FORT MYERS, Fla.- After winning an NJCAA National Championship in Alabama last season, Florida SouthWestern sophomore Esmee Ames will be headed back to the Heart of Dixie as she has signed her National Letter of Intent to play for Troy University next season.

Ames has had a big sophomore campaign for the Bucs, going 20-5 with a team high six saves.  She has logged 125 1/3 innings in the circle, striking out 129 and posting a 1.95 ERA across 36 appearances.  Ames was recently named both a 1^st Team All-Citrus Conference performer as well as a 2^nd Team FCSAA All-State selection for the Bucs. She was twice named the FCSAA Pitcher of the Week this season, most recently in the final week of the regular season when she went 2-0 in 11 shutout innings of work in wins over Hillsborough and Eastern Florida.

Ames ranks in the Top 10 in FSW history in wins (21), appearances (46), innings pitched (140 1/3), and strikeouts (147).

In two seasons with the Bucs Ames has helped FSW to a 108-13 overall record, a pair of Conference Championships, an FCSAA State Championship in 2023, and an NJCAA National Championship last season.

Ames will join a Troy squad coming off of a 34-22 campaign in 2024, going 13-11 in Sun Belt Conference action.

Ames is one of six Bucs inked to head to the next level in 2024-2025, joining teammates Sydney McCray (Grand Canyon), Sietske Drijvers (Mercer), Lea Chevrier (Miami-OH), Jenna Teakert (Eastern Illinois), and Ella Moore (Georgian Court).

The Bucs will find out their World Series fate on Tuesday at 1 PM during the NJCAA Selection Show as they see if their 2024 performance was enough to earn an at-large bid to next week's World Series in Oxford, Alabama.