Tuesday, July 3, 2012 - This summer the Florida Christian College Suns Baseball program is making an impact in collegiate summer leagues up and down the east coast. The Suns, the 2012 NCCAA National Runners-Up in just the first year of the program, currently have thirteen returning players and new recruits playing in three different leagues- the Florida League, the Florida Futures League and the Myrtle Beach Collegiate Summer League. FCC also has two assistant coaches who are heading up the reins of two summer league squads.

The players playing this summer are highlighted by infielder Mark Vidal (So., Orlando, FL), who was recently picked up by the Orlando Monarchs of the Florida League- one of the top collegiate summer leagues in the nation. The league had 26 former and current players selected in the 2012 MLB Draft back in June. Vidal, the first Suns player in the program’s young history to play in the league, set a blistering pace from the start, collecting three hits, three walks, and three runs while batting lead-off and playing a spectacular shortstop in helping the Monarchs to two victories in his first two games. Vidal was one of four 2012 All-American selections for the Suns this past season as he batted .414, with a .580 slugging pct., and led the nation with a .485 OBA and 19 doubles. Suns Head Coach, Jon Copeland, was delighted by this opportunity for Vidal, “Obviously, Mark is one of our top players, and for him to be the first, of what we believe will be many Suns players to play in the Florida League, says a lot about his progression as a player and about the growth of our program in such a relatively short time. He had an excellent 2012 season, worked extremely hard for us, and is now still reaping the benefits of that.”

The Suns have several players in the Florida Futures League, including outfielder Ty Quidort (So., Titusville, FL), who was recently named the FFL Player of the Week after clubbing two home runs, with four RBI’s and two stolen bases. FCC Assistant Coach, Josue Gonzalez, is also the head coach of the FFL’s Leesburg squad that is currently in third place in the standings.

Five Suns players, including returning 2012 All-American outfielder Erick Figueroa (Sr., Jacksonville, FL), are playing out of state in the Myrtle Beach Collegiate Summer League- a first year summer league off to a great start. Pitcher Nick Beavers (So., Deltona, FL) is proving to be one of the top pitchers in the league, while 2012 NCCAA World Series All-Tournament picks, Andres Cancio (So., Orlando, FL) and Carlos Guzman (Jr., Kissimmee, FL) have been drilling the ball from the plate. FCC Assistant Coach, Joshua Lopez, is the head coach of the Snappers who are currently in 7th place in the 10-team league.

Copeland is pleased with the summer performance of the Suns Baseball program, “To have the number of players and recruits involved in these high-quality summer leagues is a great benefit to our program. The experience these players are having will only make them better for the 2013 season; and to have two of our assistant coaches involved as head coaches reflects very well on our coaching staff”. Suns Baseball is truly shining bright this summer.