LAKE MARY, Fla.- The Florida Collegiate Summer League named Winter Garden's Tripp Landers as the 2023 winner of the David Eckstein Sportsmanship Award, as announced by the League office on Tuesday. Landers is just the second member of the Winter Garden Squeeze to win the award, and the first since the 2017 season.

One player from each of the six teams in the league was nominated by their coach for the award. Criteria include performance on the field, respect for the game, umpires, and opposing players, a willingness to work hard, and a demonstration of high moral character. 

Landers is the first player from a team other than the Leesburg Lightning or the DeLand Suns to win the league's sportsmanship honor since the last winner from Winter Garden. Landers joins Chase Smartt, a 2017 Squeeze catcher from Troy, as the lone winners to represent the Squeeze.

The Florida SouthWestern State College product was nominated by the Squeeze for his sportsmanlike efforts, both between the lines and beyond the field. Landers was playing his final summer of baseball, as the Arkansas native had decided to retire prior to the end of the summer. He brought a positive energy and enthusiasm to the ballpark everyday, and played a key role in Winter Garden's league-high 21 wins. 

His most notable impact on the league was a visible one. As Florida League observers noted, the Squeeze would always gather in prayer before each game, with the opposing team often joining with the Winter Garden club. These moments of prayer were organized by Landers, who allowed not only his teammates, but those across the league, to join together in a quiet moment before the beginning of competition.

On the field, Landers played in 21 games, driving in ten runs for the Squeeze, who ended the season with a franchise record for wins and the highest regular season finish in franchise history. Landers was also the starting catcher for Winter Garden in their lone home playoff game, and scored one of Winter Garden's four runs in Game 1 against DeLand.

The Florida League congratulates Landers, as well as all players who were put forth by their respective teams, on being tremendous representatives of their schools and their Florida League teams during the 2024 season.

This week, the Florida League will be unveiling our yearly award winners. The schedule of awards is as follows:
Monday: Coach of the Year- Rich Billings
Tuesday: David Eckstein Sportsmanship Award- Tripp Landers
Wednesday: Reliever of the Year
Thursday: Most Valuable Player
Friday: Cy Young Award
Saturday: All-Florida League
Sunday: Randy Harvey Umpire of the Year