November 17, 2010 Contact: Scott Jamison 352.395.5616 scott.jamison@sfcollege.edu
SF ATHLETICS
FIVE SAINTS INK WITH FOUR YEAR SCHOOLS DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
Gainesville, FL – Five current Santa Fe Saints baseball and fastpitch softball players have signed letters of intent to continue their athletic and academic careers at four year institutions following the 2010-11 season. The student athletes will be eligible to compete with their new schools in Fall 2011.
Sophomore fastpitch players Colena (pictured top) and Colesa Lazar (pictured second) have signed with Florida Atlantic University, an NCAA Division I school in the Sun Belt Conference.
Colena set the SF single season strikeout record with 279 and no hitters with four in 2010. She finished with a 26-4 record. For her efforts, she was named an NJCAA All-American, FCCAA First Team All-State member, the FCCAA State Pitcher of the Year and All Mid-Florida Conference First Team. Her sister Colesa also had an impressive freshman season in 2010 batting .338 with three homeruns, six doubles and 32 RBI, earning All Mid-Florida Conference Second Team honors.
FAU is led by Hall of Fame inductee Joan Joyce, the only coach in the 16 year history of the FAU softball program. In 2010, the Owls were 28-26 overall and 12-10 in conference play.
“We are happy and excited for the twins, who will continue their education and softball careers at such a great school as FAU,” said SF coach Chris Ahern. “It is a great honor to play for Hall of Famer Joan Joyce, a legend in her own time. We look forward to big things from them in the Spring and we wish them continued success in the classroom and on the field, and will miss them here next year.”
Three baseball players, pitcher Steven Ragans (pictured third), shortstop TJ Spina (pictured fourth) and pitcher Malcolm Clapsaddle (pictured bottom), signed with four year schools.
Ragans signed his letter of intent with Lee University, an NAIA powerhouse in Cleveland, TN. In 2010, Ragans posted a 4-0 record with a 4.89 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 33 innings pitched.
The Flames are led by fifth year head coach Mark Brew. Coach Brew has led the Flames to two runner-up and one third place finish in the NAIA World Series the last three seasons, including a second place finish in 2010 to Cumberland University (TN). Lee had an overall record of 52-13 last season.
Spina inked his LOI with the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, a NCAA Division I school in the Southern Conference. Spina started nearly every game for the Saints at shortstop in 2010 and hit .385 with eight homeruns and 28 RBI, earning All Mid-Florida Conference First Team honors.
The Spartans are coached Mike Gaski, who is in his 20th year at the helm. In 2010, UNC-Greensboro finished a rebuilding year with a 20-33 overall record and a 7-23 mark in conference play.
Clapsaddle, a transfer to SF from the University of Georgia, has signed with High Point University, a NCAA Division I school in High Point, NC. The 2010-11 season is Clapsaddle’s first with Santa Fe.
The Panthers, led by third year head coach Craig Cozart, finished the 2010 season with a 31-29 overall record and 15-12 in the Big South Conference. The 31-29 mark was the first winning record for High Point in their NCAA Division I era.
“The coaching staff and I are very excited about our guys getting an opportunity to move on to the next level,” said SF head coach Johnny Wiggs. “This is our top goal here at Santa Fe – to help our guys graduate and play at the four year level. They will play important roles for us this spring and then we look forward to following them the next couple years at their new school.”
For complete schedules and more information on Saints Baseball and Fastpitch Softball, please visit www.sfcollege.edu/athletics. To see game photos and other updates, follow Santa Fe College Athletics on Facebook.
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