FSCJ Baseball Fall Recap

Back in Action

FSCJ Blue Wave Baseball finished off an outstanding fall season which saw plenty of competition, playing 12 intrasquad games as well as 7 dates against outside foes, notably Daytona State College, St. Johns River State College, South Georgia State College, and Edward Waters University.

Experienced Faces

The Blue Wave saw an influx of 25 new faces onto Howard Roey Field this fall to pair with 14 returners. Of these 39 players, 20 were in their second or third year of college, including 7 transfers, leading to a wealth of experience on the field that few programs can match. Leading that charge is utilityman Evan Wickeri, who is in his Redshirt Sophomore season. Wickeri led the team in almost every offensive category last year and looks to make an even bigger mark this season both at the plate and on the mound as a pitcher. Wickeri, on being a two-way player, said, "My favorite part is that I have an opportunity to help the team win in all aspects of the game. I think the best way for me to do that this year is to build off of the offensive success of last year and find new success on the mound with moving to the bullpen." On the other side of the ball, Redshirt Sophomore Left-Handed Pitcher Daniel Gaviria looks to repeat his performance as 2021 FSCJ MVP after leading the Wave in every pitching category last spring, leading an impressive group on the mound, saying, "I am excited for the year to come. We have a lot of talented guys on the mound who work hard together as one unit towards our goal of the World Series and a National Championship."

Fall Commitments to the Next Level

FSCJ saw five sophomore players commit to play baseball at the next level. Redshirt Sophomore Catcher Mason McLeod and Redshirt Sophomore Outfielder Tyler Green will be taking the short drive up Interstate 95 to play their ball at Savannah State University. Redshirt Sophomore Left-handed Pitcher Daniel Gaviria will be taking I-95 a little farther to Florence, SC, as he will be playing at Francis Marion University. Redshirt Sophomore Right-handed Pitcher/Utilityman Evan Wickeri will be going south to Barry University in Miami as a two-way player. Sophomore Outfielder Chris Hall will be going to the volunteer state for the rest of his college days, committing to Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee.

Coaches Quotes

Head Coach Brad Frick

- on the fall as a whole:

"It was nice to just be on the baseball field again with all of the guys. We were able to get back to normalcy this fall of having a set schedule of lifting and practicing, as well as playing other opponents. It gave us an opportunity to see our guys mature and develop against other teams. That experience in itself is so valuable."

- on the returners:

"I am looking forward to big things again out of Jayme (Villafane), Wick (Evan Wickeri), (Hunter) Bradshaw, Mason (McLeod), and Barry (Eiseman) at the plate and Gavi (Daniel Gaviria), Manny (Reyes), Patty (Patrick Groark) and Wick again on the mound. I am hoping Luka (Torralva) can continue to build upon his successful fall season as well. Looking for guys to step up and add some leadership for the younger guys, especially on the mound."

- on the newcomers:

"I am really excited to see this freshman class grow up and add great value to our program both now and in the future. This is a truly a group to be excited about with Blake (Wood), (Xavier) Cintron, JC (Medina), Giddy (Jack Gidcumb), (Dylan) Dudones, (Andrew) Myers, and Colby (Lipovsky) all having breakout falls. Their development will be key to our success."

Assistant Coach Scotty Bateman

- on the fall as a whole:

"Being new on staff this fall, I was unsure of what to expect coming in but was thoroughly impressed with this group. The team meshed well together early on, which helped the product on the field. I thought we practiced hard and played clean baseball throughout the fall, and I am very much looking forward to what the spring brings. I think we've got a gritty bunch who's no afraid to get their hands dirty and win a ballgame no matter what. "

- on the returners:

"The returners came as advertised with Wick (Evan Wickeri) and Gavi (Daniel Gaviria) able to maintain some success from the spring while continuing to develop. I thought the pitching maturation of Manny (Reyes) and Patty (Patrick Groark), as well as Wickeri coming into his own on the mound was huge for the bullpen this fall. At the plate, I thought Barry (Eiseman) took a huge step forward in his development, unlocking some major power and bat to ball skills that will make this spring big for him."

- on the newcomers:

"It's hard to overstate the impact that this freshman class has had so far. Three guys (Dudones, Lipovsky, and Myers) on the mound had ERAs in the 1.00s, which is hard enough to do in little league let alone at the college level. Then Blake (Wood) and Jack (Gidcumb) had great falls at the plate as well, not to mention a couple other guys. It's gonna be really fun to watch that group grow up. On the flip side, I think the group of transfers will continue to find their home and make some major impacts in the spring as well. Guys like Brian (Veniard), (Garrett) Chun, and Cam (Wademan) have had some really bright moments so far."

Notes

- Freshman LHP/OF Blake Wood ended the fall hitting .378 with a team-high 3 triples and 8 runs scored.

- Freshman C/INF Jack Gidcumb finished the fall hitting .417 with 8 RBI and 8 runs scored.

- Sophomore INF Luka Torralva tallied a team-high 7 doubles en route to hitting .432.

- RS-Sophomore RHP/UTL Evan Wickeri led the team with a .440 average and 10 RBI to go along with a 1.59 ERA on the mound.

- Sophomore RHP Patrick Groark had a perfect 0.00 ERA to pair with 11 strikeouts.

- The freshman pitching trio of LHP Andrew Myers, LHP Colby Lipovsky, and RHP Dylan Dudones all concluded the fall with sub-2.00 ERAs, 1.69, 1.08, and 1.50, respectively.