The Victoria Generals added two players from Florida International on Wednesday.  Rudy Flores and Justin Cromartie, both juniors at FIU, will take the field for the Generals this summer.
“FIU is a great program in the Sun Belt Conference under the leadership of Turtle Thomas, one of the most respected coaches in the college ranks,” commented Victoria’s general manager, Blake Koch. “We’re excited to have Rudy and Justin join our team as we set out on a quest to win another TCL championship in 2012.”

Rudy Flores, a native of Corpus Christi, has already put up big numbers during his freshman and sophomore seasons at FIU. As a freshman, Flores was named a PING! Baseball Third-Team Freshman All-American as a first baseman after hitting .357 on the season with two doubles, one triple, five home runs, 23 RBIs, and 21 runs scored. As a sophomore, Flores hit .291 with 21 doubles, eight home runs, 52 RBIs, and 36 runs scored.

Flores spent last summer in the Cape Cod Baseball League playing for the Orleans Firebirds. During the summer of 2010, Flores was a member of the Haymarket Senators of the Valley League where he was named the 5^th best prospect in the league according to Baseball America.

Flores had a stellar prep career at Moody High School in Corpus Christi before choosing to go out-of-state to attend FIU after receiving interest from several of the top colleges in Texas, including Texas A&M, Rice, Baylor, Texas, and TCU.

“Rudy is a special player that has a very good shot at getting drafted this summer,” stated Koch. “We expect Rudy to see time at first base, third base, and in the designated hitter role for the Generals this summer.”

Joining Flores in Victoria will be FIU teammate Justin Cromartie. The 6’5”, 210 pound left-handed pitcher will be taking a medical redshirt this season at FIU due to a shoulder injury that he suffered last spring. Cromartie is expected to make a full recovery and be ready to take the mound again this summer.

Cromartie appeared in four games last season for FIU and posted a 3.00 ERA before being shut down for the year due to the injury.

A native of Mandeville, Louisiana, Cromartie transferred to FIU after spending his freshman and sophomore seasons at the University of New Orleans.

“Justin will be able to come in this summer and get a lot of game experience after having a year off following his injury,” said Koch. “He’s a big guy that has a high ceiling in terms of his potential.”