David Garcia | Saint Leo University | Baseball | 1993-96
Among the finest players to ever wear Saint Leo’s Green and Gold, David Garcia ranks as the dominant pitcher of his era at Southard Stadium.
Over his four years at Saint Leo, Garcia recorded program-record 27 career wins and 301 career strikeouts, and his 358.0 innings pitched also remains a Saint Leo career record. His 301 strikeouts remains among the top 10 in SSC career strikeouts leaders.
Garcia led Saint Leo to a pair of 40-win seasons, including a 42-15 mark in 1996 and a berth in the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship – Saint Leo’s third NCAA appearance in program history – as the Monarchs briefly earned a No. 1 ranking amidst a 17-game winning streak. He earned All-Sunshine State Conference and All-South Region honors during that magical 1996 season, after posting an 8-3 record and a 2.69 ERA over 90.1 innings pitched with 72 strikeouts.
Garcia also earned All-SSC and All-Region honors in 1995, following a 10-5 campaign on the mound with a 3.56 ERA. He retired 79 batters on strikeouts against just 26 walks. Garcia was the mainstay of the Saint Leo pitching staff in 1994 as a sophomore, charting a career-best 105 strikeouts against a mere 31 walks over 112.2 innings pitched on his way to a 7-5 mark.
Academically, Garcia was a four-time member of the Sunshine State Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll and was a GTE Academic All-District selection in 1994, 1995, and 1996. Following his graduation from Saint Leo, Garcia played minor league baseball for two seasons, and he is currently the Director of Sales Development for Regis HR Group. He has been an active member of Saint Leo’s baseball alumni network, and serves as president for the Forest Hills Youth Baseball League in Tampa.