Orlando Suns
Encyclopedia
The DeLand Suns are a wood bat collegiate summer baseball league team located in DeLand, Florida
. Formerly known as the Orlando Suns, the team is a member of the Florida Collegiate Summer League
(FCSL) and plays its home games at Melching Field
in DeLand. The team joined the FCSL in the 2008 season.
5-4 in the play-in round of the playoffs.
In 2009, the Suns made a jump to best in the league thanks to new head coach Davey Johnson
. Johnson, a former Major League Baseball
manager of the year and four-time all-star, brought a professional presence to a talented squad that included future Baseball America
1st team All-American Peter O'Brien from Bethune-Cookman University. Despite their regular season success (25-13 record), they fell in the first round of the playoffs to the #4 seed Clermont Mavericks, who would go on to capture the FCSL crown.
In 2010, the Suns welcomed Rick Hall as their new head coach. Hall was a former Stetson University assistant coach. The Suns struggled throughout the season, finishing in last place with an 11-29 record. They lost the postseason play-in game to the Orlando Mavericks.
Coach Hall was able to improve things during the 2011 campaign. The team finished 3rd out of 6 teams with a 23-17 record. They went on to fight a terrific three game series vs. the #2 seed Winter Park Diamond Dawgs, though they eventually lost two games to one.
DeLand, Florida
DeLand is the county seat of Volusia County, Florida. In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population to be 24,375. It is part of the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 436,575 in 2006...
. Formerly known as the Orlando Suns, the team is a member of the Florida Collegiate Summer League
Florida Collegiate Summer League
The Florida Collegiate Summer League is a six-team wood bat collegiate summer baseball league located in the central Florida region of the southeastern United States. The league was founded in the fall of 2003 and began play in the summer of 2004...
(FCSL) and plays its home games at Melching Field
Melching Field at Conrad Park
Melching Field at Conrad Park is a baseball stadium located in DeLand, Florida. The primary tenant of Melching Field is the Stetson University Hatters college baseball team, a Division I program playing in the Atlantic Sun Conference....
in DeLand. The team joined the FCSL in the 2008 season.
History
The Suns joined the FCSL in 2008 as an expansion team, one of three franchises joining the league that year. This brought the total number of FCSL franchises to six. In their inaugural season, the Suns finished fifth in the regular season with a 14-20 record. They then were defeated by the Winter Park Diamond DawgsWinter Park Diamond Dawgs
The Winter Park Diamond Dawgs are a wood bat collegiate summer baseball league team located in Winter Park, Florida. The team is a member of the Florida Collegiate Summer League and plays its home games at Alfond Stadium...
5-4 in the play-in round of the playoffs.
In 2009, the Suns made a jump to best in the league thanks to new head coach Davey Johnson
Davey Johnson
David Allen "Davey" Johnson is an American Major League Baseball player and current manager of the Washington Nationals. He was the starting second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles when they won four American League pennants and two World Series championships between 1965 and 1972...
. Johnson, a former Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
manager of the year and four-time all-star, brought a professional presence to a talented squad that included future Baseball America
Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
1st team All-American Peter O'Brien from Bethune-Cookman University. Despite their regular season success (25-13 record), they fell in the first round of the playoffs to the #4 seed Clermont Mavericks, who would go on to capture the FCSL crown.
In 2010, the Suns welcomed Rick Hall as their new head coach. Hall was a former Stetson University assistant coach. The Suns struggled throughout the season, finishing in last place with an 11-29 record. They lost the postseason play-in game to the Orlando Mavericks.
Coach Hall was able to improve things during the 2011 campaign. The team finished 3rd out of 6 teams with a 23-17 record. They went on to fight a terrific three game series vs. the #2 seed Winter Park Diamond Dawgs, though they eventually lost two games to one.
Playoff Appearances
| Year | First round | Semifinals (best-of-3) | FCSL championship game | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Winter Park Diamond Dawgs Winter Park Diamond Dawgs The Winter Park Diamond Dawgs are a wood bat collegiate summer baseball league team located in Winter Park, Florida. The team is a member of the Florida Collegiate Summer League and plays its home games at Alfond Stadium... |
L (4-5) | |||||
| 2009 | Clermont Mavericks Clermont Mavericks The Orlando Mavericks are a wood bat collegiate summer baseball league team located in Orlando, Florida. The team is a member of the Florida Collegiate Summer League and plays its home games at The First Academy... |
L (2-1) | |||||
| 2010 | Orlando Mavericks | L (3-2) | |||||
| 2011 | Winter Park Diamond Dawgs | L (2-1) |