Florida Collegiate Summer League

News

2023 All-Florida League Teams Announced

August 4, 2023
12:00 PM EDT

LAKE MARY, Fla.- The Florida Collegiate Summer League is pleased to announce the 2023 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: McGwire Holbrook (Florida State)
Sanford River Rats
Holbrook immediately became one of the Florida League's most feared hitters after joining the River Rats in late June. In just 13 regular season games, Holbrook racked up 17 hits and drove in 12 runs, totals that would have been among the league's best had he played the entire season. The Florida State product, who had previously played in the Florida League in 2020, had six multi-hit efforts in just 13 games.

FIRST BASE: Cole Russo (UCF)
Sanford River Rats
Russo was a mainstay in the lineup for the River Rats, playing in 29 of the team's 32 games. The UCF product logged a .420 on base percentage during his first summer in Sanford, and drove in 15 runs while playing several positions for Sanford. During the season, Russo earned selection to the Florida League's Prospect Games, Bananaball, and All-Star teams.

SECOND BASE: Gabriel Santiago (Coker)
Leesburg Lightning
A Second Team All-Florida League selection last season, Santiago continued to elevate his game for the Florida League champions. The infielder set a franchise record with 30 stolen bases, and moved into the top five in league history in both career and single-season steals. Santiago concluded the season as the Florida League's leader in batting average, runs scored, stolen bases, and on base percentage.

SHORTSTOP: Michael Ballard (Louisiana Tech)
Orlando Snappers
One of the Florida League's longest tenured players continued being one of the FCSL's best in 2023. In his fifth season in the Florida League (including one season in Division II), Ballard tied for the league lead with 36 and led all players with 20 runs batted in. The Louisiana Tech commit also finished among the league's top five in runs created and top ten in batting average.

THIRD BASE: Rohsean Riley (Florida Southern)
DeLand Suns
One of three standouts from Florida Southern that played this summer for the Suns, Riley had a breakout season in DeLand. The Winter Haven native led the Suns in runs scored, runs batted in, extra base hits, and OPS. He also was among the league's best in numerous categories, ranking in the top five in triples, runs created, runs batted in, runs scored, doubles, hits, walks, and on base percentage.

OUTFIELD: Austin Brinling (South Carolina)
Leesburg Lightning
After earning Second Team All-Florida League honors in 2022, Brinling moves up to the First Team this summer. Brinling was a menace to opposing teams at the top of the Leesburg lineup, hitting .304 and stealing 21 bases. The South Carolina commit reached base in all five of Leesburg's postseason games, and was one of the best defensive outfielders in the league, making numerous outstanding plays.

OUTFIELD: Connor Hujsak (Mississippi State)
Sanford River Rats
Hujsak took the Florida League by storm in the month of June, as the Mississippi State Bulldog belted five home runs and posted a 1.193 OPS during Sanford's first 18 games of the season. The outfielder finished the season as the Florida League's leader in slugging percentage, home runs, and runs created, and ranked in the top five in runs scored, OPS, doubles, and total hits.
 
OUTFIELD: Jeff Liquori (Florida International)
DeLand Suns
New team, same Jeff Liquori. The outfielder earned First Team All-Florida League honors for the third consecutive season, doing so this season in the black and orange of the DeLand Suns. Liquori, who committed to Florida International for his fourth collegiate season near the end of the summer, led DeLand with a batting average of .344, which included four home runs and 16 runs batted in.

EXTRA HITTER: Michael Furry (St. Johns River State)
Leesburg Lightning
Furry played a key role in Leesburg's fourth Florida League championship. The outfielder reached base at a .422 clip, and ended the season with an OPS of .847. Furry, who scored 18 runs and stole 13 bases on the season, came up big in the biggest game of the 2023 season, reaching base three times and driving in three runs in Game 3 of the Florida League Championship Series.

EXTRA HITTER: Isaac Nunez (Southeastern)
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs
The late season surge of the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs was powered by Nunez, who led the Diamond Dawgs in most offensive categories. The 2023 NAIA All-American hit .345 with 23 runs scored and 14 runs batted in, usually at the top of head coach Jim Newlin's lineup. The second-year Florida Leaguer, who played for the Sanford Mavericks in 2020, ended the season with a .442 on base percentage.

EXTRA HITTER: Stewart Puckett (South Florida)
Sanford River Rats
Puckett was the top run producer for a potent Sanford lineup, driving in 18 runs across his 25 games in a River Rat uniform. The USF Bull finished the season with a .344 batting average across 64 at-bats, and was one of three qualifying Sanford players to post an OPS of .950 or better. Puckett was also one of just five players in the league to hit three or more home runs, putting three over the wall for the Rats.

UTILITY: Brayden Woodburn (Tampa)
Sanford River Rats
Sanford's iron man played 30 games for the River Rats in 2023, and was among the best in the Florida League at reaching base. Woodburn, who previously played in the Florida League in 2020 for the Orlando Scorpions, ranked second in the FCSL in on base percentage at .486, and had the League's best OPS among qualifying players at .980.

STARTING PITCHER: Jacob Burr (Rollins)
Orlando Snappers
The 2022 Florida League Pitcher of the Year switched teams in 2023, but remained one of the league's premier aces. Burr, who committed near the end of the summer to Rollins College, led the league in innings pitched (49) and strikeouts (50), and was one of just five pitchers to earn four wins on the summer. The 2023 season was Burr's fifth in the Florida League, dating back to the 2018 season.

STARTING PITCHER: Sam Cole (Saint Leo)
DeLand Suns
In 2023, a Sam Cole start meant a win for the DeLand Suns. The Saint Leo righthander made four starts, allowing just two earned runs across 18 innings in four DeLand victories. Cole finished the season with ten consecutive scoreless innings, and walked just four hitters in his four starts while posting an earned run average of 1.00, a WHIP of 1.00, and an opposing batting average of .209.

STARTING PITCHER: Jordan Huskey (Arkansas)
Winter Garden Squeeze
From the beginning of the summer, Jordan Huskey was one of head coach Mike McDaniel's most trusted starters. The Razorback started seven games for Winter Garden, and made two more starts in the postseason. Huskey posted an earned run average of 2.91, and struck out 35 hitters in 34 innings. Huskey finished the summer ranked in the top ten in the FCSL in strikeouts, batting average against and earned run average.

STARTING PITCHER: Will Melby (Louisiana Tech)
Sanford River Rats
Will Melby was one of the toughest pitchers in the league for opposing hitters to make solid contact against. The Indiana native, who transferred to Louisiana Tech near the end of the summer, held opponents to a .133 batting average, the league's best mark among eligible hurlers. Melby ranked in the Florida League's top ten with a 2.73 earned run average, and logged a WHIP of 0.83.

STARTING PITCHER: Layton Perry (Jacksonville)
Leesburg Lightning
For the second consecutive season, Layton Perry was a standout for the Leesburg Lightning. Perry started eight games, plus another in the Florida League Championship Series, and finished third in the FCSL with a 2.22 earned run average. The Jacksonville Dolphin, who walked just five batters in 32.1 innings, also ranked among the top ten pitchers in the Florida League in both strikeouts (30) and batting average against (.240).

RELIEF PITCHER: Victor Diaz (Seminole State)
Orlando Snappers
No pitcher got the baseball in 2023 more than Victor Diaz. The Snappers called upon the Seminole State product 13 times for a total of 20 innings. Across those 20 innings, Diaz struck out 22 hitters, and surrendered just ten hits. The Oviedo native ended the season second in batting average against (.147), third in saves, and fourth in earned run average at 2.25.

RELIEF PITCHER: Riley Fitzgerald (Flagler)
Leesburg Lightning
Riley Fitzgerald was one of the top relief options for head coach Rich Billings and the league champion Leesburg Lightning. Fitzgerald made eleven appearances for Leesburg, and tied for the league lead with four wins. Fitzgerald, who also appeared in two playoff games for the Lightning, logged 23.2 innings on the mound, and ended the season as the Florida League's earned run average champion with a 1.90 mark.

RELIEF PITCHER: Gavin Galy (Nicholls State)
Orlando Snappers
Gavin Galy earns All-Florida League honors for the second year in a row, moving to the First Team after being a Second Team selection last season. In eight appearances, Galy struck out 15 hitters and walked just three, posting an earned run average of 1.42. Galy earned a win or a save in three of his four appearances, and added another 1.2 scoreless innings in Orlando's playoff game against Winter Park.

RELIEF PITCHER: Nicholas Jennings (Saint Leo)
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs
The 2023 season for Nicholas Jennings was one of the most dominant for a pitcher in Florida League history. In nine regular season appearances and 19 innings of work, only five hitters managed to get a hit off Jennings, and no teams were able to score. The Saint Leo product struck out two hitters per inning, logging 38 punchouts while walking only six hitters.

RELIEF PITCHER: Leeroy Tavarez (Odessa)
DeLand Suns
Returning from an injury, Tavarez became a trusted arm for head coach Matt Swiderski and the Suns. The righthander allowed just one earned run in his eight appearances, ending the season with an earned run average of 0.64. The Texas native consistently threw strikes for DeLand, walking five batters in 14 innings after starting the season on a streak with five straight appearances without issuing a free pass.

TWO WAY: Joseph Charles (Florida State)
Orlando Snappers
Charles returned to the Florida League after playing for head coach Terry Abbott in Winter Garden in 2021. In his second FCSL season, Charles excelled both on the mound and at the plate. The Seminole made five appearances on the mound, posting a 2.25 earned run average. At the plate, the Celebration native hit .301 with ten runs batted in and 14 runs scored.

The following players were recognized as the All-Florida League Second Team for their performances this summer:

C: Drew Stubbs (Webber International), Leesburg
1B: Edgar Alvarez (Nicholls State), Orlando
2B: Matt Coker (Embry-Riddle), Winter Park
SS: Chase Bruno (Embry-Riddle), DeLand
3B: Logan Chapman (Georgia Tech), Leesburg
OF: Brandon Fields (Southeastern), Winter Garden
OF: Adonis Forte (Rockhurst), Orlando
OF: Ahmad Fitts (Florida Southern), DeLand
EH: Brooks Bryan (Troy), Leesburg
EH: Todd Clay (Pensacola State), Winter Garden
EH: Logan Hughes (Stetson), DeLand
EH: Michael Young (Pensacola State), Winter Garden
UTIL: Tripp McKinlay (North Florida), Winter Garden
SP: Chase Chappell (Santa Fe), DeLand
SP: Ryan Brown (Valdosta State), Leesburg
SP: Brett Dennis (North Florida), Orlando
SP: Zach Devito (Georgia), Winter Park
SP: Ethan Diaz (Lake Sumter State), Sanford
RP: Jayson Chaffee (Northwest Florida State), Leesburg
RP: Dustin Dunlap (Mars Hill), Leesburg
RP: Anthony Griffith (New College of Florida), DeLand
RP: Jaxon Mills (Rollins), Orlando
RP: Danny Rodriguez (Tampa), Leesburg

Categories:
Florida League