The 2015 Florida League High School Invitational Classic came to an end on Friday night, with the Edmond Santa Wolves (Edmond, OK) defeating the Barron Collier Cougars (Naples, FL) by a score of 4-2.
The Wolves’ win brought an end to a great week of baseball in Central Florida. Sixteen teams from three different states and all parts of Florida battled it out all week long at Sanford Memorial Stadium and Lake Brantley High School. Each team played four game this week, with Edmond finishing as the only undefeated squad. Four teams wrapped up their week with a 3-1 mark: Barron Collier, American Heritage (Delray, FL), William T. Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, FL) and Palm Beach Central (Wellington, FL).
The Classic featured a number of highly touted prospects, which brought dozens of MLB scouts to the ballpark. Brendan Rodgers of Lake Mary, considered by many to be the potential #1 overall pick in the 2015 MLB draft, hit two homeruns during the week. Triston McKenzie of Royal Palm Beach impressed in his start, using his 92+ MPH fastball to strikeout five batters in five innings. Perhaps most impressive though was Jonathan India of American Heritage, who was named the MVP of the tournament.
India started the scoring in the first inning of the first game on the first day of the tournament by launching a solo home run over the left field wall in Sanford. He would later add a double in that game to go with 4 RBIs. Over the course of the week, India batted .500 (7-14) with a homerun, two doubles, four runs, five RBI and five stolen bases. The senior had at least one base hit in each game, including three multi-hit games. He also showed great range and a plus arm on defense. India is committed to play at the University of Florida next year (if he isn’t drafted and signed). While the senior shortstop had a great week, he wasn’t the only Stallions player to earn tournament recognition.
Zach Schneider may not have been the most talked about name at the tournament, but he definitely left his mark as the top performer. Schneider started both the Monday and Friday games for American Heritage, and absolutely dominated. In the Monday contest against Seminole, the right hander fired a six inning complete game shutout, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out twelve. His encore performance was equally impressive, this time against a very talented Lake Brantley offense. This time, he went seven innings, allowing one unearned run and five hits with nine strikeouts and zero walks. His 0.00 ERA and two wins tied tournament records, and he set the new mark for strikeouts with 21.
The Florida League would like to thank all of the schools, coaches, players and especially the fans who traveled near and far to enjoy the week with us. We would also like to recognize the following players for their outstanding performance at the 2015 FHSI Classic:
(For all player's stats, please CLICK HERE)
2015 FHSI Classic All-Tournament Team – Offense
Jonathan India (MVP) – American Heritage
Marc Coffers – Barron Collier
Enrique Ferrer – Barron Collier
Jake Martin – Edmond Santa Fe
Ryan Sanderson – Edmond Santa Fe
Pierce Elliott - Gibbs
Luis Olivier – Lake Brantley
Brendan Rodgers – Lake Mary
Brad Nenna – Lake Mary
John Radetsky – Lake Mary
Brad Zippin – Palm Beach Central
Conner Power – Palm Beach Central
Chase Hahnemann – Ponte Vedra
Sean Houck – Royal Palm Beach
Alec Diemer - Seminole
Jonny Corning - Tampa Prep
Chase Sanguinetti - Tampa Prep
Ryan Olenek - Trinity Prep
Trey Jarrell – University Christian
Colton Rendon – William T. Dwyer
2015 FHSI Classic All-Tournament Team – Pitchers
Zach Schneider (MVP) – American Heritage
Dylan Gordon – American Heritage
Bowden Francis - Chiles
Zak Jurko – Edmond Santa Fe
Tanner Kliewer – Edmond Santa Fe
Cameron Kay – Edmond Santa Fe
Andrew Willis - Gibbs
Mike Ruff – Lake Brantley
Todd Peterson – Lake Mary
Cameron Lauer – Palm Beach Central
Kody Gardere – Palm Beach Gardens
Triston McKenzie – Royal Palm Beach
Cooper Skat – Seminole
Dylan Pate – University Christian
Jeremy Peel – University Christian
Shane Roberts – William T. Dwyer
Tyler Ahearn – William T. Dwyer
2015 FHSI Classic All-Tournament Team – Two Way Players
Tyler Frank – American Heritage
Joey Dalton – Barron Collier
Conner Dunbar - Chiles
Chris Gau – University Christian