A former baseball player at Lake-Sumter State College is taking his talents to a university in South Carolina.
Francis Marion University baseball coach Art Inabinet has announced the addition of 5-foot-8-inch middle infielder Naphis Llanos, of Sanford. He will enroll at FMU near Florence, S.C. this fall and play for the Patriots in 2022.
Llanos played the past two seasons at Lake-Sumter State College. As a sophomore, he batted .302 with 35 runs scored (in only 36 games), eight doubles and 31 runs batted in. He posted a .462 on-base percentage and stole 14 bases in 15 attempts.
During the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign, he hit .364 with 26 runs scored, four doubles, two triples, 15 RBIs, eight stolen bases and a .479 on-base percentage. Over his two seasons with the Lakehawks, he also took part in turning 27 double plays. Following the season, he earned Mid-Florida Conference and FCSAA All-Academic Team honors and received an NJCAA Academic Award.
Llanos is a product of Lake Howell High School, where he played for coaches Andy Lyon and Paul Giambalvo. He garnered first-team All-Conference recognition in 2018 and second-team honors in 2019.
“Naphis is a switch-hitting middle infielder that has played in a very good junior college league in Florida,” said Inabinet. “We will look for him to likely play second base. He is a contact hitter who can steal some bags. He is a very good player and we are excited to have him coming on board.”
Francis Marion completed its 2021 season with an 18-17 overall mark. The Patriots are losing 10 seniors off that squad, with Llanos becoming the 10th commitment for the new school year.
