8/29/12 - - The final group in the Suns Baseball program’s recruiting class of 2012 was announced today by Head Coach, Jon Copeland. The groups is comprised of five talented freshmen and round out what Copeland considers to be a very impressive recruiting class, “This third and final group completes our ’12 recruiting class, a class that brings more talent to our program than last year’s group- a group that brought us to within one victory of a national championship”, stated Copeland.

The group includes Justin Tate, a freshman from Bloomingdale HS, who played this last summer in the Hudson Valley Summer Collegiate League in New York. “Justin brings us another power arm with a lot of physical tools to add to our program”, said Copeland, “He is great kid, who loves the game”. Next is Zach Mahan, a standout player from Leesburg HS, who played this summer in the Futures Wood-Bat League. During his junior year Zach helped lead the Yellowjackets into the district playoffs. “We were able to scout Zach this summer and he is an impressive, versatile player who can impact our program from the start“, remarked Copeland. Next is Caleb Astacio, from Colonial HS, who is a solid player with the glove and bat. “Caleb had a good workout for us,” stated Copeland, “He is that type of positive person who affects others in a positive way”. Next is Joseph Terazon, from Hialeah Gardens HS, “Joseph suffered an injury during his senior year in high school that cut short his season, but we are expecting good things from him”, said Copeland. The final player in the ’12 recruiting class is Angel Domenech, a talented prospect from American HS, a program that is in one of the top high school leagues, in not only Florida, but in the country. The Patriots would routinely play the likes of American Heritage, (the no. 5 ranked team in the country, and the 5A State Champions last season) and other top level programs. “Angel comes from a program that elevated their play simply out of necessity. He knows what it is like, what it takes, to compete with the best. That is valuable experience for a talented, young player”, observed Copeland.

With the completion of their 2012 recruiting class, Copeland, and the rest of his coaching staff now look to the fall and the excitement of a full fall program that includes scrimmages with some of the top community college programs in the state. The Suns will scrimmage with Polk State (who finished in 7th place at last season’s NJCAA Div. I World Series), the College of Central Florida, South Florida State and Lake Sumter CC. The Suns now begin their quest for a return trip to Ohio and the NCCAA College World Series, and another shot at a National Championship.