Diamond Dawgs Face River Rats in Championship Game

The final game of the 2017 Florida League season will feature two of the top offensive teams in the league. The #3 seed Winter Park Diamond Dawgs will play the #1 seed Sanford River Rats for the Whiting Cup on Sunday, August 6th at Tropicana Field.

The River Rats set a Florida League record by winning 30 of their 42 regular season games this season. Coupled with their two playoff wins over Winter Garden, they have tied the all-time record for total wins in a season. A victory on Sunday would be historic on multiple levels. Sanford would hold a new record for wins (32); Kevin Davidson would have the most championships in league history (3); and the Rats would tie the Diamond Dawgs for most team championships (4).

While Sanford held on to the top spot in the standings nearly all season long, Winter Park stayed right with them until the last week of the season. Over the last ten games of the year, Winter Park posted a paltry 2-7-1 record, and fell to the third seed on the final day of the regular season. They righted the ship on Friday evening, pumping out six runs on eleven hits as they defeated the Altamonte Springs Scorpions 6-1 to earn their birth in the game.

Omar Villaman (Florida Southern) enjoyed another terrific season for Sanford, and is a finalist for the league MVP award after hitting .345. His 42 hits on the year were second most in the league. The Rats led the league in runs scored with 212 in 42 games, good for a mark of 5.04 per game. The Rats love to scurry on the basepaths, swiping 134 bags during the regular season. That was 60 more than Altamonte, who had the second most in the league with 74.

Winter Park earned most of their wins by outhitting their opponents. Despite playing only 38 games, they led the league in homeruns (27), triples (8), extra base hits (82), total bases (469), SLG (.384), and batting average (.266). Jacob Katzfey (Wichita State) and Kyle Guttveg (Embry Riddle) have been outstanding for the Dawgs. Katzfey is the league leader in dingers with seven, while Guttveg is fourth in average (.331) and extra base hits (12). Additionally, Dany Rodriguez (Reinhardt) led the league in at bats (141) and hits (42).

Besides baserunning success, Sanford’s best weapon is probably their pitching depth. They have a strong rotation of starting pitchers, and an array of hard throwing arms available in the bullpen. Ronny Orta (Nova Southeastern) is probably the most powerful of the group, and will get the start for Sanford. In 31.1 innings of work, Orta racked up 35 strikeouts and posted a 3.16 ERA. CJ Carter (Troy) has baffled hitters all summer long by changing his arm slot and throwing a ton of strikes. Carter has 31 punchouts in only 19.1 innings on the season, and tied for the league lead in saves with 8.

Winter Park’s staff took a hit with the loss of Conner Andrews (UNF) to injury a few weeks back. With ace Tyler Keysor ineligible after throwing 101 pitches in Friday night’s game, Coach Schall will turn to Riley Troutt in the big game. The RHP from West Virginia has enjoyed a solid year on the mound … 5 G, 24.2 IP, 16 H, 6 ER, 8 BB, 31 K, 2.18 ERA. The Diamond Dawgs bullpen is led by a trio of righties: Eric Goldstein (Georgia Southern), who leads the team with three saves; Grant Baker (New Orleans), 17.1 IP, 18 K, 2.06 ERA; and Zach Drury (UNF), who posted an impressive 32/8 K:BB ratio in 23.1 innings of work.

Sanford took the season series, five games to four. They won three games at home, and two on the road. Winter Park took home three wins at home and one at Sanford Memorial. Overall, the Diamond Dawgs outscored the Rats 44-38 in the nine games. The last time they faced off, Sanford defeated Winter Park 7-5 to close out the regular season.

The Tampa Bay Rays host the Milwaukee Brewers at 1:10 pm, with the Championship game to follow shortly after (tentative start time - 6:00 pm). The Rays will start ace Chris Archer, while the Brewers are starting former Florida League pitcher Jimmy Nelson, who played for Davey Johnson and the 2009 DeLand Suns. Any fan who attends the Rays game is invited to stay for the Florida League game. Tickets are available at raysbaseball.com

For any fans who wish to only attend the Florida League Championship, admission is free. Parking and gate information can be found on FloridaLeague.com, under the “Happening Now” section on the right side of the home page.