Winter Garden Squeeze begins its 13th year
As your Winter Garden Squeeze begins its 13th season in the Florida Collegiate Summer League, we continue to celebrate our history and build toward the future. In 2025, we settled into a new home at Horizon High School. The move transformed the Squeeze from Winter Garden’s team to one that expanded our territory into Horizon West.
The growing Horizon West community always is looking for things to call its own and the Squeeze was quickly embraced. The 2025 season blossomed into one of the most successful in franchise history. Neighbors gathered, new partnerships were forged and collective memories were made on the field, as the sun set over the horizon.
The 2026 season presents new opportunities for the Squeeze and the Horizon West community. Working and communicating with our partners over the offseason, we have continued to embed ourselves in the cultural fabric of southwestern Orange County. This season, the traditional blue and orange Squeeze pallet has been modified to purple and orange, embracing the colors of the Horizon Hawks. At the same time, our uniform lettering pays homage to the rich history of Winter Garden baseball. The Washington Senators called Winter Garden (Walker Field) their Spring Training home in the 1940s and ’50s. The new Squeeze regalia reveres our past while continuing to build our future.
The new era of Squeeze baseball is dedicated to expanding the brand throughout the community. Whether it’s joining our business partners at The Mark Family Friday Street Party, playing games as the alter ego Horizon West Magoos or hosting baseball card Trade Night at Home State Brewery, our mission is to truly make the Squeeze a communityoriented brand. On Saturday, June 13, we will be hosting a mini-golf tournament fundraiser at PopStroke, where attendees can compete against our players. As Father’s Day week continues, we will be involved in the Hamlin AllAmerican Flag Parade as part of our celebration of America at 250.
While it remains our first priority to deliver a fun, familyfriendly game-night experience all summer long, our commitment to the community does not end when the last out is called. The Squeeze and FCSL are working collaboratively with the Orlando Dreamers, whose mission is to
KEEP UP WITH THE SQUEEZE n Facebook: @SqueezeBaseball n Instagram: @squeezebaseball n X: @WGsqueeze
bring MLB to Orlando and build grassroots support for baseball throughout Central Florida.
It always has been our team’s ambition to remain full-time community partners 12 months per year. Once the summer grind is complete, we will continue to look for ways to stay visible and active with our community partners.
The best way to stay connected with the Squeeze throughout the season is to find us on social media. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X to stay up to date with the schedule, catch the highlights and get to know the players. We also are launching a team newsletter, The Squeeze Report, running every two weeks during the season and monthly during off-months. The newsletter will keep fans connected to the game off the field, as well as our work in the community.
While Winter Garden Squeeze baseball may have seen some changes over the years, our commitment to bringing collegiate summer baseball to the greater Winter Garden community has remained steady. We have three returning host families who open up their homes to out-of-town players, a unique attribute of college summer ball.
On behalf of the Winter Garden Squeeze, we welcome you back for another summer of America’s pastime right in your own backyard. Bring the kids, let them run the bases, bring some lawn chairs, buy a few snacks, watch the sunset and soak up the summer right here in Horizon West. Go Squeeze!
ADAM BATES, GENERAL MANAGER
BRIAN KOSS, ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER
Squeeze introduces Tent City
For the first time in the Winter Garden Squeeze history, the team is adding a new attraction for community members and fans.
Tent City is the pregame destination, between-inning escape and post-game stretch spot. Sitting on the concourse of Horizon High School, you will find all of the Squeeze’s sponsors and partners in one spot.
When fans are in Tent City, they can expect to find interactive games, giveaways and more. Every partner brings something different, and that’s what makes it the most exciting.
The best part about Tent City is these partners aren’t just here with a banner; they are here for fan engagement and interaction, ultimately bringing the ballpark to life with energy.
THE SPONSORS
HUEY MAGOO’S — HORIZON WEST, TEAM
PRESENTING SPONSOR
Huey Magoos provides post-game meals to the teams and sometimes serves food in the concession stands. The Squeeze collaborated with the restaurant last year to create the Squeeze’s version of the MLB City Connect uniforms. The team became the “Horizon West Magoos” for a few nights of the season. Huey Magoo’s also helped launch the Squeeze Squad Team of Batboys for home game nights.
ROCK & BREWS RESTAURANT, TEAM MEAL AND
LEAGUE SPONSOR
Rock and Brews provides postgame meals to the teams. Last season, the Squeeze hosted its first annual poker tournament at the restaurant’s Kissimmee location.
LEGENDS ON DECK PODCAST, MEDIA PARTNER
Squeeze Assistant General Manager
Brian Koss runs the Legends on Deck Podcast, a baseball-focused media site covering everything from MLB and minor league teams to amateur, college and high school baseball, featuring articles, a podcast, photo galleries and baseball card content.
PORTILLO’S, TEAM MEAL SPONSOR
Portillo’s provides post-game meals to the teams.
KING OF POPS, TEAM PARTNER
The Butler family owns and operates King of Pops of Winter Garden, a local popsicle cart serving frozen sweet treats nightly at the games.
CLEAN EATZ
Clean Eatz of Hamlin provides pre-game meals to Squeeze players.
SKYLINE CHILI, TEAM MEAL SPONSOR
Skyline Chili provides post-game meals to Squeeze players and sometimes serves food on the concourse during games.
JET’S PIZZA OF OCOEE, LEAGUE SPONSOR
Jet’s Pizza provides post-game meals to players and teams across the league.
THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE, TEAM SPONSOR
The Learning Experience of Horizon West is a daycare and preschool in the area. In partnership with The Learning Experience, all children have free admission into the ballpark.
COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS, TEAM SPONSOR
The partnership with Community Health Centers allows children to have free admission into the ballpark. The community-driven health care organization is dedicated to serving patients and their families in their neighborhoods.
URBAN AIR
Urban Air is a new community partner looking to do game night activities and Squeeze-related events at its location in Hamlin.
POPSTROKE
PopStroke is a community partner that will host a golf tournament as a fundraiser for the Squeeze and the league Saturday, June 13.
CROSSLINE COMMUNITY CHURCH
Crossline Community Church is a continuous community partner providing support throughout the season and off-season.
OBSERVER MEDIA GROUP, MEDIA PARTNER
Observer Media Group is the go-to spot for hyperlocal West Orange County news. This summer, the Winter Garden Squeeze will be featured in every sports section of the West Orange Times & Observer and the Southwest Orange Observer
HORIZON WEST HAPPENINGS AND HORIZON WEST MAGAZINE, MEDIA AND EVENT PARTNERS
Horizon West Happenings and Horizon West Magazine keeps everyone informed about the news, events, offerings, services and more in Horizon West.
THE REAL ESTATE COLLECTION, TITLE SPONSOR AND REAL ESTATE PARTNER
The Real Estate Collection will be the Squeeze’s title sponsor for the PopStroke golf tournament and also is providing fan engagement throughout the season as an official real estate partner of the Winter Garden Squeeze.
THE MELTED MORSL
The Melted Morsl is a local familyowned cookie shop right in the heart of Winter Garden that provides delicious cookies for fans.
HOME STATE BREWING COMPANY
Home State Brewing Company is the home of the Winter Garden Squeeze beer as well as the pregame and game-rain-out stop. The brewery hosted the Squeeze’s card trading show Tuesday, May 26, as well as the Squeeze’s meet-theteam at the beginning of the season.
THE CARD LEAGUE, COMMUNITY PARTNER
The Card League is a Winter Garden-based, family business developed by a baseball player and his family.
ROTARY CLUB OF HORIZON WEST, ROTARY CLUB OF WINTER GARDEN, AMERICAN LEGION POST 63 WINTER GARDEN, AMERICAN LEGION POST 419, COMMUNITY SERVICE PARTNERS
These groups support the Squeeze throughout the season and in the off-season.
SPECIAL NIGHTS
PopStroke Golf Tourna9 a.m. to noon Satur-
Father’s Field of 6 p.m. Saturday, June 20 Fan Appreciation Thursday, July 16, and Friday, July 17
SQUEEZE SEASON PASS OFFERINGS
Tickets Squeeze Home Games ($120) or Parkhopper ($160), which
The welcome package includes coupons and discounts from partners: Portillos, Jet’s Pizza, Popstoke, Huey’s, Clean Eatz, Rock & Brews, Skyline,
and raffle Special event opportunities
Local connections
Meet the six Winter Garden Squeeze players who were introduced to the sport in local Little Leagues and now are returning to represent their hometown on the college stage.
MEGAN
BRUINSMA STAFF WRITER
The return of the Winter Garden Squeeze for the 2026 season means 33 collegiate baseball players will return to the baseball fields of West Orange County. Summer league coaches and general managers strategically chose those players after their spring collegiate seasons from teams across the NCAA, NAIA and Junior College programs.
Although they will be united as one Squeeze team, the players came to the team from all different walks of life. Many call cities across Florida their hometown, including Tampa, DeLand, Clearwater and more. One player, David Freitas, joins Winter Garden’s team from Carabobo, Venezuela.
But not all of the Squeeze’s roster is stepping into West Orange County and the deeply rooted baseball culture within its borders for the first time. Six players grew up within the Little Leagues and now prepare to represent their hometown in the big leagues.
As the season begins, let’s take a moment to introduce those players who forever will remember their first ball leagues.
JOSHUA BELL
JERSEY NO: 22
YEAR: Junior
POSITION: Infielder
SCHOOL: Florida A&M University
Joshua Bell’s baseball journey began when he was 8 years old. He initially was interested in basketball, but his friend Max encouraged him to give baseball a swing so he did at Winter Garden Little League. The support of the people around him and his parents encouraged Bell to stick with it, enough to the point where he left basketball in his past.
“I feel like I’ve grown a lot, seeing a lot of different people come in and out of the game and knowing that this game’s not going to last forever and it’s going to end at some point,” he said. “Having that kind of vulnerability to understand that and just kind of take it all in really helps me.”
One of his first coaches, Bryan Malenius, shaped the way baseball should be played in Bell’s eyes, and he forever will be grateful for the early lessons that made him fall in love with the game. He took those lessons in Little League and applied them to his success at West Orange High, where in his senior year he led the team with 20 runs batted in, six doubles and recorded a .457 on base percentage.
Bell grew up a Florida State University fan and when the neighboring school, Florida A&M, offered him a baseball scholarship, he knew it was a perfect fit and now has completed two years as a Rattler.
Growing up in Winter Garden meant
he was surrounded by the Squeeze, and returning to play for the team feels like a “full circle moment” for him. His best friend from high school, Zachary Moore, even is working as one of the Squeeze’s interns, and being able to celebrate the year with Moore and his teammates brings a new level of excitement for Bell.
RYLEE
GIBSON
JERSEY NO: 17
YEAR: Sophomore
POSITION: Right-handed pitcher
SCHOOL: The Citadel
Rylee Gibson moved to Winter Garden in 2013 from Colorado when he was 7 and had never played T-ball. He joined the Winter Garden Little League and remained with the league until he was 12, playing on the All-Star teams and Tournament of Champions teams.
Early on, he knew if he ever made it to the college level, he wanted to come back and play for his hometown community. The people in the community are who allowed Gibson to connect with travel ball organizations and help him grow into a player that was able to go to college.
They also taught him how to grow as a leader. He was homeschooled in eighth grade but attended Foundation Academy and played for the Lions’ varsity team from eighth grade to his senior year. Being a younger guy on a team full of older players allowed Gibson to become a leader when he was a junior and senior.
Gibson’s sophomore year is when he really began to look into camps and settled on going to a military college, which is why he ended up at The Citadel. He was looking for any place with a good ROTC program, and everything worked out perfectly with The Citadel.
“It’s definitely been pretty surreal — achieving all the dreams and goals that I’ve had since I was a little kid, wanting to play in college, wanting to play back with some of these guys and obviously not everyone makes it in this game and it’s a pretty hard game,” he said.
KEITH HOLDEN
JERSEY NO: 5
YEAR: Sophomore
POSITION: Right-handed pitcher
SCHOOL: Rollins College
Keith Holden’s introduction to baseball began with T-ball in Delaney Park. As he grew, his family moved to Winter Garden and he began playing for Winter Garden Little League at 7 years old until he was 12. Through the league, he met new people and had a different team every year, which helped in his development.
As the Little Leaguers grew together and got to know each other, Holden said the competition steadily rose because they all wanted to beat their friends.
Through playing high school ball at West Orange, Holden was on the same team as Nicholas Rich and Joshua
Bell. Being the youngest of the three, Holden watched the two graduate and announce their commitment to play at the college level, never thinking he’d play on the same team as them again. But now, through the Squeeze, the impossible turned into a reality.
“It’s very exciting because I’ve lived here for so long, and being able to represent my hometown feels good,” he said.
CAEL REISH
JERSEY NO: 18
YEAR: Sophomore
POSITION: Outfielder
SCHOOL: Flagler University
Cael Reish grew up a part of Winter Garden’s crosstown rival league, Windermere Little League. The league introduced him to different positions and ways to attack the ball and allowed him to create connections in Winter Garden and Windermere.
“I just fell in love with the game,” he said. “I didn’t really think that any other sport was really interesting to me as much. Baseball was just kind of everything, it gave me new openings in life and taught me valuable lessons that I can live by.”
He attended Montverde Academy but transferred to Mount Dora Christian Academy his senior year. There, he played 29 games, recording a .352 batting average, .429 OBP, 37 hits, 20 RBIs and 30 runs.
Returning to Winter Garden to play for the Squeeze, with many teammates
who Reish has known for years, has helped them instantly bring up their chemistry. Reish said chemistry is a huge part of the game, and being able to quickly adapt and grow together has made the transition easier.
NICHOLAS RICH
JERSEY NO: 35
YEAR: Senior
POSITION: Right-handed pitcher
SCHOOL: Embry-Riddle University
Nicholas Rich first picked up a bat in T-ball when he was 3 years old and never put it down. He joined the Winter Garden Little League and said it set the foundation for him. The league taught him all of the basics, like holding a bat, the technical rules and everything he needed to be a successful athlete, but it also taught him how to be a part of a team and work well with others.
As Rich grew, he quickly learned pitching would be his route. He fell in love with the motion and the mechanics of it. His freshman year of high school was at Windermere Preparatory School, but COVID-19 shut the season down and he joined TNLX Academy, which is where the Squeeze now practices. His junior year, he went to West Orange but reenrolled at TNLX to close out his high school career.
Returning to TNLX now as a collegiate player means a lot to him and it has been special to see how the academy has grown to now have turfed fields. Growing up he watched the Squeeze play and always would tell himself, “I want to be like them one day.”
Last season, his dream became a reality when he was selected for the Squeeze’s roster, but he struggled with injuries and was unable to play. This summer, Rich is injury-free and can’t wait to step onto the field to represent his hometown with his brothers with whom he grew up.
JACK SANCHEZ
JERSEY NO: 37
YEAR: Senior
POSITION: Left-handed pitcher
SCHOOL: Keiser University
Jack Sanchez grew up in Texas but came to Winter Garden in fourth grade and quickly joined the Winter Garden Little League. Like the others, it brought him an early love for the game but also quickly taught him that pitching was his strength. Sanchez said he never really could hit the ball, but his arm caught the attention of his coaches and they honed in on it. Those skills and training sessions translated over when he attended Windermere High. Sanchez played for Windermere’s 2023 team, which went to the regional finals, and as a senior pitcher he played 12 games with a .857 fielding percentage.
Sanchez went on to play for Palm Beach State and most recently transferred to Keiser University for his junior college season. He recorded his season high of five strikeouts against Webber International, adding to his 13 for the season in seven games.
Being a member of the Squeeze is allowing Sanchez to reunite with teammates he hasn’t talked to in five years.
Photo by Megan Bruinsma
Jack Sanchez, Joshua Bell, Rylee Gibson, Keith Holden, Cael Reish and Nicholas Rich have returned to their hometown from their various colleges to represent the Squeeze.
TEAM ROSTER
A hit through history
MEGAN
BRUINSMA STAFF WRITER
Editor’s Note: The information presented in this article was taken from artifacts found in the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation and previous stories published in the West Orange Times.
Early settlers of Winter Garden nestled themselves among the groves of oranges trees and natural habitats the land had to offer. They spent their days farming in the fertile lands surrounding Lake Apopka as well as fishing and boating in its pristine waters.
When Winter Garden officially was established as a city in 1908, it didn’t take long for those settlers to look for other outlets to spend their free time. Soon, the baseball diamond made its way to the orange groves.
The sounds of baseballs cracking against the wooden bats soon filled the streets of the city and paved the way for recreational activities in the city we all know and love today.
Looking at the present day, baseball is a thriving sport in not only Winter Garden but also the greater West Orange community as a whole. The Winter Garden, Dr. Phillips, Windermere and Ocoee little leagues all serve as the youth’s first introduction to a bat and glove. Those introductory lessons translate to the players’ success in the dominant high school ball programs, including West Orange and Windermere high schools, The First Academy, and academies such as TNLX in Ocoee.
But before we truly can understand why there is an abundance of high-level Little Leaguers, high school players and the Winter Garden Squeeze, which is the community’s summer collegiate baseball team, we must first understand from where it evolved.
ROOTED IN HISTORY
The Lake-Orange League, a semi-pro league that encompassed teams across Central Florida, found its way to Winter Garden’s sandlots in 1923. George Walker, would serve as mayor of Winter Garden from 1933 to 1939, managed the hometown Winter Garden team in 1924 and also served as the director of the entire circuit. All his team’s early games were played on local sandlots in the community.
The Winter Garden team finished the 1929 season as runners-up, losing in the championship game 3-2 to Winter Park. At one point in history, Winter Garden and Ocoee baseball teams fused together for one season to form “Winteco.” The crossover likely occurred sometime during the 1930s or early 1940s.
“Directors and officers of the LakeOrange Baseball League held a meeting at the Florida Power Corporation lounge Thursday night to study bylaws and regulations governing the operation of the forthcoming loop play,” the West Orange Times published in 1942.
“This year’s play will be based on a 35-game play divided into two halves. Winner of the first half will meet the winner of the second half at the end of the season in the league’s ‘Little World Series.’ First half of play will (comprise) 21 games for each team, with the opening day set for Sunday, May 5. Eight teams — (from) Tavares, Mount Dora, Eustis, Winter Garden, Winter Park, Zellwood and Apopka — will form the league.”
Winter Garden was one of Central Florida’s strongest baseball communities in its early days. Now the community is home to a local collegiate baseball summer league team.
Notable players for the league included Clifford R. Freeman, who became the mayor of Ocoee and an Orange County commissioner, and Vard Hager, who played for the league in the 1940s. Hager went on to play football, baseball and basketball for the University of Florida.
Once Walker became the mayor of Winter Garden, he worked toward raising funds to elevate the city. He secured funds from President Theodore Roosevelt’s New Deal to build projects such as the docks of Lake Apopka, a swimming pool and other facilities. But for baseball fans, his most important contribution from the $250,000 was developing Walker Field.
Those fields now house the Winter Garden Little League, Pop Warner football leagues and many other community events or leagues, but they first served as a venue for the 1930s players.
In 1936, the Albany Baseball Club trained at Walker Field as it was completed. In 1937, spring training in Winter Garden for the Baltimore Orioles International League began. Players from Rochester, New York, came down for the training.
BIG LEAGUE APPEARANCES
Major League Baseball made its way to Winter Garden in 1942. For the first time in the history of the big league spring exhibition games, leaders in both the American and National Leagues played in the heart of Central Florida.
“President Clark Griffith of the Washington Senators called to attention today to Central Florida baseball fans a 12-game major league baseball schedule, representing the cream of the crop in both the American and National Leagues, which will open at Tinker Field, Orlando, Monday March 9,” the West Orange Times published in 1942. “For the first time in the history of big league spring exhibition games, leaders in both leagues will play in the heart of Central Florida. The schedule follows: New York Americans, March 9; Cleveland Americans, March 10; Detroit Americans, March 15; Brooklyn Nationals, March 17; St.
Louis Americans, March 18; New York Nationals, March 19; Boston Americans, March 25; St. Louis Nationals, March 26; Boston Nationals, March 28; Cincinnati Nationals, March 31; Philadelphia Nationals, April 4 and 5. All games will be played at Tinker Field, Orlando, at 2:30 p.m.”
Those players stayed at the Edgewater Hotel.
Six years later, the Washington National Baseball School made its way to Walker Field and opened Jan. 28, 1948. The school welcomed 100 players on its opening day and 200 arrived by mid-week. The president of the school was Joe Engel, who also was the president of the Chattanooga Lookouts.
Engel was highly regarded in the baseball community, with a script of success in his past as a three-year, four-letter man at college and was given a fifth gold letter for the accomplishment. He wrote a letter dated back to Sept. 15, 1949, to Joe Pusateri of Ohio, reading:
“Trains run into Orlando, Florida, which is 12 miles east of Winter Garden. When you arrive on Jan. 4, go immediately to the Ball Park, where
free sleeping quarters will be assigned to you. … Each student must furnish the following: your baseball uniform, shoes, glove and other personal equipment.”
In 1956, Alvin Berry attended the school and reported that it was $100 for the four weeks. He attended Jan. 4, to Feb. 1.
The baseball schools later closed in the 1950s and the MLB hasn’t returned to the Winter Garden area since. That was until the founding of the Winter Garden Squeeze in 2014.
THE SQUEEZE
The Winter Garden Squeeze is West Orange’s hometown summer collegiate baseball team in the Florida Collegiate Summer League. The Squeeze competes against six other FCSL teams, including the Leesburg Lightning, Sanford River Rats, DeLand Suns, Orlando Snappers and Winter Park Diamond Dawgs.
The FCSL is a nonprofit the MLB partially funds and was founded in 2003. It is one of 12 leagues in the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball. The Florida League gives college ball players the opportunity to play wood bat baseball against high-level opponents and prepare their future careers in professional baseball. It is regarded as one of the top summer leagues in the United States by Baseball America.
In 2014, the Squeeze posted a 23-20 record, placing third
overall in its first season in the FCSL. General Manager Adam Bates started the franchise in honor of the deeply rooted history of baseball in Winter Garden. It’s an opportunity for local players and other Florida collegiate players to truly understand what it takes to play at the masters’ level.
Following the team’s inaugural season, the Squeeze has continued to find success within the dugout, aside from a temporary home field lapse in 2019 to 2021. The team returned to Winter Garden after overcoming COVID-19 and administrative changes, and played its home games at West Orange High in 2022. In the Squeeze’s first year back at West Orange, the lineup recorded a 13-19 record, followed by a 17-17 record, 21-12, and most recently 13-20 in 2025. As the team prepares for its next season, slated with 25 games, it will branch out from its traditional blue and orange colors, and opt for purple and orange in honor of its second year at Horizon High. The fresh lineup of 33 players includes some who have played for the Squeeze in the past and six players who call West Orange County their hometown. Its return marks a new opportunity for the collegiate baseball players to intertwine themselves deeper with the beloved sport of the area and provide an opportunity for the next generation of players to find their love for the game.
For generations, the crack of the bat has echoed through West Orange County. As the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation looks ahead to America’s 250th anniversary, we celebrate the deep roots, local legends, and community spirit that built our town.
Nothing says America quite like baseball.
Step up to the plate with the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation. Scan the QR code and discover our upcoming America 250 events, explore our archives, and help us keep our local heritage alive for the next generation.
