Panthers Keep Eyes On The Prize

Memories of Brandon Decker strolling to the plate with the game on the line and hitting a late-inning bomb for the South Florida Community College baseball team are just that - memories.

In 2008, the Panthers were known for their power, as they smacked a staggering 74 long balls as a team, including Decker's school-record 20 homers.

Relying on home runs may be a thing of the past for SFCC, as the Panthers lost 68 percent of their offensive firepower from last season. To compensate, head coach Rick Hitt believes that 2009 will bring back some glimpses old-time baseball to Panther Field.

"Last year, we struggled at the plate since we had more strikeouts than home runs," Hitt said. "I think we relied too much on the home run with Brandon and some other guys bailing us out. We battled through a lot of injuries last year and never really had all the bullets firing on offense and our pitching carried us down the stretch during our playoff run.

"This year, I think we're going to rely more on putting the ball in play and manufacturing runs the old fashioned way and really be aggressive at the plate."

In '08, the Panthers finished with a 30-27 overall record but were only 10-15 in the Southern Conference. That conference record was good enough to beat out Indian River for the final playoff spot, but SFCC fell 2-0 to Broward in the first round of the Southern Conference tournament.

In 2009, SFCC has moved back to its home conference - the Suncoast Conference - after a three-year stint in the Southern, and Hitt is happy to be coming home.

"We're glad to be going back to the Suncoast Conference and I think we're coming with a lot more experience than when we left," Hitt said. "We've beaten teams like Broward and Palm Beach and know what it takes to win a series, and that's invaluable in the post season."

The Suncoast Conference is comprised of St. Petersburg, Manatee, Hillsborough, Pasco-Hernado and Polk - all teams the Panthers have played on a regular basis.

Back from last season's playoff team is solid pitching staff that includes lefty Johnny Sedlock, Chaz Abeln, Andrew Barbosa and Leo Chang, along with newcomers Adam Simmons and Matt Fuglesang, who have the stuff to help the Panthers bolster one of the finest rotations in the conference.

Sedlock, a former Avon Park standout, didn't disappoint in his freshman season, as the lefty went 7-5 with a team-leading 3.43 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 91 innings pitched. But the recent UCF signee is looking for more during his sophomore campaign.

"I'm more ready coming into this season than I was last year," Sedlock said. "I think because I know what to expect and I did a lot more conditioning to prepare myself, especially the long toss to help lengthen my muscles.

"I'm also trying to fine-tune my game by adding a sharper breaking ball and an inside fast ball."

Sedlock's maturity and confidence on the mound has impressed Hitt.

"Johnny showed great leadership for a freshman and became our most consistent pitcher," said Hitt. "We taught him to use the change-up as his 'out-pitch' and he really took to that pitch and it showed in his performance.

"With all the work he's done in the fall, I expect him to be even better this year."

Abeln finished with a record of 8-5 4.51 ERA with 78 strikeouts in 87 innings for the Panthers after transferring from Florida International University in the spring, while Barbosa returns after being out with an injured shoulder for most of last season.

"Andrew has as high a ceiling as anyone on this team," Hitt said. "We just need to get him feeling good about himself on the mound."

Chang, who also spent time on the injured list last season, has a ton of experience that will only help the Panther rotation.

Simmons, a local product from Sebring, proved to Hitt and the team that he has a great work ethic and was named one of the team captains this spring.

"Adam is such a confident pitcher and he'll need to adjust himself to the college hitters, but I've already seen a nice velocity jump in his pitches in just the short time we've worked with him.

"He's definitely going to be one to watch."

Simmons went 9-3 last season with a 1.04 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 69 innings pitched for the regional runner-up Streaks.

"What I like about Adam is his enthusiasm for the game," Sedlock said. "I've been trying to help him with his preparation coming into the season and I know he'll take some lumps like we all did, but I have confidence that he'll come out on top."

Simmons understands the pitfalls of his first season, but was happier that he fit in so well with his new teammates.

"I was really honored when they named me a co-captain," said Simmons. "I've worked really hard on my conditioning and I'm also working on a slider and a curve ball.

"I've noticed that you can't just throw fastballs past these hitters like you can at the high school level. You really have to learn the mental game of pitching and keep the ball low."

The 6-foot-5 Fugelsang was a Second Team All-State selection after going 8-2 with a 1.71 ERA and 200 strikeouts for Land O' Lakes last season and will cause havoc for opposing hitters with his nice sinker.

Infielders Matt Devlin and Austin Gaines are solid defensively and Ryan Williams and freshman outfielder Ethan Lovell plays with a reckless abandon in the outfield by Hitt, who loves his hustle for every ball in the field.

Lovell was also named one of the co-captains for his work ethic by his teammates - an honor he didn't expect.

"I'm not a very vocal player," Lovell said. "I do the little things in the field to help my team win, so I guess I let my actions speak for me."

Gaines and catcher Gerry Neufang will be asked to give some punch to the Panther offense this season.

Gaines batted .279 with 30 RBI in 183 at-bats, while Neufang had a .329 average with 11 home runs and 36 RBI last season.

"I think this team looks better than last season's just because we have so many weapons to hurt you with," Gaines said. "We have solid pitching and our offense isn't driven by a few guys but the whole lineup. Anyone of us has the potential to do some damage on the scoreboard, but we do it by hitting into the gaps and getting runners on base.

"We hit a bit of a wall last year, but we're making it a point to return to the playoffs and also make a run at a conference title. I know we've got the talent, so all we need to do is go out and prove it to the rest of the teams."

The Panthers kick-off the season today on the road against Lake Sumter Community College before facing Palm Beach in their first home game on Saturday. Game time is 2 p.m.

SFCC Baseball Upcoming Games

TODAY at Lake Sumter CC, 3 p.m.

SATURDAY vs. Palm Beach CC at Panther Field,

2 p.m.

SUNDAY at Central Florida CC, noon

MONDAY vs. Webber (B) at Panther Field, 6 p.m.