Melbourne, Fla. - Six Sunshine State Conference baseball student-athletes were named 2016 D2 Baseball News Tino Martinez Award semifinalists. One-student athlete earned a D2 Baseball News Brett Tomoko Award semifinalist nod. Both Martinez (Tampa) and Tomko (Florida Southern) played their college careers in the Sunshine State Conference.
Tino Martinez Award
Barry's Alexander DeGoti (Sr., Miami, Fla.), Nova Southeastern’s Brandon Gomez (Jr., Miami Beach, Fla.), Tampa's Casey Scoggins (Sr., Port St. Lucie, Fla.), Saint Leo’s Troy Sieber (Jr., Salem, N.J.), Lynn's John Silviano (So., Boynton Beach, Fla.), and Florida Tech's John Sternagel (Jr., Rockledge, Fla.) are named semifinalists from the SSC.
DeGoti was named a semifinalist after posting a .399 batting average up to this point in the season. The Buccaneer shortstop is Top-5 in SSC Runs Scored (66), RBI (54), Stolen Bases (20), and Home Runs (13).
Gomez is currently fourth in SSC Slugging Percentage (.731). The Miami Beach native is second in conference Home Runs (19) and RBI (58).
Tampa outfielder Scoggins is currently fourth in SSC Runs Scored (58) and first in Triples (10). The 2015 Gold Glove winner holds a .992 fielding percentage.
Saint Leo’s Sieber is Top-3 in conference Slugging Percentage (.848), On Base Percentage (.559), Runs Scored (62), and Home Runs (13). The firstbaseman was also named a semifinalist in 2015.
Lynn catcher/outfielder, Silviano, ranks No. 1 in SSC Slugging Percentage (.958), Runs Scored (69), RBI (74), and Home Runs (30). Silviano's 30 homeruns is a new conference single season homerun record. Silviano is just one homerun shy of the most at any level of NCAA baseball.
Sternagel of Florida Tech sits atop the SSC leaders in Stolen Bases (32). The Panthers' speedster has accumulated 68 hits and 28 walks this season, brining his On Base Percentage to .457.
One of these six nominees looks to become the first winner from the SSC. The winner of the 2016 Tino Martinez Award will be named Monday, June 6th following the Division II Championships which will be held in Cary, NC. The finalists will be revealed prior to the beginning of the DII finals.
Previous Tino Martinez Award Winners
2015 – Nick Sell, Seton Hill Griffins
2014 – Austin Kaiser, Colorado Mesa Mavericks
2013 – Harmen Sidhu, Sonoma State Seawolves
2012 – Nathan Minnich, Shepherd Rams
2011 – Chase Larsson, Cameron Aggies
2010 – Bryan Fogle, Erskine Flying Fleet
About Tino Martinez
The Tino Martinez Award is named after the former University of Tampa Spartan, United States Olympian, first round draft pick and MLB All-Star, Tino Martinez. Martinez was a three-time All-American and still holds a number of UT records including career home runs (54), career slugging percentage (.736), career on base percentage (.494), single season batting average (.452) and single season slugging percentage (.957).
While he wore a Spartan uniform Tampa advanced to their first NCAA Division II National Championships (1986 and '87) and won their first of twelve SSC Championships ('87). Martinez was elected to the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013. Current LSU head coach Paul Mainieri has been quoted as stating Martinez was, "the best player I've ever coached against".
Brett Tomko Award
Nova Southeastern’s Devin Raftery (Sr., Deltona, Fla.) was named the lone semifinalist for the Brett Tomko Award from the SSC. He joins 42 other student athletes who hope the bring home the award, which was started in 2014 and honors the Division II Pitcher of the Year. Nova Southeastern is one of a select number of schools to have a semifinalist for both the Tino Martinez and the Brett Tomko Awards.
Raftery currently holds a 1.17 ERA with 66 strikeouts in 38.1 innings pitched. He has 11 saves while holding opposing batters to a .179 batting average.
Previous Brett Tomko Award Winners
2015 - Craig Brooks, Catawba
2014 – Dan Altavilla, Mercyhurst
About Brett Tomko
Tomko led the Florida Southern Moccasins to the Division II Championship and threw a complete-game shutout to give FSC its eighth national title. He was named the outstanding player of the Division II Championship and was the Sunshine State Conference Pitcher of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year. Tomko earned the distinct recognition of being the first athlete ever to be awarded both the NCAA Division II Player and Pitcher of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association.