The Stetson baseball roster swelled to 49 players during the summer with the addition of 13 freshmen signees and five transfers to a returning squad of 31 players that includes the return of graduates Jorge Arenas and Andrew MacNeil, who return after all spring sport student-athletes were granted an additional year of eligibility due to the cancellation of sports in the spring.
 
The five transfers into the Stetson program include graduate transfers Hernen Sardinas, a first baseman/outfielder from the University of Maine, and Jackson Olson, a middle infielder from the University of Hartford. The other three first-year transfers on the roster, all redshirt sophomores, are RHP Chase Costello (LSU), infielder Banks Griffith (Furman) and RHP Seth Klaiber (Xavier/Sinclair CC).
 
Sardinas was recruited to the University of Maine by Hatters head coach Steve Trimper out of Columbus HS in Miami. He was a four-year standout for the Black Bears, posting a .287 batting average with a .347 on-base percentage and .475 slugging percentage. He had 21 home runs and 104 RBI in his three-plus years and will enter the 2021 season just 11 hits shy of 200 for his career. He primarily played first base during his first two years, but played in the outfield as a junior and in his shortened senior year.
 
With the addition of Sardinas as well as freshmen Jonathan Gonzalez and Jonathan Velazquez to the roster, the Hatters now have five former Columbus Explorers on the roster, with returners Danny Martin and Chris Gonzalez.
 
No stranger to playing at Melching Field, Olson comes from Hartford where he started 146 games over the last four years, including games against Stetson last spring and in the 2018 NCAA Regional Tournament. Primarily a second baseman, Olson is a native of New Milford, CT, where he still owns the school record for career hits.
 
During his career for the Hawks he had a .288/.335/.377 slash line with 30 doubles and 20 stolen bases. He will enter the spring just 29 hits shy of 200 for his career.
 
Costello is a native of Pompano Beach who saw action on the mound in 17 games over two seasons at LSU. He was ranked as the No. 62 RHP prospect in the nation coming out of Pompano Beach HS.
 
Griffith was the third member of his family to play collegiate baseball at Furman, following his two older brothers, but the Gainesville, GA, native chose to transfer to Stetson after the program there was shut down earlier this year. Primarily a second baseman, he started all 71 games at Furman over the last two years, posting a .226/.317/.314 slash line while also playing solid defense up the middle.
 
Klaiber comes to Stetson from Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, after spending his freshman year at Xavier University. A native of Hamilton, Ohio, he got into just five games on the mound as a freshman for the Muskateers and, this past spring, got into just two games at Sinclair before the season was canceled. He pitched in four games for the DeLand Suns over the summer, posting 16 strikeouts in 12 innings of work.
 
The Hatters were able to start holding individual workouts last week, with groups of 10 or fewer people on the field at any one time, in addition to conditioning drills and work in the weight room. The team is scheduled to begin its regular fall practice on October 2, with practice running through mid-November.
 
As a reminder, no fans are allowed to attend any Stetson Athletics practices or workouts through the end of September as a Covid-19 precaution. Players and coaches are required to wear face masks at all times, unless directly involved in athletic-related activites.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.