FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida SouthWestern State College softball was one of three highly successful programs honored by the NFCA as NJCAA Division I Regional Coaching Staffs of the Year, announced the Association Monday afternoon.
Repeat national champion Butler Community College was voted by its NFCA peers as the top team in the West Region, while FSW earned South Region accolades and San Jacinto-South College garnered recognition in the East Region.
Under the direction of head coach Robert Iamurri and his assistants Karla Powell and Kellie Quarles, the Buccaneers finished the 2017 season with a 66-7 overall record (18-2 Suncoast Conference). The Bucs captured their second straight Suncoast Conference title and won the program’s first FCSAA/Region 8 State title. FSW won three elimination games on May 19 at the NJCAA Division I Championship, before falling to national runner-up Salt Lake (3-1) on Championship Saturday to take third place. Coach Iamurri and his staff led the Buccaneers to win streaks of 10, 14 and 33 games this season en route to earning South Region honors.
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.
The Bucs, who finished the 2016 season with 274 stolen bases and led the nation at every level (NCAA DI, NCAA DII, NCAA DIII, NJCAA, NAIA), finished the 2017 campaign with 282 stolen bases to rank second in the country behind Chipola (350). The Buccaneers lead the NJCAA in wins (66), shutouts (30) and hits (782), but they also rank in the top 20 nationally in multiple categories, including opponent batting average (3rd; .195), ERA (8th; 1.46), runs (11th; 500), walks (13th; 196), triples (14th; 21), total bases (16th; 984) and batting average (17th; .378).
Having earned NFCA NJCAA Division I Regional Coaching Staff of the Year honors, these three coaching staffs (Butler, FSW, San Jac) are now eligible for the NFCA's National Coaching Staff of the Year award, which will be announced on June 9.
EAST REGION | SAN JACINTO-SOUTH
Overall: 40-25 (18-6 Conference)
Head Coaches: Kelly Saenz
Assistant Coaches: Kelsey Walters, Selena Reyna, Carie Mueller
WEST REGION | BUTLER COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Overall: 58-1 (24-0 Conference)
Head Coaches: Doug Chance
Assistant Coaches: Zack Sigler, Jeff Filali, Matt Sanders
SOUTH REGION | FLORIDA SOUTHWESTERN STATE COLLEGE
Overall: 66-7 (18-2 Conference)
Head Coaches: Robert Iamurri
Assistant Coaches: Karla Powell, Kellie Quarles
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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.