FORT MYERS, Fla. – FSW Director of Athletics George Sanders announced that after a national search and more than 350 applicants, Ben Bizier has been selected as the Buccaneers’ new head baseball coach. Bizier, who replaces Jamie Corr, comes to Florida SouthWestern after spending nine seasons (5 as head coach, 4 as an assistant) with in-state foe Broward College.
"We are excited to add Ben Bizier as our new baseball coach,” said Sanders. “He brings experience as a head coach from the Florida two-year college system, and we feel that experience will pay dividends as the baseball team begins its fourth season of competition. Ben is a proven winner in the state and finding a replacement with FCSAA head coaching experience is a plus for FSW Baseball. We are excited about the future of our baseball program and feel that Ben will take us to the next level."
“My family and I are absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to be at FSW,” said Bizier. “What we have seen from the time the school brought back athletics, to the people I met during the interview process, it was clear to my wife and I how committed the support staff at FSW is to putting together a quality experience for the student-athletes.”
“I will continue to touch base with all of our returning and incoming players and then of course get the coaching staff in place. Ultimately, I have a lot of confidence in hitting the ground running because of the people who are already at FSW, I feel very welcomed and I know I will get the program where it needs to be, which is in the national spotlight.
After serving four seasons as an assistant coach for the Seahawks, Bizier took over the Broward College baseball program in the spring of 2013 and over the last five seasons he turned their program into one that is well-respected in the state of Florida. Bizier helped the Seahawks win 30+ games and secure the Southern Conference Championship in three of the last four seasons. A two-time Southern Conference Coach of the Year (2016, 2018) and the 2016 Futures Collegiate League Manager of the Year (Seacoast Mavericks), Bizier has had 13 players selected in the MLB Amateur draft and 65 out of 67 exiting Broward sophomores have either moved on to or committed to participation in intercollegiate athletics with four-year universities or colleges.
THE BIZIER FILE
June 2018 – Present | Head Coach, Florida SouthWestern
April 2013 – June 2018 | Head Coach, Broward College
Oct. 2015 – Sept. 2016 | Head Coach, Seacoast Mavericks (Futures Collegiate League, Portsmouth, NH)
Aug. 2009 – April 2013 | Assistant Coach, Broward College
March 2010 – Present | Founder/Owner/Operator, South Florida Breakers Developmental Baseball Organization
March 2014 – Present | Founder/Owner/Operator, FloridaProspect Baseball Showcase Organization
May 2007 – Aug. 2009 | Head Coach/GM, Bundesliga Baseball -- Pulheim Gophers Baseball Club, Pulheim, Germany
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT BIZIER
Ben was did a fantastic job as an assistant coach for us and when he took over our program as the head coach he continued to do a great job for us. He will be missed at Broward College and I believe that FSW has made a great choice in hiring him to lead their program.
- Bob Deutschman
Athletic Director, Broward College
Ben Bizier is an excellent hire for FSW! He brings energy, knowledge, competitiveness and proven success. He has won in Florida and can recruit the state, the southeast and the Caribbean. I am excited for the future of Bucs baseball
- Steve Singleton
Assistant Coach, Fort Myers Miracle
Former FSW Bucs Assistant Coach (2016)
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FLORIDA SOUTHWESTERN
The Florida SouthWestern State College athletic program is a member of the Florida College System Athletic Association (FCSAA) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The Buccaneers are one of 25 schools in the NJCAA Region 8 and are one of six schools in the Suncoast Conference. Florida SouthWestern State College currently supports four intercollegiate athletic programs (Baseball, Softball, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball), with Volleyball coming in the fall of 2017.
Baseball and Softball began their regular season competition in 2016 at the City of Palms Park in Fort Myers. Located on the Thomas Edison (Lee) Campus in Fort Myers will be the brand new Suncoast Credit Union Arena (completed in fall 2016), where FSW’s men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams will compete.
THE NJCAA
The movement to form a unique sports association dedicated to America’s two-year colleges arose in 1937 when several track and field coaches gathered in Fresno, California. A year later, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rejected a petition from 13 two-year colleges in California to grant their teams and athletes permission to compete at the NCAA Track & Field Championships.
In the spring of 1938, following the NCAA’s rejection, those same 13 two-year colleges gathered again in Fresno to organize and form an association that would promote and supervise a national athletics program exclusively for junior and community colleges…and the rest is history.
On May 14, 1938, the first constitution of the National Junior College Athletic Association was accepted by its charter members and the organization held its first national championship event a year later in May 1939.
The NJCAA has played a vital role in collegiate athletics for the past eight decades and continues to be the leader in championing academic and athletic opportunities for student-athletes. This section of the association's website is dedicated to celebrating the NJCAA's rich history and tradition as the national governing body of two-year college athletics.
For more information on the NJCAA log on to www.NJCAA.org.
THE FCSAA
The Florida College System Activities Association, Incorporated (FCSAA) is a statewide non‑profit corporation regulating, coordinating, and promoting intercollegiate activities in: Athletics, Brain Bowl, Forensics, Music, Student Government, Student Publications, and Theatre.
Membership in the Florida College System Activities Association is open to any of the 28 colleges in the Florida College System. Each member institution is represented in the policy‑making deliberations of the Association through that institution's President or other designated representative. The institutional representatives constitute the FCSAA Presidents Assembly, the ultimate authority in FCSAA.
For more information on the FCSAA log on to www.TheFCSAA.com.
NJCAA REGION 8, THE SUNCOAST CONFERENCE & THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
Member colleges of the NJCAA are allotted to a specific NJCAA Region upon membership to the association. Unlike other collegiate organizations that defer to conference affiliation, the NJCAA guarantees each member college's membership within the regional structure of the association. In most cases, region assignment is based upon geographic location of the college.
The region structure of the NJCAA is the primary method used by all sponsored sports of the association in determining qualification for national championship tournaments. In certain sports, two or more regions are partnered to form a competition 'district', which is then used for national championship qualification. The organization of districts varies per sport and is formulated every two years under the authority of the association's board of directors.
FSW is in Region 8 and is joined by ASA College Miami (Region 8 only; non-FCSAA member), Broward College, Chipola College, College of Central Florida, Daytona State College, Eastern Florida State College, Florida State College at Jacksonville, Gulf Coast State College, Hillsborough Community College, Indian River State College, Lake-Sumter State College, Miami Dade College, Northwest Florida State College, Palm Beach State College, Pasco-Hernando State College, Pensacola State College, Polk State College, Santa Fe College, Seminole State College of Florida, South Florida State College, St. Johns River State College, St. Petersburg College, State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota and Tallahassee Community College.
The Bucs are also in the Suncoast Conference with Hillsborough Community College, Polk State College, South Florida State College, St. Petersburg College and State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota.
The women’s basketball program is Southern Conference with Broward College, Eastern Florida State College, Indian River State College, Miami Dade College and Palm Beach State College.
For more information on Region 8 log on to www.TheFCSAASports.com.