Five Central Florida baseball players were named to the first Citrus Conference All-Conference Teams on Thursday. Edwin Toribio, Kareh Valentin, and Kainen Jorge were named to the First-Team and Cole Bullen and Gunnett Carlson were named to the Second-Team.
Third baseman Edwin Toribio had one of the most impressive careers as a Patriot. He hit a record high 36 home runs in his two years. This season he hit 16 HR, 11 doubles, and drove in a team leading 49 runs with a .356 batting average and 1.142 OPS. Edwin will continue his career next season at Florida International University.
Shortstop Kareh Valentin was a vacuum at short over the last two years and was the state Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. In 2024 he hit .400 on the dot to lead the team along with 7 home runs, 14 doubles and 38 RBIs. He finished with a 1.069 OPS and led the team in on base percentage at .475, hits with 76 and runs scored with 51. Kareh will also continue his career next season at Florida International University.
Centerfielder Kainen Jorge was also the team's defensive player of the year and blasted 14 home runs on the season. He hit 29 home runs in his two-year career as a Patriot. This season Kainen hit .317 and led the Pats with 15 doubles. His 1.076 OPS was second best and he drove in 46 runs on the year. Kainen will continue his career next season at Old Dominion University.
Catcher Cole Bullen was a staple behind the plat for the Pats. He threw out 19 runners trying to steal on the year. He batted .315 and had 4 home runs, 10 doubles and drove in 38 runs. His walk to strikeout ratio was the best on the team at 28/22. Cole will continue his career next season at the University of Florida.
First baseman Gunnett Carlson was third in home runs with 12 on the year. He also had an OPS over a thousand at 1.045 and led the team in walks with 37. He hit .337 on the year with 9 doubles and 42 RBI. He scored 46 runs and was second in on base percentage at .455. Gunnett will continue his career next season at Rice University.
