FORT MYERS, Fla. – The postseason accolades continue for the FSW softball team, as two student-athletes picked up Fastpitch News (FPN) All-American nods. Courtney Gettins and Marta Fuentes earned FPN NJCAA Division I First Team All-American and FPN NJCAA Division I Honorable Mention All-American honors, respectively.
Gettins, a 2016 FPN NJCAA D1 First Team All-American and 2016 FPN NJCAA D1 Pitcher of the Year, finished the season with a 35-1 record with three saves and a 1.46 ERA, while limiting the opposition to a .170 batting average. The 2017 Suncoast Conference Pitcher of the Year and 2017 FCSAA/Region 8 Pitcher of the Year followed a stellar rookie season with a great sophomore year performance and ranked among nation’s best in multiple categories. She led the nation wins (35), while ranking fourth in innings pitched (226.0), fifth in strikeouts (236), sixth in complete games (26) and 12th in ERA (1.46). In Suncoast Conference play, the Alabama bound Hawkes Bay, New Zealand native went 11-0 with a 0.84 ERA, while holding opponents to a .132 batting average.
Fuentes was huge for the Bucs this season in the leadoff position in the lineup. The speedy second baseman finished her sophomore campaign with 59 stolen bases, to rank first on the team and third in the NJCAA. The George Washington University signee hit .430 with 99 hits, 24 RBIs, 10 doubles and four triples. In Suncoast Conference play, Fuentes hit a team-best .456 and swiped a team-high 21 bases in league play
The Buccaneers finished the 2017 season with a 66-7 overall record (18-2 Suncoast Conference) and finished in third place at the NJCAA national Tournament in St. George, Utah. In two years of existence, head coach Robert Iamurri and his FSW softball program have won 119 games, two Suncoast Conference Championships, a FCSAA/Region 8 State Title and made back-to-back appearances at the NJCAA National Tournament.
2017 FASTPITCH NEWS NJCAA D1 ALL-AMERICAN SELECTIONS
Fastpitch News NJCAA DI 2017 Pitcher of the Year
Regan Mergele - Butler
Fastpitch News NJCAA DI 2017 Offensive Player of the Year
Isabella Navarro - Trinidad State
First Team Pitchers
- Regan Mergele, Butler
- Emily Oestreich, Lake Land
- Krystal Goodman, Chipola
- Morgan Goree, Chipola
- Courtney Gettins, Florida SouthWestern State
Second Team Pitchers
- Niki Gonzalez, San Jacinto-South
- Crystine Kistner, Midland
- Megan Garst, Shelton State
- Dalilah Barrera, Temple
- Shayne O’Connell, Central Florida
Honorable Mention
- Ashley Kriesel, Galveston
- Monique Ashley, Seward County
- Kaleigh Wynne, Chattanooga State
- Jordan Fortel, Walters State
- Savannah Rowell, Faulkner State
- Brieanna Brock, Iowa Western
- Colleen Bentke, Blinn
- Brittany Ledbetter, Wallace State
- Cori Cooper, Temple
- Morgan Cushman, Central Florida
First Team Offense All-Americans
- Isabella Navarro, Trinidad State
- Natalie David, Wabash Valley
- Brynn Minor, Butler
- Andrea Sotelo, Yavapai
- Madison Sisco, Salt Lake
- Jordan Fortel, Walters State
- Kaleigh Wynne, Chattanooga State
- Jaydee Boursaw, Yavapai
- Oakley Sisemore, Crowder
- Becca Schulte, Butler
Second Team Offensive All-Americans
- Raelynn Rios, Yavapai
- Paige Mendoza, Crowder
- Jasmine Wessel, Western Nebraska
- Macie Perrin, Weatherford
- Miranda Davis, Otero
- Lauren Oxford, Western Nebraska
- Alex Valencia, Salt Lake
- Jordan Davis, Seminole State (FL)
- Kaylynn Lopez, Howard (TX)
- Taylor Fogle, Odessa
Honorable Mention
- Ashlee Snyder, Salt Lake
- Savana Guidry, Lamar State-Port Arthur
- Samantha Valentine, Lake Land
- Madi Jackson, Western Nebraska
- Brianna Fickes, Georgia Highlands
- Brittany Holland, Central Arizona
- Jaycee Grimm, Grayson
- Kenzie Young, Butler
- Briana Paysinger, Tyler
- Kayla Martin, El Paso
- Brianna Moeller, Central Arizona
- Ashley Threatt, Columbia State
- Marta Fuentes, Florida SouthWestern State
- Monica Pepe, Louisburg
- Ki’Audra Hayter, Butler
- Michalyn Bingham, Indian River State
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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.