FORT MYERS, Fla.- After playing in 104 games over the past two seasons for the Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers, sophomore Maddy Golka will be headed to the Palmetto State next season after signing with Francis Marion University. 

Golka was a .345 career hitter for the Bucs, helping FSW to a pair of Conference Championships and an NJCAA National Championship as a freshman in 2023.  She racked up 80 career hits and accounted for 101 runs with 52 scored and 49 driven in in her Buccaneer career. As a sophomore this season she was a 1^st Team All-Conference selection, popping 14 doubles and driving in 31 while hitting .349 and reaching base at a .467 clip. Also a standout in the classroom, Golka was a two-time NJCAA All-Academic Team selection while earning CSC Academic All-District honors as a sophomore in 2024. In her two seasons with the Bucs, Golka helped lead FSW to a 111-15 overall record.

Golka joins a Francis Marion squad coming off of their second straight 40 win season in 2024. The Patriots finished 47-13 overall won the Conference Carolinas Championship to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.

Golka is one of nine Bucs headed to the next level in 2024-2025, joining teammates Sydney McCray (Grand Canyon), Esmee Ames (Troy), Sietske Drijvers (Mercer), Lea Chevrier (Miami-OH), Paige Lassiter (UTEP), Jenna Teakert (Eastern Illinois), D'Yani McKinley (Prairie View A&M), and Ella Moore (Georgian Court).