Patriot baseball team adds junior college transfers
Francis Marion University baseball coach Art Inabinet has announced the addition of seven junior college transfers to the Patriot roster for the 2009 season. This list consisted of middle infielder Joshua Biggers of Southlake, Texas, utility player John Floyd of Spartanburg, right-handed pitcher Brandon Forshee of Jacksonville, Fla., left-handed pitcher Shane Gebhards of New Berlin, Ill., outfielder Martin Gordon of Phoenix, Ariz., utility player Colby Green of Montevallo, Ala., and outfielder Matt O'Rourke of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
All seven players will have two years of eligibility at FMU.
Biggers, 6-1 and 190-pounds, is a transfer from Southern Union State Community College in Wadley, Ala. This past year, he batted .346 with 31 runs scored, 16 doubles and 30 runs batted in as the Bison posted a 39-12 record. As a freshman, he hit .352 with 14 RBIs for a 40-14 Southern Union State squad.
He is also a product of Southlake-Carroll High School and Pantego Christian Academy. He is a former first-team All-State selection and a former Texas 4A male athlete of the year honoree.
Floyd, 5-10 and 170 pounds, is a transfer from Spartanburg Methodist College. In 2008, he hit .286 with 11 doubles, four home runs, and 22 RBIs as the Pioneers posted a 44-14 mark and was ranked 12th nationally at the conclusion of the regular season.
He is a graduate of Broome High School, where he earned AA All-State honors in 2006, was a two-time All-Region selection, and was a 2006 North-South Team member.
Forshee, 5-11 and 175 pounds, is a transfer from St. Johns River Community College in Palatka, Fla. This past season, he posted a 3-3 pitching mark with three saves and a 4.47 earned run average as the Vikings recorded a 28-22 record. As a freshman, he was 1-1 with one save. In his two seasons, he struck out 81 batters in 85.2 innings.
Forshee is also a product of First Coast High School, where he was an All-Conference selection.
Gebhards, 6-4 and 195 pounds, comes to FMU from Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Ill. He was 3-1 this past season for the Loggers with a 5.24 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 46.1 innings. He was 1-0 with a 4.91 ERA in limited action as a freshman.
He is a former two-time All-Conference performer at Pleasant Plains High School.
Gordon, 6-0 and 185 pounds, is a transfer from Glendale (Ariz.) Community College. As a sophomore, he batted .324 with 17 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases (in 26 attempts) for a 35-21 Gauchos squad. In his freshman campaign, he hit .349 with 16 RBIs and 24 stolen bases (in 27 attempts) and was one of three outfielders in the nation to earn Rawlings Gold Glove honors.
Last year (2007), he represented his home country of South Africa in the 37th Baseball World Championships in Taiwan, batting .333.
He is also a product of Desert Vista High School, where he garnered second-team All-State honors and also set a school record by going 68 at bats without striking out.
Green, 5-9 and 165 pounds, is also a transfer from Southern Union State. As a teammate of Biggers this past spring, he hit .419 with 22 runs scored, seven doubles and 13 RBIs. He earned All-Tournament Team honors as a freshman in 2007. For the 2007 season, he batted .291 with four runs batted in and six stolen bases.
He is a graduate of Shelby Academy, where he earned All-State honors.
O'Rourke, 6-0 and 180 pounds, is a transfer from Adirondack Community College where he did not play in 2008. He previously played two seasons at Spartanburg Methodist.
At SMC, he hit .327 in 2007 and helped the Pioneers to a 54-14 record and a third-place finish at the 2007 NJCAA World Series. He recorded eight double, four triples, four home runs, and drove in 38 runs, while also stealing six bases. As a freshman in 2006, he batted .320 with six doubles and 13 RBIs as the Pioneers went 44-18.
He was a five-year starter at Saratoga Central Catholic High School. He set nine schools and owns the New York state record for career runs scored (193). He stands second in state history with 166 hits.
These seven will join eight other newcomers slated to appear on the 2009 FMU roster.
Last year, Francis Marion finished 34-20 and was ranked 27th in the final national poll. The Patriots tied for third during the Peach Belt regular season and advanced to the PBC Tournament title game before narrowly missing a bid to the NCAA Division II national tournament.
