2013 Sun Conference Baseball Tournament Preview
FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Sun Conference Baseball Tournament returns to Fort Myers, Fla. and the City of Palms Park for the fifth consecutive year in 2013, and the six-team event looks to be one of the most exciting yet. Following the disbanding of the NAIA Regional and Super-Regional tournament format following the 2008 season, The Sun Conference Tournament was revived and its home has been the former spring training park of the Boston Red Sox ever since. Ave Maria, Embry-Riddle, Southeastern, St. Thomas, University of South Carolina Beaufort and Webber International will make the trek to Fort Myers for the double-elimination tournament from Apr. 30 - May 4 with the champion receiving an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round.
The 2012 tournament marked the first time since the event's reinstatement that a team other than the Embry-Riddle Eagles claimed the title. St. Thomas, seeded third last year, swept through the tournament and downed SCAD Savannah in the championship game, 4-3, to earn the crown.
No. 1 Embry-Riddle (40-12, 23-4)
Embry-Riddle returns to Fort Myers in an attempt to reclaim the conference tournament title, and will be the No. 1 seed for the fifth straight season. The Eagles won their sixth consecutive and 14th overall Sun Conference regular season title in 2013 following a 23-4 league campaign and a 40-12 record overall. The Eagles are ranked sixth in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll and have already earned an automatic berth to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round thanks to their regular season title.
The Eagles won all nine conference series over the course of the 2013 season, sweeping five and dropping just one game in four league series. The Blue and Gold has outscored its opponents 270-165 and is 15-3 away from home this year, but, the Eagles have not played a neutral site game since the 2012 season.
Offensively, Embry-Riddle hits .267 as a team on 434 hits and 230 RBIs, led by senior Jeff Lemon and juniors Kevin Lindheim and Jordan Johnson. Lemon became the 18th member of ERAU's 150-hit club this season after compiling 66 hits, 43 RBIs and 30 runs. The third baseman has drawn 21 walks and has struck out just five times all season long. Lindheim, an outfielder from Naples, Fla., is hitting .344 with 64 hits and 48 RBIs which lead the conference. Lindheim is slugging .473 with 15 doubles and three home runs. Johnson, an utility player that has spent the better part of the season at first base, is averaging .299 from the dish on 50 hits and 21 RBIs. He also boasts a .977 fielding percentage at the corner infield spot.
The Eagles have really excelled on the mound this season, ranking second in the entire country with a 2.43 team ERA, and second in the nation in total innings pitched at 444.2 innings of work. Opponents are hitting just .236 off ERAU pitching and conference opponents did not collect a triple and hit just one homer against the Eagles. Embry-Riddle boasts three starters with sub-3.20 ERAs, led by sophomore Stetson Nelson. Nelson is 7-2 with a 2.08 ERA in 91.0 innings; he has 87 strikeouts and 16 walks in 15 appearances for the Blue and Gold. Senior Kevin Maloney, a 2013 Preseason All-American, suffered the first loss of his Eagle career at the hands of 16-time NAIA National Champion Lewis-Clark State this season, but is still the current career winning percentage leader in NAIA history with a 28-1 overall record. Maloney is 9-1 in 2013 with a 2.49 ERA in 79.2 innings of work. Closer Eric Green is 6-0 with 11 saves and a 0.83 ERA while not allowing an earned run to score in conference action. Green's 0.173 opponent batting average and 59 strikeouts in 30 appearances has solidified his spot as one of the premier relief men in the conference.
Embry-Riddle is 15-3 all-time in The Sun Conference Tournament since 2009 with three tournament crowns.
No. 2 Ave Maria (37-17, 18-9)
Tournament newcomer Ave Maria made a splash in 2013 by finishing second behind the Eagles after an 18-9 league record and 37-17 overall mark. The Gyrenes, coached by Shawn Summe, will bring the most well-rounded team to the tournament, leading the conference offensively and in the field while ranking second in the league with a 3.19 team ERA. The Gyrenes also boast a win over then-NCAA I No. 23 Florida Gulf Coast back on Mar. 17.
Alex Sanchez, Trace McDermott and Gabe Loweree pace a squad that hits .314 from the dish as a team with a .384 on-base percentage and a .397 slugging percentage. Sanchez, a conference Player of the Year candidate, leads the league with a .409 average after striking for 95 hits, 37 RBIs and scoring 55 runs. Sanchez has collected 17 doubles, two triples and a homer in 232 at-bats and is 19-for-24 on the bases. As a team, the Gyrenes have swiped 144 bases in 186 attempts while holding opponents to just 27 stolen bases in 57 attempts. McDermott is second on the AMU team with a .376 average with 80 hits and 44 RBIs, while Loweree has a .368 average with 71 hits, 20 doubles and 107 total bases.
Ave Maria leads the conference with a .967 fielding percentage, committing only 69 errors in 2,062 chances this season. The Gyrenes have turned 43 double plays and have hit into only 24 of themselves.
On the mound for the Gyrenes, Joe Bocchino, Ethan Striz and Zach Quayle lead the charge. Bocchino is 10-1 with a 1.81 ERA in 14 games and 94.1 innings. Opponents have hit just .198 against him all season long and he has held teams to just 19 earned runs. Striz has posted a 7-5 record and 2.53 ERA in 96.0 innings of work and Quayle has a 7-2 mark and 3.84 ERA on the bump for Ave Maria.
The Gyrenes are making their first appearance in The Sun Conference Tournament.
No. 3 St. Thomas (32-19, 17-10)
The Bobcats of St. Thomas are the No. 3 seed in the six-team event after finishing the season 17-10 in league play and 32-19 overall. STU won the tournament last season and made it all the way to the final game of the National Championship Opening Round - Hardeeville Bracket before being downed by USCB. The Bobcats rank in the top five in nearly every stat category in the conference and have the experience of winning the 2012 crown to rely on.
Ozney Guillen paces the Bobcats with a .423 batting average with 52 hits, 24 RBIs and 26 runs scored. Ricky Claudio ranks a close second with a .365 average, 27 hits, 19 RBIs and 17 runs while Nicholas Perez is .335 from the plate with a team-leading 52 hits and 40 runs scored. Catcher Giovanni Zayas has a .320 average with 41 hits and 26 RBIs for the Bobcats.
Eddie Cody has become St. Thomas' ace this season, posting a 7-1 record and 1.75 ERA in 67.0 innings. Cody has three combined shutouts and has struck out 50 batters while issuing only four base on balls. Josh Ruiz has come on strong at the end of the year for the Bobcats, bringing a 2.84 ERA with one complete game into the tournament. Ashley Bulluck has filled the closer role for STU after the departure of 2012 first team All-American and MLB draftee, Dane Stone. Bulluck is 3-0 with five saves and a 1.93 ERA in 28.0 innings.
St. Thomas is 11-6 in the tournament, finishing as the tournament champion in 2012 and the runner-up in 2011 and 2010.
No. 4 Webber International (34-20, 16-11)
For the second straight season, the Webber International Warriors come to Fort Myers as the No. 4 seed. The Warriors, coached by Brad Niethammer, are 34-20 overall and went 16-11 in conference play. Webber International will be looking for its first win at the City of Palms Park as the Warriors are 0-6 in three appearances in the tournament since 2009.
WIU brings one of the best offensives in the league to Fort Myers, hitting .302 as a squad with 502 hits, 300 RBIs and 324 runs scored. Ramon Sanchez, a freshman, spearheads the offense with a .374 average on 43 hits, 33 RBIs and 23 runs scored. Centerfielder Billy Farrell hits .347 from the plate, leading the team with 67 hits, 59 runs scored and his second with 34 RBIs for WIU. Farrell is 23-for-25 on the bases and has committed only one error in 147 chances in the outfield.
Chris Garcia headlines the Warrior pitching staff, a staff that has a 3.68 team ERA in 444.2 innings. Garcia is 6-2 with a 2.90 ERA in 13 starts and 80.2 innings. Alex Greener has struck out 77 batters and is 6-2 with a 2.81 ERA for the Warriors.
Webber International is 0-6 in The Sun Conference Tournament in three appearances.
No. 5 Southeastern (30-24, 16-11)
Making their second-ever appearance in The Sun Conference Tournament is the fifth-seeded Fire of Southeastern. SEU finished 16-11 in conference and 30-24 overall, placing in a tie for fourth with Webber International, but due to the Warriors owning the tiebreaker, the Fire will be the No. 5 seed. Head Coach Jason Beck recently won his 500th career game and joins Warner's Jeff Sikes and Webber International's Brad Niethammer as Sun Conference coaches over the 500-win plateau.
Southeastern's offense brings a .276 batting average and 450 hits into the tournament, collecting 258 RBIs on 290 runs in 2013. Bryan Muniz leads the team with a .381 average with 61 hits, 41 RBIs and 31 runs scored. Muniz, the SEU first baseman, is also 20-for-23 in steal attempts and has a .998 fielding percentage with 443 putouts. Phil Delisle is second on the team with 60 hits and a .316 batting average, recording 35 RBIs and 29 runs in 52 games. Daniel Mims has 52 hits in 175 at-bats for Southeastern and has 13 stolen bases.
Johnnie Kirkland has a 7-3 record and 2.57 ERA for Southeastern's pitching staff, who, as a whole, has a 4.02 ERA, 417 strikeouts and has walked 173 batters. Kirkland allows hitters to average just .230 from the plate and has surrendered only 13 extra-base hits in 15 games. The NAIA's all-time leader in career saves is the Fire's Phillip Kish. In 2013, Kish is 902 with a 0.52 ERA and 16 saves. Kish has allowed just one earned run to cross the plate and has filled in at short for the Fire over the later part of the season.
Southeastern is 0-2 in one tournament appearance.
No. 6 University of South Carolina Beaufort (23-21, 13-14)
The sixth and final team making the trip to City of Palms Park will be the University of South Carolina Beaufort. The Sand Sharks ended the regular season 13-14 in the conference and 23-21 overall. USCB needed some help from Embry-Riddle to earn a berth to the tournament as the Eagles swept Thomas in the final regular season series of the year, pushing USCB into the tournament and keeping its season alive. Last season the Sand Sharks advanced all the way to the Avista-NAIA World Series where they eliminated the Eagles and finished in the top eight of the country.
Bryan Lewallyn's team is hitting .281 from the plate and has a 4.22 team ERA in 44 games this year, holding a slim, 247-241 scoring advantage over their opponents. Blake Cilwick leads the team with a .339 average on 60 hits, 43 RBIs and 34 runs scored, all stats that rank first on the Sand Shark squad. Cilwick is also 16-for-19 in steal attempts in 2013. Ryan Doeppel has 39 hits, 21 RBIs and has scored 21 times while Terry McClinton has a .309 average, 47 hits, 23 RBIs and 24 runs scored.
Miles Galvin has been the workhorse for USCB on the mound, going 3-5 with a 3.26 ERA in 77.1 innings, striking out 43 batters. Hunter Englehart has 68.1 innings under his belt while Andrew Barrineau has been the USCB reliever most used, making 17 appearances with a 5-1 record and 3.45 ERA.
USCB is 2-8 all-time in The Sun Conference Tournament.
The tournament will be unofficially kicked off at the conference awards banquet on Monday night (Apr. 29) and the games begin in earnest on Tuesday, Apr. 30 as the top-seeded Eagles take on the sixth-seeded Sand Sharks at 11 a.m., followed by No. 2 Ave Maria and No. 5 Southeastern at 3 p.m. and the nightcap will feature the third-seeded Bobcats versus the fourth-seeded Warriors with first pitch slated for 7 p.m.
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