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SANFORD, Fla. - Ahead of the 2024 NACSB Prospect Games, the FCSL announced the 29-man roster that will be representing the league, which included seven Sanford River Rats, along with Rats head coach Jesse Litsch, who was named to the team's coaching staff.  

 

The National Alliance of College Summer Baseball, or NACSB, is a collection of 12 collegiate summer baseball leagues across the country, seven of which are participating in the 2024 NACSB Prospect Games, held to showcase some of the best talents in each league in front of Major League scouts.  These players have not only excelled in both their collegiate and summer league seasons, but most importantly, show great potential to play at the next level, which was the driving factor in the team selection process.  The 2024 Games, held in Lynchburg, Virginia, will take place on the campus of Liberty University from June 24-26. 

 

In alphabetical order, by last name, here are the seven players selected from the Sanford River Rats (all stats as of June 21, 9 a.m.):

 

Jackson Evers, RHP (Northwest Florida State)

Evers has been off to a solid start this summer with the Rats, appearing in three games so far.  His best outing came in Sanford’s recent 15-7 victory over the DeLand Suns, where he tossed four innings in his first start of the summer, notching a season-high five strikeouts while allowing just one hit. 

 

Jalen Hairston, IF (Kentucky)

After two outstanding seasons at State College of Florida, Hairston has been a fantastic clean-up hitter for the Rats, hitting .351 and playing in 13 of Sanford’s first 16 games.  Along with his offensive prowess, Hairston also possesses considerable speed on the base paths, swiping 10 stolen bases, the only player in the FCSL with double-digit successful attempts.

 

Jacob Harper, C/1B (Valdosta State)

After an excellent four seasons at Valdosta State, Harper has been a critical part of the catching trio in Sanford, both offensively and defensively.  On the hitting side, Harper has been on base frequently, drawing a team-high 11 walks to go along with his .404 OBP.  Defensively, he has just as valuable, leading the team in innings played at both catcher and first base so far.

 

Andrew Lepine, RHP (Stetson)

Arguably Sanford’s best reliever up to this point, Lepine has shown maturity well beyond his years, as the rising freshman has pitched in some of the biggest moments on the mound for the Rats.   In his nine innings of work, Lepine has yet to allow an earned run, only allowing one hit in total.  He also is the only Sanford pitcher through the team’s first 16 games with no walks allowed.

 

Fulton Lockhart, RHP (College of Central Florida) 

In just four appearance, Lockhart has been blowing away hitters with his mid-90s fastball, striking out 16 hitters in just 5 ⅔ innings this season.  While Lockhart has had multiple impressive outings, one of his most memorable came on June 8 against Orlando, in which Lockhart faced four batters in one inning and struck out each of them, recording a rare four-strikeout inning against the Snappers.

 

Xavier Lopez, 1B/OF (Undecided)

Continuing his red-hot form in his sophomore year at Daytona State, Lopez has been especially dangerous over the past two weeks in the heart of Sanford’s lineup.  Across his last seven games, Lopez has had multiple hits in five of them, driving in 10 RBIs in that time period.  On June 10, Lopez also became only the second player in FCSL history to record two triples in the same game.

 

Austin Waring, LHP (Undecided)

One of Sanford’s best starting pitchers to begin the year, Waring has started three games for the Rats, with the team winning each one of them.  In his 9 ⅔ innings of work, Waring has struck out 13 opposing hitters and has one of the lowest ERA’s on the team at just 1.86.  In his second start of the year, Waring had his best outing, firing three hitless innings and striking out six of the 12 batters he faced in the Orlando lineup.

 

After Sanford’s Sunday night game at West Orange, the Rats and rest of the prospects hit the road for a travel day on Monday.  The FCSL will take on the Valley League at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, followed by their second game against the Southern Collegiate Baseball League at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.  Following the second game, the FCSL prospects will return to Florida, getting ready for a full slate of FCSL games resuming on Thursday.  More information, including rosters and the full tournament schedule, can be found at nacsbprospectgames.com.

 

Noah Chavez (Arizona State)