NJCAA NATIONAL TOURNAMENT | TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
NJCAA NATIONAL TOURNAMENT BRACKET
WHEN: May 18-21
WHERE: St. George, Utah (Canyons Complex)
VIDEO: Games 27-31 will be available online on NJCAA TV
LIVE STATs: St. George Recreation Website

ST. GEORGE, UTAH – With the third most wins (52) of any team in the field, the Florida SouthWestern State College softball team earned the No. 5 seed in the 16-team, double-elimination National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Tournament, as announced by the Selection Committee on Monday. The Buccaneers, who hold a 54-12 record on a season, will face No. 12 San Jacinto-South (TX) in first round action on Wednesday, May 18 at 7:00 p.m. ET in St. George, Utah at the Canyons Complex.

With a win, the Bucs will move on in the winner's bracket to face the winner of the No. 4 Butler (48-4)/No. 13 Howard (44-15), and with a loss, FSW will face the loser of the Butler/Howard matchup.

Under the leadership of 2016 Suncoast Conference Coach of the Year Robert Iamurri, the Purple and Aqua 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. Iamurri also led FSW to a 24-game winning streak that spanned from March 10 through April 30.

The team, which was ranked No. 11 in the final Marucci Sports NJCAA Division I Softball Rankings, currently have 264 stolen bases, which leads the nation at every level (NCAA DI, NCAA DII, NCAA DIII, NJCAA, NAIA). Through games played on May 11, the Buccaneers led the NJCAA in stolen bases and were third in triples (32), but they also ranked in the top 55 nationally in multiple categories, including runs (t-22nd, 447), hits (23rd, 614), RBIs (26th, 382), home runs (53rd, 40), batting average (54th, .340) and doubles (56th, 83). During the regular season, FSW led the Suncoast Conference in triples and stolen bases, while also finishing in the top 5 in hits (2nd), runs (3rd), doubles (4th) and RBIs (4th).

Courtney Gettins, the 2016 Suncoast Conference Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-Conference and All-State selection, leads the Bucs pitching staff. Gettins is currently 38-4 with three saves and a 1.49 ERA, while limiting the opposition to a .197 batting average. She earned Region 8 Pitcher of the Week honors on four occasions this season and NJCAA Division I Pitcher of the Week honors once. Gettins' performance this season has her amongst the nation's best in multiple categories. As of May 11, she led the nation in innings pitched (268.1), wins (38), complete games (34) and games started (31), while ranking third in strikeouts (266) and 16th 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.

FSW's offense is led by Suncoast Conference's First Team selections, Molly Roark, Marta Fuentes, Mikayla Werahiko, Kayla Rangiawha and Criza Bulanadi and Second Team selections Hollianne Dohrn and Graysen Gladden.

Roark, who earned Region 8 Player of the Week honors once this season (Feb. 23), is hitting .363 and leads the Bucs with 13 home runs and is tied for the team lead with 58 RBIs. Roark also has 70 hits and 14 doubles on the season. During conference action, she hit .381 with three homers and drove in 23 runs.

Werahiko is hitting .347 with five homers, seven doubles and 52 RBI. The Christchurch, New Zealand native also recorded eight triples on the season, which ranked t-10th in the NJCAA and t-2nd in Region 8/FCSAA. During league play, she hit. 386 with a pair of round-trippers, five triples and 17 runs batted in.

Fuentes and Bulanadi have been huge for the Bucs this season. The speedy duo has a combined 114 stolen bases, with Bulanadi's 60 ranking her third in the nation and Fuentes' 54 ranking her seventh in the NJCAA. Fuentes is hitting .415 with 26 RBIs, 13 doubles, a pair of doubles and even showed that slappers can hit for power with her two home runs. Bulanadi has 70 hits (one double) and 20 RBI to go with her .366 batting average and .440 on-base percentage.

Rangiawha spent time behind the plate, at first base and as designated player this season for the Bucs. The Wellington, New Zealand native is hitting .396 with 11 doubles, two triples and nine homers to go with a team-leading 58 RBIs. She appeared in 12 of 20 conference games and hit .448.

Dohrn and Gladden were the lone Bucs on the All-Conference Second Team. Dohrn started the season as the designated player but has seen most of her action at first base. A transfer from NCAA Division II Flagler, Dohrn is hitting .352 with a team-high 17 doubles (t-5th in the Region), five triples and six home runs. She's also racked up 46 RBIs, 31 stolen bases and has a slugging percentage of .585. The Lake City, Fla. native hit .362 with six doubles, a triple and a homer to go with 13 RBI in Suncoast Conference play. Gladden has tallied 51 hits, eight doubles, a team-high eight triples and one homer. The Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. native has also recorded 38 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. In conference games, Gladden hit .373 with 12 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.

San Jacinto-South (TX) enters the NJCAA Tournament with a record of 36-23. As a team, San Jacinto-South ranks in the top 55 nationally in hits (519; 55th) and home runs (40; 53rd), while hitting .331 as a squad. Katlin Kerl leads the team with a .426 batting average, while Gabby Gonzalez leads the team in homers (9) and RBIs (45). Niki Gonzalez leads the pitching staff with a 24-8 record and a 1.86 ERA.

Butler (KS) is 48-4 overall (23-1 in conference) and have won 33 consecutive games. Butler ranks seventh in the country in doubles (134), while ranking in the top 10 in batting average (.389; 9th) and stolen bases (132; 10th). Butler also ranks second in the NJCAA in batting average against, holding opponents to just .218. Butler has seven players hitting .400 or better, led by Morgan Bohanan's .504. Becca Schulte leads the team with 13 homers and 66 RBIs. Regan Mergele and Jennifer Hittinger lead the pitching staff with records of 23-3 (1.49 ERA) and 21-1 (1.76 ERA), respectively.

Howard (TX) enters the NJCAA Tournament with a record of 44-15 and riding a 9-game winning streak. Howard sits third in the country in home runs with 87 homers, while also ranking sixth in extra base hits (231) and RBIs (483). Lusi Stanley leads the team with a .441 batting average to go with 18 home runs and 71 RBIs. Howard has five players with 10+ homers, led by Kaylynn Lopez's 21. Celeste Villagrana leads the pitching staff with a 16-0 record and a 3.47 ERA.

For more information on Buccaneer Athletics follow @FSWBucs on Twitter or log on to FSWBucs.com and for more information on the NJCAA follow @NJCAA or check out NJCAA.org.

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.