DeLand Suns

Last updated
DeLand Suns
DeLand Suns Logo.jpg
Information
League FCSL
Location DeLand, Florida (since 2009)
Orlando, Florida (2008)
Ballpark Melching Field at Conrad Park (2009- present)
Year founded2008
League championships2 (2012, 2018)
Former name(s)Orlando Suns (2008)
Former ballparks Tinker Field (2008)
ColorsOrange, Black
  
MascotSunny
OwnershipFlorida Collegiate Summer League
ManagerRick Hall
Uniforms
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Home
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The DeLand Suns are a wood bat collegiate summer baseball league team located in DeLand, Florida. Formerly known as the Orlando Suns, the team is a member of the Florida Collegiate Summer League (FCSL) and plays its home games at Melching Field in DeLand. The team joined the FCSL in the 2008 season.

Contents

History

DeLand Suns players warming up before a game against the Leesburg Lightning. June 8, 2019. Baseball warm up 2019.jpg
DeLand Suns players warming up before a game against the Leesburg Lightning. June 8, 2019.

The Suns joined the FCSL in 2008 as an expansion team, one of three franchises which joined the league that year. This brought the total number of FCSL franchises to six. In their inaugural season, the Suns finished fifth in the regular season with a 14-20 record. They were defeated by the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs 5-4 in the play-in round of the playoffs.

In 2009, the Suns made a jump to best in the league thanks to new head coach Davey Johnson. Johnson, a former Major League Baseball manager of the year and four-time all-star, brought a professional presence to a talented squad that included future Baseball America 1st team All-American Peter O'Brien from Bethune-Cookman University. Despite their regular season success (25-13 record), they fell in the first round of the playoffs to the #4 seed Clermont Mavericks, who would go on to capture the FCSL crown.

Suns' mascot, Sunny Sunny the Deland Sun.jpg
Suns' mascot, Sunny

In 2010, the Suns welcomed Rick Hall as their new head coach. Hall was a former Stetson University assistant coach. The Suns struggled throughout the season, finishing in last place with an 11-29 record. They lost the postseason play-in game to the Orlando Mavericks.

In 2011, the team improved, and finished third out of six teams with a 23-17 record. They went on to play a best-of-three postseason series against the #2 seeded Winter Park Diamond Dawgs, which they lost two games to one.

In 2012, the Suns won their first FCSL championship. [1]

In 2014, Theresa Brooks became the team's general manager, and the second woman to work as a GM in the FCSL. [2]

The Suns won their second FCSL championship in 2018. [3] The following year, they finished as runners-up. [1]

Playoff Appearances

YearFirst roundSemifinals (best-of-3)FCSL championship game
2008 Winter Park Diamond Dawgs L (4-5)
2009

Clermont Mavericks

L (2-1)
2010Orlando MavericksL (3-2)
2011 Winter Park Diamond Dawgs L (3-2), W (4-1), L (6-2)
2012 Winter Park Diamond Dawgs W (4-3), L (8-0), W (8-7) Leesburg Lightning W (10-7)
2013Orlando MonarchsL (9-6)
2014 Leesburg Lightning L (1-0)
2015 Winter Park Diamond Dawgs L (2-1)
2016Altamonte Springs BoomL (2-0), W (7-6), L (6-3)
2017Missed Playoffs
2018 Sanford River Rats W (2-1), W (5-1) Winter Park Diamond Dawgs W (4-0), L (7-5), W (12-1)

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References

  1. 1 2 "Florida League Champions". www.floridaleague.com. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  2. Casey, Connor (27 June 2014). "Volusia woman doubles as mom, general manager for DeLand Suns baseball team". Orlando Sentinel . Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  3. Herring, Troy (9 August 2018). "Winter Park Diamond Dawgs fall in championship series". West Orange Times & Observer . Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2022.