By
Pete Pelegrin
Twitter: @Petepelegrin
With FIU fall ball nearly three months away, several FIU players are playing summer baseball throughout the country. Here is an update on the top performers this summer.
Panthers third baseman
Austin Shenton is currently second in the Cape Cod League with a .410 batting average. Shenton hit .344 for FIU last season.
Earlier in the Cape season Shenton, who is playing for the Wareham Gatemen, won the Player of the Week award. In addition to his +.400 average, Shenton has 16 hits, including two doubles, a home run and he's driven in eight.
FIU right-hander
Christian Santana is also playing in the Cape. Santana is 1-0 and has not allowed a run in the four innings he has pitched for the Harwich Mariners. Santana has allowed three hits, one walk and struck out three.
Over in the Valley Baseball League, three Panthers are producing for their summer teams.
On the New Market Rebels, infielder
Kobe Lopez is second on the team with a .362 average. Lopez has 21 hits, including a double and a triple. He has scored 13 runs and stolen six of nine bases.
Adan Fernandez, who is third on the FIU freshman home run list after hitting 10 dingers last season, has hit a team-leading three home runs thus far for the Rebels. Fernandez is hitting .327 and is second on the team with 15 RBI.
Also in the Valley,
Gio Soto is anchoring the Waynesboro Generals bullpen. The right-hander has a team-leading three saves. He has pitched 3 2/3 innings and struck out five.
In the Northwoods League,
Javier Valdes is tied for fourth in the league with four home runs. Valdes is playing for the Wisconsin Woodchucks. With the four homers, Valdes has nine RBI and a pair of doubles.
Lorenzo Hampton, Jr. has gotten off to a fast start for the Keene Swamp Bats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Hampton is 3 for 7 with two doubles, an RBI and a stolen base after three games.
Back home in the state of Florida, FIU has a handful of players honing their craft in the summer.
In the Collegiate League of the Palm Beaches, left-hander
Will Saxton is pitching for the Jupiter Wave. Saxton is 1-0 with a 3.24 ERA. Saxton has pitched 8 1/3 innings, allowed six hits, three earned runs and struck out nine.
In the South Florida Collegiate Baseball League,
Derek Cartaya, who finished second on the FIU team with a .342 average, is playing for the West Boca Snappers. Cartaya is hitting .278 with two doubles and has five RBI. Cartaya has drawn 10 walks and stolen four of six bases.
Pitching for the Pompano Beach Clippers, also in the SFCBL, is right-hander
Daniel Vazquez, who is 1-0 with a 2.10 ERA. Vazquez has pitched 3 1/3 innings, allowed a hit and struck out three.
In the Florida Collegiate Summer League,
Michael Harkcom is closing for the Sanford River Rats. Harkcom has a team-leading two saves. The right-hander has pitched seven scoreless innings, allowed two hits and struck out seven.
