COLLEGE BASEBALL: SAYRE'S CONNOR HANAFIN WILL TRANSFER TO DIVISION II MANSFIELD (2020-03-31)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportSAYRE "” Sayre grad Connor Hanafin, who had his final season at Frederick Community College cut short, will continue his baseball career at Mansfield next year.
Hanafin will sign a Letter-of-Intent after the NCAA lifts the recruiting blackout put in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hanafin said new Mansfield head coach Andrew Chalot and assistant coach Anthony Gonclaves started recruiting him late last summer.
"When Harry Hillson stepped down at Mansfield, their new coach, (Andrew) Chalot, reached out to me right away, even before he officially had the job.
"Coach (Anthony) Goncalves was a real big factor in my decision, too," said Hanafin. "I've known him through PBR and through his previous programs.
"After talking to them quite a bit, it seemed like they both cared a lot about their program, and the development of their players.
"The more I talked to the coaches, and saw the direction they were headed with the program, I got on board," added Hanafin. "I think they can turn the program around, and I want to be a part of something like that.
Hanafin noted the coaching duo went above-and-beyond in recruiting him.
"I hurt my hand, and they both reached out and checked up on me," he said. "They made sure I was doing what I needed to in rehab to get back to full strength - that meant a lot to me during a time when I was not around the game, which was really tough."
Mansfield also fits the bill academically, says Hanafin.
"I took a visit there, and I really liked it," he said. "I like being close to home.
"I'm a good student, but I really like the fact Mansfield offers smaller class sizes, it was something I was looking for."
"It's also has a very good education program, and that's what I'm majoring in," added Hanafin.
The silver lining in Hanafin's season being cut short is a third year of eligibility at Mansfield.
"In a sense it's a good thing, but then again it would have nice to play that final year at Frederick.
"I mean, you spend every single day of your life for six months with those guys, then the three months you want to spend with them, you get two weeks and you're done," he noted.
"We had a great group of players, I think we could have done something special," added Hanafin.
As a freshman, Hanafin hit .347 (43 hits in 124 ABs) with 43 runs scored, eight doubles, one triple, four home runs, and 32 RBI. He walked 27 times, with a .524 slugging percentage and a .999 OPS.
FCC fell one win shy of the NJCAA World Series.
This year, he hit .226 in just 31 at-bats with seven runs scored and six RBI.
Sayre baseball coach Jamie VanDuzer, who coached Hanafin for three years as head coach and an assistant coach, said Hanafin will be able to handle the jump from the JUCO ranks to Division II.
"Frederick is a very high-quality program, and Connor has a tremendous work ethic," said VanDuzer.
"I think Connor is definitely ready for Division II," added VanDuzer. "I believe if he had been able to play this full year, he would be even more ready."
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IN PHOTO: Connor Hanafin.
