Andrew Pawling
The Mocs were swept in a three- game series by Barry University Buccaneers.
For the Mocs, the series against Barry was their first taste of conference play in 2019 and represented their first home series of the season, following single game victories against Eckerd College and Merrimack College in their previous two home games.
Prior to the start of the first game of the series, the college held a ceremony to dedicate the stadium at Henley Field to longtime donor and support John Rodda.
Rodda was an assistant baseball coach at FSC from 1999-2002 and served on the board of trustees before his passing in 2018. He had also been inducted to the FSC Athletics Hall of Fame in the class of 2014.
“John Rodda loved Florida Southern College and did so much to help our athletic programs and the College as a whole,” said FSC president Dr. Anne Kerr. “Our facilities, both athletic and academic, are some of the finest in the country and much of that is due to John’s work. Naming the baseball stadium in his honor will be a lasting tribute to this remarkable man.”
In addition to his work with the baseball program, Rodda’s construction company oversaw the building of the Barnett Athletic Complex, Becker Business Building, and the Sharon and Jim france Admissions Center.
The ceremony for Rodda was also the last act as Director of Athletics for Pete Meyer, who officially retired from the position at the end of business that afternoon, ending his 20-year career at FSC.
On the diamond, the Mocs struggled to produce as they were outscored 8-4 on Friday, 8-0 in the first game of Saturdays double header, and 11-2 in the final game of the series.
In Friday’s loss, FSC scattered 11 total hits but stranded 11 runners on base throughout the game. Cooper Bradford threw six innings, gave up four earned runs, and struck out six Bucs. He then turned the ball over to the bullpen combination of Chace Pilato, Ryan Langford, and Andrew Williamson who kept the Mocs within striking distance for the remainder of the game. Pablo Cabrera scored twice, and junior transfer Zach Scott had four hits and three runs batted in on the night. The 8-5 loss was the first at home for FSC.
In the second game of the series, the Mocs only managed to put two runners into scoring position the entire game. Thomas Spinelli came took the mound in relief of Matt Martin who struggled in his start, failing to get through the fourth inning. Spinelli would throw four and two-thirds shutout innings out of the bullpen. This was the first time the Mocs had been shut out since April 30, 2016 in a 12-0 loss against Nova Southeastern University.
Game three started off with a rocky first inning from freshman standout Carson King, as he allowed multiple runners to score for the first time in his college career. King would recover nicely and only allow the Bucs to add two more runs over his next four innings of work. The Mocs only scoring came on a two-run home run by Zach Diewert, driving in freshman Austin Blair in the process.
Blair, a Lakeland native, had just been called up from the JV team to help fill the hole at second base while Dylan Costa was held out of the lineup with a minor hamstring injury.
The sweep by Barry was the first time the Mocs had been swept in a three-game series since 2017.
The Mocs are currently in the midst of a three-game series against Kentucky Wesleyan. Recaps for the first two games can be found on fscmocs.com and they are back in action today at 4 P.M.
Following the series against Kentucky Wesleyan, the Mocs will wrap up their 10 game home stand with a game against Mineesota State on Monday the fourth, followed by a double header against Felician on Wednesday the sixth. The team will finish up their spring break in South Carolina with three game series against Clafin.
