Winter Park Diamond Dawgs climb Florida Collegiate Summer League standings

Things were off to a rocky start at first for the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs, but a four game winning streak helped them climb the Florida Collegiate Summer League standings, where they sit just two and a half games back with a record of 8-7 as of Wednesday morning. There’s still about half a season left to play, but some Dawgs are already showcasing impressive numbers so far. 

It all starts with University of North Florida pitcher Conner Andrews, who as of Wednesday is tied for the league lead in strikeouts with 18. 

He’s pitched 14 innings in four games so far, and the Dawgs haven’t lost a game that he’s played in. 

“My past couple outings I feel like I’m really getting back into a rhythm,” he said.  

For Andrews the recent hot streak is a great sigh of relief. In 2015 he faced a devastating roadblock: a labrum injury after throwing seven innings in a game in the Coastal Plain League in Virginia. 

“I came home and it just didn’t heal right – I ended up having to get surgery,” Andrews said. 

“It definitely was not news that you want to hear. I was having a good summer up north and throwing the hardest I’ve ever thrown.” 

It took 22 months before he made it back to the baseball diamond. His stint with the Diamond Dawgs this season is his first string of competitive baseball games he’s played since recovering from the injury. 

It’s good to be back, Andrews said. 

“It definitely feels good to do well and compete,” he said. “Having success makes me feel better about myself coming back and playing in school this upcoming season.” 

But Andrews isn’t the only pitcher who’s turning some heads. Jaylyn Whitehead from UCF shut down the Sanford River Rats on June 21 with an impressive seven-inning performance where he picked up six strikeouts to go along with a 10-1 final score 

The young pitcher told the Observer last month that he had been hoping to get a chance as a starter – and his most recent showing against the Rats made the most of it. 

At the plate, no Diamond Dawg has been more consistent than Florida Southern College third baseman Christian Maglich. His .400 batting average ranks first on the team and tied for first in the league. 

“I’m hitting pretty good,” he said. “I’m seeing it well.” 

“I’m not trying to hit home runs, I’m just trying to get hits. Last year, I started every game for my college but I only hit like .230. I wanted to get the average up.”