SANFORD — Not a lot of games were played in the final week of the Regular Season in the Florida Collegiate Summer League, but what games that did get played had a huge effect on the final standings.
The Sanford River Rats (26-3) were only able to get in four games last week, but a 3-1 record in those games allowed the locals to finish off an incredible regular season and earn home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Orlando Snappers (19-13) dropped their first two games of the week and seemed headed for a third place finish, but the ‘turtles’ got their act together in time and won their final three games to move past the Leesburg Lightning (18-14), who won their opening game of the week before dropping their final three starts, the last two to Orlando, and fell to third place.
The DeLand Suns (15-19), meanwhile, got hot at the right time, putting up 36 runs over four consecutive victories, including a 12-4 run-rule victory over the River Rats, to clinch fourth place and the right to host the Play-In Game that was played on Monday against the Winter Garden Squeeze (13-20), which dropped three in a row before winning their final two games.
In the Play-In Game, DeLand was held to 1-hit over five innings, but rallied to pull out a 3-2 victory over Winter Garden.
On Tuesday the Best-of-3 Semifinals began with the home teams prevailing, Sanford blanking the Suns, 8-0, and Orlando edging Leesburg, 2-1.
The two survivors will advance to the Best-of-3 Championship Series set to begin Saturday.
Here are the Final Regular Season Standings:
1. Sanford River Rats, 26-3; 2. Orlando Snappers, 19-13, 8.5 games behind; 3. Leesburg Lightning, 18-14, 9.5 games behind; 4. DeLand Suns, 14-19, 14 games behind; 5. Winter Garden Squeeze, 13–20, 15 games behind; 6. Winter Park Diamond Dawgs, 7-28, 22 games behind.
The FCSL also announced its sixth Pitcher and Player of the Week this past Monday.
Here is the Press Release from the FCSL’s Adrian Delgado (UCF):
Throughout the 2025 season, the Florida Collegiate Summer League will honor two players at the conclusion of each week, an FCSL Player of the Week and an FCSL Pitcher of the Week. This week's honors represent performances from Monday, July 7, through Sunday, July 13. The weekly honors are selected via a vote of league coaches and officials.
In just five at-bats, Winter Garden's Isaac Incinelli (St. Johns River State) made a major impact to earn Florida League Player of the Week honors. Incinelli led the way in Winter Garden's win over DeLand on Thursday, reaching base in all four of his plate appearances while belting a home run and driving in a pair of runs. He also added a double and a triple in the rematch against DeLand on Saturday.
For the week, Incinelli went 4-for-5 with three extra base hits, good for a 2.000 slugging percentage. The incoming freshman out of Winter Park has reached base in more than 40 percent of his plate appearances this summer, and has logged seven extra-base hits of his 12 total hits.
The penultimate Florida League Pitcher of the Week is Leesburg's Bryan Burtoft (Holy Family). In his Friday outing against Winter Park, the righthander tossed five scoreless innings, allowing just three baserunners. He struck out five hitters across those five innings, leading the Lightning to an 8-0 victory over the Diamond Dawgs at Pat Thomas Stadium.
Burtoft is currently tied for the Florida League lead with four wins on the season, and the Lightning have won each of the last six games in which he has pitched. Burtoft has allowed just five walks across his 17.2 innings, all while striking out 18 hitters.
Additionally, the Florida League will honor one player from each team that was not selected as Player or Pitcher of the Week.
Florida League Honor Roll (Hitters) _ Aris Rivera (DeLand/Florida International), Eli Thurmond (Leesburg/Florida Southern), Dawson Mock (Sanford/Undecided), Nik Mezzanotte (Orlando/Oberlin), Luis Rivero (Winter Park/Saint Leo).
Florida League Honor Roll (Pitchers) _ John Havens (DeLand/Undecided), Ryland Bozenhard (Sanford/South Alabama), Julien Maire (Orlando/Daytona State), Jack Waller (Winter Garden/Columbus State), Nick Wilson (Winter Park/Saint Leo).
Results:
Sunday, July 13 _ Squeeze vs. River Rats, doubleheader, rain; Lightning 5, Suns 3.
Monday, July 14 _ Squeeze 4, Snappers 1; River Rats 6, Lightning 3; Suns 8, Diamond Dawgs 0.
Tuesday, July 15 _ River Rats 14, Snappers 8, second game rained out; Squeeze vs. Suns, doubleheader, rain; Diamond Dawgs vs. Lightning, rain.
Wednesday, July 16 _ Suns 10-6, Squeeze 2-4; Snappers 6, Diamond Dawgs 5; Lightning vs. River Rats, rain.
Thursday, July 17 _ Diamond Dawgs 13, Squeeze 2; Suns 12, River Rats 4; Snappers 11, Lightning 5.
Friday, July 18 _ Squeeze 11, Diamond Dawgs 1; River Rats 6, Suns 4; Lightning vs. Snappers, rain.
Saturday, July 19 _ Squeeze 5, Diamond Dawgs 2; Snappers 7, Lightning 3; River Rats vs. Suns, rain.
Here is the upcoming schedule:
PLAYOFFS
Play-In Game:
Monday, July 21
No. 4 Suns 3, No. 5 Squeeze 2.
Semifinals
Best-of-3
Tuesday, July 22
No. 1 River Rats 8, No. 4 Suns 0; No. 2 Snappers 2, No. 3 Lightning 1.
Wednesday, July 23
No. 1 River Rats at No. 4 Suns, Melching Field at Conrad Park, 7 p.m.; No. 2 Snappers vs. No. 3 seed Lightning, Buddy Lowe Field at Pat Thomas Stadium, 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 24
If Necessary
No. 4 Suns vs. No. 1 River Rats, Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium, 6:30 p.m.; No. 3 Lightning vs. No. 2 Snappers, Orel Hershiser Field at The First Academy-Orlando, 7 p.m.
Friday, July 25
No games scheduled/Make-up Day.
Championship Series
Best-of-3
Saturday, July 26
At home of higher remaining seed.
Sunday, July 27
At home of lower remaining seed.
Monday, July 28
If necessary at home of higher remaining seed.
Go to _ www.floridaleague.com _ for more information.
