2012 Sun Conference Baseball Tournament Preview
FT. MYERS, Fla. - 2012 marks the fourth consecutive year that The Sun Conference Baseball Tournament will be held at the City of Palms Park in Ft. Myers, Fla. The tournament was revived in 2008 after an eight-year hiatus due to the NAIA Regional and Super-Regional tournament format. The six-team tournament will feature Embry-Riddle, South Carolina Beaufort, St. Thomas, Webber International, Warner and SCAD Savannah in a double-elimination event from May 1-5 at the former spring training home of the Boston Red Sox.
In each of the previous three seasons, the top-seed has gone on to win the tournament crown, and in each case, that has been the Embry-Riddle Eagles. Once again the Blue and Gold will be the No. 1 seed after claiming their fifth-consecutive and 13th overall Sun Conference regular season title in program history. ERAU, ranked No. 6 in the latest NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll, finished the regular season 38-14 overall and 21-6 in league play. The Eagles swept five of their nine TSC series, winning two others and dropping two series by two games to one margins.
Embry-Riddle brings an offense ranked in the top three of the conference in eight statistical categories into the postseason. The Eagles have outscored their opponents 385 to 201 in 2012, and have not been shutout this season. ERAU has a team batting average of .312 on 541 hits, including 113 doubles, 12 triples and 21 home runs. Their slugging percentage of .427 is second in the conference, and they boast an on-base percentage of .401.
The Eagle outfielders, along with third baseman Jeff Lemon, lead the charge offensively. Lemon is hitting .377 with 46 hits, while the outfield trio of Greg Smith, Frankie Arias and Ian MacGeorge have combined for 193 hits, 142 runs scored and 118 RBIs.
The Eagle pitching staff has posted a league-leading 3.15 team ERA in 440 innings of work. Opponents are hitting .259 against ERAU while striking out 338 times in 1,706 at-bats. Kevin Maloney is a perfect 7-0 with a 1.29 ERA in eight games. Daniel Eaton has a 2.62 ERA in 96.0 innings pitched, fanning 76 opponents.
Embry-Riddle is 13-1 in The Sun Conference tournament since 2009 with three tournament crowns.
South Carolina Beaufort claimed the No. 2 seed for the second time in three seasons. The Sand Sharks were also the second-seeded team in 2010. Under the direction of first-year Head Coach Bryan Lewallyn, USCB has achieved their highest-ever ranking in the nation at No. 15, falling just one-game shy of sharing the 2012 Sun Conference title with ERAU. USCB swept four league series this year, winning three more and losing two; they finished their regular season slate with a 35-14 record overall and 20-7 in TSC play.
The Sand Sharks are hitting .304 from the plate, driving in 315 runs on 488 hits and 279 RBIs. USCB has grounded into only 15 double plays all season, and they have swiped 87 bases in 115 attempts. USCB has doubled 84 times, tripled nine times and homered 16 times in 49 games.
Ty Main averages .331 from the plate, collecting 28 RBIs on 45 hits, while catcher Dylan Nasiatka has hit .329 this year with 52 hits, 12 doubles and 21 RBIs. David O'Neil leads the team with 56 hits for a .318 clip, and has scored 42 times.
Sun Conference Pitcher of the Year candidate Michael Heesch spearheads the USCB pitching staff, posting an 8-1 record in 14 starts with a 1.86 ERA. Heesch has thrown 96.0 innings and has surrendered just 19 earned runs while striking out 89 opponents. Fellow starter Adam Miller is 8-4 with a 3.31 ERA in 89.2 innings of work.
The Sand Sharks are 2-6 all-time in The Sun Conference tournament.
The 12th-ranked St. Thomas Bobcats will be the No. 3 seed in the tournament after finishing the year 39-12 overall and 19-8 in the conference. STU is the only team to have taken series from both Embry-Riddle and South Carolina Beaufort this season, winning two games of three in each series. The Bobcats swept three teams in conference play, winning seven total series and losing two.
STU has posted the best offensive numbers of any conference team in 2012, most evidenced by their .339 team batting average. St. Thomas is slugging .459 with a .404 on-base percentage in 51 games, they've managed to plate 388 runs on 611 hits and 342 RBIs, outscoring their opponents 388 to 244.
Joel Capote leads the team in many categories, including hits (78), runs scored (58), average (.406) and stolen bases (37). Close behind the senior outfielder is Hector Acosta and Victor Madrazo. Acosta is hitting .391 with 52 hits and 26 RBIs while Madrazo has posted a .391 average with 75 hits, 13 doubles, seven homers and 52 RBIs.
On the mound, the Bobcats have a 3.93 ERA in 444.1 innings. Dane Stone, the STU closer, has recorded a 4-1 record with 13 saves with a 1.42 ERA. Starters Danny Sanchez and Emilio Ogando have put up 2.67 and 3.53 ERAs respectively.
St. Thomas is 7-6 in the conference tournament, finishing as the runner-up in each of the last two seasons.
The fourth-seeded team in the 2012 edition of The Sun Conference tournament is Webber International, making their second consecutive appearance and third overall since 2009. The Warriors were 25-24 and 14-13 this season, winning five of their nine conference series.
Offensively, the Warriors are hitting .278 in 2012, led by Ryan Regidor's .345 average. Regidor has 51 hits, 12 doubles and three homers, driving in 30 runs and scoring 12 of his own. Derek Selk is averaging .300 and Josh Longbrake is hitting .284 for WIU.
Chaz Abeln has a 1.88 ERA in nine games and 52.2 innings, while Jesse Wiggington has posted four wins and four saves in 14 games with a 2.91 ERA.
Collectively, the WIU pitching staff has a 4.54 ERA in 408.1 innings, holding opponents to just a .268 average.
Webber International is 0-4 at The Sun Conference tournament.
The Warner Royals return to The Sun Conference tournament after missing out in 2011. Head Coach Jeff Sikes had his team playing well at the right time, as the Royals won three of their last four conference games to grab a spot in the six-team field. Warner ended the regular season 28-27 overall and 13-14 in the league.
The Royals' offense has been paced by Brandon Kirby all season long, the outfielder has a .396 average with 53 hits, 23 RBIs and 23 runs scored. He also has 18 stolen bases, joining four other Royals with double-digit stolen base numbers. Sergio Perez averages .328 from the plate, leading the team with 65 hits.
Aaron Kehres has been the Royals' workhorse on the mound, going 8-3 with a 3.60 ERA in 95.0 innings. The Warner pitching staff as a whole has a 4.32 ERA with two shutouts on the year.
Warner is 2-4 at the tournament since 2009.
The sixth and final seed is SCAD Savannah. The Bees, who are in their final year of baseball, will look to make their last trip to The Sun Conference tournament a memorable one. SCAD is 27-28 overall and 13-14 in the conference.
The Bees hit .295 from the dish, recording 469 hits and 221 RBIs in 55 games. Jamison Sweat leads the team with a .390 average, while Hunter Pope and Mark Malec have combined for 52 RBIs and 62 runs scored on 126 hits (25 doubles and four triples).
Dylan Weber-Callahan has become the anchor of the Bees' pitching staff, posting a 2.31 ERA and 5-3 record in 66.1 innings. Matthew Rogers is 6-4 with a 3.43 ERA in 63.0 innings.
SCAD has a 6-6 record over the last three seasons in Ft. Myers, placing second in 2009.
The tournament will get under way on Tuesday, May 1 when No. 1 ERAU takes on No. 6 SCAD at 10 a.m., followed by No. 2 USCB vs. No. 5 Warner at 2 p.m., with the nightcap being No. 3 St. Thomas and No. 4 Webber International at 6 p.m.
Follow all the action at the 2012 Sun Conference Baseball Tournament Headquarters.