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LONGWOOD, Fla.- The 2022 spring season has been a fruitful one for alumni of the Florida League, as players from across the country have been among the best across divisions. Concluding today, the Florida League office will spotlight just a few of the dozens of players who are major contributors for their college teams. Part four looks at players from small schools around the nation. 

Jarrett Backus, King (TN) (2018 Suns, 2019 Lightning)- The 2018 Florida League champion and 2019 David Eckstein Sportsmanship Award winner is in the midst of his best collegiate season at King University in Tennessee. In 90 at-bats, the infielder is hitting .356 with 19 runs batted in and 17 runs scored, all while stealing eleven bases. Backus has reached base at .448 clip, best on the roster for the Tornado.

Grant Berman, NYU (2021 Dawgs) - Playing his first full college season since 2019, the 2021 Florida League All-Star has proven to be the most powerful bat in the NYU lineup. The former Diamond Dawg has 16 extra base hits, while no other player for NYU has more than nine. Berman leads the roster in home runs (6), runs batted in (22), total bases (60), and slugging percentage (.645), all while posting a .301 batting average.

Robert Chayka, Kentucky Wesleyan (2020-21 Suns) - A mainstay in the Melching Field outfield the past two seasons, Chayka has taken the mantle from Florida League home run king Joe Burke as Kentucky Wesleyan's top power hitter. The outfielder, who holds a .310 batting average on the season, leads the Panthers with seven home runs and 34 runs scored. He is also second on the roster in runs batted in (29) and stolen bases (8).

Carson Clowers, Delta State (2020 Dawgs) - Clowers is the leading hitter for a Delta State team that is currently ranked in the top 25. The sophomore infielder has a batting average north of .400 (.409), and is reaching base at a .500 clip. The 2020 Diamond Dawg reached base in eleven straight games and hit safely in nine straight at one point in the season, and has scored 33 runs while driving in another 23.

Fabian Escalante, Glenville State (2020 Suns) - An outfielder on DeLand's 2020 roster, Escalante has been a lynchpin in the lineup for the Pioneers in his second season at Glenville State. The Orlando native leads GSU with ten doubles this season, and is one of just two players on the roster to score more than 25 runs, all while hitting .313. Escalante reached base in 18 consecutive games at one point in the season, and has driven in multiple runs on six occasions.

Jordan Griffin, Carson-Newman (2021 Lightning) - Griffin's fifth year at Carson-Newman has been a career season for the 2021 Florida League champion. The outfielder is hitting .391, and has posted career highs in runs scored (39) and runs batted in (59). He also has posted his best numbers in stolen bases with eleven, and on-base percentage at .457.

Bryce Jackson, Frostburg State (2019-21 Squeeze) - It's no surprise to fans of the Winter Garden Squeeze that Jackson is one of the top power hitters in all of Division II baseball. The slugger has 15 home runs in just 31 games this season, a ratio that ranks in the top five in the nation. Jackson hasn't just hit for power, as the three-year Winter Garden standout is slashing .401/.531/.941, with 24 of his 41 hits going for extra bases for the 25-7 Bobcats.

Naphis Llanos, Francis Marion (2020 Snappers, 2021 Lightning) - Llanos is a part of one of the most dangerous lineups in the nation, as Francis Marion currently ranks in the top ten in the nation in both runs scored and batting average. The Lake-Sumter State College transfer has played in all but three games for the Patriots, hitting .375 with 43 runs scored and 27 RBIs. Llanos has three or more hits in six of FMU's last nine games, including five hits in a conference game this past weekend.

Jake Nemith, West Alabama (2021 Squeeze) - A member of the Winter Garden Squeeze this past season, Nemith has been one of the brightest spots for West Alabama this spring. The junior is hitting over .350 for the second season in a row, logging a .352 average. He has seen his power numbers explode, going from 15 runs batted in during the 2021 season to 37 this season, partially due to his six home runs. 

Evan Orzech, St. Xavier (2021 Snappers) - One of the best NAIA teams in the Midwest has been led by the Seminole County Snapper alum. Orzech is hitting .399 for the Cougars, driving in 30 runs and scoring 26. The catcher has seen his batting average jump nearly 30 points in the month of April, as Orzech has hit safely in 12 of the last 13 games, inclduing each of the last nine for the Cougars, who hold a 32-10 record.

Robbie Scott, King (TN) (2018 Dawgs, 2019-21 Lightning) - Scott, a rare four-year Florida Leaguer, transferred to Division II King University for his senior season. The infielder, who has played in three Florida League Championship Series, leads the Tornado with 12 extra base hits and 29 runs batted in, all while hitting .358. He is one of two players on the roster with three home runs, and is the only player at King to start every game this season. 

JD Stubbs, Georgia Gwinnett (2021 Lightning) - Georgia Gwinnett, the NAIA's defending national champions, are poised to make another World Series run with Stubbs as a mainstay in the lineup. A member of Leesburg's first championship team in over a decade, Stubbs started his senior season on a 16-game hitting streak, and currently holds .346 batting average for the Grizzlies. The Fort Pierce native has 14 extra base hits, and has driven in 24 runs while scoring 25.