April 29, 2010
Contact: Scott Jamison
352.395.5616
scott.jamison@sfcollege.edu
SF BASEBALL
EIGHT SAINTS NAMED ALL-MFC, MERIANS PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Gainesville, FL – The Santa Fe Saints recently finished the regular season, winning their second straight MFC title and in the process, eight members of the team have been named All-Mid Florida Conference. Coach Johnny Wiggs was also honored by the conference, taking home his second straight Coach of the Year award.
Sophomore pitcher Gary Merians made the First Team and was named the MFC Pitcher of the Year. As a two year starter for the Saints, Merians anchored the pitching staff through two MFC titles, a state Championship and a National runner-up finish last year in the JUCO World Series. In the 2010 regular season, Merians finished with a 5-3 record, 2.79 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 80.2 innings pitched. He has committed to Florida State University.
Jeff Moyer, Mike Miranda, Ken Wise, Ricky Claudio and TJ Spina earned First Team honors along with Merians and Austin Lawrence and Brett Bozeman made the Second Team.
Moyer, the Saints sophomore third baseman, led the team in batting with a .404 average (61-for-151), 12 homeruns, 12 doubles and 45 RBI. He has committed to play next year for the University of Florida.
Sophomore first baseman Mike Miranda, a local product from Buchholz High School, hit .378 (56-for-148) on the regular season with a team leading 57 RBI, 12 homeruns and 11 doubles.
Ken Wise, the Saints number two starting pitcher, had a 5-2 record in the regular season with a 4.20 ERA. He averaged a strikeout an inning, fanning 60 in 60 innings pitched.
Freshman outfielder Ricky Claudio gave the Saints a big bat down the stretch, playing his best baseball in the conference portion of the season. For the year he is hitting .375 (39-for-104) with seven doubles, five homeruns, 29 RBI and a team leading four triples.
Freshman shortstop TJ Spina, another local player from Santa Fe High School, was second on the team in batting average during the regular season, hitting .385 (60-for-156) with seven doubles, eight homeruns and 28 RBI.
Second team honorees: Sophomore catcher Brett Bozeman, who has signed with Mississippi State University, is hitting .322 BA (39-for-121) with 10 2B, 20 RBI and three homeruns and freshman second baseman Austin Lawrence hit .348 (56-for-161) with a team leading 13 doubles, four homeruns and 29 RBI.
With the regular season behind them, the MFC Champion Saints will travel to Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland for the FCCAA/NJCAA Region VIII State Tournament on May 6-10. Santa Fe faces off with Miami-Dade in first round action of the double elimination tournament on May 6 at 7:00pm.
For complete schedules and more information on Saints Baseball, please visit www.sfcollege.edu/athletics. To see game photos and other updates, follow Santa Fe College Athletics on Facebook.
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