Santa Fe College Baseball Team Opens Season Versus Hillsborough Community College

The Santa Fe College Saints will open their 2016 baseball season versus Hillsborough Community College on Friday.

The Saints went 31-12 last season with a 17-6 record in conference play, finishing second in the Mid-Florida Conference. The team went 1-2 in the playoffs. During the fall, Santa Fe performed well offensively, hitting .333 as a team.

Head Coach Johnny Wiggs, who is entering his tenth season as head coach of the Saints, said he loves his team’s pitching depth for this upcoming season. The Saints only returned two pitchers from last year’s team, but the team welcomed some transfers and freshman who are expected to help out.

The newcomers to the team include Chris Hopkins, a pitcher out of Florida Gulf Coast University, Troy Bacon, a pitcher who just transferred from the University of Florida, and David Lee, a pitcher who was at Florida International University last year. Other players who are expected to contribute to this year’s team include pitcher Trent Johnson and catcher Matt Allen, both of whom were named to the first team All Mid-Florida Conference team last year.

When looking ahead to the competition in the Mid-Florida Conference for this upcoming season, Wiggs said that St. John’s River State College and College of Central Florida seem to always be at the top of the conference. But, for now, Wiggs and his team will just focus on Hillsborough Community College, a team that Wiggs said always has a lot of athletes.

Santa Fe’s baseball field has been undergoing renovations, and when the Saints hit the field tomorrow, they will have a new press box and dugouts to enjoy.

First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m.