The Florida Collegiate Summer League recently announced the formation of a new wood-bat baseball league – The Futures Wood-bat League (FWL) – to its operations beginning this summer.

This year’s Florida Collegiate Summer League Celebrity Golf Tournament is taking place on Nov. 15 at Interlachen Country Club. Among the participants will be Ozzie Smith, Davey Johnson, Vince Coleman and Gary Carter.

In the Florida Collegiate Summer League title game last week at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs wrapped up an impressive season with a 1-0 win over the Leesburg Lightning in front of 639 fans. Pitcher Nick Goody was named most valuable player.

The Winter Park Diamond Dawgs have not been this close to raising a trophy at Tropicana Field since 2006, when they last won the FCSL wood-bat baseball title. Winter Park takes on defending-champion Leesburg in St. Petersburg on Thursday.

Two teams are leaving the FCSL pack behind with less than a month left to be played. The Sanford River Rats (21-8) currently hold a half-game lead on the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs (20-8). Wednesday’s all-star game starts at 7 p.m. in Sanford.

For the young ballplayers who recently accepted their high school diplomas, the decision is now whether to start collegiate playing careers or join minor league baseball teams. For current underclassmen hailing from nearby, the decision is a similar one to make.

A Kissimmee native leads the hometown arena football team… A former FCSL player becomes the first to get a call from the majors… A former Bishop Moore lax standout plays for a title in his last game… and several student-athletes signed college papers last week.