Daytona Tortugas Come Home With An Aussie Hitting Well & A Former USF QB Pitching Well

The Daytona Tortugas came home from a road trip to Dunedin (Toronto Blue Jays affiliate) this past Sunday, losers in five of the six games to the Blue Jays.

It has gotten a bit better back home.

The Tortugas lost game one of six to be played this week against the Jupiter Hammerheads by a score of 14-1. They bounced back with a walk-off 3-2 win on Wednesday to tie the series at one win apiece. Followed by 7-2 loss on Thursday.

Thursday's loss saw a 2-0 first-inning lead dissipate by the second ining aided by second baseman Anthuan Valencia's error.

The walk-off win came courtesy of a two-out, wild pitch by pitcher Samuel Carpio. That allowed Yeycol Soriano to score after walking, moving to second base on the first of Carpio's wild pitches, advancing to third on an Ian Frances ground out, then scoring on the wild pitch as Dylan King faced a do-or-die 3-2 count.

In the first game of the series, Jupiter, the Miami Marlins’ entry in the Florida State League, scored nine in the ninth to nullify any conceivable hope the Tortugas would mount a comeback. The lopsided final was marked by sloppy play as Daytona committed two errors and hit two Hammerheads batsmen.

Daytona is in last place within the Florida State League’s East Division with a 20-39 record. Jupiter leads the division at 33-26

Keep an eye on Jupiter Catcher Victor Ortega. He is hitting .273 with an 876 OPS, though his defense is questioned.

There are no questions surrounding Hammerhead pitcher Manuel Genao as he is the FSL Pitcher of the Month for May. In five May starts, Genao threw 27.1 innings, 29 strikeouts and 2 walks to go along with a 2.96 ERA.

Drew Davis signed at the age of 18 from Austalia.

Congratulations to Daytona’s cJacob Friend. The catcher was promoted to the Dayton Dragons on June 2.

With Friend moving on, I’d suggest Tortugas fans note the fine play of Adelaide, SA, Australia-born Drew Davis. The 20-year-old can be seen manning first base, the outfield or as a designated hitter. He is sporting a .264 batting average with a .781 OPS.

On the mound for the Tortugas, check the pitching stylings of Bryce Archie. The 2025 14th-rounder was a two-sport player at the University of South Florida. He pitched for the Bulls and was their quarterback. Word is he brings it at 96 MPH and has  baseball potential that went untapped when he was splitting his time playing football.

There is a slight chance of rain, so check the forecast before heading to your nine-inning vacation at Jackie Robinson Ballpark!  

Bryce Archie played quarterback and pitched for the University of South Florida Bulls.

Charles I. Guarria is an author, reporter and host based in the state of Florida, USA, covering any topic, anywhere in the world. His career began in 2009. Mr. Guarria is a three-time winner of Emerald Group Publishing’s Highly Commended Award and host of The Opinion Guy Fun Friendly Informative. He is available for hire to write, research, or beta-read. 

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Photo Credit: Daytona Tortugas, USF

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