2022 All-Florida League Teams Announced
LONGWOOD, Fla.- The Florida Collegiate Summer League is pleased to announce the 2022 All-Florida League teams. The teams are broken up into first and second teams, and recognize the best players in the Florida League this season.
CATCHER: Travis Stapleton (Polk State)
Leesburg Lightning
Stapleton caught almost 20 innings more than any other catcher in the Florida League, and was a mainstay in the Leesburg lineup even when he wasn't behind the plate. Stapleton slashed .274/.411/.370 over his 73 at-bats, and drove in 13 runs during his second summer with the Lightning, and helped Leesburg to their third consecutive trip to the Florida League Championship Series.
FIRST BASE: Jeff Liquori (Florida Southern)
Sanford River Rats
The 2022 Florida League Most Valuable Player was one of the most dangerous hitters in the league from the start of the season. The two-time All-Florida League selection led the FCSL with 27 runs batted in, and ended the season in the top ten in the Florida League in nearly every offensive category. He was at his best in big moments, going 7-for-9 with ten RBIs in the Southeast Collegiate Prospect Showcase 6-for-11 with two home runs and six runs batted in during Sanford's FCSL Semifinals series.
SECOND BASE: Robbie Scott (King)
Sanford River Rats
Scott concluded his prolific Florida League career in 2022 with the best of his five seasons in the FCSL. Scott, who became the League's all-time leader in games played and runs scored during the campaign, won the league batting title by more than 60 points, hitting .427 for the Sanford River Rats. Scott also led the league in on base percentage (.505) and slugging percentage (.622)
SHORTSTOP: Dale Thomas (Florida)
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs
Thomas drove in more than 20 runs for the second summer in a row to once again be named First Team All-Florida League. The Florida commit led the Florida League with ten doubles, and his 13 extra base hits finished second in the league. He became even more lethal in the postseason, where he hit .643 with eight runs scored, a .792 on base percentage, and a 2.149 OPS. He earned Florida League Championship Series honors for his performance in Winter Park's three-game series win over Leesburg.
THIRD BASE: Michael Ballard (Eckerd)
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs
A Second Team All-Florida League selection last season, Ballard upped his game in 2022 to earn First Team honors. He was the sparkplug for a potent Winter Park offense, and led the Florida League with 40 hits. The Eckerd Triton, who was playing in his fourth Florida League season - he played in Florida League Division II in 2019 before three seasons in Winter Park - also led the FCSL with 27 runs scored.
OUTFIELD: Noah Dickerson (Little Rock)
Winter Garden Squeeze
Dickerson returned to the Squeeze after earning Second Team All-Florida League honors in 2020, and was the team's top run producer in 2022. The Little Rock product finished third in the league with 22 runs batted in over 24 games, and his 23 walks drawn helped him conclude the season with a .495 on base percentage, which was also good for second in the league. Dickerson was also the 2022 FCSL Home Run Derby champion.
OUTFIELD: Brandon Fields (Texas)
Sanford River Rats
Fields, who committed to play at the University of Texas earlier this week, led the Florida League in extra base hits during his second summer with the Sanford River Rats. Fields finished second in the league in both doubles (8) and home runs (5), and added a triple to finish the season with 14 extra base hits. Those extra base hits powered him to a .613 slugging percentage, second best in the Florida League.
OUTFIELD: Kyle Mock (Troy)
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs
Mock was consistently on base for the Florida League champions, ending the season with a top-five on base percentage of .475. The Troy product drove in 15 runs and scored 17 more during his 26 games in a Winter Park uniform. He was a major part of Winter Park's championship run, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs in the game three clincher, as well as finishing the playoffs with a 1.302 OPS.
EXTRA HITTER: Edgar Alvarez (Nicholls State)
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs
Alvarez earns First Team All-Florida League honors as an extra hitter for the second season in a row. The Nicholls State product was one of the top run producers in a Winter Park lineup stacked with them, as Alvarez led the Florida League with six home runs and finished third with 22 runs batted in. He also ended the regular season with the second highest OPS at 1.048, and ended the regular season with a 30-game on base streak.
EXTRA HITTER: Jakob Runnels (North Florida)
Leesburg Lightning
Runnels had easily the best of his three Florida League seasons in 2022, hitting .289 with four home runs and 17 RBIs for the Leesburg Lightning. The North Florida product concluded the regular season with a .422 on base percentage and a .482 slugging percentage. He also played a major role in sending Leesburg to the Florida League Championship Series, reaching base in six of his nine plate appearances in the FCSL Semifinals against Sanford.
EXTRA HITTER: Sean Sparling (Daytona State)
DeLand Suns
Sparling was easily the most consistent hitter in the DeLand lineup, hitting .338 with a .484 on base percentage and a .507 slugging percentage, all of which led the Suns. The Florida League All-Star Game starter also showed himself to be adept on the mound, striking out ten hitters in 6.2 innings of work, which included a save in a win over Seminole County on July 5.
UTILITY: Noah Best (Birmingham Southern)
Leesburg Lightning
Best was a force near the top of the Leesburg lineup, as the Birmingham Southern product led the Lightning in most offensive categories. The infielder hit .337 on the season, third best among players with more than 100 at-bats. Best was one of just two players in the Florida League with more than 20 runs batted and more than 30 hits, and ranked in the top five in both categories.
STARTING PITCHER: Garrett Brewer (Seminole State)
Winter Garden Squeeze
Brewer was the ace of staff for the Winter Garden Squeeze, allowing just 13 hits over his 24 innings of work. The Seminole State product never allowed more than three runs in any of his outings, and twice pitched five or more innings without allowing an earned run. Opposing hitters posted a .167 batting average against him, and Brewer logged a season-high seven strikeouts in Winter Garden's playoff game against Seminole County.
STARTING PITCHER: Jacob Burr (Webber)
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs
The 2022 Florida League Pitcher of the Year, Burr consistently put the Diamond Dawgs in position to win this summer, as the Webber Warrior did not allow more than two earned runs in any of his seven regular season appearances, which included six starts. He allowed either zero or one earned runs in six of his seven starts, and got the ball twice in Winter Park's postseason run. He finishes the summer with a 1.29 earned run average over 34.2 innings of work, surrendered just eleven walks and struck out 36.
STARTING PITCHER: Chase Costello (St. Thomas)
Sanford River Rats
Chase Costello was dominant as a starter for Sanford, especially during the month of June. The St. Thomas Bobcat fired back-to-back complete games, allowing zero earned runs in 14 total innings in outings against Seminole County and Winter Garden. Costello allowed just two earned runs over 25 innings as a starter, and ended his season with just 19 hits allowed and a 1.73 earned run average.
STARTING PITCHER: Michael Laudando (Southeast Missouri)
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs
Laudando was close to unhittable for much of the first month of the Florida League season. The Illinois native, who committed to Southeast Missouri during the summer, allowed just 16 hits over his 24.1 innings of work while striking out 34 hitters. He went 2-0 with a 1.84 earned run average, and had the most strikeouts in a single game this summer when he fanned 12 Leesburg hitters in a win on July 5.
STARTING PITCHER: Dylan Simmons (Pittsburgh)
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs
Hits were hard to come by against Dylan Simmons, who worked 32 innings between the regular season and playoffs while only giving up 14 hits. The Pittsburgh commit struck out 38 hitters over those 32 innings, held opposing hitters to a .141 batting average while posting a 1.67 earned run average. Simmons sent the Diamond Dawgs to the Florida League Championship Series as the winning pitcher in Game 2 of the FCSL Semifinals, where he threw five scoreless innings.
RELIEF PITCHER: Connor Gleeson (Gardner-Webb)
Leesburg Lightning
Gleeson was a Second Team All-Florida League selection in 2021, and moved into the closer role for the 2022 Lightning. The North Carolina native came out of the bullpen 12 times for Leesburg, and tied for the Florida League lead with four saves. Gleeson, who also appeared four times in the postseason, struck out 25 hitters in 14.1 regular season innings, all while allowing only eight hits.
RELIEF PITCHER: Zach Holcomb (Illinois State)
Sanford River Rats
No pitcher in the Florida League was called upon more than Zach Holcomb. The lefty specialist, who was in his third season with the River Rats, recorded a 4-0 record over 13 bullpen appearances. The Illinois State product finished third in the Florida League with a 1.47 earned run average, and walked just three hitters over his 18.1 innings of work. He also pitched in all three games of Sanford's FCSL Semifinals series with Leesburg.
RELIEF PITCHER: Andrew Lewis (East Mississippi)
Winter Garden Squeeze
Lewis proved to be a dominant closer for the Winter Garden Squeeze, tying for the Florida League lead with four saves. Lewis converted on four consecutive save opportunities in the month of June, and struck out 17 hitters in 14.2 innings this summer. The Georgia native was also successful in his lone start of the summer, tossing five shutout innings against Seminole County on July 10.
RELIEF PITCHER: Jaxon Mills (Rollins)
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs
Mills was easily the best long reliever in the Florida League this summer, recording a 1.43 earned run average, the second lowest in the FCSL. Despite making only one start, Mills finished sixth in the league in innings pitched. His signature moment came in the final game of the summer, when he took a perfect game into the seventh inning and was the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the Florida League Championship Series.
RELIEF PITCHER: Ty Van Dyke (Seminole State)
Leesburg Lightning
Van Dyke didn't allow a run all season, earned or unearned. Over 19 innings in the regular season, the righthander struck out 32 hitters, walking just six and allowing only nine hits. His regular season output included a 0.79 WHIP and a .143 batting average against. Van Dyke recorded his masterpiece in Game 2 of the Florida League Championship Series against the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs, when he tossed six shutout innings in relief to keep Leesburg's season alive.
TWO WAY: Braden Calise (Louisville)
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs
The redshirt freshman was valuable to Winter Park in every facet of the game. Calise hit .360 at the plate with 19 RBIs, 22 runs scored, and ten stolen bases. On the mound, he recorded three saves, striking out 17 hitters in 9.2 innings of work. Calise also was responsible for the Championship clinching run for the Diamond Dawgs, as the Fort Pierce native's two-run double sealed Winter Park's 11-3 win in Game 3 of the Championship Series.
The following players were recognized as the All-Florida League Second Team for their performances this summer:
C: Brooks Rikeman (Thomas), Sanford
1B: Santino Rao (USF), Winter Garden
2B: Jeissy de la Cruz (New Orleans), Winter Park
SS: Travis Sankovich (USF), Winter Garden
3B: Devon Nowells (Daytona State), Leesburg
OF: Austin Brinling (North Florida), Leesburg
OF: Ahmad Fitts (Florida Southern), Sanford
OF: Evan St. Claire (Cumberlands), DeLand
UTIL: Jaiden Warde (Flagler), Sanford
EH: Marco Dinges (Tallahassee CC), Leesburg
EH: Andrew Fernandez (Tallahassee CC), Seminole County
EH: Angelo Pilo 3to (St. Thomas), Winter Park
EH: Gabriel Santiago (Coker), Leesburg
SP: Gaven Book (Santa Fe), Winter Garden
SP: Clayton Boroski (North Florida), Winter Garden
SP: Stephen Cherepanya (Rollins), DeLand
SP: Matthew Dadlani (Hillsborough CC), Leesburg
SP: Gavin Galy (Nicholls State), Winter Park
RP: Ryan Franklin (Flagler), Seminole County
RP: Anthony Griffith (Lake Sumter), Seminole County
RP: Layton Perry (Jacksonville), Leesburg
RP: Tanner Walker (St. Johns River State), Leesburg
RP: Daemon Woodruff (Erskine), Seminole County
Two-Way: Dalton Robinson (Eastern Florida State), Winter Garden

