Squeeze eyeing first place after solid start to season

Following a comeback-win June 17 against the league-leading Sanford River Rats (8-4), the Winter Garden Squeeze (7-4) are within a game of first place in the Florida Collegiate Summer League.

The Squeeze, who had the weekend off following Friday's 8-6 victory, are now within a win of matching their win-total from 2015: 8.

It has been quite the turnaround for the team under first-year head coach Jay Welsh, who led the Squeeze's Futures Wood-bat League affiliate — the Tangelos — to the FWL title in 2015.

Winter Garden has achieved success so far this summer without any particularly gaudy individual performances.

Cody Burgess is fourth in the FCSL in batting average (.409) and Tyler Halstead is tied for fifth in RBIs (10), and the team's pitchers have fared relatively well in the league's statistical rankings, but — overall — the Squeeze's win-total seems to be a by-product of everyone pitching in.

Winter Garden will look to make a play at first place this week, with four games on tap before the Squeeze host the United States Military All-Stars on Friday night.

Winter Garden will host Altamonte Springs (5-4) on Monday and Wednesday, traveling to face the Boom on Tuesday, before traveling to DeLand (5-6) on Thursday.

All games are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

Consult floridaleague.com for more information.