2021-2022 Florida SouthWestern Softball News
Florida SouthWestern two time NJCAA All-American Feline Poot has found her home for the final two years of her athletic and academic career as the Buccaneers National Championship shortstop will stay in South Florida after signing with NCAA Division II power Nova Southeastern University.
After winning an NJCAA South Atlantic District Championship with the Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers this season, sophomore outfielder Ava Worthy will join the reigning South Atlantic Conference Champion Anderson Trojans next season after signing with the Division II powerhouse Monday.
44 Florida SouthWestern student-athletes from all five teams were honored by the NJCAA, FCSAA, Suncoast and Southern Conferences for their work in the classroom this year on Monday as the group saw awards given for NJCAA All-Academic, Academic All-State, and Academic All-Conference accolades.
Florida SouthWestern sophomore will trade the digs of South Florida for South Texas next season after signing her National Letter of Intent to play at the University of Texas at San Antonio earlier this week.
Florida SouthWestern outfielder McKenzie Wittenberg will remain close to home for the final three years of her academic and athletic career as the All-Conference honoree has signed to play at Florida Gulf Coast University next season.
After an All-American season that included an NJCAA National Championship with the Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers, sophomore ace Baylee Haggard will take her talents across I-75 next season as she has signed to play at Florida Gulf Coast University.
Florida SouthWestern sophomore Sterre den Duijn finished off one heck of a trifecta on Wednesday as after earning 1st Team All-Conference accolades and winning her second straight NJCAA National Championship on the diamond, the Bucs third baseman was honored with sports’ ultimate achievement by being named a CoSIDA Academic All-American®, one of just nine two-year student-athletes across all sports to earn the award.
Following a pair of All-Conference seasons leading to NJCAA National Championships, Florida SouthWestern State sophomore Charlotte Drijvers has found her home for the final two years of her career as she has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Buccaneers Barry University in Miami next season.
For the fifth consecutive season, four Florida SouthWestern State Softball players were honored as NJCAA All-Americans on Tuesday as Baylee Haggard (First Team), Feline Poot (Second Team), Shenita Tucker (Third Team), and Laura Vigna (Third Team) were all named to the Nation's most prestigious squad.
Days after receiving NFCA All-South Region honors, a trio of Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers one upped themselves as they were named NFCA All-Americans in a release by the organization Friday afternoon.
Coming off of their second straight NJCAA National Championship, four Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers have been named to the NFCA All-South Region Team released on Monday. Staff ace Baylee Haggard, Feline Poot, Charlotte Drijvers, and Laura Vigna were all picked as 1st Team selections for the Bucs, making FSW the only team in the South Region with four 1st Team picks.
The Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers won their second straight NJCAA National Championship Saturday afternoon in Yuma, Arizona, beating #7 McLennan by scores of 4-2 and 7-6 to become the first team to fight back to win the tournament from the elimination bracket since Chattanooga State in 2012.
The #1 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers continued their dramatic run at the 2022 NJCAA National Tournament on Friday, hanging on to defeat #10 Chattanooga State 7-6 before coming from behind to stun #5 Odessa 5-4 in their second game of the day to punch their ticket to the National Championship game for the second consecutive season.
Ahead of Thursday night's elimination bracket quarterfinal between the #1 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers and the #2 Yavapai Roughriders, FSW Head Coach Robert Iamurri had a simple message for his team before they left the team hotel "It is going to be like a 10-8 game tonight, are we going to be the ones that have 10, or are we going to be the ones that have 8" the seventh year skipper said. The game didn't play out like Iamurri forecasted originally as it was a 3-2 game in favor of the Roughriders into the 6th but both teams found their swings and combined for seven runs in the inning to make it a 7-5 game with Yavapai on top. The Roughriders got two more in the 7th and it looked like the Bucs, and Iamurri's prediction was going to come up short as FSW found themselves down 9-6 and down to their last out of the game, but a two run single from Pallas Potter and a dropped fly ball by Yavapai in the outfield allowed the Bucs to score the equalizer and send the game to extras. After scoreless 8th and 9th frames from both sides, Iamurri's premonition came to fruition as Laura Vigna launched her first home run of the year deep and out to center to lead off the 10th to give FSW a 10-9 victory to push the Bucs onto the Final Four of the tournament Friday.
Just two outs away from clinching their trip to the NJCAA National Tournament winners bracket final, the #1 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers were stunned as the #5 Odessa Wranglers took advantage of their first and only real scoring chance of the game, getting a two run single in the bottom of the 7th to walk the Bucs off 2-1 and send FSW to the elimination bracket for the final three days of the tournament.
Belle Sardja fired a three hit shutout and super sophomore Pallas Potter came through with a clutch two out RBI single in the 6th inning to break a scoreless tie as the #1 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers blanked the #10 Chattanooga State Tigers 1-0 Wednesday to advance to the NJCAA National Tournament Quarterfinals.
