NJCAA National Rankings (April 6, 2016)
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Riding an impressive 18-game winning streak, the Florida SouthWestern State College softball team received the program’s first-ever appearance in the Marucci Sports National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Softball Rankings released on Wednesday (April 6). The Buccaneers, currently 40-11 overall and in first place in the Suncoast Conference with a 13-1 league mark, received 30 points to grab the No. 15 spot in the poll.
"Coach Iamurri and his team have worked extremely hard and I know it will be a surprise to many but I am truly not surprised,” said FSW Director of Athletics Carl McAloose. “It reflects well on our entire institution because everyone from President Allbritten on down have bought into our success. We couldn't be happier with our present situation but the future looks even brighter."
The Bucs, who received votes in last week’s NJCAA Division I national rankings and were No. 4 this week's NJCAA Region 8 Coaches’ Poll, are the lone Suncoast Conference team and one of five Region 8 teams appearing in the national rankings as Central Florida comes in at No. 1, Indian River State is ranked No. 3, Northwest Florida State holds the No. 4 spot and Chipola is ranked No. 20.
“We have achieved way more than we anticipated, but this is great recognition for our program and for the hard work this team has put in and it will not change our approach to everything we do,” head coach Robert Iamurri said. “Our team motto this season has been ‘Set the Standard’ (for future FSW players), and I feel like this group of student-athletes have embraced that motto and have used it to elevate their effort and productivity.”
As a team, the purple and aqua lead the nation in stolen bases (217) and are second in triples (27), but they also rank in the top 50 nationally in multiple categories, including runs (11th, 351), hits (11th, 459), RBIs (19th, 288), home runs (t-32nd, 32) and doubles (47th, 65).
The Bucs return to the field on Thursday, April 7 when they host St. Petersburg (23-22, 7-7 Suncoast Conference) in league action at City of Palms Park. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 5 p.m.
For more information on Buccaneer Athletics follow @FSWBucs on Twitter or log on to FSWBucs.com.
NJCAA Division I Softball Rankings
1. Central Florida
2. Tyler
3. Indian River State
4. Northwest Florida State
5. Salt Lake
6. Butler
7. McLennan
8. Galveston
9. Lake Land
10. Barton
11. Seminole State (OK)
12. Angelina
13. Southern Idaho
14. Walters State
15. Florida SouthWestern State
16. Eastern Arizona
17. Northeastern Oklahoma A&M
18. Yavapai
19. Indian Hills
20. Chipola
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 (set to be completed by 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
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.
For more information on Region 8 log on to www.TheFCSAASports.com.