The Lima Locos have put together their 2012 roster as they look to open up the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League next Friday, June 8 at home against rival Grand Lake Mariners. The Locos are defending champions after a 2-1 victory over Southern Ohio in Game 2 of the GLSCL Championship in Athens.

Of the players of the 2011 championship team, there are three returners. Outfielders Cesar Loiz (UNOH) and Taylor Pickens (Morehead State) both return for the Locos as well as Infielder and Shawnee High School Alum Garrett Black (Ohio).

Also of note, for the 2012 season, the Locos have added Infielder John Simindinger from Ohio Dominican, who is a Bath High School Alum.

Here is the 2012 Locos Roster

Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Click HERE to go to WIMA website and listen to interview with Todd Walker and Daniel Furuto.

Daniel Furuto takes over as Head Coach of Lima Locos

Lima, OH (TW) _ Daniel Furuto, a native of Birmingham, Ala., has accepted an offer to become the eighth Head Coach of the Lima Locos. He is the first man to helm the team after formerly playing for the Locos.

Furuto was a popular outfielder for the club in 2007, helping the Locos claim the Great Lakes League Regular Season Title with a record of 26-12. He was named Second Team All League, hitting .295 with 5 HR.

His season in Lima came in the midst of his playing days at the University of Montevallo in Alabama. As a four year starter (2005-08), Furuto was a career .330 hitter, finishing among the school's all-time leaders in career, season and single-game home runs and hits.

Furuto collected a pair of Second Team All-Gulf South Conference nods during his collegiate career, making the list as an outfielder in 2006 and as a first baseman in 2008.

Also a four-time academic all-conference performer, Furuto led Montevallo to its first Division II College World Series appearance and a No. 3 final national ranking in 2006. Furuto garnered South Central Regional Tournament MVP honors to propel the Falcons into the College World Series that season.

The following season, the Falcons notched a school record for wins, closing out 2007 with a 47-17 mark, and a South Central Regional championship game appearance.

Furuto received his B.S. in mathematics from Montevallo in 2008, with a minor in kinesiology.

Following his collegiate playing days, he joined the coaching ranks, returning to his Alma Mater, Briarwood Christian School. He coached the varsity and junior varsity as an assistant from 2008-10. Along side head coach Lee Hall, Briarwood recorded its best record in school history at 31-9, finishing as the 5A state runner-up with a .350 team batting average and a school record in home runs. In his second season as an assistant with Briarwood, the squad posted a 23-11 mark and captured the area championship.

Furuto also worked with the Diamond Club School of Baseball in Birmingham, working with professional baseball players Jarrod Patterson and Keith Whatley in the fall of 2008.

His latest stop is at Campbell Universtiy where he served as a Volunteer Assistant Coach in 2011. He will continue in that position this coming spring.

Furuto served as an assistant coach for the Locos in 2009 under Head Coach Rob Livchak. He was promoted by new Head Coach Gene Stechschulte, serving as associate head coach in 2010.

With the Locos, Furuto aided the team to a 46-29 record in two seasons, including a 28-8 2009 mark and a regular season championship. In the summer of 2010, Lima finished 18-21, closing the year with a 17-13 record over their final 30 games.

The Locos are coming off a Great Lake League Championship in 2011. After a 28-14 regular season, Lima entered the playoffs as North Division Champions and the #2 overall seed.

After losing Game 1 of the best of 3 semifinal series at Licking County, Lima took Games 2 and 3 at Simmons Field to advance to the Championship Series vesus top-seeded Southern Ohio.

Lima won Game 1, 9-2 at home and won Game 2, 2-1 in Athens to claim the franchise’s third GLSCL Championship (1993 and 2004).

Following the season, Gene Stechschulte stepped down as Locos Coach, citing the desire to free up his summer to spend more time with his young family.

Locos Head Coaches

1987               Fred Hattery

1988-89         Darren Mazeroski

1990               Roger Ingles

1991-1994     Rob Livchak

1995               David Martin (First Half)

                        Rob Livchak (Second Half)

1996               Rob Livchak

1997-1999     Erick Hagen

2000-2009     Rob Livchak

2010-2011     Gene Stechschulte

(Some Furuto biographical information contributed by Campbell University Sports Information)

ATHENS, Ohio - The Locos finished off the season right by winning the GLSCL Championship over the regular season's best team, the Southern Ohio Copperheads. Lima won the first game of the three game series 9-2 at Simmons Field, then took the Championship sweep by defeating the Copperheads 2-1 at Bob Wren Stadium in Athens. It is the Locos third championship (1993, 2004) and they now take the all time lead in the GLSCL for championships, edging out Cincinnati who has two.

Game 1 at Simmons Field Southern Ohio jumped out to an early advantage by loading up the bases in the first, but the Locos would get out of the jam and take an early 1-0 lead as Connor Hudnall would hit a two out single and then come around to score as Andy Chriscaden would have a triple. Later the Copperheads would jump out to a 2-1 lead, but the Locos would come back with eight unanswered runs to win Game 1 of the Championship series 9-2.

Chriscaden led the day on batting, going 2 for 4 with a double and triple and three RBI. Will Arnold would also have a triple and an RBI. Hudnall added in two RBI as he went 2 for 4. Taylor Pickens would also tack on an RBI. Brilliant fielding and defense saved the day as well as there were several great plays by Garrett Black and Cesar Loiz throughout the playoffs.

Catlan Kendrick (5-1) had the start for the Locos and would pitch five innings. He would allow five hits with two runs, (one earned). He had one strikeout and four walks. Adam Tyson (0-1, 2 saves)would come and pitch 1.2 innings and would pick up the win, his first on the season. He allowed no runs of one hit and had two strikeouts and one walk. Travis Kottenbrock (1-0, 1 save) would have 0.1 inning of relief allowing just one hit. Taylor Braun (2-2) would close out the game with the final two innings. He would allow just two hits with no runs and three strikeouts and two walks.

The Locos would head down to Bob Wren Stadium on the campus of Ohio University in Athens for Game 2 of the Championship Series. Lima was swept in a double header down at Southern Ohio earlier in the season 6-3, 13-1. It was the only time the two teams met in the regular season. Early troubles would have the Copperheads take advantage with a 1-0 lead after one inning of play, but the Locos would strike back as in the third inning a Dustin Dunlop groundout would score Cesar Loiz to even things up at one. Then in the fifth inning, Matt Morse was at the plate to try a hit and run with Will Arnold at second and Loiz at first. However Morse would swing and miss, but Copperhead catcher Joel Fisher would try to throw out Arnold trying to get to third. The throw was a bad one however, and Arnold would score and Loiz would get to third on the error. This would give the Locos the 2-1 lead and that was all they needed to bring home their third championship.

Zach Helewski (4-2) had the start for Lima and would pitch 4.1 innings. He allowed just three hits with one earned run. He would post three strikeouts and four walks. Adam "Smooth" Clark (4-0, 5 saves) would come in to close out the game with 4.2 innings of shutout baseball. He had one strikeout and one intentional walk. He would also pick up the win.

The Locos finished the regular season with a 28-14 record and went 4-1 in the playoffs to finish 32-15 on the entire year. Lima finished the season ranked #17 in Perfect Game USA.

The GLSCL Champion Lima Locos finished #17 in the nation according to Perfect Game USA. The Locos were ranked #22 previously in the year.