FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University baseball team has added 17 newcomers for the upcoming 2016 season, as announced by head coach Greg Brown. With one of the largest recruiting classes in recent memory, the Sharks hope to have the depth, both in the pitching staff and on offense, to successfully defend the first Sunshine State Conference championship in program history.
 
11 transfers and six freshmen make up the class, which includes 11 position players and six pitchers, with all 17 coming to NSU from throughout the talent-heavy state of Florida. To start, Daniel Zardon (Jr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) comes to NSU after transferring from Louisiana State University. After a stellar high school career at nearby American Heritage in Plantation, including a state championship in 2012, Zardon was an important part of the LSU squad that reached the 2015 College World Series in Omaha, Neb., starting 27 games, while playing in 73 over his two-year LSU career, and providing a .288 average, with three homers and 23 RBI. Zardon played summer ball in the illustrious Cape Cod League, where he was teammates with Sharks catcher Michael Hernandez (Jr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) on the Harwich Mariners.
 
Another transfer infielder is Sebastian Diaz (Jr., Southwest Ranches, Fla.), returning to the NSU Baseball Complex after playing two seasons at the University of Miami. Diaz enjoyed an impressive high school career, at the NSU University School, which saw him hit .371 and steal 36 bases from 2011-2013. He played in 23 games in his two years with the Hurricanes, starting eight, and scoring 11 runs. Diaz spent his summer in the Valley Baseball League, receiving instruction and coaching from former Shark Charlie Bernert. The athletic junior is expected to fill the utility role and add versatility to the lineup.
 
A high school teammate of Zardon's at American Heritage, Dallas Perez (Fr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) is a redshirt-freshman who will provide depth and defense in the outfield. Perez played six years of baseball and football there, with 12 stolen bases and 14 doubles between his junior and senior years, and comes to NSU after redshirting the 2014-15 season at Appalachian State in Boone, N.C. Perez will provide depth and hard nose athleticism to an already strong outfield.
 
Catcher Jake Anchia (Fr., Miami Lakes, Fla.) begins his collegiate career as one of the more decorated freshmen the program has signed in recent history. As a four-year letter winner at local baseball powerhouse Archbishop McCarthy, where he played alongside Sharks catcher Hernandez and 2015 draftee Ryan Castellanos, Anchia hit ten home runs and drove in 41 as a senior to win the All-County Hitter of the Year and All-District Player of the Year awards from High School Baseball Network, in addition to the Florida High School Athletic Association's Class 5-A Player of the Year award and his third state championship as a member of the Mavericks. Anchia is going to compete for time behind the plate, as well as at the DH position. He is expected to be an impact player during his time at NSU.
 
Jancarlos Cintron-Torres (Jr., Bayamon, Puerto Rico) is a middle infielder beginning his junior year with the Sharks after attending Palm Beach State College in Lake Worth for two seasons. A native of Puerto Rico, Cintron-Torres received his high school training at the former Bucky Dent Baseball School in Delray Beach. An elite force in the field, he was named the 2015 Defensive Player of the Year in the National Junior College Athletic Association's Region VIII, covering all of Florida, while also hitting .332 in 56 games. Cintron will anchor a Shark defense that should be one of the best in the country.
 
Another JuCo transfer, Kevin Suarez (Jr., Miami, Fla.) returns to South Florida after playing two seasons at Wabash Valley College in Mount Carmel, Ill. Starting 99 games in centerfield, Suarez had a .356 batting average and was 56-for-58 in stealing bases, leading the team in 2015. As a high school student at Miami's Christopher Columbus, he hit .329 and stole 20 bases as a senior, playing with current Sharks teammate Gil Torres. Suarez's brother, Andrew, was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 2015 MLB Draft out of the University of Miami. Suarez is a top of the order type of guy that will provide speed and exceptional defense in the outfield.
 
Devin Pellien (Jr., Bradenton, Fla.) is transferring after two seasons at the State College of Florida in Bradenton, where he held a 2.86 ERA and was teammates with NSU Baseball single-season home run record holder and 2015 draftee Justin Garcia in 2014. He attended Manatee for high school and played for the Altamonte Springs Boom of the Florida Collegiate League this past summer, throwing on the same pitching staff as current teammates Devin Raftery, Matt Hardy and Tommy Barberi. He made five appearances, all quality starts, and posted a 1.35 ERA in 33.1 innings pitched. Pellien is expected is compete for a spot in the weekend rotation.
 
A pair of freshmen, Chayce Hay-Eldon (Fr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and Anthony Difede (Fr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) are coming from nearby West Broward, where they played for the late, great Sergio Ambros, a coach who had an effect on many Sharks, both past and present. Hay-Eldon hit .466 and stole 12 bases as a junior, to earn unanimous All-County Second Team status at shortstop. DiFede was a standout on the field and in the classroom, striking out 22 batters in 21 innings his senior year, while also being named a Scholar Athlete nominee from the Miami Herald and Broward County Athletic Association.
 
Brandon Gomez (Jr., Miami Beach, Fla.) is an outfielder joining the Sharks as a junior after spending his freshman year at Florida International University and his sophomore season at Eastern Florida State College. With the FIU Panthers, his .445 on-base percentage led all players with 100 or more plate appearances, and at Eastern Florida State, he hit nine home runs and drove in 39 RBI. Gomez won district and regional championships with current teammate Alex Mateo in 2012 at Monsignor Pace, then did it again in 2013 as an All-County First-Teamer and HSBN District Player of the Year with a .400 average, 11 home runs and 45 RBI. Gomez is expected to be a middle of the order bat for the Sharks.
 
In Dillon Maya (Jr., Miami, Fla.) and Ryan Maya (Fr., Miami, Fla.), the Sharks are bringing in the program's fifth pair of brothers. Dillon attended FIU for three years, playing with fellow newcomer Gomez and current Shark Antonio Rodriguez (Sr., Coral Gables, Fla.), and pitched 38.2 innings with 29 strikeouts as a freshman in 2013 before going down with an injury that caused him to redshirt the 2014 season. The two brothers played one high school season together at Coral Gables, where Dillon was also teammates with Rodriguez, and they both established themselves as two-way players there. Dillon was a career .350 hitter with 65 RBI, and he was also HSBN's District Pitcher of the Year as a senior, with a 1.13 ERA and seven complete games. Ryan, meanwhile, hit one home run each in 2014 and 2015, and struck out 15 batters in 16.2 innings pitched in 2015, as well. Dillon also made the 2012 Connie Mack World Series as a member of the Florida Legends, with former Sharks Justin Garcia and Ryan Castellanos.
 
After playing one season with the Eastern Kentucky Colonels, Brendan Cutting (So., Englewood, Fla.) has decided to take his talents to Fort Lauderdale, Fla.. A catcher, Cutting hit two home runs, starting five of the 17 games he played there. Prior the EKU, he attended Lemon Bay HS in Englewood, Fla., where he hit .329 with four home runs and 16 RBI as a senior, also playing on the school's basketball team for three years.
 
The Sharks recruited another pair of players from Daytona State College in Daytona Beach. Junior pitchers Jonny Ortiz (Jr., Coral Springs, Fla.) and Charles VanderVenter (Jr., Green Cove Springs, Fla.) played together there for two seasons. Ortiz exhibited great control, walking just 28 batters in 119 career innings, while making 22 starts with a 3.40 ERA. Vanderventer pitched in 24 games in his career, making six starts in 2015, with a 2.82 ERA in 44.2 innings pitched. For Ortiz, it's a return to Broward County, as he played high school ball at Coral Springs, where he had a 1.54 ERA and 27 strikeouts as a senior. Ortiz is expected to compete for a spot in the weekend rotation.
 
Freshman Ian Valenzuela (Fr., Naples, Fla.) comes to the Sharks from Gulf Coast HS in Naples, where he helped to lead his team to a district championship in 2014, in addition to 20 wins each in 2013 and 2014. Valenzuela has the potential to develop into an impact player is the future with his combination of athleticism, speed and power.
 
Last but not least is Matthew Schlabach (Fr., Sarasota, Fla.), another freshman outfielder. Schlabach, like Diaz, also played for a coaching legend in Clyde Metcalf at Sarasota HS. He helped lead the team to Coach Metcalf's third state runner-up finish and over the 800-win mark, which helped Metcalf win the 2015 National Coach of the Year award from the National High School Athletic Coaches Association. Schlabach will be a big contributor in the future of the NSU baseball program.