play

Palm Beach State (17-8) is the defending champions after winning the inaugural tournament last year.

Qualifying Teams:

Aside from their fellow conference members in Palm Beach State and Lake Sumter State (9-14), the following is the list of teams that will join the Manatees in the national tournament and the pool order:

Richard Bland (20-11) - Region 10*

Gaston College (9-19) - Region 10*

Sandhills (11-15) - Region 10*

Mesa (11-11) - Region 1*

Bryant and Stratton (WI) (0-4) - Region 4*

Trinidad State (1-10) - Region 9*

*Automatic Qualifier

Pool 1 -

Palm Beach State

Mesa

Gaston

Pool 2 -

Lake Sumter

Sandhills CC

Trinidade State

Pool 3 -

Richard Bland

SCF

Bryant and Stratton

Pairs Domination:

Leading the way our of the pairs is sophomore Kayla Gentry and freshman Rhea Kohl. Gentry and Kohl, who play as the #1 pair, are currently 11-2 overall as a pair. 

The freshman duo of Aleksandra Wrobel and Addison Beaver follow as they are 11-0 at the #3 spot. In fact, they are the only pair for the Manatees that are unbeaten.

Scouting Richard Bland:

Richard Bland College hails from Petersburg, Virginia and represents NJCAA Region 10. They are lead by head coach Stephanie Champine, who enters her second season as head coach.

The Statesmen are coming off of finishing first in the conference play as the regular season champions before winning the NJCAA Region 10 State Tournament after defeating Spartanburg Methodist (4-0) in semifinals and eventual runner-up Sandhill Community College (3-0).

Leading the way is the sophomore duo of Sarah Heath and Jordan Schlageter. The pair, who play as the #1 pair, are 5-5 overall and were named the NJCAA Region 10 Pair of the Year.

Last season, the Manatees split with the Statesmen winning the first match 3-2 before losing the second match 3-1.

Scouting Bryant and Stratton:

Bryant and Stratton hail from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin and represent NJCAA Region 4. They are lead by head coach Heather Curley, who enters her fifth season as head coach.

The Lady Bobcats played four matches where they lost of their matches. Despite that, they qualified for the national tournament automatically as they were the only college in Wisconsin with a beach volleyball program.

Times of Matches:

5/2:

Palm Beach State vs Gaston CC @ 10 am (9 am Central)

Lake Sumter State vs Trinidad State @10 am (9 am Central)

Richard Bland vs Bryant and Stratton @10:15 am (9:15 am Central)

Sandhills vs Trinidad State @ 11:30 am (10:30 am Central)

Mesa vs Gaston CC @ 11:30 am (10:30 am Central)

SCF vs Bryant and Stratton @ 3 pm (2 pm Central)

Lake Sumter State vs Sandhills CC @4:15 pm (3:15 pm Central)

Palm Beach State vs Mesa CC @ 4:15 pm (3:15 pm Central)

SCF vs Richard Bland @ 4:30 pm (3:30 pm Central)

How to Keep Up:

All matches will air on the NJCAA Network. Fans can also keep up with the Manatees on all social media platforms:

Livestream Link - https://www.njcaa.org/network/landing/index

Social Media Links - 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SCFvolleyball/ (SCF Volleyball)

X - https://twitter.com/SCFVolleyball (@SCFVolleyball)

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scfbeachvolleyball/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D (@SCFBeachVolleyball)

SCF Baseball Prepares for Non-Conference Play Upon Miami Dade

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (17-9, 7-5 Citrus) will put spring break in their rearview mirror and prepare for their next midweek game. The Manatees will welcome St. Pete College (9-15, 4-8 Citrus) to Robert C. Wynn Field Monday night, March 11 at 6 pm before they play Miami Dade (13-13, 7-5 Citrus) for their next Citrus Conference series. Game one will take place at the Kendal Campus Baseball Field in Miami Thursday night, March 14 at 5 pm before returning to Wynn Field for a doubleheader Saturday afternoon, March 16 at 1 and 4 pm.

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #17 Florida Southwestern (18-8, 9-3)

2. Indian River State (16-7, 8-4)

3. SCF (17-9, 7-5)

4. Miami Dade (13-13, 7-5)

5. Central Florida (15-11, 6-6)

6. Santa Fe (15-11, 6-6)

7. Polk State (16-14, 6-6)

8. Seminole State College of Florida (16-10, 5-7)

9. Hillsborough (15-12, 5-7)

10. Eastern Florida State (13-12-1, 5-7)

11. Daytona State (12-12, 4-8)

12. St. Pete (9-15, 4-8)

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of claiming their third series in Citrus Conference play where they defeated and upset #17 Florida Southwestern. They would win game one on the road in Fort Myers by a score of 11-3 in eight innings via the eight-run mercy rule. Following that, the series would head to Bradenton where they would split the doubleheader losing game one 11-5 before winning game two 13-7 to take the series.

Currently, the Manatees are tied for third place in the conference standings with Miami Dade.

Conquering the Breaking Balls:

Since his return from limited play last season, sophomore Brandon Clarke continues to have a strong fight on the mound as the ace for the Manatees. Clarke is currently 4-1 with a 4.86 ERA, 12 walks and 53 strikeouts. In his last start, the North Carolinian threw six innings with six strikeouts in the win over FSW.

Strong Bomb Hitting:

Leading the charge at the plate is sophomores Jalen Hairston and Santiago Ordonez and freshman Allan Gil-Fernandez.

Hairston has struggled in the last two weeks until his first collegiate grand slam set the tone to help the Manatees take the rubber game over Florida Southwestern. The upcoming Kentucky transfer is batting .365 with 38 hits, five home runs and 30 RBI.

Ordonez has been one of the more consistent batters in the games for hitting. The transfer from Florida State is batting .387 with 24 hits, one home run and 11 RBI. In the first game of the doubleheader, Ordonez hit his first collegiate home run and went 4-for-6 with four RBI.

Gil-Fernandez is batting .333 with 34 hits, four home runs and 38 RBI. In game one of the series, the Dominican native hit his first collegiate grand slam with a season-high seven RBI.

Pip Pip Hurray:

Freshman Pip Smalley has been consistent both on the mound and at the plate. Smalley is batting .351 with 26 hits, two home runs and 15 RBI while on the mound he is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and three strikeouts. He earned his first win of the season after throwing two-thirds of a scoreless inning of relief with one strikeout.

Zigging and Zagging the Mound:

Freshman Trevor Zeigler has been improving himself in the bullpen since joining the Manatees from the University of Cincinnati. Zeigler is 0-1 with a 4.76 ERA, two saves, 18 walks and 24 strikeouts. In his last outing, he threw two scoreless innings of relief with one walk and three strikeouts in the rubber game win over FSW.

Almonte's Groove:

Since his return to the lineup from injury, sophomore Erick Almonte has been hitting the ball well. Almonte is batting .408 with 20 hits, one home run, 11 RBI. He hit his first home run in the series finale over FSW

Running Wild:

Sophomores Luis Garrido, Ed Wagner, Preston Wetherell and Bryan Gomez and freshmen Hayden Gustavson, Walker Vanecek, Palmer O'Beirne and Luke Boykin play their part as the wildcard players.

Garrido is batting .347 with 33 hits, 10 RBI, 29 runs and six stolen bases.

Wagner is 2-3 with a 5.60 ERA, 15 walks and 41 strikeouts.

Wetherell, one of several hybrid players, is batting .264 with 14 hits, one home run and five RBI at the plate while on the mound he is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA, six walks and 11 strikeouts.

Gomez is currently 2-0 with a 4.87 ERA, 19 walks and 29 strikeouts. He will be given the nod to start the game against St. Pete on Monday.

Gustavson is batting .325 with 27 hits, one home run and 13 RBI.

Vanecek is batting .262 with 11 hits, one home run anf 15 RBI

O'Beirne is 4-0 with a 3.79 ERA, 12 walks and 27 strikeouts.

Boykin is batting .250 with 24 hits, two home runs and 22 RBI.

Scouting St. Pete:

The Titans are coming off of winning their series over Daytona State. They would fall in the first game by a score of 12-2 before winning their doubleheader by scores of 7-4 and 12-7. Currently, they are tied in last place in conference with Daytona State.

Sophomore Colton Pizzio leads the way in hitting as he is batting .414 with 24 hits and seven RBI, while classmate Brett Wagner leads the offense batting .382 with 21 hits, two home runs and 13 RBI.

Sophomore Esaid Pena still leads the Titans on the mound going 3-1 with a 3.73 ERA, 16 walks and 29 strikeouts.

The Manatees played the Titans earlier in the season (March 4) where they won by a score of 9-5.

Scouting Miami Dade:

The Sharks are coming off of winning their series over Santa Fe. They would win game one 10-0 in eight innings before splitting their doubleheader losing the first game 6-1 before winning the rubber game by a score of 8-5. In the standings, the Sharks are tied for third place with the Manatees, but are fourth due to their overall record.

At the plate, sophomore Geremy Garcia is batting .297 with 27 hits, four home runs and 26 RBI.

On the mound, sophomore Juan Miguel Fernandez, a transfer from University International College (USCAA), is 2-1 with 2.27 ERA, 19 walks and 38 strikeouts.

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be provided by GameChanger. The game on the road in Miami will air on TeamOneSports, while the games at SCF will air on the SCF Sports Network. Fans can also keep up with the Manatees on X (formerly known as Twitter)

Livestats Link -  https://web.gc.com/teams/wbkG6N4UTmsV/2024-spring-state-college-of-florida

Livestream Links:

SCF vs Miami Dade (Game One) - https://www.team1sports.com/college/?S=mdc

SCF vs SPC/Miami Dade (Doubleheader) - https://team1sports.com/scfmanatees/

X - https://twitter.com/SCFBaseball

SCF BVB Readies for Lake Sumter

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF beach volleyball team (6-2, 6-0 Region 8) will look to continue conference play on a strong note for their next matchup. The Manatees will first travel to Tavares, Florida to take on Lake Sumter State (4-3, 3-2 Region 8) at Hickory Point Beach Monday morning, March 4 at 11 am.

NJCAA Region 8 Standings:

1. SCF (6-2, 6-0)

2. Palm Beach State (7-4, 4-1)

3. Lake Sumter State (4-3, 3-2)

4. St. John's River State (1-8, 1-6)

5. Florida State College at Jacksonville (0-5, 0-5)

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of completing a sweep on the road in Palatka where they defeated St. John's River State and Palm Beach State both by a score of 3-2. The sweep in conference play kept them in first place in conference.

As far as the leading pair, sophomore Kayla Gentry and freshman Rhea Kohl lead the way for the Manatees as the #1 pair as they are 6-0 this season. In fact, they are the only unbeaten pair on the Manatees so far. Additionally, Kohl is 7-0 overall in pair play as she also has a win with freshman Aleksandra Wrobel.

Wrobel and freshman partner Addison Beaver as well as the duo of sophomore Bailee Perry and freshman Morgan McGuire follow behind Gentry and Kohl and both teams are 5-1 overall.

Scouting Lake Sumter State:

The Lakehawks are coming off of 3-2 win over St. John's River State. They are currently third in conference play.

The freshman duo of Kai Register and Braelyn Mittauer lead the way as the #4 pair.

How to Keep Up:

Fans can keep up with the Manatees on all social media platforms

Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/SCFvolleyball/ (SCF Volleyball)

Twitter - https://twitter.com/SCFVolleyball (@SCFVolleyball)

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scfbeachvolleyball/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D (@SCFBeachVolleyball)

SCF Baseball Set for Midweek showdown Upon FSW

Bradenton, Fla. - The SCF baseball team (14-8, 5-4 Citrus) will look to keep moving along in Citrus Conference play for their next. The Manatees will first head to Clearwater to take on St. Petersburg College (6-14, 1-8 Citrus) for a brief non-conference showdown at Jack Russell Stadium Monday night, March 4 at 5 pm before their three-game series with RV Florida Southwestern State (18-6, 8-1 Citrus). Game one will take place at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers Thursday afternoon, March 7 at 2 pm before resuming the series in a doubleheader at Robert C. Wynn Field Saturday afternoon, March 9 at 1 and 4 pm.

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. RV Florida Southwestern (15-6, 6-1)

2. Indian River State (13-7, 5-4)

3. Central Florida (14-8, 5-4)

4. SCF (14-8, 5-4)

5. Hillsborough (14-7, 5-4)

6. Santa Fe (14-9, 5-4)

7. Eastern Florida State (13-9-1, 5-4)

8. Miami Dade (12-11, 5-4)

9. Seminole State (13-9, 3-6)

10. Daytona State (11-10, 3-6)

11. Polk State (12-14, 3-6)

12. St. Pete (7-13, 2-7)

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of taking their second series in conference play over Daytona State. They would win 11-3 in seven innings at home for game before splitting their doubleheader losing game one 11-10 in eight innings before winning game two 11-5 in seven innings. Currently, the Manatees are in a seven-way tie for second  place with Indian River State, Central Florida, Hillsborough, Santa Fe, Eastern Florida State and Miami Dade, but hold a fourth place lead in the standings.

Beast Breaking Pitching:

Sophomore Brandon Clarke continues to improve on the mound since being the ace starter for the Manatees. Clarke is currently 3-1 with a 5.27 ERA, 11 walks and 47 strikeouts. In the opening game against Daytona State, Clarke threw a seven inning complete game with one walk and a career-high 12 strikeouts.

Beast Bats:

Sophomores Jalen Hairston, Santiago Ordonez, Erick Almonte and Luis Garrido and freshmen Hayden Gustavson, Pip Smalley, Allan Gil-Fernandez and Walker Vanecek are the key hitters for the Manatees so far.

Hairston is currently batting .391 with 34 hits, 26 runs, four home runs and 25 RBI. In the series against Daytona State, the upcoming transfer for the University of Kentucky went 5-for-13 (.385) with a home run and two RBI.

Ordonez is batting .422 with 19 hits, 13 runs and seven RBI. The transfer from Florida State went 3-for-7 against Daytona with three RBI.

Almonte, who has recently returned to the lineup from injury, is batting .440 with 11 hits and six RBI. The upcoming transfer for the University of Central Florida went 8-for-14 (.571) with five RBI against Daytona Statr.

Garrido went 7-for-12 (.583) with three RBI against Daytona State. The transfer from Wabash Valley CC is currently batting .321 with 26 hits and eight RBI.

Gustavson is batting .348 with 26 hits, one home run and 10 RBI.

Smalley is batting .356 with 21 hits, two home runs and 12 RBI.

Gil-Fernandez is batting .326 with 29 hits, three home runs and 30 RBI.

Vanecek, who has come off the bench with some sparks, is batting .333 with 11 hits, one home run and 15 RBI.

Wilding Factors:

As far as the wildcard players, sophomores Preston Wetherell, Bryan Gomez, Ed Wagner and LT Cockrill and freshmen Trevor Zeigler, Luke Boykin and Palmer O'Beirne play the roles.

Wetherell is batting .283 with 13 hits and four RBI at the plate, while on the mound he is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA, six walks and 10 strikeouts.

Gomez is 2-0 with a 4.71 ERA, 17 walks and 27 strikeouts. In the final game against Daytona State, the New Yorker threw four innings with two walks and three strikeouts for the win.

Wagner is 2-2 with aa 4.75 ERA, 13 walks and 32 strikeouts.

Cockrill is batting .296 with eight hits, one home run and six RBI. He hit his first home run of the season in the 11-10 loss to Daytona State.

Ziegler is currently 0-1 with a 5.21 ERA, two saves, 15 walks and 19 strikeouts. He earned his second save after throwing three scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts.

Boykin is batting .266 with 21 hits, two home runs and 19 RBI.

O'Beirne is 3-0 with a 3.97 ERA, seven walks and 16 strikeouts on the mound.

Scouting St. Pete:

The Titans are coming off of losing their series to Central Florida. They would fall 9-6 in game one before splitting their doubleheader on Friday winning game one 2-1 in 11 innings before losing game two 11-1 in five innings. They are currently in last place in the Citrus Conference.

Sophomore Colton Pizzio leads the way in hitting as he is batting .436 with 24 hits and seven RBI, while classmate Brett Wagner leads the offense batting .377 with 20 hits, two home runs and 13 RBI.

Sophomore Esaid Pena leads the Titans on the mound going 3-1 with a 3.42 ERA, 13 walks and 27 strikeouts.

Scouting FSW:

The Buccaneers are coming off completing their second sweep in conference where they defeated Hillsborough in all three games (7-5, 11-1 and 10-6). They are currently in first place in the Citrus Conference and have received votes in the NJCAA Top 20 Poll. Prior to playing SCF, the Buccaneers will play Indian River State in a non-conference game Tuesday, March 5.

On the mound, redshirt freshman Jordan Huskey, a transfer from the University of Arkansas, leads the way going 3-1 with a 2.00 ERA, 10 walks and 29 strikeouts.

At the plate, sophomore Victor Figueroa, a transfer from Mississippi Valley State University, is batting .488 with 40 hits, eight home runs and 31 RBI.

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be provided for all four games via GameChanger. The game against St. Petersburg College will air livestream on the SPC Athletics Page. Game one against FSW will air on the FSW Buccaneers Athletics Page, while the doubleheader at SCF will air on the SCF Sports Network. Fans can also keep up with the Manatees on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Livestats Link -  https://web.gc.com/teams/wbkG6N4UTmsV/2024-spring-state-college-of-florida

Livestream Links - 

SCF vs St. Pete:  https://athletics.spcollege.edu/broadcast/watch

SCF vs FSW (Gm One):  https://www.fswbucs.com/fswbucslive

SCF vs FSW (Doubleheader):  https://team1sports.com/scfmanatees/

X - https://twitter.com/SCFBaseball

SCF Baseball Set for Rematch With UTJV Before Daytona State

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (12-6, 3-3 Citrus) will look to continue to their rally for their next round of games this upcoming week. The Manatees will take a quick break from Citrus Conference the midweek as they travel to Tampa to take on the University of Tampa JV team (2-3) at the UT Baseball Field Tuesday night, February 27 at 6 pm before resuming Citrus Conference play against Daytona State College (9-8, 2-4 Citrus) for a three-game series. Game one will take place at Robert C. Wynn Field Thursday night, February 29 at 5 pm before the Manatees head to the DSC Baseball Complex Saturday afternoon, March 2 at 1 and 4 pm.

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. Hillsborough (14-5, 5-1)

2. Florida Southwestern (13-6, 5-1)

3. Indian River State (11-5, 4-2)

4. Seminole State College of Florida (12-6, 3-3)

5. SCF (12-6, 3-3)

6. College of Central Florida (11-6, 3-3)

7. Santa Fe (12-7, 3-3)

8. Miami Dade (11-9, 3-3)

9. Daytona State (9-8, 2-4)

10. Eastern Florida State (9-9-1, 2-4)

11. Polk State (11-11, 2-4)

12. St. Pete (6-10, 1-5)

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of winning their first series of Citrus Conference play against Polk State. They would win game one on the road by a score of 9-5. The series would then go to a doubleheader at Robert C. Wynn Field where they would split losing game one 3-2 before winning the rubber match by a score of 9-7. They are currently sit in a five-way tie for fourth place in conference, but are fifth overall.

BC Back in Control:

Sophomore Brandon Clarke had one of his best outings this season during game one against Polk State. Clarke is currently 2-1 with a 5.75 ERA, 10 walks and 35 strikeouts. During the game against Polk State, the Cary, North Carolina native threw five innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts in the game.

Wildcat Power:

Sophomore Jalen Hairston's batting has become a key part of the Manatees' offense. Hairston, who will be transferring to the University of Kentucky after the season, is currently batting .420 with 29 hits, 23 runs scored, four home runs and 23 RBI. In the rubber game against Polk State, Hairston went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. 

A Gust of Hitting:

Hairston is not the only player hitting a hot bat as freshman Hayden Gustavson and sophomore Santiago Ordonez have also swung the bat well.

Gustavson is currently batting .386 with 22 hits, 11 runs, one home run and 10 RBI. During game one against Polk State, Gustavson hit an inside-the-park home run for his first collegiate home run of the season.

Ordonez is batting .405 with 17 hits, 12 runs and four RBI. He went 6-for-8 in the doubleheader against Polk State with two RBI.

McPitching:

Another name on the mound that has been providing sparks is freshman Aidan McBride. McBride is 1-0 with a 4.35 ERA, five walks and 11 strikeouts so far from the mound. In his last outing, McBride pitched three scoreless innings with three strikeouts against Tampa JV.

Getting the Groove Back:

Sophomore Erick Almonte has been trying to get his groove back in the lineup after missing the first 15 games due to injury. Almonte is batting .375 with six hits so far.

Wild Rides:

Sophomores Luis Garrido, Preston Wetherell, LT Cockrill, Ed Wagner and Bryan Gomez and freshmen Palmer O'Beirne, Luke Boykin, Allan Gil-Fernandez, Pip Smalley, Dylan DeLeo, Trevor Zeigler and Walker Vanecek play as the wildcards for the Manatees.

Garrido is currently batting .271 with 19 hits, 17 runs and five RBI.

Wetherell, one of a few hybrid players, is batting .250 with nine hits and four RBI at the plate, while on the mound he is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA, six walks and 10 strikeouts. In his last outing, Wetherell threw two and two-third scoreless innings of relief with five strikeouts for the rubber game win over Polk State.

Cockrill is batting .250 with six hits and three RBI.

Wagner is 2-2 with a 3.24 ERA, 12 walks and 25 strikeouts.

Gomez is 1-0 on the mound with a 4.11 ERA, 15 walks and 24 strikeouts.

O'Beirne leads all pitchers in wins as he is 3-0 with a 3.97 ERA, seven walks and 16 strikeouts.

Boykin is batting .258 with 17 hits, one home run and 18 RBI. He brought the go-ahead runs to help win the rubber game against Polk State.

Gil-Fernandez, despite struggling briefly, is batting .329 with 24 hits, two home runs and 26 RBI.

Smalley is batting .349 with 15 hits, one home run and eight RBI.

DeLeo is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA, five walks and four strikeouts.

Ziegler is 0-1 with a 6.19 ERA, one save, 13 walks and 16 strikeouts. He threw a four inning save in the game one win over Polk State.

Vanecek is batting .310 with nine hits, one home run and 12 RBI.

Scouting Tampa JV:

The Spartans are coming off of a 5-1 loss to Rollins College JV. They played the Manatees earlier in the season losing by a score of 7-0.

Scouting Daytona State:

The Falcons are coming off of winning their first series in Citrus Conference against Santa Fe. They would game one by a score of 13-9 before they split a doubleheader losing the first game 5-1 and wining the second game 9-7. They are currently in a three-way tie for ninth place in conference.

At the plate, sophomore Xavier Lopez leads the way batting .375 with 21 hits, two home runs and 19 RBI.

On the mound, Austin Harford leads the way on the mound going 2-2 with a 7.20 ERA, four walks and 16 strikeouts.

Possible Starting Matchups:

SCF vs UTJV: McBride (1-0, 4.35 ERA) vs TBD

SCF vs Daytona State:

Game One - Brandon Clarke (2-1, 5.73 ERA) vs Clay Hendry (2-1, 10.93 ERA)

Game Two - Wagner (2-2, 3.25 ERA) vs Austin Harford (2-2, 7.20 ERA)

Game Three - TBD vs Chase Booth (1-1, 7.71 ERA)

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be provided for the all the games. The game vs Tampa JV will air on the Sunshine State Conference Network. Game one against Daytona will will air on the SCF Sports Network, while games two and three will air on the Daytona State College Athletics page via Team1Sports. Fans can also keep up with the Manatees on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Livestats Link - https://web.gc.com/teams/wbkG6N4UTmsV/2024-spring-state-college-of-florida

SCF vs UTJV Livestream Link - https://sunshinestateconference.tv/tampa/

SCF vs Daytona State Livestream Link -  https://team1sports.com/scfmanatees/

SCF @ Daytona State Livestream Link - https://www.team1sports.com/college/?S=daytonastate

SCF Softball Ready for Conference Play

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF softball team (6-2) look to keep their winning ways in session as they prepare for their first taste of Citrus Conference play. The Manatees will welcome Hillsborough (5-6) to the SCF Softball Complex for a doubleheader Tuesday night, February 27 at 5 and 7 pm to open Citrus Conference play.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of a split at the Courtney Miller Invitational in Longwood on Sunday where they fell to Chipola College by a score of 6-4 before defeating Gulf Coast State College 7-3.

Heartbreaking Needs for Speed:

On the basepaths, sophomores Stephanie Oaks and Haley Rosenbaum lead the way for the Manatees for stealing.

Oaks is currently batting .333 with eight hits, eight runs, two RBI and 12 stolen bases. She had two stolen bases at the CMI Invitational.

Rosenbaum is currently batting .667 with six hits, one home run, four RBI, seven runs and 10 stolen bases. In the game against Gulf Coast State, the Mayo native had five stolen bases.

Liv Free and Hit Hardcore:

Freshman Olivia Rogers has improved her batting average after February 8. Rogers is currently batting .389 with seven hits, two home runs and five RBI. At the CMI, the Delaware native went 4-for-7 with a home run and three RBI.

Rogers is not the only player hitting hard as classmate Hailey Margetis is also hitting the hot bat lately. Margetis is currently batting .471 with eight hits, one home run and six RBI.

Local Hybrid Rampage:

Freshman Ryleigh Bennett has played a key role as a hybrid player on the mound and at the plate. Bennett is batting .533 with eight hits and three RBI, while on the mound she is 1-0 with a 2.74 ERA, five walks and seven strikeouts. At the CMI, the product from Sarasota High went 4-for-7 with an RBI while earning the win over Gulf Coast State after throwing six innings with two strikeouts.

Jetting Along:

Bennett is not the only hybrid player playing a key role as freshman Julianna Stachowicz has also played a key part. Stachowicz is currently batting .625 with five hits and five RBI while on the mound she is 2-0 with a 1.11 ERA, four walks and 16 strikeouts. In her last outing, the Ohioan threw a scoreless inning of relief against Gulf Coast State.

Wild Ones:

Redshirt sophomore Jordan O'Brien and sophomores Karsyn Rutherford, Brielle Bostow, Alissa Kessler, Janessa Benavides and Maddisan Noriega play as the wild cards of the group.

O'Brien is currently batting .300 with three hits and three RBI.

Rutherford is currently 2-1 with a 2.76 ERA, four walks and six strikeouts.

Bostow is 1-1 with a 7.45 ERA, seven walks and nine strikeouts.

Kessler is batting .474 with six hits and one RBI.

Benavides is batting .385 with five hits and four RBI.

Noriega is batting .250 with five hits and three RBI.

Scouting Hillsborough:

The Hawks are coming off of being swept by North Idaho College by scores of 13-3 and 14-10. They enter the beginning of conference on a five-game losing streak. They have not won since February 10.

On the mound, sophomore Baileigh leads the way going 2-3 with a 3.50 ERA, 10 walks and 14 strikeouts.

At the plate, freshman Sonae Simmons leads the team in hitting as she is batting .343 with 12 hits and four RBI. Redshirt freshman Vanessa Neptune, a former SCF Manatee, is leading the offense batting .294 with 10 hits and six RBI.

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be provided by GameChanger and will livestream on the SCF Sports Network. Fans can also keep up with the Manatees on social media platforms.

Livestats Link: https://web.gc.com/teams/i23lUaOZpGKA/2024-spring-state-college-of-florida/live

Livestream Link: https://team1sports.com/scfmanatees/

Social Media Links:

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

X - https://twitter.com/SCFSoftball

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scfsoftball/

SCF Baseball Readies for Polk State

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (10-5, 1-2 Citrus) will look to resume Citrus Conference play on the winning side of things. The Manatees will face Polk State (10-9, 1-2 Citrus) for their next three games as they will first open at Bing Tyus Yard in Winter Haven Thursday night, February 22 at 6 pm before returning back to Robert C. Wynn Field for a doubleheader Saturday afternoon, February 24 at 1 and 4 pm.

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. Indian River State (10-3, 3-0)

2. Hillsborough (12-4, 3-0)

3. Florida Southwestern (11-5, 3-0)

4. Seminole State (11-4, 2-1)

5. Central Florida (10-4, 2-1)

6. Santa Fe (11-5, 2-1)

7. SCF (10-5, 1-2)

8. Polk State (10-9, 1-2)

9. Miami Dade (8-8, 1-2)

10. Daytona State (7-7, 0-3)

11. Eastern Florida (7-8-1, 0-3)

12. St. Pete (5-8, 0-3)

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of a 7-0 shutout win over the University of Tampa JV team. It was their first shutout of the season. Currently, the Manatees are tied for seventh place with Polk State, but are ahead of them due to their overall record.

Likely Pitching Matchups:

Game One - Brandon Clarke (1-1, 6.46 ERA) vs Aiden Butler (3-0, 2.21 ERA)

Game Two - Ed Wagner (2-1, 3.15 ERA) vs Evan Koehler (0-3, 5.49 ERA)

Game Three - Liam Best (1-2, 7.50 ERA) vs Trevor Caldwell (2-2, 3.71 ERA)

The RBI Machines:

Sophomore Jalen Hairston and freshman Allan Gil-Fernadez continue to lead the way offensively for the Manatees.

Hairston is coming off of a four-hit game against UTJV with a home run and four RBI. The upcoming transfer for the University of Kentucky is currenlty batting .421 with 24 hits, 20 runs, three home runs and 20 RBI.

Gil-Fernandez, who is ranked #1 in the state in RBI, is currently batting .411 with 23 hits, two home runs and 26 RBI. He 2-for-4 with an RBI against UTJV.

Wagging the Pitches:

Sophomore Ed Wagner has improved exponentially on the mound so far this season. Wagner, who will be transferring to the University of North Carolina - Charlotte, is currently 2-1 with a 3.15 ERA, eight walks and 20 strikeouts. In his last outing on the mound, Wagner threw a seven inning complete game with eight strikeouts in the win over Seminole State.

Welcome Back:

Sophomore Erick Almonte, who missed the first 15 games of the season due to injury, made his anticipated season debut against UTJV as he went 1-for-4 with two runs and a walk. The upcoming transfer for the University of Central Florida finished his first season batting .317 with 65 hits, two home runs, 39 RBI, 14 stolen bases and 44 walks. His 44 walks ranked top 50 in the nation.

Wild n Ready:

Sophomores Brandon Clarke, Bryan Gomez, Luis Garrido, Santiago Ordonez and LT Cockrill and freshmen Aidan McBride, Hayden Gustavson, Pip Smalley, Luke Boykin, Walker Vanecek, Dylan DeLeo and Palmer O'Beirne continue their part as wild cards.

Clarke is currently 1-1 with 6.46 ERA, eight walks and 24 strikeouts.

Gomez is 1-0 with a 3.44 ERA, 10 walks and 21 strikeouts. He threw one inning of relief with two strikeouts.

Garrido is batting .293 with 17 hits, 16 runs and five RBI.

Ordonez is batting .355 with 11 hits and two RBI.

Cockrill is batting .286 with six hits and two RBI. He went 2-for-2 at the plate his last outing.

McBride is 1-0 with a 4.46 ERA, one save, five walks and 11 strikeouts. He threw three scoreless innings with four strikeouts for a no-decision over UTJV.

Gustavson is batting .348 with 16 hits and seven RBI.

Smalley is batting .297 with 11 hits and five RBI.

Boykin is batting .250 with 13 hits, one home run and 14 RBI.

Vanecek is batting .333 with eight hits, one home run and 10 RBI.

DeLeo is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA, three walks and four strikeouts. In the game against UTJV, he threw two scoreless innings of relief with four strikeouts.

O'Beirne is 3-0 with a 2.53 ERA, five walks and 16 strikeouts.

Scouting Polk State:

The Eagles are coming off of a 10-1 win over Webber International University JV team. They started their portion of Citrus Conference play where they fell 2-1 in the series against Santa Fe winning game one 6-4 before losing games two and three by scores of 6-1 and 8-1.

On the mound, sophomore Aiden Butler leads the way on the mound as he is 3-0 with a 2.21 ERA, three walks and 26 strikeouts.

At the plate, sophomore Evan Wainman leads the overall offense batting .281 with 16 hits, one home run and 15 RBI.

Series History:

Overall, the Manatees are 72-40 against the Eagles and last season, the Manatees took the series 6-2.

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be provided by GameChanger and will air livestream. Game one will air on Polk State's Sports Network, while games two and three will air on the SCF Sports Network. Fans can also keep up with the Manatees on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Livestats Link - https://web.gc.com/teams/wbkG6N4UTmsV/2024-spring-state-college-of-florida

Game One Link - https://www.team1sports.com/college/?S=polkeagles

Game Two and Three Link -  https://team1sports.com/scfmanatees/

Social Media:

X - https://twitter.com/SCFBaseball

SCF BVB Set for Saint Leo/PBSC

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF beach volleyball team (4-0, 4-0 Region 8) will look to continue to play strong for their next two matches as they will travel to Saint Leo for their next road trip. The Manatees will take on Saint Leo University (2-0) and Palm Beach State (4-2, 2-0 Region 8) February 24 at 10 am (vs St. Leo) and 12 pm (vs Palm Beach State).

Region 8 Standings:

1. SCF (4-0, 4-0)

2. Palm Beach State (4-2, 2-0)

3. Lake Sumter State (3-3, 2-2)

4. St. John's River State (1-3, 1-3)

5. Florida State College at Jacksonville (0-4, 0-4)

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of another sweep last week in Tavares as they shutout Florida State College at Jacksonville 5-0 before they defeated Lake Sumter State 4-1.

While four out of five of the pairs have been unbeaten at 4-0, freshmen Aleksandra Wrobel and Addison Beaver are leading the way out of all the pairs. Wrobel and Beaver play at the #3 spot and between their four matches, the duo has held their opponents to single digit sets in five out of eight of them.

Scouting Saint Leo:

Saint Leo represents the NCAA DII Sunshine State Conference. They are lead by head coach Natalia Koryzna, who enters her third season as head coach.

The Lady Lions opened their season on February 14 where they shutout Southeastern University (NAIA) and Webber International University (NAIA) both by a score of 5-0.

The sophomore pair of Kayla David and Julia Panko lead the way at the #2 pair spot. David is a former Manatee who was a part of the 2022 National Championship Team.

Scouting Palm Beach State:

The Lady Panthers are coming off of a split at home where they defeated Ave Maria University 3-2 before falling to Florida Southern 3-2. They are currently in second place in the standings.

Sophomores Zuzanna Michalska and Ana Paula Fallas Cruz lead the way as the #1 pair where they are currently 5-1 so far. They were named last week's NJCAA Region 8 Pair of the Week after going 4-0 in their first four matches.

How to Keep Up:

The matches will air on the Sunshine State Conference Network and fans can keep up with the Manatees on all social media platforms.

Livestream Link - https://sunshinestateconference.tv/

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 Readies for Conference Opener

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (8-3) will look to keep their winning ways afloat as they prepare to open Citrus Conference play. The Manatees will face Seminole State College of Florida (7-3) for a three-game series. Game one will take place at Robert C. Wynn Field Thursday night, February 15 at 5 pm. Games two and three will be a doubleheader at Jack Pantelias Field Friday afternoon, February 16 at 12 and 3 pm.

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. Santa Fe (9-3)

2. SCF (8-3) (#14 in Perfect Game Top 25 JUCO Rankings)

3. Central Florida (7-3) (#3 in Perfect Game Top 25 JUCO Rankings)

4. Indian River State (7-3)

5. Seminole State (7-3)

6. Hillsborough (8-4)

7. Eastern Florida State (7-4-1)

8. Daytona State (6-4)

9. Florida Southwestern (7-5) (Honorable Mention in Perfect Top 25 JUCO Rankings)

10. St. Pete (5-4)

11. Miami Dade (7-6)

12. Polk State (8-7)

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of a 10-5 win over Pasco-Hernando State on the road, which put them in second place in the standings. They are also entering the series on a six-game winning streak while being ranked #14 in the Perfect Game JUCO Top 25 Rankings.

Hitting Up a Storm:

So far in hitting, sophomore Jalen Hairston and freshman Allan Gil-Fernandez have been leading the way on offense for the Manatees.

Hairston is batting .405 with 17 hits, 17 runs, two home runs and 16 RBI. In the game against Pasco-Hernando, he went 2-for-5 with a run.

On Monday, February 12, the Winter Haven native announced on social media that he will be attending the University of Kentucky with two years of eligibility remaining.

Gil-Fernandez is batting .432 with 19 hits, 11 runs, two home runs and 21 RBI. Like Hairston, he also went 2-for-5 in the game with an RBI against Pasco-Hernando.

Walking the Line:

Hairston and Gil-Fernandez are not the only batters that have been hitting as freshman Walker Vanecek has also been swinging the bat well too. Vanecek is currently batting .500 with eight hits, one home run and 10 RBI. Against Pasco-Hernando, the Riverview native went 2-for-4 with four RBI, which included a bases-clearing double he had to help the Manatees take their first lead in the game.

Wild and Strong:

Sophomores Preston Wetherell, Santiago Ordonez and Luis Garrido and freshmen Aidan McBride, Luke Boykin, Pip Smalley, Palmer O'Beirne and Hayden Gustavson play as the wild cards of the team.

Wetherell is currently batting .381 with eight hits and four RBI at the plate while on the mound, he is throwing a two and a third innings with five walks and four strikeouts on the mound. He threw 1.2 innings with three strikeouts in the win over Pasco-Hernando.

Despite going 0-for-2 in his last outing, Ordonez is still batting strongly. The Florida State transfer is batting .375 with nine hits and an RBI.

Garrido is currently batting .286 with 12 hits and three RBI. He went 1-for-3 with three walks in his last game.

McBride earned his first collegiate win against Pasco-Hernando after throwing 2.1 innings of relief with three strikeouts. The Debary native is currently 1-0 with a 6.34 ERA, one save, three walks and eight strikeouts.

Boykin went 1-for-4 with three RBI and three runs in his last game at the plate. The former Georgia Bulldog is currently batting .282 with 11 hits and 11 RBI.

Smalley went 2-for-5 with an RBI in his last outing at the plate. The Stetson transfer is currently batting .375 with nine hits and five RBI.

O'Beirne is 3-0 on the mound with a 1.23 ERA, three walks and 12 strikeouts.

Gustavson went 1-for-5 with a run in his last game. The Lake City native is currently batting .378 with 14 hits and six RBI.

Scouting Seminole State:

The Raiders are coming off of a 3-2 win over Polk State. They are currently in a three-way tie for third in the standings.

Sophomore Danny Ramirez is leading the team offensively as he is batting .441 with 15 hits, two home runs and 11 RBI at the plate. On the mound, classmate Ethan Salak is 2-0 with a 4.24 ERA, five walks and 17 strikeouts. 

Series History:

Overall, the Manatees are 24-6-1 against the Raiders. In the last meeting, the Manatees swept the Raiders winning the first game 6-5 at home before winning the second game 11-3 in Sanford.

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be provided by GameChanger and all three game will air livestream. Game one will air on the SCF Sports network at SCF, while games two and three will air on Raiders TV. Fans can also keep up with the Manatees on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Livestats Link: https://web.gc.com/teams/wbkG6N4UTmsV/2024-spring-state-college-of-florida

Game One Livestream Link - https://team1sports.com/scfmanatees/

Game Two and Three Livestream Link - https://video.ibm.com/channel/mK2cYDfXTtS

Social Media:

X - https://twitter.com/SCFBaseball

SCF Baseball Readies for Pasco Hernando

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (7-3) look to continue to have success on the road as they prepare for their first mid-week road game. The Manatees will travel to New Port Richey to take on Pasco-Hernando State (4-4) Tuesday night, February 13 at 6 pm at the PHSC Baseball Field.

The Manatees were originally scheduled to face Pasco Hernando State February 6 at Wynn Field, but it was ultimately cancelled.

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. Santa Fe (9-2)

2. Hillsborough (8-3)

3. #1 Central Florida (7-3)

4. SCF (7-3)

5. Indian River State (6-3)

6. Seminole State (6-3) 

7. Eastern Florida State (6-4-1)

8. Polk State (8-6)

9. Daytona State (5-4)

10. St. Pete (5-4)

11. #16 Florida Southwestern (6-5)

12. Miami Dade (6-6)

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of a three-game sweep on the road against Tallahassee CC. They would game one 14-11 before completing the sweep in a doubleheader by scores of 14-7 and 14-3.

They are currently tied for third in the standings.

Hairston's Hot Hitting:

Sophomore Jalen Hairston has improved on his batting compared to his stats from last season. Hairston is currently batting .405 with 15 hits, 16 runs, two home runs and 16 RBI. In the opening game against Tallahassee CC, the Winter Haven had a career-high at the plate after going 5-for-5 with a home run and six RBI.

Through his social media, Hairston has announced that he will be committing to the University of Kentucky with two years of eligibility remaining.

AGF Brings the Power:

Hairston is not the only Manatee that is swinging a hot bat as of late as freshman Allan Gil-Fernandez has also being hitting strongly. Gil-Fernandez, who was named the NJCAA Region 8 Player of the Week last week, is currently batting .405 with 17 hits, 10 runs, two home runs and 20 RBI. During the weekend against Tallahassee CC, the transfer from Central Florida went 7-for-16 with a home run and 11 RBI.

Progressive Pitching:

Freshman Palmer O'Beirne has been playing a key role in the relief rotation since redshirting last season. O'Beirne is currently 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA, three walks and 12 strikeouts. He threw two and two-thirds innings of relief with two strikeouts to earn the win in the third game against Tallahassee CC.

Wildcard Wizards:

Sophomores Ed Wagner, Brandon Clarke, Bryan Gomez, Luis Garrido, Preston Wetherell and Santiago Ordonez and freshmen Hayden Gustavson, Walker Vanecek, Pip Smalley and Luke Boykin play as the wildcard players for the Manatees.

Wagner is currently 1-1 with a 4.85 ERA, seven walks and 12 strikeouts. He earned his first win of the season in the second game against Tallahassee CC where threw five innings with three strikeouts.

Clarke is 1-0 with a 6.10 ERA, six walks and 16 strikeouts. He threw four and a third innings with one walk and six strikeouts in the first game against Tallahassee CC for his first collegiate win.

Gomez, who will be given the nod to start against Pasco Hernando State, is currently 1-0 with a 3.91 ERA, eight walks and 16 strikeouts. In his last outing, the New Yorker threw two innings of relief with four strikeouts.

Garrido, who has been a key leadoff batter, is currently batting .282 with 11 hits and four RBI. The transfer from Wabash Valley CC was 5-for-12 (.417) with an RBI against Tallahassee CC.

Wetherell, who has transitioned to batting more, is batting .320 with eight hits and four RBI.

Ordonez is currently batting .409 with nine hits and one RBI.

Gustavon is currently batting.406 with 13 hits and six RBI.

Vanecek is batting .500 with six hits, a home run and six RBI. In the doubleheader against Tallahassee, the Riverview native went 4-for-4, which was highlighted by hitting his first collegiate home run in the second game of the doubleheader.

Smalley is batting .368 with seven hits and four RBI.

Boykin is currently batting .286 with 10 hits and nine RBI.

Scouting Pasco Hernando State:

The Bobcats are coming off of completing a three-game series against St. Pete. They would win 9-2 in the first game in New Port Richey before falling in a doubleheader by scores of 7-2 and 9-7.

Redshirt sophomore Aidan Corn leads the way at the plate as he is batting .500 with 11 hits, three home runs and 11 RBI. He was recently named the NJCAA Region 8 DII Player of the Week.

On the mound, redshirt sophomore Riley Fisher is 1-1 with a 2.35 ERA, seven walks and eight strikeouts.

The Manatees hold a 35-18 overall record against the Bobcats.

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be provided by GameChanger and fans can keep up with the Manatees on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Livestats Link: https://web.gc.com/teams/wbkG6N4UTmsV/2024-spring-state-college-of-florida

Social Media:

X - https://twitter.com/SCFBaseball

SCF Returns for Pasco Hernando

Bradenton, Fla - After a successful weekend on neutral grounds, the SCF baseball team (4-3) return home to Robert C. Wynn Field for midweek baseball action. The Manatees will welcome Pasco Hernando State (2-4) to their home field Tuesday night, February 6 at 6 pm.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of competing in the Visit Panama City Beach Baseball Classic in Panama City where they finished 3-1 this past weekend with two upset wins. They would open on the main bracket  by defeating McLennan CC 11-9 on Friday to advance to the quarterfinals. On Saturday, they would fall to Wallace CC-Dothan by a score of 7-1 and drop to the gold bracket where they would upset #15 Florence Darlington Tech by a score of 8-1 before defeating St. John's River State by a score of 11-5.

O'Beirne Burning Up Pitches:

Since returning from injury last season, redshirt freshman Palmer O'Beirne has improved himself being on the mound since his debut against #6 Northwest Florida State. O'Beirne is currently 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, three walks and 10 strikeouts in five innings of work. In the game against #11 McLennan CC, the New Yorker threw one and two-thirds innings of relief with four strikeouts to earn his second win.

O'Beirne will be given the nod to start against Pasco Hernando.

AGF Building His Bat:

After a slow start to the beginning of the season, freshman Allan Gil-Fernandez has started to build up his bat this past weekend. In the first three games of the season, Gil-Fernandez started batting .091 (1-for-11, one run), but during the weekend in Panama City, his batting average increased exponentially as he batted a .563 batting average (9-for-16).

The Dominican native is currently batting .370 with 10 hits, one home run and nine RBI. He hit his first collegiate home run against #15 Florence-Darlington Tech.

A Strong Gust of Hitting:

Gil-Fernandez is not the only batter that has been hitting strong as sophomore Jalen Hairston and freshman Hayden Gustavson have also been swinging the bat well.

Hairston is currently batting .321 with nine hits, eight runs, one home run and six RBI.

Gustavson is batting .400 with eight hits and four RBI. In the game against St. John's River, he went 3-for-5 with an RBI.

Gaining Momentum:

Although he was a little shook up against McLennan CC, sophomore Brandon Clarke has shown consistency in his pitching. Clarke is currently 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA, five walks and 10 strikeouts so far, an increase from last season.

Clarke is not the only pitcher gaining some momentum as of late as classmate Bryan Gomez has also been improving on the mound. Gomez is currently 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA, three walks and 12 strikeouts. In the game against #15 Florence-Darlington Tech, he threw 4.2 innings with a career-high seven strikeouts to earn his first collegiate win of his career.

Scouting Pasco Hernando State:

The Bobcats are coming off of completing a three-game series against Polk State. They would fall 4-1 in the first game in Winter Haven before splitting a doubleheader at Pasco winning the first game 3-1 and losing the second game 4-1.

Redshirt sophomore Aidan Corn leads the way at the plate as he is batting .421 with eight hits, two home runs and six RBI.

On the mound, redshirt sophomore Riley Fisher is 1-1 with a 2.35 ERA, seven walks and eight strikeouts.

The Manatees hold a 35-18 overall record against the Bobcats.

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be provided by GameChanger and will air 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

Social Media:

X - https://twitter.com/SCFBaseball

SCF Baseball Heads to Neutral Grounds

Bradenton, Fla - After a strong start to their season, the SCF baseball team (1-2) will look to set their sights on their first road trip of the season as they travel to Panama City Beach to participate in the three-day Visit Panama City Beach Baseball Classic at Publix Sports Park, hosted by Gulf Coast State College. The Manatees will open their part of the classic against #11 McLennan CC Friday afternoon, February 4 at 12:30 pm (11:30 am CST). It will be the first matchup between both teams.

Last season, the Manatees finished 2-2 in the classic where they upset then #10 Chipola College (3-2) and #6 San Jacinto - North (11-3) to win the Bronze Bracket.

If the Manatees defeat McLennan CC, then they will face the winner between Wallace-Dothan and Meridian CC in the main bracket, but if they lose they will bump down to the gold bracket and face the loser between the two teams.

The following teams will be participating with the Manatees and McLennan:

Gulf Coast State (host)

Pearl River (Mississippi)

St. John's River State

Dyersburg State CC (Tennessee)

RV Andrew (Georgia)

#2 Wabash Valley (Illinois)

#16 Florida Southwestern

#6 Northwest Florida State

Wallace CC-Dothan (Alabama)

#13 (NJCAA DII) Meridian CC (Mississippi)

RV Chipola

#15 Florence Darlington Tech (South Carolina)

Miami Dade

Chattahoochee Valley CC (Alabama)

All 16 teams are guaranteed four games in the classic.

Game Starters:

February 2: Game one vs McLennan CC - Brandon Clarke (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

February 3: Game two vs Wallace Dothan CC or Meridian CC - Ed Wagner (0-0, 7.36 ERA)

Game three vs TBD - Bryan Gomez (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

February 4: Game four vs TBD -  Liam Best (0-1, 3.00 ERA)

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of opening their season with the second annual three-day SCF Legends Classic. They would fall to Gulf Coast State (4-3) and upset #6 Northwest Florida State (7-5) before falling to Indian River State (9-0).

Scouting McLennan CC:

McLennan CC hail from Waco, Texas and represent NJCAA Region 5 (North Junior College Athletic Conference). They are lead by Tyler Johnson, who enters his second season as head coach.

The Highlanders are coming off of finishing last season 40-18 overall with a 22-10 record in the North Texas Junior College Athletic Association (NTJCAA). They would finish fourth in conference play before losing both games in the NJCAA Region 5 West Championship.

Playing a big part for the Highlanders' pitching is freshman Gavyn Jones, who is ranked #2 in the Perfect Game Top 500 JUCO Prospects List.

How to Keep Up:

All the games will feature livestats provided by PerfectGame and will air livestream. Fans can also keep up the Manatees on all social media platforms.

Livestats Link: https://www.perfectgame.org/DiamondKast/Game.aspx?gameid=919032

Livestream Link: https://www.perfectgame.tv/

Social Media:

X - https://twitter.com/SCFBaseball