April 26, 2025
Back to Back to Back to Back to Back to Back to Back to Back to Back Champs! Bucs Win Ninth Straight Conference Title In Sweep of Titans
The script played out like a fairytale Saturday afternoon at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers, as after a pregame Sophomore Day ceremony to celebrate the 100+ win Bucs sophomore class of 2025 and the FSW Baseball team clinching a Conference Championship next door, the #2 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers continued their dominance in the Sunshine State, winning their ninth straight Conference Championship in an 8-2, 5-3 sweep of the #17 Eastern State Titans to improve to 47-5 on the year.
FORT MYERS, Fla.- The script played out like a fairytale Saturday afternoon at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers, as after a pregame Sophomore Day ceremony to celebrate the 100+ win Bucs sophomore class of 2025 and the FSW Baseball team clinching a Conference Championship next door, the #2 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers continued their dominance in the Sunshine State, winning their ninth straight Conference Championship in an 8-2, 5-3 sweep of the #17 Eastern State Titans to improve to 47-5 on the year.
The Bucs got off to a quick start in game one, scoring twice in the bottom of the 1st inning to jump in front of the Titans early 2-0.
Eastern Florida answered back with a pair of runs in the top of the 2nd and FSW left two in scoring position at the end of their half of the frame to keep it a 2-2 game to the 3rd.
The Bucs retook the lead in the bottom of the 3rd as Nicole Edmiaston drove home her second run of the game and another run scored on a Titan error to put FSW back in front 4-2.
The Titans defense continued to let them down in the 4th as FSW plated four runs after an Eastern error, two coming in on an RBI single from Edmiaston and two more on a Megan Veilleux single back up the middle to open the lead to 8-2.
From there it was the Leah Meyer show as the Bucs righthander mowed through the Titan lineup like a buzz saw, retiring the final eight hitters she faced to close out an 8-2 win for FSW in the opener.
Offensively Edmiaston and Veilleux did all the damage, combining for all seven of the Bucs RBIs in the win while both collecting a pair of hits at the plate. Meyer went the distance in the circle, scattering six hits and allowing just two runs, one earned, while striking out six to earn the win and improve to 17-1 on the year.
There were fireworks early in game two as Eastern Florida came out swinging, getting a two out, two run double in the top of the 1st to jump ahead of the Bucs 2-0 before they hit for the first time.
The Bucs answered right away though as Skylar Brennan made Eastern pay for a leadoff error with an RBI single to right and back to back doubles from Virginia Mambelli and Nicole Edmiaston gave FSW their first lead of the game at 3-2. Faith Wharton capped a four run frame for the Bucs with a sacrifice fly and after one action packed inning of play, FSW led Eastern Florida 4-2.
Things settled down from there as Bucs starter Lizzy Kwakernaak fired three straight 1-2-3 innings and the FSW offense was quieted by Titan pitching to keep it a 4-2 game into the 5th.
The Titans cut the Bucs lead in half with a pair of singles and a safety squeeze in the 5th to make it a 4-3 game but a leadoff walk turned into a run for FSW in the bottom half of the inning to make it a two run game once again at 5-3.
Eastern threatened in the 6th, putting their first two hitters on with singles, but they would get nothing else as Kwakernaak retired the next three hitters she faced to keep the Bucs in front 5-3.
Working out of the jam refocused Meyer as she took the ball again for the 7th to close things out and that she did, working a 1-2-3 frame to finish things off and give FSW a 5-3 win.
The sweep propels FSW to their ninth straight Conference Championship as the Bucs move to 47-5 overall and 33-5 in Citrus Conference play with two games left to go. Eastern Florida falls to 36-18 and drops into a muddy middle of the conference standings with a 21-15 mark with four games for them remaining.
The Bucs close out the regular season on Tuesday on the road in Clearwater when they take on St. Petersburg in a doubleheader beginning at 1 PM.