SCF Baseball Wins Final Road Game

Tampa, Fla - The SCF baseball team (31-22, 15-12 Suncoast) wrapped up another series in Suncoast Conference play as they defeated Hillsborough (18-30, 8-19 Suncoast) 10-7 at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa

"It's always good to get a road win even while our playoff chances have been eliminated," said head coach Tim Hill II. "It got a little interesting at the end, but we were able to hold onto the lead. Both Tayden Hall and Kevin Karstetter swung the bats very well and we had a good outing from Nick Gotilla. I'm just looking to end the season on a modest winning streak."

Hill sent freshman Mike Murphy to the mound, while HCC head coach Raydon Leaton went with sophomore Mathew Johnson to counter.

After the first inning went scoreless, the Manatees would got on the first offensive onslaught beginning with back-to-back walks drawn by sophomores Owen Ayers and Brandon Fields. Classmates Harrison Long, Kyle Harbison and Jake Jackson would hit back-to-back-to back RBI singles to bring in Ayers, Fields and Long for the first runs of the game. After freshman Gabe Wright drew a walk to load the bases, sophomore Miguel Larreal would hit into a sacrifice fly to center to bring in Harbison before freshman Tayden Hall hit an RBI double to bring in Jackson. Wright was then caught stealing home before sophomore Kevin Karstetter drew a walk for another RBI single from the bat of Ayers to bring in Hall to make it 6-0 SCF. It signaled the end for Johnson and Leaton would send sophomore Albert Padron to end the top of the second before the Hawks got their first run in the bottom half, thanks to a RBI fielder's choice by sophomore Milton Cuyler.

Hill would then pull Murphy out and send Nick Gotilla to the mound to breeze through the third with ease before the Manatees added another run at the top of the fourth thanks to an RBI single by Karstetter to bring in Larreal to make it 7-1 SCF.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Hawks would bring in their next run thanks to an RBI single by sophomore Dillon Besnier before the Manatees responded back at the top of the sixth from a solo home run off the bat of Hall for his ninth of the season to make it 8-2 SCF.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Hawks would cut the Manatees lead to five runs as sophomore Jacob Griffith would send a solo home run to right for his second of the season.

At the top of the eighth, the Manatees responded back. After a two-out walk drawn by Larreal and a single by Hall, Karstetter would ignite another run fest as he singled to bring in Larreal before Ayers doubled to bring in Hall for the 10th run to make it 10-3 SCF. In the bottom of the eighth, Cuyler would cut the lead to six runs as he hit an RBI single before Gotilla ended the inning.

In the bottom half of the ninth, Hill would pull Gotilla and send freshman Michael Ojeda to the mound. After giving up an RBI single by Besnier and an RBI double by sophomore Landon Morrision and strikeout two batters, Hill decided to pull Ojeda and send sophomore Nick Cosentino to close the door for the final out of the inning. With one final push, the Manatees secured the win from a groundout.

Murphy would get a no-decision after giving up one run on two hits in two innings. Gotilla would get his ninth win of the season after giving up three runs eight hits with two walks and five strikeouts in six innings of relief. He is now 9-4 for the season

Ojeda gave up three runs on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts in two-thirds of a inning of relief, while Cosentino earned his second save of the season after throwing a third of a scoreless inning of relief.

Johnson would move down to 3-3 after giving up six runs on five hits with four walks in one and two-thirds innings. Padron gave up four runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts in six innings of relief, while sophomore Brandon Herrick threw one and a third scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts.

Hall lead the way offensively as he went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI, three runs and a walk. Karstetter and Ayers both finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and one walk each. Ayers added one run to the mix.

Larreal lead the way on the basepaths as he finished 1-for-3 with an RBI, two runs, one walk and three stolen bases, while Long, Harbison and Jackson were each 1-for-5 with an RBI and a run.

For the Hawks, Morrison lead the way in hitting as he finished 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs. Besnier, Griffith and sophomore Cameron Vigh each had two hits. Besnier added two RBI and one run, while Griffith added one RBI and two runs.

Up Next:

The Manatees will wrap-up the regular season at home as they welcome #9 Florida Southwestern (39-14, 23-4 Suncoast) to Wynn Field Wednesday night, April 27 at 6 pm. Sophomore Jake Jackson will start the first two innings before freshman Ryan Stefiuk enters in.

SCF Baseball Wraps Up Non-Conference Play

Tampa, Fla - The SCF baseball team (29-21, 13-11 Suncoast) wrapped up their last non-conference game on the road as they defeated the University of Tampa JV (15-16, 12-5 SSC) 8-5 at the UT Baseball Field in Tampa.

"It was a good win tonight," said head coach Tim Hill II. "We were able to play a lot of guys on the mound and they did what they needed to do. Brandon Fields and Miguel Larreal played solid at the plate, especially with Field's two run homer. Kevin Karstetter was solid on the basepaths after stealing three of our seven stolen bases. While we're still figuring out who will start against Polk State, we know that this is the biggest game of the season so far we have to win to keep our playoff hopes alive."

Hill would send freshman Josh Beck to the mound, while UT JV head coach Mark Johnson went with freshman Nick Lutz to counter.

The Manatees would score early as freshman Tayden Hall drove in sophomore Miguel Larreal with an RBI single to make it 1-0.

After the first two innings, Hill would utilize his routine as he pulled Beck in the bottom of the third and sent sophomore Nick Cosentino to the mound who would breeze through the inning with ease.

At the top of the fourth, the Manatees would extend the lead to 2-0 after sophomore Harrison Long hit an RBI groundout to bring in classmate Kevin Karstetter. In the bottom of the fourth, Hill would make his next change to the mound as he sent in freshman Ryan Stefiuk to breeze through the inning.

Johnson would make his first pitching change at the top of the fifth as he sent senior Aidan Brown to the mound who would breeze through his first inning.

At the top of the sixth, the Manatees went even further on their lead. After a two-out single by Long, sophomore Brandon Fields would show off his power again as the former NJCAA Player of the Week would send a two-run homer to left for his eighth of the season to make it 4-0 SCF.

Meanwhile, Hill would send freshman Jake Dorn to the mound to start the bottom of the sixth. After the change, the Spartans would get their first runs on the board as sophomore Matt Doran hit a bases-loaded two-RBI single to right and an RBI single by freshman Gavin Cooper to cut the Manatees lead to 4-3 before Dorn got out of the inning.

At the top of the seventh, the Manatees would bring back their up further beginning with a leadoff single by Larreal. After Hall drew a walk, Karstetter would send a single to right to bring in Larreal. After sophomore Owen Ayers popped out, Johnson would pull Brown and send freshman James Malonson to the mound. After the pitching change and a double steal by Hall and Karstetter, Long would hit an RBI groundout to send Hall home to make it 6-3 SCF.

Hill would make another pitching change as he sent freshman Jackson Hauck to the mound in the bottom of the seventh, but after loading the bases with a single and two walks, Hill pulled him and sent sophomore Jake Jackson to the mound instead. After Jackson struck out sophomore Colin Dalson, the Spartans would add another run as sophomore Justin Farina drew a bases loaded walk and freshman Mike Rinadi hit a sacrifice fly before Jackson ended the inning with the score 6-5 still in SCF's favor.

Hill would send freshman Michael Ojeda to the mound as the next pitcher for relief in the bottom of the eighth before the Manatees decided to add their final runs at the top of the ninth. After Karstetter drew a walk and stole second and Ayers drew an intentional walk, Johnson would send junior Alex Passarella to the mound. After the pitching change, Karstetter would try to steal third, but was caught and called out before Long drew a walk before he and Ayers advanced to scoring position on a passed ball with Fields at the plate. On deuce's wild, the former South Carolina Gamecock would send a double to left to bring in Ayers and Long to make it 8-5 SCF before sophomore Nate Beenen would come in for Passarella to end the top half before Ojeda completed the save with two final strikeouts for the game.

Beck would earn a no-decision after throwing two scoreless inning, giving up one hit with two walks and two strikeouts.

Stefiuk would get the win and improve to 4-3 after two scoreless innings of relief with one walk and two strikeouts.

Ojeda would get the second save of the season after throwing two scoreless innings of relief, giving up one hit with one walk and three strikeouts.

Cosentino threw one scoreless inning with one strikeout, while Dorn and Jackson gave up five runs on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts combined in two innings of relief.

Lutz would suffer his first loss of the season after giving up two runs on four hits with three strikeouts in four innings.

Brown, Malonsen and Passarella would give up a combined six runs on eight hits with six walks and two strikeouts in five and two-thirds of relief, while Beenen threw a third of a scoreless inning.

Fields would be the offensive leader for the Manatees as he finished 3-for-5 with a home run, four RBI and one stolen base. Larreal was also 3-for-5 with two runs and two stolen bases, while Karstetter rounded out the order in multi-hit games as he finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, a run, a walk and three stolen bases.

Long would finish 1-for-4 with two RBI, a run and a walk, while Hall (1-for-4, one RBI, one run, one walk and two stolen bases), Harbison (1-for-5) and Wright (1-for-4) had the remaining three hits. Ayers (one run and one walk) and freshman Gage Adams (one walk) also contributed in the game.

Notes:

This was win #342 for Hill.

This was the season finale for Tampa JV.

Other Suncoast Scores:

#11 Florida Southwestern (36-14, 21-4 Suncoast) defeated Polk State (31-17, 16-9 Suncoast) 2-1. The Buccaneers would win the Suncoast Conference Regular Season Championship for the third straight season and clinched a spot in the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament. The Buccaneers will play St. Pete Friday afternoon, April 22 at 3 pm.

Hillsborough (18-28, 8-17 Suncoast) defeated St. Pete (14-30, 4-21 Suncoast) 3-1. The Hawks will play #11 FSW Saturday afternoon, April 23 at 1 pm.

Suncoast Conference Standings:

1. #11 FSW (36-14, 21-4) #*

2. Polk (31-17, 16-9)

3. SCF (29-21, 13-11)

4. HCC (18-28, 8-17)

5. SPC (14-30, 4-21)

#Regular Season Champions

*Clinched Spot in the FCSAA State Tournament.

Up Next:

The Manatees will play on the road for their next conference as they travel to Winter Haven to take on Polk State Friday night, April 22 at 5 pm at Bing Tyus Yard.

SCF Baseball Upsets #7 FSW

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (28-20, 13-10 Suncoast) were able to pull off a big moment in conference play as they upset #7 Florida Southwestern (34-14, 19-3 Suncoast) 14-4 in eight innings via mercy rule.

"I'm very proud of the guys and how they played today," said head coach Tim Hill II. "It's always good to get a conference win no matter who it is. Our pitchers did a very good job and Miguel (Larreal), Kyle (Harbison) and Kevin (Karstetter) swung the bats well. We had some good at-bats throughout the game and kept scoring almost every inning."

"The team did great," said sophomore Kyle Harbison. "That was a huge team win for us that was completed with all hands on deck. (Christian) Gordon and Mikey (Murphy) did tremendous on the mound for us and I can't ask for more out of those guys."

"We played great overall baseball today with double digit hits and walks while our pitching was very well against a good offense," said freshman Michael Murphy. "Coach Batson coached a great game today as well."

Hill II was not at the game, so associate head coach Barry Batson took over for him. Batson would send sophomore Christian Gordon to the mound, while FSW head coach Ben Bizier went with sophomore Frank Elissalt.

After the first inning went scoreless, the Manatees would take the early lead in the bottom of the second beginning with a leadoff double by sophomore Harrison Long. After classmate Brandon Fields hit a single, sophomore Kyle Harbison would load the bases after reaching on an error for classmate Jake Jackson, who would draw a walk to bring in Long for the first run before freshman Gabe Wright hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Fields. After sophomore Miguel Larreal hit into a fielder's choice, Harbison would take advantage of a fielding error and score to make it 3-0 SCF.

In the bottom of the third, the Manatees extended the lead further to 5-0 as Harbison would bring in sophomore Owen Ayers as well as himself with a two-run homer for his fifth of the season.

"In my first at-bat, the guy (Elissalt) beat me pretty good with an inside fastball," said Harbison on hitting the home run. "So coming up for the second at-bat I knew, I wasn't going to let him beat me again with the fastball and I think it was safe to say I won that time."

Meanwhile, on the mound, Murphy, who took over the mound at the top of the second inning for Gordon, kept a sharp eye to keep the Manatees' lead up while strategizing on keeping the Buccaneers from scoring.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Manatees continued with their run support. After they loaded the bases from a single by sophomore Kevin Karstetter and back-to-back walks issued to Ayers and Long, Fields would send a sacrifice fly to center to bring in Karstetter. After Harbison drew a walk to reload the bases, Jackson would reach on a fielding error while bringing in Ayers and Long to make it 8-0 SCF.

At the top of the fifth, the Buccaneers would finally get on the board thanks to a sacrifice fly by sophomore Jose Izarra and an RBI single by sophomore Hunter Fitz-Gerald to make it 8-2 still in SCF's favor.

In the bottom half of the fifth, Karstetter would send a double to left to bring in freshman Tayden Hall to extend it back to 9-2 SCF. In the bottom of the sixth, the Manatees would get into double digit runs as Larreal would double to right to bring in Jackson to make it 10-2 SCF.

At the top of the seventh, Fitz-Gerald would send a two-run homer to right to cut the Manatees lead to 10-4, but in the bottom half the Manatees swatted it as Karstetter and Long would score on another Buccaneers fielding error to make it 12-4.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Manatees wanted to end the game once and for all for the mercy rule to be in effect. After a Larreal single, a Hall double and a Karstetter walk to load the bases, Larreal would score on a passed ball before Ayers drew a walk to reload the bases for Long. With one final look, the former Jacksonville University Dolphin would draw a walk and bring in Hall to win the game.

"It felt great to beat those guys, not only to win but to 10-run them at home on a Saturday," said Harbison. "That's what you live for as a college ball player. The big wins at home will always mean more."

"It felt great run-ruling a good team like that and taking care of business on our home field after a tough game yesterday," said Murphy.

Gordon would get a no-decision after throwing a scoreless inning with two walks and three strikeouts. Murphy would move to 2-0 after giving up two runs on five hits with three walks in four innings of relief.

"I felt good about my effort on the mound along with the rest of the staff," said Murphy on his game. "I kept it simple and got outs when we needed them."

Freshman Gavin Adams gave up two runs on three hits with three walks and two strikeouts in two innings of relief, while classmate Michael Ojeda threw a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts.

Elissalt would fall to 3-3 after giving up five runs (four earned) on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts in two and two-thirds innings.

The Buccaneers remaining pitchers gave up a combined nine runs (six earned) on eight hits with eight walks and six strikeouts in 5.1 innings of relief.

Offensively, Larreal and Karstetter lead the way in hitting with three hits apiece. Larreal (3-for-5) added one RBI, one run, one walk and one stolen base, while Karstetter (3-for-5) added one RBI, two runs, a walk and a stolen base.

Hall and Long both had two hits apiece. Hall (2-for-5) added two runs scored, while Long (2-for-4) added an RBI, three runs and two walks.

Harbison was 1-for-3, with a home run, two RBI, two runs and two walks. He was the only Manatees with a multi-RBI game.

Fields (1-for-4, one RBI and one run) and Wright (1-for-4, one RBI) had the remaining two hits, while Ayers (three walks and two runs), Jackson (one RBI, one run and two walks) also contributed in the game.

Fitz-Gerald lead the Buccaneers offense as he went 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI and one walk. He was the only Buccaneer to have a multi-RBI game. Freshman Satchell Norman also had two hits as he went 2-for-4 with a run, while Izarra was 1-for-2 with the remaining RBI.

Other Suncoast Scores:

Polk State (31-15, 16-7 Suncoast) defeated Hillsborough (16-28, 6-17 Suncoast) 5-3 on the road.

St. Pete College (14-28, 4-20 Suncoast) will face TNXL Tampa Monday night, April 18 at 5 pm.

Suncoast Standings:

1. #7 FSW (34-14, 19-3)

2. Polk State (31-15, 16-7)

3. SCF (28-20, 13-10)

4. HCC (16-28, 6-17)

5. SPC (14-28, 4-20)

Up Next:

The Manatees will return to action in a rubber match against #7 FSW Monday afternoon, April 18 at 3 pm at City of Palms Park.

SCF Baseball Takes Second Series vs HCC

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (27-19, 12-9 Suncoast) were able to take the second series over Hillsborough (16-26, 6-15 Suncoast) in the rubber match at Robert C. Wynn Field by a score of 11-6. With the win, the Manatees take the series lead 5-1.

"I thought the guys had a gutsy performance today, but they all did a good job to get the win" said head coach Tim Hill II. "Now we can turn our attention to a big series against FSW."

Hill sent sophomore Christian Gordon to the mound, while HCC head coach Raydon Leaton went with sophomore Murphy Bostick to counter.

The Manatees would strike first in the bottom of the first beginning with a leadoff infield single from sophomore Miguel Larreal. After freshman Tayden Hall hit a single of his own, sophomore Kevin Karstetter would send a single to center to bring in Larreal for the first run of the game. After sophomore Owen Ayers moved Hall to third and Karstetter stole second to move into scoring position, sophomore Harrison Long would send a single to center to bring in Hall. After sophomore Brandon Fields would drew a walk to load the bases, classmate Kyle Harbison drew a walk to bring in Karstetter. This would set up a chance for sophomore Jake Jackson at the plate. On an 0-1 count, the upcoming Liberty University transfer would send a shot to center for a grand slam for his second of the season, his first collegiate grand slam, to give the Manatees a 7-0 lead. It signaled the end for Murphy as Leaton would send freshman Chase Jackson to finish the inning.

“It felt good,” said Jackson on his first grand slam. “I was just happy I could do something to help the team win.”

Hill would pull Gordon at the top of the second and send sophomore Nick Cosentino to get a scoreless second.

At the top of the third, Hill would make another pitching change and send freshman Ryan Sediuk to the mound. After the pitching change, the Hawks would get their first runs on the board thanks to a two-run homer by freshman Jordan Sanchez for his third of the season.

In the bottom half of the third, the Manatees would add on to their lead. After a leadoff single by Fields, Harbison would send a triple to right to bring in Fields. After Jackson drew a walk, Larreal would send a single to center to bring in Harbison. In the bottom of the fourth, Ayers would then send a solo homer to right for his 13th of the season.

"I have been slowing the game down for myself at the plate and was looking to do damage," said Ayers on his home run. "I saw the pitcher miss a spot and leave it over the plate and I was able to put my best swing on."

The Hawks would cut the Manatees lead in half at the top of the sixth after a leadoff solo home run from sophomore Dillon Besnier for his seventh of the season, a RBI single by freshman Ty Bitman and Sanchez getting hit by a pitch to bring in Bitman with the bases loaded.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Manatees would add their final run of the game after Jackson hit an RBI groundout to bring in Fields to make it 11-5 SCF.

The Hawks would add their final run of the game after a leadoff homer by sophomore Milton Cuyler for his first of the season, but it was all the Hawks could produce as the Manatees took the series.

"I thought it was a good team win tonight," said Jackson. "The boys hung in there and we got it done. It was a huge win for us. It felt good and we needed to take the series and we successfully did today."

"The team did well overall," said Ayers. "The pitching kept the other team quiet for most of the game while our hitters did very well off the HCC pitching with a seven spot in the first.  Taking that second series was huge for us as we are in a tight race for the playoffs."

Gordon would get a no-decision after throwing a scoreless inning with two walks.

Stefiuk would earn his third win of the season after giving up five runs on six hits with three walks and seven strikeouts in five innings of relief. He is now 3-3 on the year.

"Ryan didn't have his best stuff today," said Hill on Stefiuk. "But he worked through it and did a good job."

Cosentino threw one scoreless inning of relief, while freshman Michael Ojeda gave up one run on two hits with one walk and one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning and freshman Gavin Adams threw one and a third scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts.

"Gavin was terrific at the end of the game," said Hill on Adams.

Murphy Bostick would fall to 3-5 after giving up seven runs on five hits with three walks in one third of an inning. Jackson gave up four runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts in six and two-third innings of relief, while sophomore Josh Bostick threw one scoreless inning of relief with one walk and two strikeouts.

Jackson was the hero of the offensive game as he went 2-for-3 with a home run, five RBI and a walk.

"Jake had a good night," said Hill on Jackson. "He is starting to swing the bat better like we know he's capable of doing."

Larreal and Fields both had two hits each. Larreal (2-for-4) added one run and one RBI, while Fields (2-for-3) added three runs, a walk and a stolen base. Harbison finished 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run and a walk.

Karstetter (1-for-3, one RBI, two walks, one run and a stolen base), Hall (1-for-5, one run), Long (1-for-4, one RBI and one run) and Ayers (1-for-5, one home run) had the remaining four hits in the game.

Sanchez lead the Hawks offensively as he went 2-for-3 with three RBI. He was the only Hawk with a multi-RBI game. Besnier also had two hits as he went 2-for-5 with an RBI.

Notes:

Ayers was recently named the NJCAA Region 8 Player of the Week. It was the second straight week the Manatees earned the player of the week accolade.

Other Suncoast Scores:

#7 FSW (33-13, 18-3 Suncoast) defeated ASA Miami (11-26-1) 3-2.

Polk State (29-15, 14-7) defeated St. Pete (14-28, 4-20 Suncoast) 8-7 to complete the sweep.

Suncoast Standings:

1. #7 FSW (33-13, 18-3)

2. Polk State (29-15, 14-7)

3. SCF (27-19, 12-9)

4. HCC (16-26, 6-15)

5. SPC (14-28, 4-20)

Up Next:

The Manatees will have their rematch series as they face #7 FSW.

SCF Takes Overall Series over HCC

Tampa, Fla - The SCF baseball team (26-18, 11-8 Suncoast) were able to take their first full conference series as they defeated Hillsborough (15-25, 5-14 Suncoast) 6-4 at George Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. Game two will remain at Steinbrenner Field Monday night, April 11 at 6 pm. Freshman Michael Murphy will be given the nod to start the game.

"We need to keep winning since we started off slow," said head coach Tim Hill II. "Since then, the guys have been playing really well for the past couple of two weeks. Gavin Adams was the story of the game. He threw extremely well and while he ran into a little trouble in the eighth, he minimized it and the hitters bounced back to score the runs we needed in the ninth to get the win."

Hill sent sophomore Jake Jackson to the mound while HCC head coach Raydon Leaton went with sophomore Kyle Scrape.

The Hawks would draw the first runs on the board as sophomores Dillon Besnier and Juan Jamie would each hit an RBI single to make it 2-0 HCC.

After the second inning went scoreless, the Manatees tied the game to 2-2 as freshman Tayden Hall would send a two-run homer to right to bring in sophomore Miguel Larreal for his seventh of the season.

In the bottom of the third, Hill made his routine decision and sent freshman Gavin Adams to the mound for Jackson where he would breeze through it.

After the fourth went scoreless, the Manatees would take their first lead of the game. After freshman Lucas Ismali hit a leadoff single, before classmate Dillon Cerrone came in to pinch run, and freshman Gabe Wright drew a walk, Larreal would send a single to left to bring in Cerrone to give the Manatees the lead before Wright stole third and scored on a throwing error to make it 4-2 SCF.

For the next three innings, the Manatees held a 4-2 lead until the bottom of the eighth when Jaime hit an RBI groundout and sophomore Cameron Vigh hit an RBI single to tie the game at 4-4 before Adams finished the eighth.

At the top of the ninth, the Manatees looked to take the lead and get the win to the end. Larreal would leadoff the inning with a walk before Hall hit a double to put runners in scoring position. After sophomore Kevin Karstetter loaded the bases after reaching on a fielding error, Long would reach first on another fielding error while Larreal scored before sophomore Brandon Fields hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Hall to make it 6-4.

The Hawks would try for one more attempt to get a run in the bottom of the ninth, but it was to no avail as the Manatees sealed the deal.

Both Jackson and Scrape earned no-decisions in the game. Jackson gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits with two strikeouts in two innings while Scrape gave up four runs on four hits with four walks and eight strikeouts in five innings.

Adams would earn his first win of the season after giving up two runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts in seven innings of relief. He is now 1-2 on the year.

Sophomore Austin Teel would fall to 2-2 after giving up two unearned runs on one hit with one walk and one strikeout in one and two-thirds innings of relief, while freshman Nick Romagnolia threw two and a third scoreless innings of relief with three walks and four strikeouts.

Hall would be the offensive leader as he went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI, two runs and one walk. He was the only Manatee with multi-hit and multi-RBI game.

Larreal (1-for-3, one RBI, two walks, two runs and a stolen base, Fields (1-for-3, one RBI, one walk and  one stolen base) and Ismali (1-for-2) had the remaining three hits. Karstetter (one stolen base), Wright (one run, one walk and one stolen base), Long (one RBI and one walk), Cerrone (one run) and sophomores Kyle Harbison (one walk) and Owen Ayers (one walk) also contributed in the game.

Besnier, Vigh and freshman Josean Sanchez each had two hits, while Jamie was the only Hawk with a multi-RBI game as he went 1-for-4 with two RBI.

Other Suncoast Scores:

Polk State (27-15, 12-7 Suncoast) defeated St. Pete (14-26, 4-18 Suncoast) 5-2 in the opening game.

#8 FSW (32-12, 18-3 Suncoast) defeated Elev8 Academy 15-0 via the mercy rule. The Buccaneers will face #19 Miami Dade (29-12-1, 12-0 Southern) Monday afternoon, April 11 at 3 pm.

Suncoast Standings:

1. #8 FSW (32-12, 18-3)

2. Polk State (27-15, 12-7)

3. SCF (26-18, 11-8)

4. HCC (15-25, 5-14)

5. SPC (14-26, 4-18)

Ayers' 10 for 10 Helps SCF Takes Series Over SPC Via Mercy Rule

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (24-18, 9-8 Suncoast) did not stop their offensive onslaught towards St. Pete College (14-24, 4-16 Suncoast) as they won by a score of 26-5 via the seven-inning mercy rule at Robert C. Wynn Field. Game three will return back to Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater Friday night, April 8 at 6 pm.  Freshman Michael Murphy will be given the nod to start the first two innings.

"It was a really nice win tonight," said head coach Tim Hill II. "It was good to see our guys play well on our home field. I thought we were a little flat to start the game, but then the guys responded and swung the bats well. We were a little sloppy on defense and that gave St. Pete a couple of runs, but then everybody picked it up. It was also good to see Dillon Cerrone, Owen Ayers and Brandon Fields swing a hot bat as of late."

Hill sent sophomore Jake Jackson for the first couple of innings, while SPC head coach Jeremy Graf went with freshman Manuel Meilan.

The Titans would get on the board first at the top of the first after an RBI groundout by sophomore Will Bruno, but in the bottom half, the Manatees would take the lead as Ayers would send a three-run blast to right-center for his 10th of the season to drive in sophomore Miguel Larreal and freshman Tayden Hall.

At the top of the second, the Titans retied the game to 3-3 after an RBI single by freshman Nick Garagozzo and classmate Logan Sanders scored on a double steal. At the top of the third, Hill would make a change on the mound as he sent freshman Ryan Stefiuk to the mound where he threw a scoreless third. In the bottom half, the Manatees would retake the lead as sophomore Brandon Fields would send a double to bring in Ayers for a 4-3 SCF lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, Manatees extended their lead with 12 runs beginning with a leadoff single off the bat of sophomore Kyle Harbison. After freshman Gabe Wright drew a walk, Larreal would send a double to left and bring in Harbison. Following Larreal's double, Hall would send a single to right-center to bring in Wright and Larreal.

After sophomore Kevin Karstetter drew a walk and Ayers hit a single to load the bases, sophomore Harrison Long would send a sacrifice fly to right to bring in Hall before Fields belted a three-run shot to left for his seventh home run of the season. This would signal the end for Meilan as Graf would have sophomore Logan Scheu pitch in relief.

After the pitching change, Harbison, Larreal freshman and Lucas Ismali drew back-to-back-to-back walks while the Manatees batted around. Hall would then send a double to right-center and clear the bases before the Titan sent sophomore Tanner Goswick to the mound to replace Scheu. Karstetter would then hit an RBI double of his own to bring in Hall and Ayers brought in Karstetter with an RBI single to make it 16-3 SCF.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Manatees continued to pound runs on the board as Harbison would send a two-run blast to center for his third of the season to make it 18-3 SCF. 

The Manatees would add the final touches in the bottom of the sixth beginning with a Karstetter leadoff single. After Ayers struck out, Hill would have freshman Dillon Cerrone come in to pinch hit for Long as he sent a two-run blast to right for his first collegiate home run. This would send freshman Austin Coultas to the mound. After Fields hit a single and freshman Gage Adams drew a walk, Harbison would send a single down the middle to bring in Fields. Wright would then get hit by a pitch to load the bases before Larreal drew a walk to bring in Adams. Hall would then send a single to right to bring in Harbison before Karstetter sent a sacrifice fly to right to bring in Wright and Cerrone hit a two-RBI double to bring in Larreal and Hall to make it 26-3.

The Titans would add their final two runs on the board at the top of the seventh as Sanders would send a two-run homer to center for his fourth of the season, but it was the Titans could produce as the Manatees pulled away with the mercy rule.

Jackson would get a no-decision after giving up three runs (two earned) on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts in two innings. Stefiuk would move to 2-3 after giving up two runs on five hits with one walk and eight strikeouts in five innings of relief.

Meilan would fall to 1-3 after giving up 10 runs on seven hits with five walks and one strikeout. Scheu would give up three runs on one hit with two walks in a third of an inning, while Goswick gave up five runs on six hits with one walk and one strikeout in one and two-thirds inning and Coultas gave up eight runs (five earned) on seven hits with two walks and one strikeout in one inning.

Seven Manatees had at least two hits in the game. Ayers would lead the team in hits as he went 4-for-5 with a home run, four RBI, three runs scored and a walk. Hall was the overall offensive leader as he went 3-for-5 with five RBI, while Fields went 3-for-6 with a home run and four RBI and Harbison went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI and two walks.

Cerrone would go 2-for-2 with a home run and four RBI, while Larreal went 2-for-4 with two RBI, four runs and two walks. Karstetter rounded out the order going 2-for-3 with two RBI, three runs and a walk.

Ismali (1-for-2, one run and one walk) and Long (1-for-3, one RBI and two walks) had the remaining two hits, while Wright (two runs and one walk), Adams (one walk and one run) and freshman Jackson Hauck (one run) all contributed in the game.

Sanders lead the Titans offensive as he went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. He was the only Titan with multi-RBI game. 

Notes:

Fields was named the NJCAA and FCSAA Player of the Week.

"It was a nice honor for him," said Hill on Fields winning the accolades.

The 26 runs in the game were the most scored under the Hill II era and surpassed the 23 runs last year (3/14/21) and the second highest in program history.

Other Suncoast Scores:

#8 FSW (30-12, 17-3 Suncoast) defeated Hillsborough (15-23, 5-12 Suncoast) 7-5 to take the series.

Polk State (26-15, 11-7 Suncoast) completed their sweep over the Florida Southern College JV team by a score of 18-0. The Hawks will resume conference play against SPC.

Suncoast Standings:

1. #8 FSW (30-12, 17-3)

2. Polk (26-15, 11-7)

3. SCF (24-18, 9-8)

4. HCC (15-23, 5-12)

5. SPC (14-24, 4-16)

SCF Baseball Takes First Game at SPC

Clearwater, Fla - The SCF baseball team (23-18, 8-8 Suncoast) were able to get their conference record back at even as they defeated St. Pete (14-23, 4-15 Suncoast) 16-12 at Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater. Game two will take place at Wynn Field Wednesday night, April 6 at 6 pm.

Head coach Tim Hill II sent freshman Michael Murphy to the mound, while SPC head coach Jeremy Graf went with freshman Tanner Walker.

The Manatees would gain the early lead at the top of the first. After a leadoff single by freshman Tayden Hall and a double from sophomore Kevin Karstetter, sophomore Owen Ayers would ground out and bring in Hall for the first run. Classmate Harrison Long would then groundout as he sent Karstetter home. With two outs, sophomore Brandon Fields would send a double to right before freshman Lucas Isamli lined a single to the middle to bring in Fields for a 3-0 SCF lead.

At the top of the second, the Manatees extended the lead to 6-0 as Ayers would drive in freshman Dillon Cerrone and Karstetter with a three-run homer to right for his ninth of the season.

The Titans would then get their first run of the game in the bottom of the third as freshman Nicholas Yedman would hit an RBI single to make it 6-1 still in SCF's favor.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Manatees made a pitching change as Hill sent sophomore Nick Gotilla to the mound. After the pitching change, the Titans would the Manatees lead to 6-5 thanks to an RBI singles by freshmen Austin Coultas, a sacrifice fly by Yedman and a two-RBI single by Sam Bianco before Gotilla ended the inning.

The Manatees would extend the lead to 7-5 at the top of the fifth after a sacrifice fly by Fields brought in Karstetter, but the Titans would gain their first lead in the bottom half of the inning after Coultas reached on an error to bring in sophomore Jadier Morelos, Yedman hit a two-RBI double and Bianco hit an RBI double to put the lead to 9-7 SPC.

At the top of the sixth, the Titans would make a pitching change and send sophomore Jared Kapurch to the mound. After the pitching change, the Manatees would attempt to regain the lead. Harbison would get a single before being called out trying to extend it to a double before freshman Gabe Wright hit a ground-rule double to start it off before Hall sent a single down the middle to bring in Wright. Karstetter would then send a triple to center to bring in Hall and tie the game at 9-9. After Ayers drew a walk, Karstetter would score on a passed ball to give the Manatees a 10-9 lead.

After the seventh inning went scoreless, the Manatees wanted to extend their lead with insurance runs at the top of the eighth. After the Titans sent sophomore Logan Scheu to the mound, sophomore Miguel Larreal would lead-off the inning with a pinch-hit single. After Karstetter hit an infield single to move Larreal to third before stealing second to put runners in scoring position. After Ayers was intentionally walked to load the bases, Long would send a single to right to bring in Larreal before the Titans sent freshman Jacob Torres to replace Scheu.

After the change, Fields would draw a bases-loaded walk to bring in Karstetter before Ayers scored on a wild pitch. Ismali would then a sacrifice fly to right to bring in Long before Harbison hit a double to left to bring in Fields to make it 15-9 SCF.

At the top of the ninth, the Manatees would add their final run of the game as Hall drew a walk before scoring on a fielding error with Karstetter reaching base to make it 16-9 SCF.

After Hill pulled Gotilla and sent sophomore Nick Cosentino to try and finish the top of the ninth, the Titans tried to get one more gasp of air on the offensive end after an RBI groundout by freshman Ben Maskin and an RBI single by Bianco. It signaled the end for Cosentino as Hill would make his final change and send sophomore Jake Jackson to the mound to get the final out.

After freshman Nick Garagozzo hit an RBI single, Jackson was able to freshman Roberto Gutierrez to fly out and end the game for a Manatees win.

Both Murphy and Walker earned no-decisions in the game. Murphy gave up one run on three hits with two strikeouts in three innings, while Walker gave up seven runs (six earned) on seven hits with one strikeout in five innings.

Gotilla would get his eighth win of the season after giving up nine runs (six earned) on 10 hits with two walks and five strikeouts in five innings of relief. He is now 8-2 on the year.

Cosentino would give up on three runs on two hits with one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning, while Jackson gave up one hit in the final one-third of the ninth.

Kapurch would fall to 0-2 on the year after giving up three runs (one earned) on four hits with one walk in two innings of relief.

Scheu gave up four runs on three hits with one walk in a third of an inning of relief, while Torres gave up one run on one hit with two walks in two-third of an inning and freshman Trey Bacon gave up one hit with two walks and two strikeouts in one scoreless inning.

Five Manatees had at least two hits in the game. Harbison lead the team in hits as he went 3-for-6 with an RBI. Karstetter, who was a home run shy of a cycle, followed going 3-for-4 with an RBI and five runs.

Ayers was the leader in offense as he went 2-for-3 with a home run, four RBI, two runs and three walks, while Long was 2-for-6 with two RBI and two runs. Hall would round out the order going 2-for-5 with an RBI, two runs and a walk.

Fields (1-for-4, two RBI, two runs and a walk), Ismali (1-for-3, two RBI and one walk), Wright (1-for-4, one run and one walk), Cerrone (1-for-3, one run and one stolen base) and Larreal (1-for-2, one run) had the remaining five hits for the Manatees.

Morelos lead all the Titans in hits as he went 5-for-5 with three runs, while Bianco lead the Titans offense overall as he went 3-for-4 with four RBI.

Other Suncoast Scores:

#8 FSW (29-12, 16-3 Suncoast) defeated Hillsborough (15-22, 5-11 Suncoast) 6-3. Both teams play each other Wednesday afternoon, April 6 at 3 pm at George Steinbrenner Field.

Polk State (28-16, 11-7 Suncoast) defeated the Florida Southern College junior varsity team (9-6) 11-6. The Eagles will play the Mocs again Wednesday night, April 6 at 5:30 pm.

Suncoast Standings:

1. #8 FSW (29-12, 16-3)

2. Polk State (28-16, 11-7)

3. SCF (23-18, 8-8)

4. HCC (15-22, 5-11)

5. SPC (14-23, 4-15)

SCF Baseball Takes First Game vs Polk State in Second Series

Bradenton, Fla - Freshman Tayden Hall lead the offensive game as the SCF baseball team (21-17, 6-7 Suncoast) were able to plot some revenge at Wynn Field as they defeated Polk State (23-14, 10-6 Suncoast) 7-2 to open the second half of Suncoast Conference play. Game two will take place in Winter Haven at Bing Tyus Yard Friday night, April 1 at 5 pm. Freshman Mike Murphy will start the game.

"The guys played really well tonight," said head coach Tim Hill II. "I thought we played very good on the defensive side and on the mound. Jake Jackson did a good job for the first two innings and Ryan (Stefiuk) came in and was in control the whole game. Tayden's (Hall) two homers and Brandon's (Fields) solo homer played a good role in the game and Kyle Harbison's RBI single was a difference maker."

"Winning against Polk State to start the series on our home turf was a major statement moment for the program this year," said Hall. "We just set the tone for the rest of the series and are looking to come out on top again Friday. The team all around did outstanding. From defense to offense, all cylinders were moving and everyone could truly see that. Our pitching staff these past four games have been amazing and have really flipped the switch to helping us win the ball games that we needed to win."

Hill sent sophomore Jake Jackson to the mound while Polk State head coach Al Corbiel sent sophomore Skylar Gonzalez to counter.

It didn't take long for the Eagles to open the offensive doors as freshman Nelson Taylor would hit a sacrifice fly for the first run of the game.

After going scoreless in the first inning, the Manatees would tie the game at 1-1 in bottom of the second as sophomore Brandon Fields would hit a sacrifice fly to bring in classmate Owen Ayers. 

At the top of the third, Hill would pull Jackson and send freshman Ryan Stefiuk to the mound as he struck out three batters. In the bottom of the third, the Manatees would take the lead as freshman Tayden Hall would send a two-run shot to right-center for his fifth of the season to drive him and sophomore Miguel Larreal for a 3-1 SCF lead. After sophomore Kevin Karstetter drew his second walk before advancing to third off of a single by classmate Harrison Long, Ayers would bring in Karstetter while grounding into a double play for a 4-1 SCF lead.

In the bottom of the fifth, Hall didn't want his offensive onslaught to stop as he crushed a solo homer to left for his sixth of the season and his second of the game. In the bottom of the sixth, Fields then decided to show his power game as he crushed a solo shot of his own to left-center for his sixth of the season and a 6-1 SCF lead.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Manatees would add their final run of the game as sophomore Kyle Harbison would send a single to right to bring in Fields to make it 7-1 SCF. The Eagles would respond back at the top of the ninth as sophomore George Davis would send a solo homer to left-center for his fourth of the season. Despite putting two runners on, Stefiuk would remain calm as he was able to finish the inning for the win.

Jackson would earn a no-decision after giving up one run on two hits in two innings, while Stefiuk earned his first win of the season after throwing seven innings of relief, giving up one run on two hits with four walks and a season-high 11 strikeouts. Stefiuk is now 1-3 on the year.

Gonzalez would be credited with his second loss of the season after giving up five runs on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts in four innings. He is now 2-2 on the year.

Sophomore Jacob Heath gave up two runs on four hits with four strikeouts in four innings of relief.

Three Manatees had two hits a piece. Hall lead the way offensively as he went 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI. 

"I'm glad I was able to help the team com out on top today. I went up to the plate trying to hit the ball hard and it paid off big time to help us get the result we wanted."

Fields would follow as he went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and two runs, while Larreal rounded out the order batting 2-for-5 with a run scored.

Ayers (1-for-4, one run), Long (1-for-4), Harbison (1-for-4, one RBI) and freshman Lucas Ismali (1-for-4) had the Manatees remaining four hits.

For the Eagles, Harris, Davis and sophomore Roshean Riley had the only three hits in the game.

Notes:

This was Hall's first collegiate multi-hit game in his career.

The win was #334 for Hill. 

Other Suncoast Scores:

#9 FSW (26-12, 13-3 Suncoast) defeated St. Pete (14-20, 4-12 Suncoast) 8-5 in Fort Myers. The second game will take place in St. Pete.

Hillsborough (15-21, 5-10 Suncoast) defeated the University of Tampa JV Team (12-12, 9-4 SSC) 8-6. The Hawks will face ASA Miami (8-22) in a doubleheader Friday Afternoon, April 1.

Suncoast Standings:

1. #9 FSW (26-12, 13-3)

2. Polk (23-14, 10-6)

3. SCF (21-17, 6-7)

4. HCC (15-21, 5-10)

5. SPC (14-20, 4-12)

Wright's Walk-Off Lead SCF to Sweep vs HCC

PC by Codi Bressler

Bradenton, Fla - Freshman Gabe Wright's walk-off hit helped lead the SCF baseball team (20-17, 5-7 Suncoast) to a 8-7 win over Hillsborough (14-21, 5-10 Suncoast) and their first sweep in Suncoast Conference play.

"This game wasn't pretty, but the guys did bounce back," said head coach Tim Hill II. "We were down early and I thought they showed a lot of fight and heart out there."

"I thought HCC got on us quick, but we just bounced back and stayed resilient with good 'ABs' the rest of the game," said sophomore Nick Gotilla. "The energy was a lot better than it has been recently, so it was always good to get the win." 

"After having to make it up two times, we finally got to finish this series," said Wright. "This week starts the second half of conference games, so it felt really good to start the week off with a sweep in this series after a disappointing start to conference, so this gives us some confidence and a little boost going into the series with Polk tomorrow."

"It's always good to get a 'W', especially when it's at home," said sophomore Brandon Fields. "I was happy to see Nick Gotilla come out with nothing but strikes and dominating early all the way to the end of the game. I was happy to see we were really battle-tested, even though we have been kind of shaky throughout the season, but we are everything but battle-tested and then some, so I was happy to see Gabe Wright come in clutch at the end with the walk-off single."

Hill sent sophomore Nick Cosentino to the mound to start for the Manatees while HCC head coach Raydon Leaton sent freshman Chase Jackson to counter.

At the top of the first, the Hawks would strike early. After Consentino got the first two outs, befroe giving up a hit and a walk freshman Jayson Yaccarino would hit an RBI single before classmate Josean Sanchez hit a two-RBI double for a 3-0 lead. One inning later, they would increase it to 4-0 after an RBI single from sophomore Jacob Griffith before Consentino struck out his final batter.

In the bottom of the second, the Manatees would get on the board beginning with a lead-off triple off the bat of Fields before freshman Lucas Ismali brought him in with a sacrifice fly. After sophomore Kyle Harbison reached second on an error and advanced to third one batter later, sophomore Miguel Larreal would send Harbison home with an RBI single and cut the deficit to 4-2, still in favor of HCC.

At the top of the third, Hill had already made a pitching change as he sent sophomore Nick Gotilla to the mound. However, the Hawks would extend their lead to 5-2 thanks to a sacrifice fly, but the transfer from UCF would remain calm and get out of the inning.

In the bottom of the third, the Manatees would eventually tie the game. After back-to-back singles off the bats of sophomores Kevin Karstetter and Harrison Long, before classmate Owen Ayers reached on a fielder's choice with Long being called out at second, Karstetter would do an unthinkable moment as the upcoming Houston transfer would steal home. After Ismali drew a walk with two outs, Leaton would pull Jackson from the game and send sophomore Austin Teel to the mound for relief work.

After the pitching change, Harbison hit a single to center to bring in Ayers before sophomore Jake Jackson drew a walk and Ismali tied the game at 5-5 after scoring on a wild pitch to end the third.

The Hawks would take back the lead at the top of the fourth after an RBI single by Griffith and an RBI groundout Yaccarino made it 7-5 HCC. Despite that, Gotilla kept calm and got out of the inning.

The Manatees would cut the Hawks' lead by one as Karstetter would bring in Larreal on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the sixth. Two innings later, the Manatees would tie the game at 7-7 after an RBI groundout by Long brought in Larreal. The Manatees would try and take the lead as Ayers attempted a sacrifice fly to bring in freshman Tayden Hall, but it would not be the case as Karstetter was called out trying to advance to third.

After Gotilla got two strikeouts at the top of the ninth, the Manatees wanted to end the first series once and for all. As Fields lead the inning with a walk, he was able to take advantage of a passed ball as he was safe at second before moving to third on a throwing error from sophomore Mario Lopez.

All eyes turned towards Wright and his opportunity for a win and on a full count, the Indianapolis native would send a deep fly ball to left that hit the warning track and brought Fields in for the win and the sweep.

"I was just trying to get a good pitch to hit and drive it into play to the gaps to help my team out and knock me in," said Fields on getting on for the game-winner. "We had a passed ball get past the catcher and I was kind of jonesing* for one of those in the dirt so I can get going while I was sniffing second and third base. I got to second base and was trying to bait the catcher since he like snap-throwing the ball and he fell right into the Venus Flytrap and he ended up throwing it over the shortstop's head and I took advantage of it."

*jonesing: when someone is craving for someone or something.

"It feels great to hit the game-winner anytime," said Wright on hitting the game-winner. "What was going through my head honestly was after that I wouldn't have been able to do it if Brandon (Fields) didn't get on and it probably would be a double or triple for me. My teammates really helped me on this one even if I didn't start the game. My parents told me that no matter what I'm doing, just always stay ready because you never know when your time is going to come to do something like that in the end."

While I ended up walking, when Gabe (Wright) came up, I knew he was going to do something and get it into the outfield or get a sacrifice bunt," said Fields on Wright hitting the game-winner. "I was really happy to see Gabe battle through that whole at-bat."

"I'm really happy for Gabe," said Hill on Wright. "He was off to a slow start, but he was swinging the bat better lately and he's a nice kid. He works really hard and is a good athlete, so I'm happy for him to get the game-winning hit and he deserved it."

Both Cosentino and Chase Jackson earned no-decisions for the game. Consentino gave up four runs on five hits with one walk and two strikeouts in two innings, while Chase Jackson gave up five runs (four earned) on four hits with two walks in two innings.

Gotilla would move to 7-2 on the year after giving up three runs on five hits with three walks and six strikeouts in seven innings of relief.

"Coming out of the pen, I didn't have my best stuff to start," said Gotilla on his game. "They got on me pretty good with a few runs, so I dialed in and just got back to tightening up what I needed to do."

"I thought Nick Gotilla really picked it up for us in the middle innings towards the end after putting up a ton of zeros to give us a chance and I thought he was the story of the game," said Hill on Gotilla.

Sophomore Richie Cimpric would fall to 2-3 after giving up one unearned run on one hit with two walks in one inning of relief, while Teel gave up two runs on four hits with six walks and seven strikeouts in four and a third innings of relief.

Harbison was the only Manatee with a multi-hit game as he went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run. Larreal (1-for-3, two runs and three walks), Karstetter (1-for-3, one run, two walks and two stolen bases), Long (1-for-3), Ismali (1-for-1, two walks and one run) and Wright (1-for-1) had one hit and one RBI each.

Fields (1-for-4, two runs) and Hall (1-for-4, one walk) had the remaining hits, while Ayers (one run) and Jake Jackson (one walk) contributed in the game.

For the Hawks, Yaccarino lead the way in hits as he went 3-for-5 with two RBI, while Griffith (two RBI) and sophomore Dillon Besnier (one run) were each 2-for-5.

Sanchez lead the way in offense as he went 1-for-3 with three RBI, while sophomore Landon Morrison (1-for-5, one run) and freshman Andre Vidal (1-for-4, one run) had the remaining two hits for the Hawks.

Suncoast Standings:

1. #9 FSW (25-12, 12-3

2. Polk State (23-12, 10-5)

3. SCF (20-17, 5-7)

4. HCC (14-21, 5-10)

5. SPC (14-19, 4-11)

Up Next:

The Manatees return to action still at home as they ready for their second series with Polk State (23-12, 10-5). Sophomore Jake Jackson will be given the nod to start game one on Wednesday night, March 30 at 6 pm. Game two and three will be determined by Hill and the staff

Walk-Off Grand Slam Leads SCF Baseball over HCC

Bradenton, Fla - Sophomore Benji Gilbert played the hero in walk-off fashion as the SCF baseball team (16-13, 3-3 Suncoast) took the series opener over Hillsborough (11-15, 2-5 Suncoast) at Robert C. Wynn Field by a score of 14-10.

"I thought our guys played really well tonight," said head coach Tim Hill II. "We're playing a lot better defense. Ryan (Stefiuk) pitched an outstanding ballgame and in just that one half of an inning in the eighth is where everything went Hillsborough's way and the one mistake that we made defensively unfortunately happened in the middle of that inning, so it kind of contributed with the dropped ball in center, but the guys didn't quit and played a full nine and thanks went off in the bottom of the ninth and we needed that one for sure."

"We had Ryan on the bump and he threw outstanding," said Gilbert. "So while we were up going into the eighth inning, no one knew that they (HCC) would drop nine runs on us. We had some struggles with the pitching, but at the end of the day we walked away with the dub in the bottom of the ninth inning."

Hill sent freshman Ryan Stefiuk to the mound while HCC head coach Raydon Leaton sent sophomore Murphy Bostick to counter.

Hillsborough would strike first at the top of the first as sophomore Landen Morrison would send a lead-off homer to left for his third of the season. The Manatees however would strike back as sophomore Kevin Karstetter would send a two-run shot to left for his third of the season to bring in himself and classmate Miguel Larreal for a 2-1 SCF lead. One inning later, freshman Tayden Hall would send an RBI double to left to bring in Karstetter and extend the Manatees' lead to 3-1.

In the bottom of the third, the Hawks would make a change on the mound as sophomore Richie Cimpric would come in for Bostick. After the pitching change, Larreal would groundout to bring in Gilbert, but the offense for the Manatees didn't stop when the bottom of the fifth occurred. After Gilbert lead off with a single before moving to second, freshman Gabe Wright would then get hit by a pitch before classmate Dillon Cerone drew a walk to load the bases for Larreal as he lined a single to bring in Gilbert and Wright. After Hall drew a walk to load the bases, sophomore Owen Ayers would draw a walk and bring in Cerone for a 7-1 SCF lead.

Stefiuk remained confident on the mound. Even when facing a few tough spots, the Vanderbilt transfer was able to finish up at the end.

At the top of the eighth, Hill decided to pull Stefiuk from the game and sent sophomore Jake Jackson to the mound for relief. After loading the bases, the Hawks were able to produce more runs as sophomore Jacob Griffith would draw a walk to bring in a run. This would signal Hill to send Gilbert to the mound to try and get an out. Sophomore Juan Jamie would hit into a RBI fielder's choice to bring in the Hawks' second run of the inning before classmate Dillon Besnier would hit an RBI single before freshman Josean Sanchez drew a bases-loaded walk to cut the Manatees lead by two. The Hawks would eventually tie the game at 7-7 after a sacrifice fly by sophomore Cameron Vigh and an RBI single by classmate Mario Lopez. This would signal the end for Gilbert on the mound as Hill would send sophomore Nick Consentino head to the mound.

Eventually, the Hawks would take their first lead since the first inning thanks to RBI singles by freshman Andre Vidal and Morrison and Lopez scoring on a passed ball. Consentino was still able to get out of the eighth as the Manatees would catch Morrison trying to steal home.

After Consentino was able to pull off a strong ninth inning, the Manatees put together their chance to at least tie the game in the bottom half of the inning beginning with a lead-off single by sophomore Kyle Harbison. After Wright was hit by a pitch, Cerone would strikeout for the first out of the ninth. Larreal would load the bases after reaching on a fielding error before Karstetter sent a single to left and bring in Harbison and Wright to cut the Hawks lead to 10-9. This would signal a pitching change as sophomore Joshua Bostick would come in for relief and a save opportunity.

After the pitching change, Hall would draw a walk to load the bases before Ayers would send a sacrifice fly to right and bring in Larreal and tie the game at 10-10. After Fields drew a walk to load the bases, all eyes turned towards Gilbert to seal the deal needing only one run. On a 1-1 count, the former Ole Miss Rebel would send a shot to left for a grand slam for his first collegiate home run of the season and win the game for the Manatees.

"At the beginning of the inning when we came in, they brought in a new pitcher after we faced the previous one for three straight innings and used him straight with the fastball that kept on missing up," said Gilbert on hitting the game-winner. "While I was on-deck, I was thinking 'I'm going to stay calm, have smooth swings and get ahead on contact to let the ball do it's thing', I got the pitch and took it for a ride." 

"Ben was the man of the hour with the bases loaded and two outs," said Larreal on Gilbert's game-winner. "There were fireworks at home plate for the walk-off."

"It was a good way to walk-off the game for sure since he hasn't been swinging the bat consistently lately," said Hill on Gilbert's game-winner. "He knows how to hit and I know he can hit. I thought he had much better at-bats tonight, like his first at-bat where he shot to left that was close to a hit before following with this at-bat. He definitely had a better night offensively and were kind of expecting him to play the way he supposed to."

Murphy Bostick and Stefiuk would both earn no-decisions. Murphy Bostick would give up three runs on five hits with three walks and one strikeout in two innings, while Stefiuk gave up three runs on four hits with five walks and six strikeouts in seven innings.

"I felt good out there," said Stefiuk on his game. "Today my focus in the game was to throw as many strikes as I could. Luckily, all my pitches were working and I was able to pull it off despite the no-decision."

"Ryan really set the tone for us pounding strikes," said Larreal on Stefiuk. "He helped us honestly and if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have that tone. I really wanted him to stay because he was doing so good, but it was his time and it comes down to the eighth where our pitching wasn't there and the arms weren't doing well, but we were able to get our outs."

Consentino would get the win after giving up one unearned run on three hits with two strikeouts in one and a third of relief. He is now 3-3 on the year.

Joshua Bostick would suffer his first loss of the season after giving up three runs on one hit with two walks in one third of an inning of relief. He is now 0-1 on the year.

Four Manatees had at least two RBI in the game and five had at least two hits. Gilbert and Karstetter were the offensive leaders in the game with a home run, four RBI and three runs scored each. Gilbert was 3-for-6 while Karstetter was 2-for-5 with a walk and a stolen base. Additionally, Gilbert threw two-thirds of an inning of relief, giving up four runs on three hits with one walk. Larreal was 3-for-6 with three RBI and three runs.

Hall and Harbison were each 2-for-4 at the plate. Hall added one RBI, one run and two walks, while Harbison added one walk and one run.

Ayers had the remaining hit as he went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Fields (one run and two walks), Wright (two runs and one walk) and Cerone (one run and one walk) also contributed in the game.

Morrison, Sanchez, Lopez and Besnier each had two hits for the Hawks with Morrison being the only Hawk with a multi-RBI game.

Personal Note:

Both Gilbert and Larreal transferred from Hillsborough this season, so this was almost personal for both players going against their former team. Larreal played two seasons with the Hawks, while Gilbert played one after transferring from Ole Miss.

"It was good feeling to play against my former team," said Gilbert. "I have a lot of friends on that team and I love them, but it feels good to actually beat a team I was on because they are very talented."

"I love them all to death," said Larreal. "We came out to play in a very tight game, but it feels good to come on the other side with the 'W'. They played their butts off and we know it's going to be a great series with them."

It was also the same with coach Hill with one of HCC's assistant coaches, Ryan Valdes, who played for Hill in 2014 after transferring from Florida State before transferring to USF for the next two seasons and then playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates minor leagues.

"Ryan was a good player for SCF back then and he is a good coach," said Hill on Valdes. "He's doing a good job recruiting for HCC."

Up Next:

The Manatees will remain at home as they welcome St. Pete Tuesday, March 15 for a rubber match.

SCF Baseball Gets First Home Win

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (4-5) were able to pull themselves together and get their first home win at Wynn Field as they defeated Pasco-Hernando State (3-5) 11-5.

"It's nice that we got the win at home," said head coach Tim Hill II. "When you're around good teams, those are hard to beat at their home park, so I was expecting to have this conversation Monday against Santa Fe, but we didn't play very well that night, but today was a new day and that's what is great about baseball. You don't have to wait so long before you get another crack at it."

"It felt great," said sophomore Kevin Karstetter. "I thought we played well as a team offensively. We strung together some timely hits and we swung the bat really. Our pitchers also did a good job of keeping us in the game."

"I thought we played really well today after coming off the loss in our home opener," said sophomore Harrison Long. "It was good to see the guys come back together and I thought we were good offensively with good pitching. We did struggle a little bit defensively, but we'll clean it up once we start clicking again and we'll be a really good team."

"Overall, our pitching came out really well and Christian Gordon came out good and threw well for us," said sophomore Kyle Harbison. "I love being back with the boys when they do good on the mound and it fires me up when Nick (Gottilla) and Mikey (Ojeda) came in and dominated. I couldn't complain on that."

Hill sent sophomore Christian Gordon to the mound, while Pasco head coach Lyndon Coleman sent redshirt freshman Cameron Kenny to counter.

The first two innings were scoreless for both teams and it included a big defensive double play made by sophomore Ben Gilbert in the first and Harbison catching a runner trying to steal to end the second.

In the bottom of the third, the Manatees would get in the run column first beginning with a one out single by Harbison. After Gilbert drew a walk, Karstetter would bring in Harbison with a single before sophomore Owen Ayers drew a walk to load the bases for Long. On a full count, Long would send a double to right to bring in Gilbert and Karstetter to make it 3-0 SCF.

"They were throwing me a lot of off speed pitches and when it was a full count, I was finding anything I could, so I saw a fastball and stayed with my approach and it got us on the board."

At the top of the fourth, the Bobcats would get their first run on the board as redshirt freshman Sean Sullivan would hit into a fielder's choice, but the Manatees would respond back in the bottom half after freshman Lucas Ismali was hit by a pitch before advancing to second on poor fielding and scoring on an RBI groundout by Harbison to make it 4-1 SCF.

At the top of the fifth, Hill would pull Gordon and send sophomore Nick Gottilla to the mound for a successful inning. In the bottom half, the Manatees would add on more to their lead. After Karstetter lead the inning off with a double before Ayers drew a walk, Coleman would pull Kenny and send freshman Cameron Lee to the mound for relief. Following the pitching change, Long would single to load the bases for sophomore Brandon Fields. On a 0-2 count, Fields would send a sacrifice fly to bring in Karstetter and move Ayers in scoring position. Freshman Tayden Hall would then send a sacrifice fly of his own and bring in Ayers to make it 6-1 SCF.

The Bobcats would score two at the top of the sixth after a Manatees fielding error to make it 6-3 still in SCF's favor. The Manatees however would respond back in the bottom half of the inning. After a lead-off double by sophomore Jake Jackson, Harbison would send a double of his own and bring in Jackson before Karstetter brought in Harbison with a double to make it 8-3 SCF.

The Bobcats would score a run from an RBI groundout by freshman Chay Yeager at the top of the seventh, but the Manatees would respond back in the bottom half. After a one-out double by Hall and Ismali getting hit by a pitch, Coleman would pull Lee and send sophomore Joel Rodriguez to the mound before Jackson drawing a walk to load the bases for Harbison as he would get hit by a pitch and bring in Hall. Following Gilbert striking out, Karstetter would single and bring in Ismali for a 10-3 lead.

Hill would make another pitching change as he would send freshman Michael Ojeda to the mound at the top of the eighth. The Bobcats would score their next run on an RBI single by sophomore Brandon Lawrence.

The Manatees would score their final run of the game as Hall would bring in Fields with an RBI groundout to make it 11-5 SCF. Ojeda would get one more push at the top of the ninth and get the final frame for the win at home.

Gordon would be credited with a no-decision after giving up one run on two hits with three walks and four strikeouts in four innings. Gottilla would get the win after giving up three runs (one earned) on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts in three innings of relief, while Ojeda gave up one run on four hits with five strikeouts in two innings of relief.

Kenny would be credited with the loss after giving up six runs on four hits with five walks and four strikeouts in four innings. Lee would give up four runs on five hits with one walk and three strikeouts in two and a third of relief, while Rodrigues gave up two runs on two hits with two strikeouts in one and two-thirds.

Karstetter would finish the game 4-for-4 with three RBI and two runs.

"I thought I was seeing the ball well," said Karstetter on his game. "I tried to take my best swing and put it in the at-bat. I felt like I did well."

"Kevin has been swinging the bat really well all year," said Hill on Karstetter. "We have a lot of guys that have been better than they have been before. They just have to keep swinging. We did also have some good backside hits from him as well."

Long and Harbison would each finish with two hits. Long (2-for-5) added two RBI, while Harbison (2-for-3) added three RBI and two runs.

"For my approach, I was looking for a fastball over the plate and he gave it to me in the first and third at-bats where he left it open for me and I ambushed the fastball and got the double off of it," said Harbison on his game.

Fields (1-for-4, one RBI), Hall (1-for-4, two RBI and one run) and Jackson (1-for-3, one run and one walk) had the remaining three hits for the Manatees.

Up Next:

The Manatees remain at home as they welcome Indian River State (5-2) Friday night, February 11 at 4 pm.

SCF Baseball Set for Season Opener

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team has now put the 2021 season to the side and will now focus on the 2022 season. The Manatees will open on neutral grounds as they travel to Fort Myers for the weekend (1/28-30) to play Miami Dade (6:30 pm), Ranger College (1:30 pm) and Gulf Coast State (10 am) at Terry Park and City of Palms Park, hosted by Florida Southwestern State.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees finished last season 34-21 overall with an 18-12 record in the Suncoast Conference. While they were also ranked as high as #11 in the NJCAA Top 20 Polls, they would fail to qualify for the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament. It was the first time in a long time that the team did not reach the state tournament.

The team is lead by head coach Tim Hill II or Coach 21 as most people call him. Hill II enters his 10th season as head coach for the Manatees. During his head coaching career, he has put together a 313-143-2 record.

Even while the Manatees didn't make the playoffs, the team did make a historical moment as the program secured 2,000 wins as a program alone.

Loss and Gains:

After the season, the Manatees lost 13 players that have moved on to the next level: Cole Ayers, Rook Ellington, Jacob Steinberg, Tucker Mitchell, AJ Fritz, David Barrett, Jack Anderson, Cameron Lee, Tony Rossi, Clay Callan, Matt Gelorme, Daniel Batcher, Aidan Gallagher, Sean Dertinger and Dylan Vega. Ayers and Mitchell were the only two players that were selected in the MLB Draft (Mitchell: 14th Round, 404th pick by Texas Rangers; Ayers: 16th round, 483rd pick by New York Yankees).

Ellington (Murray State), Steinberg (James Madison), Fritz (Pittsburgh), Barrett (Florida State), Anderson (Pittsburgh), Lee (High Point), Rossi (Charlotte), Callan (Daytona State: NJCAA), Gelorme (Tennessee Tech), Batcher (Florida Gulf Coast), Gallager (SUNY Oswego: NCAA DIII), Dertinger (SUNY Oswego: NCAA DIII) and Vega (South Florida) have all decided to continue playing collegiately at the higher levels with their remaining years of eligibility.

While Hill II did lose other players like Jakob Mattos, Richard Rodriguez, Joel Perez and Charlie Davidson, he did manage to sign 24 newcomers to the squad with nine being transfers.

Christian Gordon:

A left-handed pitcher from Monroe, Virginia, Gordon joins the Manatees as a transfer from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia with one year of eligibility remaining. As a member of the Flames, he appeared in five games where he threw a 11.61 ERA with five strikeouts and six walks.

Prior to Liberty University, Gordon played for Liberty Christian Academy where, in three years of varsity, he went 7-3 overall in his career with a 1.24 ERA, 99 strikeouts and 15 walks, while batting a career .467 with 21 hits, three home runs and 16 RBI.

His junior year was his most productive as he went 6-1 with a 1.00 ERA and 94 strikeouts while batting .455 with three home runs and 15 RBI. He even threw a no-hitter in one of his games. As a sophomore for the Bulldogs, Gordon helped them win the 2017 VHSAA Class 4A State Championship.

Additionally, before enrolling at Liberty University, he was drafted in the 38th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Nick Gottilla:

A left-handed pitcher from Davenport, Iowa, Gottilla joins as a transfer from the University of Central Florida (UCF) with one year of eligibility remaining in the NJCAA. As a member of the Knights, he appeared in 16 games in two seasons where he threw 12.2 innings with 13 strikeouts and eight walks.

Prior to UCF, Gottilla played for Assumption High School in Davenport where he was a two-sport athlete playing football as well as baseball. He helped lead the Knights his senior year to the 2019 IHSAA 3A State Tournament Semifinals while being named Conference Player of the Year and a member of the IHSAA All-State First Team, All-Iowa First Team and IHSAA Elite All-State Team.

Kyle Harbison:

A catcher from Georgetown, Kentucky, Harbison joins after transferring from Indiana State University with one year of eligibility. As a member of the Sycamores for two seasons, he batted a career .250 with two hits and an RBI.

Prior to Indiana State, Harbison played for Scott County High School for four years with two of them at the varsity level. He batted a career .338 with 14 RBI and 143 putouts with the Cardinals, while being named a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award his senior year.

Gabe Wright:

Wright is an outfielder from Indianapolis and joins the Manatees after graduating from Brebeuf Jesuit High School in Indianapolis. There, he was a two-sport athlete playing football and baseball.

As a football player, Wright played as a wide receiver and cornerback and in four seasons on the Braves' varsity where he had 1,766 total yards, 24 total touchdowns (18 receiving) and four interceptions, while leading them to four straight playoff appearances, which included a trip to the 2018 ISHAA State Tournament Regional Finals.

As a baseball player, Wright played three years on varsity where he had a career .329 batting average, 28 hits, five home runs, 17 RBI and 15 stolen bases while leading the Braves to the ISHAA 3A State Tournament his junior year.

Ben Gilbert:

Gilbert is a outfielder and left-handed pitcher from Babson Park, Florida that joined the Manatees as a double transfer after transferring from Suncoast Conference rival Hillsborough Community College with one year of eligibility. As a member of the Hawks, Gilbert played his lone season where he went 1-2 on the mound with a 3.38 ERA, two saves, 11 walks and 16 strikeouts, while batting .308 with 36 hits and seven RBI.

Prior to HCC, Gilbert played his freshman year at Ole Miss. As a member of the Rebels, Gilbert made four appearances on the mound during the 2020 season where he threw 6.2 innings with a 9.45 ERA, one walk and eight strikeouts before COVID-19 shut the season.

Gilbert was four-year letter winner for Lake Wales High School in Babson Park at the varsity level before committing to Ole Miss. On the mound, he was 17-5 in his career with a 2.21 ERA, 78 walks and 189 strikeouts and batted .404 in his career with 126 hits, one home run and 55 RBI.

As far as accolades, Gilbert was the FHSAA 6A Player of the Year and was a member of the Perfect Game Preseason All-Region First Team (2019) and Preseason Underclassmen All-American Honorable Mention (2017-18) and a 2019 FACA All-Star. He was also ranked the #237 prospect in the nation via Perfect Game.

Miguel Larreal:

An infielder from Orlando, Larrel joins the Manatees with fellow team Gilbert after transferring from Suncoast Conference rival Hillsborough. As a member of the Hawks, Larreal in two seasons batted .278 in his career with 40 hits and 23 RBI. His sophomore year was his breakthrough year as he batted .317 with 33 hits, 20 RBI and 11 stolen bases.

Prior to HCC, Larreal played for Boone High School in Orlando. As a member of the Braves, he batted a career .377 with 52 hits, 20 RBI and 17 stolen bases in his last two years of varsity while helping them to the regionals of the FHSAA 9A State Tournament. 

Jackson Hauck:

A right-handed pitcher from Cincinnati, Ohio, Hauck joins the Manatees after graduating from St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati. As a member of the Bombers, he helped lead them to the 2021 OHSAA Division I State Tournament his senior year, while going 4-1 with a 2.66 ERA, 16 walks and 42 strikeouts.

Michael Murphy:

Murphy, a local left-handed pitcher from Manatee High School in Bradenton, rejoins the Manatees after opting not to play this past season. He was originally on the 2020 spring roster before opting due to COVID-19.

As a member of the Hurricanes, Murphy played three seasons on varsity before graduating in 2019. Outside of Manatee, he has played in several 16U and 17U national championship (WWBA, BCS and Southeast) and was named a member of the all-tournament teams, including the Perfect Game Preseason All-American and All-Region Team in the Florida Region.

Lucas Ismali:

A three-way player from Duendin, Florida, Ismali joins the Manatees after transferring from the University of Pittsburgh with two to three years of eligibility. He redshirted his freshman year before transferring to SCF.

Prior to Pitt, Ismali played for three seasons at East Lake High School in Tarpon Springs where he helped the team win three district championships and a regional final appearance. He was also selected team offensive MVP and all-county team before wrapping up his career with a .400 average, 3 home runs, and over 20 stolen bases.

Brandon Fields:

Fields, an outfielder from Orlando, joins the Manatees as a transfer from the University of South Carolina with one to two years of eligibility remaining. As a member of the Gamecocks, he played in only six games (one start) and was primarily a pinch runner or defensive substitution.

Prior to South Carolina, Fields graduated from Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando and like Wright, he was a two-sport athlete playing both football and baseball.

As a football player, Fields played as a running back for one season on varsity where he had 290 yards (22.3 yards per game) with three touchdowns his sophomore year, while helping the Panthers to win the 2017 FHSAA 8A State Championship over Atlantic High School.

As a baseball player, Fields played on the Panthers varsity squad for three years where he finished batting .359 in his career with eight home runs, 45 RBI and 51 stolen bases while helping them to two straight appearances to the FHSAA 9A State Tournament, which included a trip to the state semifinals of the 2018 FHSAA 9A State Tournament.

Josh Beck:

A left-handed pitcher from Lititz, Pennsylvania, Beck joins after graduating from Lancaster Catholic High School. As a member of the Crusaders, he put together a 3-3 career record with a 1.83 ERA, 82 walks and 143 strikeouts in three years of varsity. Additionally, Beck helped the Crusaders to the PHSAA State tournament appearances, which including winning the PHSAA 3A Championship his freshman year.

Jake Dorn:

Dorn is a left-handed pitcher from Davie, Florida that joined after graduating from Cooper City High School. In three years of varsity, Dorn compiled a career 3-3 record with a 4.04 ERA, 43 walks and 82 strikeouts for the Cowboys, while helping them to the regional quarterfinals of the 2021 FHSAA 6A State Tournament.

Gavin Adams:

A right-handed pitcher from Boynton Beach, Florida, Adams joins the Manatees after graduating from St. John Paul II Academy in Boca Raton. As a member of the Eagles, he finished his career 6-4 with a 1.73 ERA, 36 walks and 86 strikeouts, while also batting .250 with 26 hits and 17 RBI. In two seasons on varsity, Adams helped the Eagles to regional finals of the FHSAA 3A State Tournament his senior year.

Nick Gorby:

A left-handed pitcher from Vero Beach, Florida, Gorby joins the team after transferring from Texas Tech University with one to two years of eligibility remaining. As a member of the Red Raiders, he appeared in three games, throwing 3.1 innings with a 0.00 ERA, three walks and one strikeout. Additionally, he went with the Red Raiders to the Lubbock Super Regionals of the 2021 NCAA College Baseball World Series before falling to then #9 Stanford.

Prior to Texas Tech, Gorby played his senior season at Vero Beach High School where he was the FSHAA Pitcher of the Year after going 4-0 while throwing 23 innings, recording 41 strikeouts and a 0.30 ERA his final high school year.

Additionally, Gorby has played in the Perfect Game National Showcase (2019), World Showcase (2020), WWBA Underclass World Championship (2016), WWBA 15U National Championship (2017), WWBA Sophomore World Championship (2017), WWBA 17U National Championship (2019) and 17U BCS National Championship (2019), while being named named to 2020 Perfect Game Preseason All-American and First Team All-Region teams and Underclassmen All-American Teams (2017-19), Team USA (2017) and WWBA All-Tournament Team (2017).

Furthermore, he was ranked the 119th pitcher in the national overall, the 11th left-handed pitcher, 27th and fourth left-handed pitcher in Florida where his fastball ranked first.

JJ Taylor:

Taylor, an infielder from Fort Pierce, Florida, joins the Manatees after graduating from John Carroll Catholic High School. In two seasons of varsity, he finished with a .267 batting average with 16 hits and six RBI. Additionally, Taylor helped the Rams to the state semifinals of the FHSAA 3A State Tournament his senior year.

Cole Cothren:

An infielder from Plant City, Florida, Cothren joins the Manatees after transferring from Montreat College (NAIA) in Montreat, North Carolina. As a member of the Cavaliers, he batted .348 with 32 hits and 24 RBI in 29 games.

Prior to Montreat, Cothren graduated from Plant City High School where he was a two-sport athlete playing golf as well as baseball.

Cothren played golf for Lakeland Christian High School for five seasons before switching to baseball and had five first place finishes for the Vikings. After switching the golf club for a baseball bat, Cothren played a career .384 with 88 hits and 62 RBI for the Raiders.

Ben Brown:

A local outfielder from North Port, Florida, Brown joins SCF after graduating from North Port High School. In three seasons of varsity playing for the Bobcats, Brown finished his high school career batting .366 with 41 hits, one home run and 17 RBI, while helping them get to the FHSAA 6A District Tournament quarterfinals.

Austin Dearing:

An outfielder from Huntington, West Virginia, Dearing joins the team after transferring from Marshall University with one to two years of eligibility remaining. As a member of the Thundering Herd, Dearing played in 12 games (four starts) where he batted .190 with four hits and one RBI.

Prior to Marshall, Dearing, like Wright, Fields and Cothren, was a two-sport athlete at Hurricane High School where he played both baseball and basketball.

As a member of the Hurricane's boys basketball team, Dearing played all four years at the varsity level where he averaged 14.1 points (1,251 career points), 4.8 rebounds (427 career rebounds), 1.8 assists (164 career assists) and 1.1 steals (102 career steals) per game in 89 career games. His senior year was a breakthrough year as he averaged 23.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game in 22 games, while being named team captain. In fact, Dearing scored in double digits in all 22 games, with five of them being 30 points or more and had seven double-doubles.

As a member of the baseball team, Dearing helped Hurricane win the 2018 WVSSAC AAA State Championship his sophomore year and was the 2020 GPOY his senior year.

Tyler Logan:

A local right-handed pitcher from Parrish, Florida, Logan joins after graduating from Palmetto High School. He finished on the mound with the Tigers his junior with a 5.73 ERA in three appearances with six walks and five strikeouts.

Kelsen Johnson:

A catcher from Lithia, Florida, Johnson joins after graduating from Newsome High School. As a member of the Wolves varsity team, Johnson batted .309 with 67 hits, 37 walks, two home runs and 43 RBI. During his sophomore year, he helped the Wolves to the regional semifinals of the 2019 FHSAA 9A State Tournament.

Colin Jackson:

A right-handed pitcher from Tampa, Florida, Jackson joins the team after graduating from Gaither High School. In two seasons of varsity playing for the Cowboys, Jackson finished with a 10-2 career record with a 1.29 ERA, 19 walks and 100 strikeouts, while helping his team to the regional quarterfinals of the FHSAA 6A State Tournament.

Carson Long:

A local infielder from Sarasota, Long joins the team after graduating from Sarasota High School and reunites with fellow Sailor teammates Owen Ayers and brother Harrison Long. As a member of the Sailors, Carson Long played three years of varsity while helping them to FHSAA 6A State Tournament Regional Quarterfinals. Additionally, Carson Long follows in the footsteps of his other cousin, current USF grad student Nick Long.

Trace Goforth:

A right-handed pitcher and local product from Palmetto High School, Goforth joins the Manatees after transferring from Pensacola State College (NJCAA) with one to two years of eligibility remaining. As a member of the Pirates, Goforth made one appearance on the mound where he threw one scoreless inning.

Prior to Pensacola, Goforth played three years of varsity for Palmetto High School where he went 12-3 in his career with a 2.40 ERA, 56 walks and 106 strikeouts.

Goforth also joins his fellow high school teammate in Logan.

Aidan Troy:

A three-way local product from Sarasota, Florida, Troy joins the Manatees after graduating from Cardinal Mooney High School. He plays primarily as a pitcher, but can play in the infield and outfield positions.

As a member of the Cougars for three seasons of varsity, Troy finished his career batting .457 with 61 hits, two home runs and 29 RBI, while going 1-1 on the mound with a 3.41 ERA, 22 walks and 37 strikeouts. Additionally, he helped lead the Cougars to 2021 FHSAA 3A State Tournament his senior year.

Key Returners:

Hill was able to bring back 10 returners from last season: Harrison Long, Kevin Karstetter, Jake Jackson, Owen Ayers, Eli Thurmond, Brayden Woodburn, Jack Pacetti, Nick Consentino and Derek Francis.

Long will enter his second season with the Manatees after transferring from Jacksonville University. Last season, leg injuries plagued his season, but Long managed to finish batting .288 with 40 hits, four home runs and 29 RBI.

Karstetter finished last season batting .296 with 60 hits, three home runs and 47 RBI while earning a spot on the All-Suncoast Conference Second Team. After this season, Karstetter will be enrolling at the University of Houston with up to three years of eligibility remaining.

Jackson, who will enroll at Liberty University after this season with three years of eligibility remaining, is coming off of finishing his freshman campaign batting .368 with 49 hits, two home runs and 31 RBI while being named a member of the All-Suncoast Conference First Team.

Ayers, the switch-hitting outfielder/catcher from Sarasota, is entering his third season with the Manatees after finishing last season batting .274 with 57 hits, seven home runs and 41 RBI. He will be committing to Marshall University next season with two years of eligibility remaining.

After rotating between being a starter and relief pitcher, Thurmond, another local pitcher from Bradenton Christian School, will enter his second season after finishing last year 4-1 with a 2..96 ERA, four saves, 25 walks and 50 strikeouts.

Although he will sit out and redshirt this season due to injury, Woodburn finished his freshman campaign batting .306 with 52 hits, four home runs and 38 RBI. He was named a member of the All-Suncoast Second Team.

Pacetti joined the Manatees last season after transferring from the University of Cincinnati, but did not make an appearance on the mound after getting surgery on his arm, so this will be his official debut with the Manatees.

Like Thurmond, Consentino rotated between being a starter and relief pitcher. He finished last season 1-2 with a 6.51 ERA, one save, 19 walks and 31 strikeouts.

Francis joined the team last season as a transfer from another JUCO. He redshirted on the team, but was ultimately the bullpen catcher for the 2021 season.

Scouting Miami Dade:

The Sharks are lead by head coach Adrian Morales, who enters his fourth season as head coach. They are coming off of finishing last season 39-16 overall with a 14-8 record in the Southern Conference. They would win the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament to qualify for the NJCAA Baseball World Series in Colorado.

The Sharks will bring back 12 returners, which include Wooyeoul Shin and Jose Pichardo.

The Manatees are 8-12 against the Sharks.

Scouting Ranger College:

Ranger College represents NJCAA Region 5/North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference (NTJCAC) and are lead by Scott Norwood, who enters his fourth season as head coach. The Rangers finished last season 15-39 overall with a 9-23 record in conference.

This will be the first time the Manatees encounter the Rangers.

Scouting Gulf Coast State:

The Commodores are lead by first-year head coach Tyler Younger and are coming off of finishing last season 24-24 overall with an 8-16 record in the Panhandle Conference. They did not qualify for the FCSAA State Tournament.

Avery Stephens returns on the mound for the Commodores after finishing last season 7-4 with a 4.96 ERA, 19 walks and 69 strikeouts.

At the plate, Tyler Borges will be returning after finishing his freshman campaign batting .311 with one home run, 17 RBI and 11 stolen bases.

The Manatees are 6-2 against the Commodores

Livestats will be available on GameChanger.