Gusto, Morales, Bizier Lead Seven Bucs Honored by Suncoast Conference
On the heels of their first Suncoast Conference Championship in program history, seven Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers were honored by the conference in the release of their 2019 All-Conference squads. Leading the way was Ryan Gusto who was named the Pitcher of the Year, Shamir Morales who was the Defensive Player of the Year and Coach Ben Bizier who was named Coach of the Year.
FORT MYERS, FLA.- On the heels of their first Suncoast Conference Championship in program history, seven Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers were honored by the conference in the release of their 2019 All-Conference squads. Leading the way was Ryan Gusto who was named the Pitcher of the Year, Shamir Morales who was the Defensive Player of the Year and Coach Ben Bizier who was named Coach of the Year.
Gusto cemented his spot as Pitcher of the Year on the final day of the regular season, going 5 1/3 innings, striking out eight to help the Bucs clinch the conference title. He finished the regular season 7-1 with a 3.00 ERA, striking out 102 opposing hitters in just 72 innings worked. He pitched in 17 games, starting nine, with the highlight of his year coming in late March against Polk State when he struck out a school record 16 in seven innings of work against the Eagles.
Joining Gusto on the First Team was infielder Warnner Rincones. Rincones played in 41 games for the Bucs, hitting .321 with six doubles and 33 RBI's. He ranked seventh in the state with 26 stolen bases this season while crossing the plate 35 times to rank fourth on the Bucs squad.
A Second Team selection and the Suncoast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, FSW catcher Shamir Morales was a force on both sides of the ball this season. At the plate he hit .309 with six doubles and 21 RBI's while behind it he was even more lethal, throwing out 16 would be base stealers on the year and fielding at a .997 clip with just one error in 336 chances on the season.
Righthander Mitch Myers was one of two Second Team picks on the mound for FSW. He made a team high 13 starts for the Bucs this season, going 7-2 with a 3.45 ERA in 73 1/3 innings worked. Myers struck out 79 and walked just 19 on the year, punching out 9.73 per nine innings, ranking second among FSW starters.
Fellow staffmate Rafael Santos was also named a Second Team selection. Santos tied Myers for the team lead with 13 starts on the year, going 4-4 with a 3.09 ERA. He ate up 64 1/3 innings, spanning 15 appearances on the season.
Rounding out the Bucs selections was Connor Bagnieski who was the fourth Buc on the Second Team. Bagnieski hit .273 with a team high 10 doubles while driving in 30 on the year. He was 25 for 29 in stolen base attempts on the season while scoring a team best 45 runs.
The Bucs finished the regular season 40-12 and 21-9 in Suncoast Conference play. They will head to their first FCSAA State Tournament since their respawn on Friday when they take on Santa Fe at 4 PM in the first round.