The 2012 State College of Florida Manatees are looking to make legendary head coach Tim Hill Sr.'s last year a memorable one.
SCF— the most successful junior college baseball team in the state of Florida—is in position to win their 18th conference title in 31-years under Hill. Hill—has an overall record of 1,153 - 526 -1 in 34 total years as a junior college head coach—has also led SCF to six Florida College System Athletic Association crowns and five Division I World Series appearances. Overall, the Manatees have been to a state record 41 FCSAA state tournament appearances—including 15 straight —, 13 state titles (state record) and 10 JUCO World Series (state record). SCF has also produced 193 professional baseball players and 27 major leaguers.
Season
The Manatees—27-13-1 overall—are currently tied atop the Suncoast Conference standings with Polk State College at 9-5 with seven games remaining. Of their eight games remaining, SCF has a solo game with Polk St. and three games against third-place Hillsborough Community College. This season, the Manatees—currently on a three-game winning streak—are 4-2 against Polk St. and 4-1 versus Hillsborough CC. The Manatees 4-1 record against Hillsborough CC includes an 8-7 victory on April 4 and a 11-1 victory on April 6.
Versus Baltimore Orioles
The Manatees defeated the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 in an eight-inning controlled scrimmage that was played as a charity benefit for SCF athletics department on April 3. SCF tagged Orioles starter Jason Hammel for three hits and two runs in his five innings of work.
Leading way offensively for the Manatees was freshman Orlando Rivera. Rivera—scored the eventual game winning on a wild pitch in the fifth-inning—was 2-for-3 with a stolen base. The victory over the Orioles was SCF's second against a major league club as they defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-4 in 2009.
Players
SCF has a veteran laden team has half of their 22 players are sophomores. Of the 11 sophomores, five are transfers including two from NCAA Division I programs. The Manatees two NCAA DI transfers are RHP Jimmy O'Neil from Stetson University and RHP Victor Diaz from Mississippi State University.
A few of the team's top pitchers include sophomore RH Dayon Rodriguez—5-1 with a 3.78 ERA in 57 innings —, RH Cedric Walker—4-0 with a 2.16 ERA in 25 innings—freshman RH Evin Lynch—3-2 with 5.82 ERA—and freshman RH Devin Raftery—3-0, 0.82 ERA, 9 SVs.
Offensively, the Manatees have a .287 batting average and have hit just 7 home runs. Leading the offense is freshman INF Orlando Rivera—.329, 24 RBIs, 14 SBs —, sophomore OF Tyler Rocklein—.315, 3 HRs, 29 RBI, 16 SBs —, freshman Connor Hale—.312, 24 RBI —, sophomore INF Josh Allen—3 HRs, 12 SBs—and freshman OF Omar Garcia—15 SB.
Other team news
- SCF is located in Bradenton.
- On March 31, 2012 Orlando Rivera and Devin Raftery were named FCSAA Player and Pitcher of the Week respectively. In a three game week, Rivera hit .500 (6-for-12), 3 runs, 1 double, 1 triple and 3 RBIs while Raftery compiled a 1-0 record with a 0.00 ERA and 2 saves.
- The Manatees INF Josh Allen has signed to play at the University of Central Florida in 2013.
- Sophomore right-hander Luis Benitez was selected in the 31st round of the 2010 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.
- Hill Sr.—inducted into the NJCAA Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005—is retiring at the end of the 2012 season. Hill Sr.—earned his 1,000 career win against the University of Tampa JV on March 28—will be replaced by assistant coach Tim Hill II.
- The charity game versus the Orioles raised approximately $600 for SCF athletics department.
Daniel Benjamin has followed small college baseball for 20 years.
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