FORT MYERS, Fla. – FSW softball pitcher Courtney Gettins, the most decorated student-athlete in FSW Athletics’ short history, has signed her National Letter of Intent to play at a highly successful NCAA Division I institution. Gettins has inked an NLI with the University of Alabama from the Southeastern Conference.
Gettins will join the Crimson Tide for the 2017-18 academic year. Alabama, currently 39-13 (11-9 SEC), has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 18-straight seasons, a streak that stretches back to 1999. The Crimson Tide also made their 11th Women’s College World Series appearance in 2016, its fourth trip in the last five years.
Last weekend, the Hawkes Bay, New Zealand native led the Bucs to their first-ever FCSAA State Championship and secured a spot in the 2017 NJCAA Division I Softball Championship (May 17-20; St. George, Utah). This season, the reigning Suncoast Conference and FCSAA State Pitcher of the Year is undefeated (31-0) and owns a 0.96 ERA over 197.2 innings pitched with 198 strikeouts and just 33 walks.
Gettins, the 2016 recipient of the Dudley® NJCAA DI Softball Pitcher of the Year award, had a phenomenal freshman season and was huge in FSW’s run to the 2016 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 record with three saves and a 1.45 ERA, while limiting the opposition to a .202 batting average. Gettins’ performance during her rookie season ranked her among nation’s best in multiple categories. She led the nation in innings pitched (303.1), wins (39), complete games (37) and games started (44), while ranking third in strikeouts (289) and 13th in ERA (1.45). In conference play, she went 19-1 with a 0.62 ERA, while holding opponents to a .162 batting average.
In the summer of 2016, the FSW ace represented New Zealand at the World Cup of Softball XI (July 5-10) at the ASA Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City, Okla. and also at the 2016 Women's Softball World Championship in Surrey, B.C. At the World Softball Championship, she finished the event with a 1-1 record. Her lone win was a one-hit victory over Kenya (July 15), in which she pitched 3.0 innings and struck out seven batters. She earned a no-decision in a nine inning win (8-7) over Italy (July 17). In her third start, she pitched 2.1 innings and took the loss as New Zealand fell to the Netherlands 8-2 in the Championship Playoff (July 22). Overall, Gettins pitched 13.0 innings, surrendered 12 hits and 11 runs (six earned), recorded 10 strikeouts and had a 3.23 ERA in three starts during the tournament.
For the latest information on Alabama softball, follow the team on Twitter (@AlabamaSB) and Instagram (BamaSB), as well as Facebook at Alabama Softball.
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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.