NFCA NJCAA Division I All-Region Teams
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The postseason accolades continue for the FSW softball team, as three student-athletes picked up National Fastpitch Coaches' Association (NFCA) All-Region nods the Association announced Friday, May 27. Courtney Gettins, Marta Fuentes and Molly Roark all earned NFCA NJCAA Division I First Team All-South Region honors.
Ninety-four student-athletes representing 46 programs received 2016 NFCA NJCAA DI All-Region accolades. The All-Region awards honor softball student-athletes from the Association’s three regions with first- and second-team recognitions. NFCA member coaches from each region voted on the teams, and all honorees are now eligible for the 2016 NFCA NJCAA Division I All-American squads.
Gettins was outstanding all season long and was huge in FSW’s run to the NJCAA National Tournament. She pitched every inning in Suncoast Conference play, all but one game at the FCSAA State Tournament and every inning of the national tournament, including the 15 inning loss to eventual national champion Butler. The Suncoast Conference Pitcher of the Year finished the season with a 39-6 with three saves and a 1.49 ERA, while limiting the opposition to a .205 batting average. She led the nation in innings pitched (296.1), wins (39), complete games (37) and games started (44), while ranking third in strikeouts (284) and 13th in ERA (1.49). In conference play, the Hawkes Bay, New Zealand native and went 19-1 with a 0.62 ERA, while holding opponents to a .162 batting average.
Fuentes was huge for the Bucs this season in the leadoff position in the lineup. The speedy second baseman finished her rookie campaign with 55 stolen bases, to rank second on the team and seventh in the NJCAA. Fuentes hit .405 with 27 RBIs, 13 doubles, a pair of triples and even showed that slappers can hit for power with her two home runs.
Roark, who earned Region 8 Player of the Week honors once this season (Feb. 23), hit .350 and led the Bucs with 14 home runs and 63 RBIs. Roark finished with 75 hits and 16 doubles on the season. During conference action, she hit .381 with three homers and drove in 23 runs.
No. 11 FSW finished the season with a 53-16 overall record, secured the program’s first-ever Suncoast Conference Championship with a 19-1 mark in conference play, won the District H Championship and locked up the program's first berth to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I National Tournament by finishing as the runner-ups at the FCSAA State Tournament. The Bucs won one game at the NJCAA National Tournament in St. George, Utah before being eliminated on day two of the event.
For more information on Buccaneer Athletics follow @FSWBucs on Twitter or log on to FSWBucs.com.
NFCA NJCAA D1 ALL-REGION
First-team
Pitchers: Ilona Andringa (Chipola), Courtney Gettins (Florida Southwestern State College), Kalen McGill (College of Central Florida)
Catchers: Hannah Sparks (Northwest Florida State College), Molly Roark (Florida Southwestern State College)
Infielders: Brooke Barlow (College of Central Florida), Marta Fuentes (Florida Southwestern State College), Keala Cordeiro (Gulf Coast State College), Nalleli Lopez (Chipola), Caeley Nix (College of Central Florida)
Outfielders: Kelsee Cullop (College of Central Florida), Mariah Wise (College of Central Florida), Dana Edmundson (Chipola), Eloise Tribolet (Gulf Coast State College)
Designated Player: Savannah McHellon (Northwest Florida State College)
Utility: Morgan Williams (Seminole State College of Florida)
Second-team
Pitchers: Allison Mitts (Gulf Coast State College), Gabrielle Kespelher (Faulkner State Community College), Nikkie Kovalsky (St. Petersburg College)
Catchers: Elisa Cecchetti (Tallahassee Community College), Caitlin Parks (Georgia Highlands College), Bri Bennett (Lake Sumter State College)
Infielders: Paige Johnson (Northwest Florida State College), Marissa Hancock (Snead State Community College), Maddie Blair (Tallahassee Community College), Lillie McCrary (Chattanooga State Community College), Maddy Labrador (Spartanburg Methodist College)
Outfielders: Shannon Bell (Hillsborough Community College), Mariana Pereira (Northwest Florida State College), Morgan Burbage (Shelton State Community College), Taylor Corbett (Gulf Coast State College)
Designated Player: Madison Ragan (Chipola)
Utility: Carlee Thurmond (Georgia Highlands College)
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.