Raiders Set to Play in the Visit Panama City Beach Classic This Weekend
Raiders Set to Play in the Visit Panama City Beach Classic This Weekend
Games 4-6
Visit Panama City Beach Classic | February 2-4 | Panama City, FL | Publix Sports Park
Friday: vs. Florida Southwestern | 11:30 AM
Saturday: Opponent (TBA) | Time (TBA)
Sunday: Opponent (TBA) | Time (TBA)
Link: Full Bracket
FIRST PITCH
The Raiders are back for another exciting weekend of baseball as they head to Panama City Friday for the Panama City Beach Classic, hosted by Gulf Coast State and Publix Sports Park. The 16-team tournament will feature some of the best Junior College programs in the country, including Gulf Coast, Pearl River, St. Johns River, Dyersburg State, Andrew, Wabash Valley, Northwest Florida State, Florida Southwestern, State College of Florida, McLennan, Wallace-Dothan, Meridian, Florence-Darlington Tech, Chattahoochee Valley, Chipola and Miami Dade.
The Raiders begin the weekend with a matchup against No.16 Florida Southwestern on Friday at 11:30 AM (CST). This will be the second meeting between the Raiders and Buccaneers this season. The two teams met last week in the season opener in Bradenton, which saw the Raiders win 20-10 in seven innings.
The winner of Friday's matchup will move on to play the winner of Wabash Valley and Andrew College on Saturday, with the winner of that one moving on to the semifinal round later in the day.
LAST WEEK
NWF traveled to Sarasota and Bradenton last weekend for the Legends Classic, hosted by the State College of Florida (SCF), where they faced No. 16 Florida Southwestern, Miami Dade, and SCF. The Raiders went 1-2 during the three-game stretch, winning the opener against Florida Southwestern 20-10, but dropped their last two matchups against Miami Dade (6-5, 10 innings) and SCF (7-5).
Although they didn't get the results they hoped for, the Raiders did show some promise, especially from some of their position players. Cade Sadler had a fantastic showing at the plate, going 5-10 with three home runs and five RBIs. Cayden Gaskin also had a solid weekend, producing six hits in 13 at-bats, with three doubles, four RBIs, and three steals. Colby Jones, Jaquae Stewart, and Bryce Hubbard all had four hits while combining for ten RBIs during the three-game stretch.
RANKING THE RAIDERS
In the recently revealed NJCAA Region 8 Preseason Coaches' Polls, NWF secured the prestigious second rank in the FCSAA. The Raiders amassed 140 points, positioning them just behind Central Florida, who secured 180 points with 18 first-place votes. Additionally, Northwest Florida claimed the sixth spot in the first NJCAA rankings, accumulating 120 points.
MAKING HISTORY
The Raiders had an outstanding year in 2023, boasting a 34-19-1 overall record – the best since 2019 – and a 15-9 conference record. They clinched their fifth Panhandle Conference Championship and made their 13th NJCAA Region 8 tournament appearance.
KEY RETURNERS
Seven players return to the Raiders from last year's squad, including Colby Jones, Tyler Lejeune, Cayden Gaskin, Kendrey Maduro, Colin Linder, Will Boylan, and Cade Sadler. Jones, finishing last season second in hits (58) and RBIs (44), third in batting average (.339), and fourth in doubles (9) and home runs (7), leads the returning players. Lejeune and Gaskin, topping the team in stolen bases last season with a combined 30 stolen bags, are valuable assets. Maduro, securing 14 home runs last season (second on the team), returns, and Linder is set to bolster the pitching rotation after notching 73 strikeouts last season, the second highest among team pitchers.
NEW FACES
The 2024 Raiders feature 20 new faces, including several NCAA Division I transfers. Aidan Paradine (Georgia Tech), Bryce Hubbard (Mississippi State), Brock Tapper (Mississippi State), Alex Walsh (Mississippi State), Jackson Evers (Ole Miss), Parker Dillhoff (Wichita State), and Jaquae Stewart (Houston Christian) will add depth to this years Raiders roster.
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