The South Florida Collegiate Baseball League is pleased to announce the members of the 2016 All-SFCBL First and Second Teams as well as the league’s end of the year awards and honors.  28 student athletes were honored for their excellent performances in the SFCBL as the 2016 league champion Pompano Beach Clippers led with 5 players earning honors.  The Clippers also finished ranked 23rd in the national summer ball poll.  The Palm Beach Xtreme ranked 2nd with 4 players earning league honors and the 2016 runner-up Delray Beach Lightning had 3 players selected.

Bill Hanscak 10th Player Award – Glen Casaceli (Phipps Park Barracudas/Presbyterian College)

In 27 games this summer Casaceli had 29 hits, 6 doubles, 2 triples and 2 HR’s in 85 at bats for the Phipps Park Barracudas this summer.  At Presbyterian College this spring Glen hit .289 with 6 doubles and 8 RBI’s in 85 at bats. 

Defensive Player of the Year – Connor Dunbar (Delray Beach Lightning/High Point University)

Arguably one of the best defensive short stops in the country this summer Dunbar made only 3 errors in 123 attempts and 290.9 innings played.  During the 2016 All-Star Game scouts made comments referring to his ability to “play short stop at the big league level defensively right now”.  Not only can he make the average play 98% of the time, Dunbar made acrobatic and off-balance plays that an average college SS will not make.  As a left handed hitter, the bat will be the big determining factor on how the draft plays out for him as he does need to improve his power and consistency at the plate.  However though he is young and has another full season before he is draft eligible which gives him time to continually improve his game.  Dunbar hit .314 this summer with 3 doubles.

Top Relief Pitcher – Junior Ramirez (South Florida Huskies/Faulkner University)

Hard throwing Junior Ramirez was a key part of the Huskies staff this summer as he struck out 51 batters in 41.1 innings with 4 saves.  Junior throws a 4 seam FB that sits in the 91-93MPH range and a 2 seam FB with run and sink in the 88-90MPH range.  Ramirez also has good control of his slider which he can throw for a strike or throw as a sharp swing and miss pitch.  A clean delivery and loose arm made Junior a very desirable arm out of junior college.  He will play at NAIA powerhouse Faulkner University for his junior season.

Rookie of the Year – Nik Constantakos (Florida Pokers/Charleston Southern University)

One of the youngest players in the SFCBL this summer age was not an issue for Constantakos as he posted a 1.55 ERA and struck out 44 batters in 29 innings with only 4 walks.  His fastball sat in the 90-92MPH range which was a jump for him from this past spring as a high school senior.  Nik also throws a slider in the 76-79MPH range and a sinking change up.  His arm action is smooth and loose and his motion seems effortless.  Nik’s ability to pound the zone and consistently throw strikes is a huge plus for him.  He will be draft eligible his junior year and will gain the attention of Carolina area scouts before then as we see him making another jump in the near future after a very successful summer season.

Most Improved Player – Matt Paciello (Coral Springs Royals/Chicago State University).

In the summer of 2015 for the Boca Raton Blazers Matt Paciello hit .236 with 0 extra base hits in 77 plate appearances.  This past summer was a great improvement for Paciello as he hit .324 with 4 doubles, 2 HR’s, 16 RBI’s and 22 hits.  Paciello played the outfield for Coral Springs and had several game winning hits including a moon-shot game winning home run vs the Delray Beach Lightning.  Going into his junior year at Chicago State University Paciello has great expectations as he is tabbed to start in the outfield and hit in the middle of Cougars line up.

Evan Hirschbaum Sportsman of the Year – Sal Geraci (West Boca Snappers/Long Island University)

The best way a scout would describe Geraci is a “game rat” as he is a hard-nosed scrappy player who had a great summer for the Snappers hitting .303 in 123 plate appearances with 7 doubles and 14 RBI’s.  Geraci also had multiple walk off hits and clutch at bats this summer earning him the nickname of his teammates “Mr. Clutch”.  Defensively Geraci was all over the field making diving and acrobatic plays.   Sal also displayed a great respect for the game as his coaches said, “he plays the game the right way”.  Sal will look to gain significant playing time at LIU this spring after coming off a strong summer season.

About the South Florida Collegiate Baseball League
The 10 team South Florida Collegiate Baseball League is a wood bat summer collegiate baseball league based in the heart of South Florida which gives amateur players an opportunity to showcase themselves in hopes of reaching the professional ranks. Players have an opportunity to develop their skills at a high level of play and be evaluated by scouts. Teams play a 40 game regular season schedule with games beginning in June and ending in the last week in July. All games are 9 innings, with most doubleheaders scheduled on the weekends. The All-Star game is played in early July, and the League Championship Series concludes in the last week of July.