PCHS senior baseball players Stetson Smith, Kyler Allen and Zack Goble (l to r) are shown signing their papers to attend college and continue playing baseball at the next level. Stetson and Zack are signing with Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah and Kyler is signing with the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega.  

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Shown in the top left photo are Kevin Allen, Kyler Allen and Tena Allen. Standing is team chaplain Lynn Harris, assistant coach Jamie Ammons, head coach Greg Gay, assistant coach Andrew Evans and athletic director Sean Pender.

Shown in the bottom left photo is Blake Smith, Stetson Smith, Melissa Smith and Spencer Smith. Standing is team chaplain Lynn Harris, assistant coach Jamie Ammons, head coach Greg Gay, assistant coach Andrew Evans and athletic director Sean Pender.

Shown in the bottom right photo is Ray Goble, Zack Goble and Robbi Goble. Standing is team chaplain Lynn Harris, assistant coach Jamie Ammons, head coach Greg Gay, assistant coach Andrew Evans and athletic director Sean Pender.

Congratulations to these three outstanding young men and their families for their hard work and dedication and we wish them the best of luck at the next level.

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Armstrong State University head baseball coach Calvain Culberson has announced the signing of Pierce County High School baseball players Stetson Smith and Zack Goble to national letters of intent to play for the Pirates in 2016.

The pair inked with the Pirates during the early signing period, which began last Wednesday. Both players are a successful part of the Pierce County HS program that has made three straight Elite Eight appearances and finished as the Georgia State Runners-Up in 2012.

"Stetson comes to us from first-class programs in both high school and summer ball," Culberson said. "Coach Gay and Coach Jeffers do great jobs developing players and young men. Stetson has shown toughness and a blue-collar style of play both on the baseball and the football fields. If you have ever been to a South Georgia game on a Friday night, you had better be tough or you won't last very long. With his makeup and physical ability, Stetson will play a big role for us in the middle of the infield for years to come. He has the athleticism to do different things offensively and defensively to help us win games. Stetson wants to be a coach in the future and I have no doubts that, with his character and competitiveness, he will make a great coach some day."

Stetson Smith hit .409 with 10 doubles and 24 stolen bases for Pierce County as a junior in 2014, helping lead the Bears to a 27-7 record and an Elite Eight appearance. He hit .322 with eight doubles and 16 stolen bases as a sophomore in 2013 and earned All-Region 2-AA honors both seasons.

"Zack is also a product of Pierce County High School and Round Trip Baseball with coaches Gay and Jeffers," Culberson said. "We first saw Zack at a practice last spring and fell in love with his raw power. Zack has the physical makeup and tools to hit in the middle of the lineup and provide a lot of power. Defensively, he is very versatile. He plays first base right now, but athletically could transition to the outfield in the future. We could not be happier to have both Zack and Stetson come here as teammates, wanting to pursue a collegiate career together. Both excel in the classroom and I know that their future at Armstrong is bright. They will represent our university and Pierce County very well."

Goble hit .350 with three home runs, nine doubles, 30 RBI and nine steals as a junior for the Bears, while hitting .370 with two home runs, eight doubles, 24 RBI and 14 stolen bases as a sophomore. The duo hail from Blackshear, Ga., and will enroll in Armstrong in the fall of 2015.

SAVANNAH, Ga. - The Armstrong State University baseball squad used a five-run fourth inning to pick up a 6-4 Peach Belt Conference victory over visiting Georgia Southwestern State on Sunday afternoon, completing a three-game sweep of the Hurricanes at Pirate Field.

The Pirates (8-6, 4-5 PBC) have now won four straight in the league while Georgia Southwestern (9-6, 0-6 PBC) sees its losing streak stretch to six with the loss. ArmstrongState returns to action on Tuesday, hosting Claflin in a 2:00 p.m. non-conference contest at Pirate Field.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning, when the Pirates loaded the bases with one out against Hurricane starter Layne Gusler (1-2). Spencer Harvey laced a bases-clearing double down the left field line, driving in three, to put the Pirates up 3-0. Harvey later scored on a wild pitch, then Stetson Smith (PCHS 2015) picked up an RBI double to cap the five-run frame.

Georgia Southwestern answered in the top of the fifth with two runs - on RBI singles by Evan Alderman and Alex Kranick - but Avery Fagan (1-1) got an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to prevent further damage.

The Hurricanes loaded the bases again in the sixth inning, scoring a run on Josh Logan's RBI single, but again Fagan induced an inning-ending double play ball to keep the Pirates in front, 5-3.

Will Redding's RBI single in the seventh drew Georgia Southwestern to within one run, 5-4, but the Pirates used an error to get an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh.

Tyler Graham entered the game for the Pirates with one out and two runners on in the eighth inning, walked the leadoff batter, but then struck out Alderman and Kranick to end the threat. Graham then gave up just a single hit in the ninth to close out the win and earn his first save of the season.

Fagan picked up the win in relief for the Pirates, giving up six hits and two runs in 2 2/3 innings of work, walking one. Gusler took the loss for the Hurricanes, giving up six hits and five runs in four innings of work, walking two while striking out one.

Smith had two hits to pace the Pirates offensively, while five different Hurricanes had two hits on the day - Alderman, Kranick, Nick Fonseca, Logan and Zach Barron.

The Peach Belt Conference has announced its Freshman Player of the Week and its none other than our very own, Stetson Smith (PCHS 2015). Smith hit .429 with a .571 slugging percentage in two games in the Pirates’ sweep of Georgia Southwestern. 

The infielder from Blackshear, GA went a combined 3-for-7 with a double and two RBIs.  He drew a walk and had a .500 on-base percentage.  He was 2-for-4 in the series finale on Sunday and 1-for-3 with a run scored in Saturday’s game two.  In the field, he played at third and short and was errorless in eight total chances with a double play turned.

LanderUniversity completed a Peach Belt Conference baseball series sweep of visiting ArmstrongStateUniversity on Saturday, winning 3-2 and 8-4 at Dolny Stadium in Greenwood, S.C. 

Lander improved to 16-5 overall and 9-3 in the Peach Belt, while the Pirates fell to 9-9 overall and 4-8 in the PBC. ArmstrongState returns to action on Wednesday, traveling to Sumter, S.C., for a 6 p.m. neutral site game against MountOlive. 

Lander jumped ahead 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning of game one as Zach Daly's double plated one, then later scored in the inning on Thomas Berry's sacrifice fly to right. 

ArmstrongState pulled within 2-1 in the top of the fifth when senior Kendrick Thompson drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on senior Berry Aldridge's single, stopped at third on sophomore Chandler Corley's sacrifice bunt, and scored on freshman Stetson Smith's (PCHS 2015) single. 

The Pirates tied the game in the top of the seventh when Thompson doubled off the top of the right field wall, moved to third on Aldridge's sacrifice bunt, and scored on Smith's two-out infield single deep into the hole between third and short. 

The Bearcats took the lead again in the bottom of the eighth on Daly's two-out single to right.

Sam Linn (3-0) allowed two runs on five hits in eight innings to pick up the win for the Bearcats in game one, striking out four and walking one. Phillips (3-2) allowed three runs, two earned, on three hits in 7.2 innings of work to take the loss, striking out 10 and walking three.

Smith went 2-for-3 with two RBI to lead the Pirates offensively in game one, while Daly went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI.

Armstrong took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning of game two. Phillips and Thompson singled and both scored on Spencer Harvey's two-run double.

The Bearcats pulled within 2-1 in the bottom of the first on a Berry sacrifice fly. 

Phillips and Thompson both scored again in the top of the third, increasing the Pirate lead to 4-1. Phillips walked, Thompson singled and each scored when Harvey reached on an error by the third baseman. 

White led off the bottom of the third with his sixth homer of the season, a blast over the left field fence that closed the Bearcats within 4-2. Two outs later, Berry launched his fourth home run of the year with a shot to right pulling Lander within 4-3.

Lander pulled ahead in the fourth on Daly's grand slam home run, then added a run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly to close out the scoring. 

Harper Grier (3-0) won his second game of the series in relief, hurling 5 2/3 innings, giving up just two hits and one walk while striking out one. Sophomore Sid Royal (1-1) took the loss for the Pirates, giving up three hits and six runs in 3 1/3 innings of work, walking five while striking out three.

Thompson went 2-for-4 with two runs scored to lead the Pirates in game two. 

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Every player in the Armstrong State University lineup registered at least one hit as the Pirates took out visiting Morehouse College, 19-2, in non-conference baseball action on Monday at Pirate Field.

The win evens the Pirates' record at 10-10 and halts a four-game losing streak, while Morehouse falls to 13-13 overall. Armstrong State returns to action on Tuesday, traveling to Albany State for a 4:00 p.m. doubleheader against the Rams.

The Pirates had the first four batters in the first inning reach and eventually plated four runs to take a 4-0 lead. Armstrong State then tacked on five more runs in the second inning - highlighted by a two-run single by freshman Stetson Smith (PCHS 2015) - to build a 9-0 lead.

Armstrong State then plated another four runs in the fourth inning, keyed by an RBI double by senior Will Austin. Morehouse scored its two runs in the top of the sixth on an RBI double by Jordan Tarver and a sacrifice fly by Ryan Christian.

The Pirates then capped the scoring with a six-run sixth inning, highlighted by senior Berry Aldridge's three-run home run.

Corey Kafka (1-0) picked up the win, hurling three innings of one-hit shutout ball, striking out four. Winston Odom (0-1) took the loss for the Maroon Tigers, giving up six hits and nine runs in two innings, walking four and striking out one. Pirate pitching as a whole limited the Tigers to just three hits in the game.

Austin went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, while Aldridge went 2-for-5 with three RBI for the Pirates. Sophomore Chandler Corley had a hit and three runs scored. 

ALBANY, Ga. - The Armstrong State University baseball squad split a non-conference doubleheader at Albany State on Tuesday at Golden Ram Park. The Pirates won game one, 15-7, while the Rams took game two, 9-5, in seven innings.

The split keeps Armstrong State at .500 on the season at 11-11, while Albany State moves to 4-23 on the year. The Pirates return to action on Saturday, hosting Augusta in a 1:00 p.m. Peach Belt Conference contest at Pirate Field.

In game one, the Rams struck first with a three-run home run by Cody Fleck to take a 3-0 lead in the second inning. The Pirates tied things up in the top of the third on an RBI single by Cody Sherlin, an RBI double by Jerad Curry and an RBI groundout by Zack Goble (PCHS 2015).

Each team would plate four runs over the next three innings, making the score 7-7 heading to the top of the eighth. There, the Pirates would explode for eight runs as Curry led off the frame with a solo home run. Berry Aldridge, Will Austin and Spencer Harvey added RBI doubles in the frame as the Pirates sent 13 men to the plate.

Ryan Lawless (1-0) picked up the win for the Pirates, hurling 3 2/3 innings of hit less ball, striking out three. Albany State's Peyton Dixon took the loss, giving up five hits and three runs in 1 2/3 innings of work.

Curry went 4-for-5 with three RBI to lead the Pirates offensively in game one, while Sherlin and Corley each had three hits apiece. 

In game two, the Pirates built a 4-1 lead over the first three innings thanks to a Goble sacrifice fly and an error in the first inning, then a two-run double from Goble in the third.

Albany State took the lead with a four-run bottom of the third inning, on a Terence Worthy RBI single, then a bases-loaded walk and a pair of bases-loaded hit batters by Pirate pitcher Sid Royal (1-2) to make the score 5-4.

The Rams stretched their lead to 7-4 in the fourth thanks to an error and a sacrifice fly. Stetson Smith's (PCHS 2015) RBI single in the fifth cut the lead to 7-5, but Albany State scored two more unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth for the final margin.

Royal hurled three-plus innings, giving up eight hits and seven runs - five earned - while walking two and striking out four. Eden Payano got the win in relief for the Rams, giving up one hit and one run in 2 2/3 innings of work, walking two while striking out four.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Armstrong State University baseball squad saw a late rally fall just short in a 9-7 loss to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Tuesday evening at Silwa Stadium in Daytona Beach, Fla.

The Eagles, who are in transition to NCAA Division II, improved to 25-14 with the win, while the Pirates fall to 15-23. Armstrong State returns to Peach Belt Conference action on Friday, hosting Georgia College in a 3 p.m. contest at Pirate Field.

Spencer Harvey's two-run double in the top of the second staked the Pirates to a 2-0 lead, but the Eagles tied things up in the bottom of the third inning on an RBI double by Liam Goodall and an RBI single by Jonathan Camp.

A wild pitch put the Eagles in front, 3-2, in the bottom of the fifth inning, then Stetson Smith's (PCHS 2015) RBI single in the top of the sixth tied the game up at 3-all.

Embry-Riddle took the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth inning with a five-run frame, highlighted by a two-run triple by Camp. All five runs in the inning came with two out.

 With the score 9-4 in the top of the ninth, Jerad Curry launched a three-run home run to draw the Pirates to within two, but Zach Howard got the final out to preserve the win for the Eagles.

Joey Gerber (1-1) was the beneficiary of the five-run sixth inning for ERAU, picking up the win in relief by hurling 1 1/3 innings of one-hit, one-run ball. Caleb Woods (2-1) took the loss for the Pirates in relief, giving up four hits and four runs in 1 1/3 innings of work, walking one while striking out two.

Chandler Corley went 3-for-4 with two runs scored to pace the Pirates offensively, while Smith and Ryan Patterson had two hits apiece and Curry drove in four runs.

Embry-Riddle was led by Goodall's three hits and three runs scored.

SAVANNAH, Ga. - The Armstrong State University athletic department held its annual Student-Athlete Awards Banquet on Monday evening at the Armstrong Center. Individual team and academic awards were awarded as well as a highlight video shown of the 11 sports from the 2015-16 athletic year at Armstrong. For an eighth straight year, WJCL-TV Sports Director Frank Sulkowski served as emcee of the festivities.

The highlights of the evening included the awarding of the 2015-16 Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year by the Armstrong State Athletic Department. Senior men's tennis player Pablo Gor Costales earned Male Student-Athlete of the Year honors, while senior softball player Peyton Roth was named the Female Student-Athletes of the Year. The awards were presented by by University President Dr. Linda Bleicken.

Three special awards, added last year based on suggestions by the Armstrong State SAAC were also handed out. The first was the Video Play of the Year. Out of eight nominees, which you can view here, a panel of Armstrong faculty and staff picked the Armstrong State softball team's first triple play in program history on April 6th vs. USC Aiken as the Play of the Year.

Armstrong also honored senior men's basketball player Nick Scott with the Individual Performance of the Year for scoring 23 points after halftime, including 7 three-pointers, and hitting the game-winning free throws with 1.5 seconds left in overtime to lead the Pirates past Clayton State, 91-89, on January 6th. Male and Female Freshman of the Year awards went to baseball player Stetson Smith (PCHS 2015) and softball player Logan Harrell.

The Dr. Donald Anderson Scholar-Athlete Awards were handed out for a fourth straight year, given to the top male and female academic student-athlete. Named for longtime Armstrong supporter and student services consultant Dr. Donald Anderson, this year's winners were senior men's tennis player Otakar Lucak and senior women's soccer player Candace Cosby.

In all, more than 90 student-athletes earned awards on the evening.

SAVANNAH, Ga. - The Armstrong State University baseball squad picked up a non-conference doubleheader sweep of visiting Trinity Baptist College on Saturday, winning 10-2 and 5-1 to wrap up the 2016 home season at Pirate Field.

The wins helped the Pirates (17-30) snap an 11-game losing streak and ensured that Armstrong State finished the year with a winning record at home (13-12). Trinity Baptist, out of Jacksonville, Fla., finishes its season at 20-30 with the pair of losses.

In game one, the Pirates hammered out seven extra-base hits - including six doubles - in taking the 10-2 win over the Eagles. 

After the Eagles put up a run in the top of the first on a leadoff triple by Jacob Bolena and a sacrifice fly by Esteban Velez, the Pirates answered with three runs in the second and third innings to take a 6-1 lead. Cody Sherlin had the big hit in the second inning with a two-run single.

The Pirates added a run in the fourth on an double by Sherlin and a two-base error that allowed him to score. Chandler Corley's RBI double in the sixth made the score 8-1, then Will Austin's RBI double and an RBI groundout by Sherlin in the eighth capped the Pirates' scoring.

Corey Kafka (2-4) picked up the win for the Pirates, hurling seven innings of seven-hit, one-run ball, striking out six. Ryan McKeown took the loss for the Eagles, giving up eight hits asnd seven runs - four earned - in four innings of work, walking two while striking out two.

Corley went 3-for-5 with a double and a triple, while JT Phillips went 2-for-5 with two doubles. Sherlin finished the game 2-for-5 with three RBI and passed Sean Hotzak on the Armstrong State all-time hit chart with his 224th career hit - he now ranks eighth all-time for the Pirates.

In game two, the Pirates scored four runs with two outs in the fourth inning and got six strong innings from Nick Andress to take the doubleheader sweep, 5-1.

With the bases loaded and two out, Stetson Smith's (PCHS 2015) bloop single to center field plated two, then Will Austin and Sherlin followed with back-to-back RBI singles to give the Pirates a 4-0 lead in the fourth.

Andress (2-1), meanwhile, picked up the win with six innings of five-hit, one-run ball, walking one while striking out nine. 

Matt Carter took the loss for the Eagles, giving up four hits and four runs in five innings, walking five and striking out one.

Armstrong State returns to action on Friday, May 6, traveling to Belmont Abbey for a 3:00 p.m. contest against the Crusaders.

(Source: http://armstrongpirates.com/sports/bsb/2015-16/releases/20160430qjoe50http://armstrongpirates.com/sports/bsb/2015-16/releases/20160430qjoe50) 

BELMONT, N.C. - The No. 18-ranked Belmont Abbey College baseball team built a 10-2 lead through four innings and held on for a 10-7 win over visiting Armstrong State University on Friday evening in Belmont, N.C.

The Crusaders improve to 37-13-1 with the win, while Armstrong State falls to 17-31 with the loss. The two teams will wrap up the three-game series with a doubleheader at Noon on Saturday - the first game will be a seven-inning contest with the second game a nine-inning contest.

Belmont Abbey had a 2-0 lead heading into the third inning when the Crusaders sent nine men to the plate and scored five runs, keyed by two-run doubles by Nick Nunziato and Connor Kwalwasser, to build a 7-0 lead.

Armstrong State responded with two runs in the top of the fourth inning on a two-run single by Chandler Corley, but the Crusaders scored three times in the bottom of the fourth on a wild pitch and a two-run home run by Thomas Yoder to make the score 10-2.

The Pirates pushed across a run in the fifth on an RBI groundout by Stetson Smith (PCHS 2015), then Armstrong State cut the lead to three with a four-run eighth inning on an error and RBI singles by JT Phillips, Corley and Berry Aldridge.

Kyle Halbohn entered the game in the ninth inning and struck out the side to preserve the win for the Crusaders, earning his 10th save of the year.

Tyler Byrnes (7-3) picked up the win for Belmont Abbey, hurling 7 2/3 innings, giving up nine hits and seven runs - six earned - while walking two and striking out one. Aaron Bentley (0-3) took the loss for the Pirates, giving up 11 hits and 10 runs in 3 2/3 innings of work, walking one while striking out three.

Corley went 2-for-4 with three RBI for the Pirates, while Phillips went 2-for-4 with a double and Jerad Curry went 3-for-3 with two runs scored.

Yoder went 3-for-5 with three RBI for the Crusaders, while Weston Clarke also went 3-for-5.

Source:http://armstrongpirates.com/sports/bsb/2015-16/releases/20160506w11sk8

DELAND, Fla. – The DeLand Suns shined bright in their home opener against the Winter Garden Squeeze, their first victory of the season with a final score of 9-4 at Conrad Park. 

Following a solid performance from the night before, the Suns came out with high intensity  by driving in nine runs on 12 hits. The offensive spark was provided by Jay Hayes (Florida Gulf Coast) early during the second inning when he beat out a ground ball hit to the shortstop. The Suns went on to score three runs during the second inning, two runs in the third, one in the fourth ,two more in the fifth and the last run in the 8th. 

Hayes asserted his dominance at the plat, reaching base safely in three out of four at-bats — all on singes. Blake Voyles (St. Bonaventure) reached based in all five of his appearances, including a triple in the fourth inning.

On the mound tonight, the Suns offered a three-headed monster of Albert Neff (Seminole State), Mathew Gulik (Webber International) and Wade McNabb (Stetson). Neff was extremely consistent on the night with a count of 14 consecutive first pitch strikes and three strikeouts over the span of three innings. Gulik, who pitched five innings, notched the win and recorded two strikeouts. McNabb made a brief appearance of one inning, striking out two of the three batters he faced.

Defense served a key aspect of the game with the Suns not committing any errors.  Stetson Smith (PCHS 2015) (Armstrong State) flashed some leather at second base with a double play he started in the top of the sixth, diving for a line drive and immediately flipping it over to first for the inning ending out.

The Suns split the season opening home-and-home series and now look ahead to playing the Leesburg Lightning on the road on June 6th at 7 p.m.

Source: http://floridaleague.com/Teams/DeLandSuns/SunsPressRoom/tabid/265/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2222/Suns-Even-the-Series-at-Home.aspx  

DELAND, Fla. – The Leesburg Lightning (2-2) scored three runs in the top of the 11th inning and then held off a DeLand Suns (1-2) rally to win by a score of 7-5 on Tuesday night at Conrad Park.  Both teams combined for 19 hits and 12 runs to wrap up game one of a three-game series.

Although the Suns fell short of the victory, there were plenty of bright spots during the evening. The Suns showed some power at the plate with the first homerun of the year coming from Garrett Hall (State College of Florida). The two run shot landed over the left field fence and scored Joe Dudek (Kentucky), who singled in the bottom of the sixth inning. The following inning, Jay Hayes (Florida Gulf Coast) became to be the tying run after he led with a triple down the first base line — he eventually scored on a wild pitch.

In the 11th inning, Stetson Smith (PCHS 2015, Armstrong State) did his best to keep the Suns hopes alive in the game. He delivered an RBI single for the Suns, scoring Jay Hayes from second. However, that was all the Suns were able to muster in the inning.

The Suns were flashing the leather on Tuesday night. In the 7th inning, Derek Deler (Mount Olive) made a “Top 10” worthy grab when he dove to his right on a sharply hit ball up the middle and shot it over to Joe Dudek at first, who by then was in a full split to complete the out. The following inning, catcher Blake Voyles (University of North Florida) gunned down Lightning infielder Harrison Scanlon (Western Kentucky), a potential winning run, trying to steal third base. Although ultimately resulting in defeat the Suns held strong defensively throughout the game behind the pitching of Wade McNabb (Stetson), Matthew Russell (Embry Riddle), Caleb Feibus (Oglethorpe), and Logan Blum (UCF).

The Suns travel to Leesburg on Wednesday to play a doubleheader, ultimately finishing a three game series. The first game is set to begin at 4:30 p.m. at Pat Thomas Stadium.

Source: http://floridaleague.com/Teams/DeLandSuns/SunsPressRoom/tabid/265/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2236/Lightning-Strike-Last-as-the-Suns-Fall-Short-in-Extras.aspx

LEESBURG, Fla. - The DeLand Suns (2-3) and Leesburg Lightning (3-3) each took half of the day's doubleheader. The first game was won by the Lightning with a score of 3-2 on a walk-off in the bottom of the seventh inning by second basemen Cornell Nixon (Eastern Kentucky). The second game was won by the Suns with a score of 9-7 to conclude the three game series between the teams.

Brad Gresock (St. Bonaventure) and Joe Dudek (Kentucky) each had an RBI in the first game — the team’s only runs. Gresock drove in Stetson Smith (PCHS 2015, Armstrong State) with a double in the fifth inning. Dudek followed with a sacrifice fly to score Jay Hayes (Florida Gulf Coast), the tying run at the time, later in that fifth inning. On the mound for the Suns during the first game, Brady Mintell (Weber International) and Mathias Haywood (Seminole State) combined for five strikeouts and only allowed seven hits between them.

To lead off the second game, Zachary Reks (Kentucky) hit a solo home run over the right field fence to lead the Suns  to a four-run first inning — the first four batters all scored. Although the Suns got off to a blistering hot start, the offense still had more to contribute. In the second inning, Reks scored again after reaching on a walk and Hayes scored on an RBI double from Dudek. The runs kept coming in the third inning with a solo shot, the team’s third home run, from Bret Brubaker (Mars Hill). The last of the run parade came when Reks and Hayes each scored in the sixth inning to reach the final of nine runs.

With the addition of two more home runs, the Suns now lead the league in home runs. 

Due to the nature of playing two games back-to-back, the Suns relied on four pitchers to complete the second game. Stuart Rodriguez (Seminole State), Matthew Gulik (Weber International), Matthew Russell (Embry Riddle) and Albert Neff (Seminole State) all showcased their talents to solidify the victory. Albert Neff, pitching four innings with two strikeouts, was awarded the win on the night.

The Suns begin a three game series against the Winter Park Diamond Dogs, beginning with a home game at Conrad Park on Thursday, June 9th. After a road game Friday night, the series concludes with another home game on Saturday, June 11th.

Source: http://floridaleague.com/Teams/DeLandSuns/SunsPressRoom/tabid/265/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2244/Suns-Split-the-Doubleheader.aspx

DeLAND, Fla. – Following an impressive win at home on Saturday against the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs, the DeLand Suns simply did not get it done at home against the Sanford River Rats, losing game one of the two game series 8-4.

The Suns continued to see the ball well, accumulating eleven hits during the game. However, runs were at a premium, as they were held to just one run until the eighth inning, when they added three to make the game interesting.

The late push for the Suns came in the bottom of the eighth beginning with Tyler Marshall (Kentucky) and Stetson Smith (PCHS 2015, Armstrong State) both reaching on singles. Joe Dudek (Kentucky) stepped up to the plate and delivered a deep fly ball that ended up being a double to score Marshall and Smith. Dudek was later brought in by Garrett Hall (State College of Florida) as a result of a RBI double. The Suns had a total of five hits that came in the eighth inning.

Byron Ferguson (King) came in as the third arm and managed fairly well on damage control. He pitched 3.1 innings, had five strikeouts and only allowed one unearned run. Albert Neff (Seminole State) started the game for DeLand throwing four innings with three strikeouts. Matthew Russell (Embry Riddle) came in second as the bridge and threw 1.2 innings allowing three hits.

Defensively, the Suns were highly active on the night with every position recording a putout for the first time this season.

 Looking ahead to the rest of the week the Suns travel to Sanford on Tuesday June 6th to finish a home and home series with the River Rats followed by a home game against the Winter Garden Squeeze here at Conrad Park.

DELAND, Fla. - The DeLand Suns added another win at home on Monday night, defeating the Leesburg Lightning by a score of 3-2. DeLand continued its winning streak, as it now climbs to three — the current season high.

Normally it is the Sun’s offense that delivers the win, but this game was won by consistent pitching that only allowed two runs on six Leesburg hits. Head Coach Rick Hall used the trio of Wade McNabb (Stetson), Trent Blum (St. Petersburg College), and Byron Ferguson (King) on the mound for the Suns. McNabb led off the trifecta with five scoreless innings while recording seven strikeouts — he was also the winning pitcher on the night. Blum came in second and threw a crafty two innings, only allowing two hits. Ferguson closed out the back-end, pitching two innings and striking out two batters to earn the save.

At the plate, the Suns only needed three runs off five hits to get the job done. Zach Reks (Kentucky) and Stetson Smith (Armstrong State) each accounted for one RBI on the night and Joe Dudek (Kentucky) scored after he set himself up with a lead-off double in the fourth inning.  Dudek also went 3-for-4 on the night with two singles and a double to add to his ever growing offensive stat line. The duo of Dudek and Jay Hayes (FGCU) currently lead the Suns (and are at the top of the league) with batting averages of .415 and .500, respectively.

Source: http://floridaleague.com/Teams/DeLandSuns/SunsPressRoom/tabid/265/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2296/Suns-Not-Bothered-by-the-Lightning.aspx

DELAND, FLA. - The Suns moved above .500 for the first time on Thursday night with a 5-3 win over the Winter Garden Squeeze at Melching Field at Conrad Park. The Suns improved to 8-7 on the year and Winter Garden dropped to 8-7.

 “We’re here to learn and get better each day and we’ve talked about that since day one,” Head Coach Rick Hall said. “They’re starting to get some confidence and as that continues I think we’re going to be in the mix at the end of the year.”

The Suns offense was alive early for the second consecutive night and picked up three runs in the bottom of the first inning off of Winter Garden’s Anthony Mazzurco (West Florida), after falling behind 2-0 in the top half of the inning. Zach Reks (Kentucky) singled with one out and set the table for the rest of the lineup. Jay Hayes (Florida Gulf Coast) and Joe Dudek (Kentucky) then reached on walks and the Suns had the bases loaded for Garrett Hall (State College of Florida).

Hall delivered with a two-RBI single that plated Reks and Hayes and the Suns had an immediate response to Winter Garden’s first inning. In the next at bat, Chandler Rodriguez (Santa Fe) drove in his third run of the season with a single and the Suns took a 3-2 lead and would never look back.

Brady Mintell (Webber International) made his second start of the season for the Suns and only allowed two unearned runs in the top of the first inning. Mintell would then be the beneficiary of two double plays in his next three innings.

In the second inning the Squeeze had a chance to tie the game on a shallow fly ball off the bat of Cody Burgess to right field. Logan Blum (UCF) got behind the high fly ball, with Winter Garden’s Patrick McLellan (Columbus State) tagging from third base. Blum made his throw, entirely in the air, to home plate and Brad Gresock (St. Bonaventure) applied the tag to end the inning.

Mintell exited after 4.1 innings and turned it over to Trent Blum (St. Petersburg College) with a runner on first in a one-run game. Blum forced Winter Garden’s Kyle Corbin (Bethune-Cookman) to ground into a 6-4-3 double play that killed another Squeeze rally.

The Suns picked up insurance runs in the fifth after Stetson Smith (Armstrong State) led off the inning with a double. Then Dudek drove him in with a single into left-center, beating the Squeeze’s shift on Dudek. Through five innings the Suns led 4-2.

The Suns added one more in the seventh as Reks scored on a wild pitch from Winter Garden’s Austin Butler (Undecided). The throw beat Reks to the plate but he avoided the tag and put the Suns up 5-2.

In Blum’s final inning of work for the Suns, he allowed one run after a leadoff double by Nick Niarchos (High Point) in the eighth. He scored on a groundout from Corbin, cutting the Suns’ lead to 5-3.

For the second time this week, Byron Ferguson came on for the save for DeLand. Ferguson allowed one runner to reach in the ninth but forced the tying run, McLellan, to pop out behind home plate for the final out.

The Suns won 5-3 and are now in a tie for second place with Winter Garden at 8-7. Hall knows that, even early on in the season, you have to stay as high in the standings as possible.

“The whole key for the summer is to stay out of the play-in game,” Hall said. “Last year we played in the play-in game and faced the number one pitcher in the league. We lose 2-1 and we’re done.”

Blum picked up his first win of the season (1-0) and Mazzurco dropped to 1-2. DeLand is now 3-1 against Winter Garden on the season. DeLand's pitching staff has only walked one batter in the last two games.

Reks was 2-for-4 on the night with two singles, a walk and two runs, Rodriguez was 3-for-4 with three singles and an RBI and Hall was 2-for-3 with two singles, two RBIs and a walk.

The Suns and the Squeeze continue this series on Saturday at 7 p.m. at West Orange High School in Winter Garden.

Source: http://floridaleague.com/Teams/DeLandSuns/SunsPressRoom/tabid/265/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2314/Suns-Beat-Winter-Garden-In-Series-Opener.aspx

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. - The DeLand Suns picked up their second consecutive series win with a 7-4 win over the Winter Garden Squeeze on Saturday night at West Orange High School. The Suns improved to 9-7 and have now won six of their last seven games.

The Suns returned to West Orange High School for the first time since their season opener on June 3, a 10-8 loss that was exactly four hours after a short weather delay.

For the third game in a row, the Suns scored at least two runs in the first inning, this time off Winter Garden’s starter Ryan Ashworth (Flagler). Ashworth came into the game with a 5.22 ERA, but hadn’t pitched since June 10. He struck out seven and allowed three runs in 4.1 innings in the first game of the season.

Tyler Marshall (Kentucky) and Zach Reks (Kentucky) began the game with two singles. Marshall scored after a throwing error on the catcher, who was throwing down to second on a stolen base from Reks. After moving to third on a single by Joe Dudek (Kentucky), Reks scored from third on a breaking ball in the dirt that kicked toward the third base dugout. The Suns led 2-0 and turned the ball over to Wade McNabb (Stetson) for his second start of the week.

McNabb came into the game with 15 consecutive shutout innings, dating back to his first start of the season against June 7. McNabb allowed two runners to reach in the first but escaped the jam with a fly out to shallow right field.

Jay Hayes (FGCU) led off the third inning with a double off the fence in right-center. The Suns moved him over on a groundball to the right side from Dudek, and Garrett Hall (State College of Florida) drove him on a sacrifice fly to center.

 The Squeeze snapped McNabb’s scoreless-inning streak at 17.2 innings on an unearned run in the bottom of the third. Then, his earned run scoreless-inning streak ended at 18.1 innings in the fourth on an RBI-double by Jake Smith (FGCU) and an RBI-single by Cody Burgess (Florida Southern) — tying the game at 3-3. McNabb’s night was done after allowing six hits in four innings of work.

The Suns responded immediately in the fifth with a two-run home run by Dudek to right-center. The Winter Garden right fielder, Josh Moser (UCF) took one step back and stopped to watch the ball enter the wilderness beyond the right field fence. Dudek’s third home run of the season gave the Suns a 5-3 lead.

The Squeeze scored one in the bottom of the fifth before the Suns scored two more runs in the sixth on three straight singles from the bottom of the order, and then an RBI-single by Marshall at the top of the order. Stetson Smith (Armstrong State) scored on a wild pitch to take a 7-4 lead, but the Suns would strand the bases loaded.

Winter Garden began the sixth inning with a single but Trent Blum (St. Petersburg College) forced a 6-4-3 double play to take the runners off the bases and get the Suns out of trouble. At the end of the sixth inning, the Suns led 7-4 and the game then went into a rain delay.

Because the game already had six innings complete, the game was final after six innings and the Suns improved to 9-7 on the summer. The Squeeze are now 8-8 and the Suns jumped ahead of the Squeeze in the standings into second place.

Blum was the winning pitcher for the second consecutive game (2-0) and Ashworth took the loss (1-1). Marshall, Hayes, Dudek, Smith and Derek Deler (Mount Olive) each had two hits and the Suns had 12 hits in the six innings.

The Suns return to West Orange High School at 5 p.m. on Sunday for the series finale.

Source: http://floridaleague.com/Teams/DeLandSuns/SunsPressRoom/tabid/265/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2323/Suns-Take-First-Two-In-Series-With-Winter-Garden.aspx

WINTER GARDEN, FLA.- The DeLand Suns completed the sweep of the Winter Garden Squeeze on Sunday night with an 18-3 win at West Orange High School. This was the Suns’ biggest offensive performance of the season.

The win puts the Suns at 10-7 on the summer and drops the Squeeze to 8-9. The Squeeze came into the series one game ahead of the Suns in the standings, but now DeLand leads by two games.

Chandler Rodriguez (Santa Fe), Jay Hayes (FGCU) and Logan Blum (UCF) all played their best games of the season to lead the Suns to their fourth straight win. The three combined for 10 hits, two home runs and 14 RBIs.

Tyler Marshall (Kentucky) singled to open the game in his third straight start. On the very next batter, Stetson Smith (Armstrong State) chopped a ball to the shortstop for a potential double play. Pablo Cabrera’s throw was offline and Marshall turned awkwardly by the second base bag. Both were safe on the error but Marshall left the game, and Rodriguez replaced him.

Rodriguez scored on a sacrifice fly by Joe Dudek (Kentucky) and Blum drove in Smith from second with a single up the middle with two outs. For the fourth consecutive game, the Suns were on the board in the first and gave Albert Neff (Seminole State) a 2-0 lead.

Winter Gaden starter Chase Pilato’s day ended in the second inning after allowing the first three runners to reach and a two-run double by Hayes. After the second intentional walk to Dudek in the series, Brett Brubaker (Mars Hill) singled in a run to stretch the lead to 5-0.

The Suns added three more runs in the second on a two-run single by Blum — his second and third RBIs of the game — and then a sacrifice fly from Derek Deler (Mars Hill). Neff downed the Squeeze in order in the bottom half of the inning and the Suns took complete control of the game.  

After another run in the third for the Suns, the Squeeze scored three runs in the bottom half off two Suns errors, but Neff kept his composure and continued into the fifth inning. At the end of four, it was 9-3 Suns.

Rodriguez blasted a three-run home run, his first of the season, in the sixth inning to give the Suns a 13-3 lead. Winter Garden made a pitching change before Rodriguez’s at bat, and he hit Joshua Jimenez’s first pitch over the fence in left-center. Smith followed the homer with a double and scored on the next at bat when Hayes reached base on an error.

Blum picked up his fifth RBI of the game with his fourth single in the sixth inning. That was the Suns’ 12th hit of the game and it pushed across their 15th run. At the end of sixth the Suns opened the door for the run-rule and led 15-3.

Drew Montero (Missouri Baptist) replaced Neff to begin the sixth inning. Neff allowed one earned run in his five innings of work and put himself in line for his first win of the summer.

The Suns solidified the run-rule victory with three runs in the seventh inning. Rodriguez drove in Matthew Mulkey (Winthrop) with a single and Hayes cleared the bases with his first home run of the season. The Suns led 18-3 and Byron Ferguson (King) sealed the sweep in the bottom of the seventh out of the bullpen.

Blum finished the game 4-for-4 with four singles, a hit by pitch and five RBIs. Rodriguez was 3-for-4 off the bench with two singles, a home run and four RBIs, and Hayes was a triple shy of the cycle with five RBIs and a 3-for-6 night at the plate.

Mulkey scored three runs and picked himself out of a slump with two hits, including a hard-hit double off the wall in right field.

DeLand now has sole possession of second place in the Florida Collegiate Summer League standings and sits two games back of the first place Sanford River Rats. The Suns have won seven of their last eight games and their offense is playing the best that it’s been all season.

The Suns begin their full week of games with their third straight road game on Monday night. DeLand will take on the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs at 7 p.m. at Bishop Moore Catholic High School. The Suns will play the Diamond Dawgs three times this week: Monday at Winter Park, Tuesday at home and Saturday at home. Winter Park holds a 2-1 season-series lead on the Suns.

Source: http://floridaleague.com/Teams/DeLandSuns/SunsPressRoom/tabid/265/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2328/Suns-Sweep-Winter-Garden-Move-Into-Second-Place.aspx

DELAND, Fla. – It took a marathon game to end the winning streak of the DeLand Suns, as they fall to the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs 9-5.

DeLand jumped out in front with another routine fast start, but the offense fizzled after the third inning. The Suns scored two runs in the first inning as a result of Matthew Mulkey (Winthrop) battling back from an 0-2 count to earn himself a lead-off walk. A couple of batters later, Jay Hayes (FGCU) stepped into the box and worked his way to a single that drove in Mulkey. Joe Dudek (Kentucky), the very next batte, ushered Jay back to the dugout with a screaming single adding to his league-leading 20 RBI.

Dudek, of course, was not finished on the day as he drove in Chandler Rodriguez (Santa Fe) with his second single of the game in the third inning — Rodriguez reached on an error in the previous at-bat. Brett Brubaker (Mars Hill) later obliged Dudek’s effort in the inning by bringing him in with a single. Stetson Smith (Armstrong State) delivered a sac fly in the inning, scoring Garrett Hall (State College of Florida) to give DeLand its fifth run of the game.

Brady Mintell (Webber International) got the start for the Suns, and he pitched six innings. During those innings he only allowed two runs while he struck out three batters. Drew Montero (Missouri Baptist) and Vincent Rosace (Embry Riddle) both made appearances in the seventh inning where things got a little interesting as the Dawgs scored three runs to tie the game. Byron Ferguson (King), normally in the role of the closer, was asked to work a bit harder tonight and he rose to the occasion. Ferguson pitched 4-2/3 no-hit innings and struck out five batters in the process.

As a result of a game that lasted more than four hours, the bullpen was bound to become thin at some point. It reached the point where the question became, “Who hasn’t had a turn yet?” Infielder Derek Deler (Mount Olive) even made an appearance on the mound late in the 13th inning.

The Suns take their show on the road as they travel to Altamonte Springs on Wednesday June 29th to the play the Boom in their first game at Lake Brantley High School.

Source: http://floridaleague.com/Teams/DeLandSuns/SunsPressRoom/tabid/265/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2343/Marathon-Game-Ends-the-Suns-Winning-Streak.aspx

Baseball fans of PC Nation! This is your chance to see your favorite Florida League player, Stetson Smith (PCHS 2015, Armstrong State University) in the All-Star Game in Sanford, FLA on Saturday, July 9^th!

The two teams are the North (DeLand, Leesburg and Sanford) and the South (Altamonte, Winter Garden and Winter Park) and the position breakdown is as follows: 2 Catchers, 6 Infielders, 5 Outfielders and 9 Pitchers. The overall fan ballot, along with coach's ballots and league staff ballots will determine the All-Star rosters. Voting will close on Wednesday, July 6th at midnight.

Stetson plays second base for the DeLand Suns playing in 21 games with 70 plate appearances scoring 10 runs on 18 hits for an average of .229. Stetson knocked in 7 runs as well.

To vote, click this link here:  https://docs.google.com/a/pierce.k12.ga.us/forms/d/1uCeCt7-fulC6Km1rHdE5MwjyujySRr2fzWy6hlbrGlQ/viewform?c=0&w=1 and then select a player from each position. If don’t have the time to do some research, then just click a player from the DeLand Suns for each of the positions making sure that Stetson Smith is one of them.

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla.- Starting pitcher Brady Mintell (Weber International) led the DeLand Suns to an impressive victory on Monday night, as the DeLand Suns (14-10) defeated the Altamonte Springs Boom (9-12) 10-0 at Lake Brantley High School.

Mintell stepped onto the mound and dominated from his first pitch. Mintell pitched 7-1/3 shutout innings, surredering only one hit to go with two strikeouts. The only time a run came close to scoring was in the fourth inning when he recorded a strikeout to strand runners at the corners. As a result of his brilliant performance on the mound, Mintell was awarded his first win of the season following a series of no-decisions. Mintell stated after the game that his main concern wasn’t even pitching well.

"I just wanted to beat the heat,” he said. “I’m extremely proud of myself for working through that and performing the way I did.”

The only thing stopping him from a complete game shutout was the league pitch limit of 100 pitches. He finally came close to it in his eighth inning of work. Byron Ferguson (King) came in relief of Mintell, pitching the last 1-2/3 innings — he did not surrender a hit. Ferguson also added a strikeout in yet another shutdown performance.

Offensive juggernaut of the day was Garrett Hall (State College of Florida), who was an impressive 4-for-5 on the night with three singles and a towering homerun over the left field wall. In addition to his RBI, Hall also helped the team by scoring three runs of his own.

At the plate, the Suns were on fire. A huge four-run second inning started the fire for the Suns. The inning started with a Joe Dudek(Kentucky) walk. In total, seven Suns reached base safely, and RBIs came from Matthew Mulkey (Winthrop), Zachary Reks (Kentucky), Stetson Smith (Armstrong State) and Jay Hayes (FGCU).  All nine of the players in DeLand’s lineup had an at-bat during that inning, and the team followed it with a two-run third, a one-run fourth and a three-run ninth to make it 10-0.

Reks and Blum each had two RBI on the day. The Suns had seven different players record at least one RBI during the game.

DeLand brings the battle back home and takes a shot at the first place Sanford River Rats Wednesday, July 6th at Conrad Park.

SANFORD, Fla.- The DeLand Suns (14-12) traveled to Sanford to play a doubleheader against the league leading Sanford River Rats (19-8). And, despite a valiant effort they failed to win either game, losing 3-2 and 5-3.

In the first game, the Suns had a hard time crossing the plate as they only scored two runs in the contest. Jay Hayes (FGCU) helped his team and himself in the sixth inning with a no doubt homerun over the left field wall. Hayes has a league high batting average of .443 and also leads the league with five triples.

“I’m just having fun," Hayes said before the game.

Zachary Reks (Kentucky) accounted for the games other run when he recorded an RBI single in the seventh inning that brought in Blake Voyles (UNF), who reached on a walk. Wade McNabb (Stetson) and Matthew Russell (Embry-Riddle) both pitched three innings each, combining for three strikeouts. 

 Game two of the doubleheader started offensively similar to the first game. Hayes was again the reason for the Suns first run, except the first run came in the first inning. Stetson Smith (Armstrong State) reached base on a single to begin his trio of hits on the day and accounted for the game’s first run when Hayes hit his fifth triple of the year.

The Suns were "dim" at the plate until the top of the eighth inning when they scored again. Offensive spark plug Garrett Hall (State College of Florida) began the sequence with a single over the shortstops head only to be followed by a rapidly surging Chandler Rodriguez (Santa Fe) that stepped up to the plate. With a 1-0 count, he kicked his front leg and placed it down with force, sending a two-run homer into the field behind Sanford Memorial Stadium. Unfortunately, that was all the Suns could muster up on offense.

Albert Neff (Seminole State), Vinny Rosace (Embry-Riddle) and Byron Ferguson (King) all took the mound today for DeLand. They struck out a combined five batters and only gave up three earned runs.

On a brighter note, the Suns will be in action again Saturday July 9th at Sanford Memorial Park where they will shine again in the 2016 Florida Collegiate League All-Star Game as members of the North All-Star Team.  DeLand will have eight All-Stars this summer: Garrett Hall- Starting at Third Base, Chandler Rodriguez- Reserve, Logan Blum- Reserve Dudek- Starting in Right Field, Jay Hayes- Starting in Center Field, Matthew Gulik- Starting Pitcher, Wade McNabb- Reserve, and Byron Ferguson- Reserve.

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - The DeLand Suns shined on the mound, but did not produce enough offense in a 2-1 loss to the Altamonte Springs Boom on Monday night at Lake Brantley High School.

Trent Blum (St. Petersburg) and Vincent Rosace (Embry-Riddle) took the mound for Suns and combined for nine strikeouts. Blum got the start, pitching 4.1 innings against a dangerous Boom lineup. There was a moment in the bottom of the third inning when Blum got himself out of a bases loaded jam by recording a strikeout for the third out. At the time that strikeout prevented a run from crossing a plate, which helped the Suns maintain the lead until the fifth inning when the Boom scored two in their home half of the inning. Rosace pitched 3-2/3 innings, not allowing an earned run and struck out three batters during his appearance.
At the plate, the Suns failed to shine outside of Stetson Smith (Armstrong State) coming full circle in the third inning after he reached base on a double into the right field corner. He scored on a throwing error by the pitcher; Smith went from second base to home plate in a matter of seconds. The only other Sun to reach base was Chandler Rodriguez (Santa Fe CC), who was 2-for-4 on the day with two doubles.

In fact, all three of DeLand’s hits on the night were doubles into right field.

The Suns look to wake up the bats against Altamonte Springs back at Conrad Park on July 12 at 7 p.m.

Source: http://floridaleague.com/Teams/DeLandSuns/SunsPressRoom/tabid/265/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2401/Suns-Bats-Quiet-in-Loss.aspx 

DELAND, Fla. - The offensive production from the DeLand Suns disappeared in a disappointing 4-0 loss to the Altamonte Springs Boom on Tuesday night at Conrad Park. 

Star pitcher Matthew Gulik (Webber International) was handed his first loss of the year last night as the Boom did not allow a single run to cross the plate. Gulik pitched seven innings, surrendering eight hits and striking out three batters. Although it resulted in a loss, Gulik pitched himself out of multiple jams throughout the game while he was being supported by great defense.

Center fielder Matthew Mulkey (Winthrop), who started the game in right field, made a spectacular diving catch headed towards the wall in the third inning that ended a scoring threat from the Boom.

Stetson Smith (Armstrong State) made a close warning track catch on the run in the fourth that helped Gulik out of a bases loaded jam. Although consistent, the “Top 10” caliber catches did not stop there, as fresh face in right field Chandler Rodriguez (Santa Fe CC) literally swooped in to make a diving catch in the sixth that saved yet another run from Gulik’s stat line.

At the plate, the Suns accounted for nine hits on the night, none of which produced a run. Newcomer Jonathan Feibus (Oglethorpe) made his Florida Collegiate League debut at second base in the third inning and made his newfound presence known. In the eighth inning, when the Suns needed a spark on offense, Feibus hit a single into right field for his first hit as a member of the Suns. Feibus was also the first of two DeLand players to reach third base tonight — the second was Derek Deler (Mt. Olive) in the ninth after reaching on a walk.

DeLand looks to get back on track and shine again in Leesburg on July 13th. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. against the Lightning.

Source: http://floridaleague.com/Teams/DeLandSuns/SunsPressRoom/tabid/265/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2404/Altamonte-Shuts-Out-DeLand.aspx

DELAND, Fla.- The DeLand Suns (17-15) almost waited until the last minute to get it done against the Winter Garden Squeeze (16-17), but they rallied to win 5-2 on Thursday night at Conrad Park. Jay Hayes (FGCU) was the hero on the night, going 2-for-4 with a single in the fourth and a go ahead, three-run blast to center field in the eighth that brought the Suns back to life.

The eighth inning started off at the top of the order with Stetson Smith (Armstrong State) reaching base on an error. Zachary Reks (Kentucky) moved Smith over as he reached on a walk. Hayes stepped into the box with a huge opportunity to deliver, which he did to perfection.  On a 2-0 count Hayes let loose on a fastball that ended up going nearly 410 feet. 

“I saw the 1-0 pitch really well and I knew once it got to 2-0 I would get a fastball since he fell behind the count," Hayes said. "Once I saw the ball out the pitchers hand my focus was to just stay back and get good wood on the ball. Once I hit it I knew it was gone, it felt too good to not leave the yard.” It goes without saying that Hayes was all smiles from the moment he rounded first to the moment he left the park.

The Suns offense was non-existent until the eighth inning where they exploded for five runs. All nine of DeLand’s batters stepped up to the plate in the inning, the first five batters all came in to score. The first three came from the Hayes’ homerun and the final two came from a Garrett Hall (State College of Florida) single that scored Joe Dudek (Kentucky) — who reached on a single — and a Blake Voyles(UNF) fielder’s choice that scored Hall.

DeLand threw a trio of arms tonight against the Winter Garden, resulting in Matthew Davis (Oglethorpe) getting the win after he pitched three innings with two strikeouts. Matthew Gulik (Webber Int.) was the starting pitcher on the night, tossing five innings to go with two strikeouts. Byron Ferguson( King) earned the save over one inning pitched and one strikeout. DeLand didn’t surrender a run and only allowed one hit after the fourth inning. Davis set the tone on the mound after he entered the game in the sixth inning.

The Suns head to Winter Garden on July 22nd to continue riding the wave of the light toward Tropicana on August 7th for the Florida Collegiate Summer League Championship Game.

DELAND, Fla.- The Deland Suns (18-15) won in dramatic fashion over the Winter Garden Squeeze (16-18), as Zachary Reks (Kentucky) walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth gave them a 4-3 victory on Saturday night at Conrad Park.  

Suffering from another slow start at the plate the Suns, were left with no choice but to win it at the wire. The first DeLand run didn’t cross the plate until the fifth inning when Derek Deler (Mt. Olive) scored as the result on a bases-loaded walk to Chandler Rodriguez (Santa Fe CC). The bats were quieted yet again until the eighth inning where Brad Gresock (St. Bonaventure) smashed a game-tying two run single up the middle that scored Jay Hayes(FGCU) and Logan Blum (UCF).

Once the second run crossed the plate the Suns began to rise and showed no intentions of being dimmed in any way. Morale was high as the ninth inning rolled around and the first two batters, Stetson Smith (Armstrong State) and Matthew Mulkey (Winthrop), were each hit by a pitch. Reks stepped into the box in a big spot, already having gone 1-for-3 on the day, with no outs and two runners on base.

A wild pitch to Reks put both runners in scoring position, creating the perfect storm for late game heroics. On a 2-1 pitch Reks poked a single to right field that brought in Smith as the winning run; Reks didn’t make it too far past first base before a mob of his teammates were all over him.

DeLand used five pitchers on the night to seal the deal against the Squeeze, and the last pitcher, Byron Ferguson (King), received the win on the night. Ferguson pitched the final 1-1/3 innings in which he recorded two strikeouts and held the Squeeze without a hit. Brady Mintell (Webber Int.) was the starting pitcher; he pitched five innings with three strikeouts before handing the ball to Albert Neff (Seminole St.). Neff only pitched one inning, and struck out the side in the sixth. Matthew Russell (Embry-Riddle) followed with a one hit appearance in the seventh that he shared with Vincent Rosace (Embry-Riddle). Rosace continued the theme of not allowing a run while adding a strikeout of his own. 

The gloves were working hard as well with a 4-3-2 double play in the third inning that bailed DeLand out of a bases loaded jam in the third. Throughout the game, when the Suns needed a break, the defense was right there to save the day.

DeLand heads into the last week of the regular season in second place and looks to add on to their accolades with a long week ahead. The nine games in seven days begin with the Altamonte Springs Boom at home on July 25th at 7 p.m.

SANFORD, Fla. - A four-run seventh inning from the Sanford River Rats (24-16) propelled them past the DeLand Suns (20-17) on Thursday night at Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium, as they won by a score of 7-6.

Starting pitcher Matthew Gulik (Webber International) set the tone early for the Suns in the first inning when he threw three pitches to Sanford’s first three batters — one to each batter — for three outs. Gulik continued to heat check the River Rats throughout his outing, and did so again when he ended the second inning with a pickoff to end a scoring threat.

The third inning brought more of the same when Gulik escaped the River Rats bases loaded threat to save the Suns extra work down the road. After five innings from Gulik, Vincent Rosace(Embry-Riddle) came on the scene and pitched 1 and 2/3 for the Suns with a strikeout followed by Matthew Russell(Embry-Riddle) who finished the game out without giving up any runs and recording a strikeout.

The Suns had 11 hits at the dish, to go with six runs. Chandler Rodriguez (Santa Fe) had a two-run single in the third that scored Derek Deler (Mt. Olive) and Stetson Smith (Armstrong State University), who reached on an error and walk, respectively. Shortstop Nathan Sterijevski (Bethune-Cookman) joined the ranks with an RBI single in the fourth, bringing in Garrett Hall.

Sterijevski did it again in the eighth inning with a single that brought in Jay Hayes (FGCU). The Suns had a chance to put the game away in the later innings when Brad Gresock (St. Bonaventure) left his mark on the game. In the seventh inning he gave the Suns the lead with his fifth RBI of the year, driving in Sterijevski with a single. Zachary Reks led the late charge in the ninth with a lead-off double. He later scored, but the Suns could not bring the tying run across to score.

The Suns came into the game knowing what they had to do, and even though they suffered a disappointing loss, they still are still in a good position to clinch the No. 1 seed. With tonight’s loss, DeLand falls to 2.5 games back of first with three games left against the first place River Rats and one game against the Lightning. If the Suns win out, then the regular season title is theirs.

Sanford travels to DeLand on July 29th for a doubleheader at Conrad Park. First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m."

DELAND, Fla.- The DeLand Suns (1-1) won in the 13th hour, and inning, over the Altamonte Springs Boom (1-1) on Thursday night at Conrad Park, 7-6.

Chandler Rodriguez (Santa Fe) came through in the clutch with the bases loaded by delivering a deep sacrifice fly to right field that brought in Brad Gresock (St. Bonaventure) as the winning run. Rodriguez was 2-for-6 on the night with 2 RBI and two runs scored.

DeLand had 10 hits and seven runs on the night, compared to the two-hit shutout on Wednesday night.  The Suns scored early in the first, following a throwing error that enabled Rodriguez to reach safely and then move to second. Jay Hayes (FGCU) came up to the plate and recorded the first hit for the home team, scoring Rodriguez. Logan Blum (UCF) led off the second inning with a single, and was eventually brought in with a Stetson Smith (Armstrong State) double. Blum added an RBI single in the third inning. DeLand did not score again until the seventh inning, when Rodriguez drove in Mulkey with an RBI single. Wade McNabb delivered a clutch single in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings.

DeLand used six arms tonight. Due to the nature of the extra-inning dramatics, Matt Davis (Oglethorpe) received the win after pitching only a third-of-an-inning. Starting pitcher Matthew Gulik (Webber International) led the hunt with four strikeouts, and was closely followed by Trent Blum (St. Petersburg) and Drew Montero (Missouri Baptist) who had three each.

The “Clutch Factor” of the night can’t be simply given to one member of the Suns, considering so many of them made incredible plays in tight spots throughout all 13 innings. Gulik executed a beautiful pickoff in the first inning for the second out that cut a Boom scoring threat short. Garrett Hall (State College of Florida) made a split second decision and shot down a run coming into score with a 3-2 putout in the eighth, keeping the Suns hope alive. Wade McNabb (Stetson) who is normally a pitcher changed the tide of the game at the plate of all places with a clutch RBI single to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth.

As a result of the Suns resiliency and determination to not go out quietly, DeLand has forced a winner take all game three at Altamonte on Friday, August 5th at 7 p.m.

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - The DeLand Suns (1-2) late-inning push fell just short of reaching the championship game, losing to the Altamonte Springs Boom (2-1) by a score of 6-3 on Friday night at Lake Brantley High School.

The Suns didn’t hold anything back on either side of the plate as they used five different pitchers over nine innings and scored their last two runs in the eighth inning.

Wade McNabb (Stetson) got the nod as the starting pitcher on the night as he pitched 3-2/3 innings with a strikeout. Albert Neff (Seminole State) came in next for 2-2/3 thirds inning with two strikeouts. Matthew Russell (Embry-Riddle) and Matt Davis (Oglethorpe) each came in for 2/3 of an inning as the third and fourth arms. Russell led the Suns in strikeouts. Caleb Feibus (Oglethorpe) finished out the game for the Suns. 

In the field, the Suns pulled out all the stops as they fought to live another day. Logan Blum (UCF) displayed skill and wit in the third inning as he bluffed catching a fly ball to hold the tagging the runner at first just to hose him down at second base after the ball fell just before Blum’s feet. Neff finished the fifth inning with a pickoff at first base and a strikeout to end the inning.

Chandler Rodriguez (Santa Fe) got the scoring going in the fourth inning with a towering solo homerun that drifted deep beyond the left field wall. Stetson Smith (Armstrong State) caught fire as of late and started the late inning push for the Suns. He led off the eighth inning with a single back up the middle and was later brought in to score by a Matthew Mulkey (Winthrop) double that was “Mulk-Smashed” into the left field gap to end the offensive tally.  

The Suns finished the regular season with a 20-20 record, good for third overall in the league. Although not slated to have a big impact in the preseason, the DeLand Suns were in the top fraction of every category offensively, defensively, and from the mound. Coach Rick Hall after the final game can be simply summed up as “Proud” as he looked back on where the team started to the peaks they’ve reached at this point of the summer. Under his wing, a player was signed to Major League Baseball, records were broken and trends of success were set. From our heart to yours, thank you to all of our family and friends and everyone else that supported us throughout the summer.

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Augusta University used a five-run fourth inning to capture a 9-4 Peach Belt Conference baseball victory over visiting Armstrong State University on Friday evening at Lake Olmstead Stadium in Augusta, Ga.

The Jaguars (11-14, 5-8 PBC) snapped a three-game losing streak with the win, while Armstrong State fell to 14-12 overall and 0-7 in the PBC with the loss. The two teams will wrap up their three-game Peach Belt Conference series with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday.

Augusta scored single runs in the first and third innings to take a 2-0 lead. Cole Janousek and Clint Hardy delivered RBI singles, respectively, for the Jaguars.

The fourth inning proved to be the pivotal inning as Augusta got a sacrifice fly by Brent Alford, an RBI single by Cody Lanford and then a three-run home run from Hardy to plate five in the inning and build a 7-0 run.

The Pirates got on the board in the top of the fifth inning on sophomore Stetson Smith's (PCHS 2015) sacrifice fly. Carrington Evans got the run back for the Jaguars in the seventh on an RBI single, but the Pirates plated three runs in the top of the eighth inning - two on junior Chandler Corley's two-run home run - to cut the lead to 9-4.

Tristan Jones (4-3) picked up the win for the Jaguars, giving up eight hits and one run in six innings of work, walking one while striking out three. Sophomore Sam Goberdhan (3-2) took the loss for the Pirates, giving up 13 hits and nine runs - eight earned - in 6 1/3 innings of work, walking two and striking out two.

Corley and junior Mike Warren had two hits apiece to lead the Pirates at the plate, while Tyler Roberts and Evans each had three hits for the Jaguars.

The No. 21-ranked UNC Pembroke baseball squad built a 12-1 lead and held on for a 14-11 Peach Belt Conference victory over host Armstrong State University on Friday afternoon at Pirate Field.

The Braves improved to 36-12 and 14-8 in the PBC with the win, while Armstrong State fell to 22-24 overall and 5-17 in the PBC with the loss. The two teams will continue their three-game PBC series on Saturday with a 2:00 p.m. first pitch. It will also be Senior Day for the Pirates.

UNC Pembroke scored in each of the first six innings to build a 12-1 advantage. Ethan Baucom did most of the damage for the Braves with an RBI single in the first and a two-run double in the fourth, while five Pirate errors in the first three innings resulted in the first seven runs scored by UNCP being unearned.

The Pirates started their comeback with four runs in the bottom of the sixth, including a two-run double from Stetson Smith (PCHS 2015). Chancler Corley's solo home run in the eighth made the score 12-7, but Baucom hit a two-run blast in the top of the ninth to make the score 14-7.

In the bottom of the ninth, Cal Young's RBI single and Smith's two-run triple made the score 14-10. Mike Warren followed with an RBI single, but UNC Pembroke reliever River Ryan retired the next three batters to close out the win for the Braves.

Anthony Burke (9-1) notched the win for the Braves, giving up nine hits and five runs in 5 2/3 innings, walking two while striking out one. Pirate starter Sam Goberdhan (3-5) was saddled with the loss, giving up three hits and seven unearned runs in three innings, walking four while striking out two.

Smith finished the day 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and five RBI. Corley had three hits, as did Warren, who extended his current hitting streak to 27 games. Baucom went 5-for-6 with five RBI to lead the Braves.

WINTER GARDEN, FL – The DeLand Suns hung five runs on the Winter Garden Squeeze in the ninth inning to snap their losing streak at nine games Friday night, defeating the Squeeze 7-3.

The Suns were given a strong starting outing from Sam Brunnig (Embry-Riddle), who went three and two-thirds innings, receiving a no-decision in the affair.

DeLand found themselves down 1-0 in the fifth inning but would tie the ballgame up in the sixth inning after Matthew Mulkey (Winthrop) was brought home via an error.

Despite the strong pitching performances from Brunnig and Kyle Brana (Lake Sumter), the Suns found themselves down a run in the top of the ninth inning after an obstruction call allowed the go-ahead run to score in the bottom of the eighth.

Once the top of the ninth came around, the Suns began to hit the cover off the ball. Jay Hayes (Florida Gulf Coast) led off the inning with a double and was quickly driven in by Torey Jordan Jr. (Texas A&M Texarkana) on the next pitch after Jordan Jr. had a double of his own. The Suns would add four more runs in the frame, as Stetson Smith (Berry), Michael Harkcom (FIU), Matt Mulkey, and Will Hodges (Columbus State) would all come across the dish to give the Suns their first win in nearly two weeks.

DeLand and Winter Garden are back in action for the rubber match on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 7 PM in DeLand.

MOUNT BERRY, Ga. – Berry College head baseball coach, David Beasley, has announced the 14 newcomers to his team for the upcoming season. "This is a very talented class," Beasley said. "When we combine this group with our returning team, we should have a quality squad. Our goal is to take a step forward in our conference and the national picture. We feel like this team has that opportunity." 

Brief bios of the newcomers can be found below: 

Trevor Gaddy
(OF/P, 5-11, 180, Newnan, Ga., East Coweta High School)
Helping his team to three Sweet 16 state playoff appearances, Gaddy joins Berry after hitting .321 with 21 RBI's and five stolen bases in his senior season. Also a scholar athlete honoree, Gaddy is undecided on his major at Berry. He is the son of Lisa and Marcus Gaddy. 

Zach Huie
(OF, 5-11, 175, Roswell, Ga., Lassiter High School)
A two-sport athlete also competing in football, Huie joins the Vikings after hitting .345 for his career at Lassiter High School. He was a three-year letter winner and an All-Region selection in 2016. Huie also brings a strong academic background to Berry, earning 2017 Marietta Daily Journal Scholar Athlete honors. He also helped his team to the 7A Region Playoffs during his junior and senior seasons. The son of Tracey and Brian Huie, Zach plans on majoring in civil engineering with a minor in mathematics. 

Spence Johns
(INF/P, 6-1, 185, Dacula, Ga., Hebron Christian Academy)
Leading his team to three consecutive state playoff appearances including two runner-up finishes, Johns joins the Vikings after a strong career at Hebron Christian Academy. He hit .375 for his career with eight home runs, 71 RBI's, 99 hits, 58 walks and 20 doubles. As a pitcher, he posted an 8-2 record with a 1.94 ERA over 65 innings pitched. A two-time team MVP, Johns was an All-County and All-State selection during his senior year. The son of Cory and Scottie Johns, Spence is undecided on his major. 

Billy Mount
(P, 6-2, 230, Burbank, S.D., Vermillion High School)
Making the long trip from South Dakota, Mount will join Berry after an impressive career from the mound at Vermillion High School. He posted a 9-1 career record over 98.2 innings pitched for a 1.31 ERA. He fanned 112 batters during his tenure while walking only 34. Mount led his team to a Regional Championship and a runner-up in the state playoffs during his career. An All-State selection, Mount also earned Academic All-State honors in football and basketball. The son of Dolores and Jeff Mount, Billy plans on majoring in history.

Evan Romeo
(OF, 5-10, 172, Dunwoody, Ga., Dunwoody High School)
Helping his team to two state playoff appearances, Romeo was a two-time All-County Golden Glove Award winner in addition to earning two Player of the Year honors for Dunwoody High School. Posting a .341 batting average and .987 fielding percentage during his career, Romeo led his team in home runs during the 2015 and 2016 season. The son of Jill and Mike Romeo, Evan plans on majoring in finance.

Parker Shanahan
(C, 5-11, 190, Sarasota, Fla., Cardinal Mooney High School)
Posting a .323 career batting average with 123 hits and four home runs, Shanahan joins the Vikings after a strong career at Cardinal Mooney High School. He was named an All-Area selection during his senior year including a Defensive MVP honor. Shanahan plans on majoring in biochemistry. He is the son of Katina and Ken Shanahan.

Dalton Smith
(SS/P, 5-8, 145, Covington, Ga., Alcovy High School)
An All-Region selection during his senior year to cap off a strong career, Smith joins the Vikings after hitting .323 during his senior year with 11 RBI's. Also pitching for Alcovy, Smith posted a 4-2 record with 47 strikeouts during his final season. A three-time team Player of the Year, Smith also graduated with honors. The son of Angie McGrew and Bobby Smith, Dalton plans on majoring in biology.

Quinn Smith
(C, 6-3, 205, Rocky Face, Ga., McCallie School)
A transfer from Virginia Military Institute, Smith led his high school team to three state playoff appearances including a state title during his sophomore year. For his career, he hit .345 with 14 home runs and 97 RBI's. An All-Area and two-time All-State honoree, Smith helped his team to a single-season record for wins during his senior year. Smith will be a sophomore at Berry. The son of Karen and Mathew Smith, Quinn plans on majoring in physics.

Stetson Smith
(INF, 5-7, 150, Blackshear, Ga., Pierce County High School)
A transfer from Armstrong State University, Smith hit .230 with 32 RBI's for the Pirates. He will enter Berry as a junior. He was a two-sport athlete also competing in football in high school and led his team to three state playoff appearances. A three-time All-Region selection, Smith finished his career at Pierce County with an honors distinction upon graduation. He plans on majoring in education at Berry. He is the son of Melissa and Blake Smith.

Tanner Still
(P, 5-11, 155, Braselton, Ga., Bethlehem Christian Academy)
Also competing in basketball, Still joins the Vikings after posting a 2.47 ERA for his career including 106 strikeouts. During his senior year, he posted a 1.73 ERA with 55 strikeouts and just 14 walks. He led his team to three region titles and back-to-back state titles in 2013 and 2014. A 2017 All-Region selection, Still holds the school record in wins and strikeouts. The son of Susan and Mark Still, Tanner plans on majoring in business.

Milan Sutaria
(P, 5-9, 210, Alpharetta, Ga., Milton High School)
Helping his team to the state playoffs twice during his career, Sutaria served as a team captain during the 2016 season. The son of Mona and Shilesh Sutaria, Milan is undecided on his major at Berry.

Jake Swiacki
(3B/P, 6-0, 215, Milton, Ga., Cambridge High School)
Leading his team to two state playoff appearances, Swiacki was a two-time All-Region honorable mention at Cambridge High School. The son of Kimberly and Gerald Swiacki, Jake is undecided on his major.

Zack Walch
(OF, 5-9, 170, Norcross, Ga., Norcross High School)
A transfer from Covenant College, Walch joins the Vikings after an All-State selection and a pair of All-County and All-Region honors during his Norcross High career. A four-year letter winner, he hit .395 for his career en route to 77 hits, 54 runs and 48 stolen bases. He is the Norcross career leader in runs, batting average, stolen bases and is No. 2 in hits. Walch led his team to the state playoffs twice and was a four-year Scholar Athlete award winner. He will be a sophomore at Berry. The son of Michele and Scott Walch, Zack plans on majoring in education.

Kyle Williams
(C, 6-0, 180, Jacksonville, Fla., Episcopal School of Jacksonville)
A four-year varsity starter, Williams hit a team-best .328 during his senior year and was also the team-leader in RBI's and OBP. He helped his team to two district titles and four regional playoff appearances during his career.  The son of Rachel and Casey Williams, Kyle plans on majoring in creative technologies with a minor in business.