FCSAA STATE TOURNAMENT | TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
FCSAA STATE TOURNAMENT BRACKET
WHEN: May 3-6, 2018
WHERE: Boombah Soldiers Creek Park (Longwood, Fla.)
TICKETS (DAY PASSES): $10.00 for adults, $5.00 for students and children
TICKETS (TOURNAMENT PASS): $20.00 for adults, $10.00 for students and children
VIDEO: All games are available on the FCSAA Digital Network
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: Rankings in ( ) reflect final Region 8 Softball Coaches' Poll

Thursday, May 3

• Game 1 - (2) Florida SouthWestern vs. (6) Pensacola State, 10 am
• Game 2 - (5) Indian River State vs. (4) Seminole State, 1 pm
• Game 3 - (1) Chipola vs. (8) Eastern Florida State, 4 pm
• Game 4 - (3) Central Florida vs. (9) St. Petersburg, 7 pm

Friday, May 4

• Game 5 - Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 10 am
• Game 6 - Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 1 pm
• Game 7 - Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 4 pm
• Game 8 - Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 7 pm

Saturday, May 5

• Game 9 - Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 loser, 10 am
• Game 10 - Game 5 winner vs. Game 8 loser, 1 pm
• Game 11 - Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 4 pm (FCSAA State Championship Game, winner advances to NJCAA Tournament as District G Champion)
• Game 12 - Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 7 pm

Sunday, May 6

• Game 13 - Game 11 loser vs. Game 12 winner, 10 am (winner advances to NJCAA Tournament as District H Champion)

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The three-time Suncoast Conference Champion (2016, 2017, 2018) Florida SouthWestern State College softball team begins postseason play on Thursday, May 3 at the NJCAA Region 8/FCSAA State Softball Tournament at Boombah Soldiers Creek Park (Longwood, Fla.). The Buccaneers' first round matchup with Pensacola State (28-22, 10-10) is set for a 10 a.m. start. FSW will then play the winner/loser of the Indian River State and Seminole State matchup on Friday, May 4.

"I love the postseason," said sophomore and 2018 First Team All-State selection Christian Quinn. "Our record and ranking in the NJCAA National Poll does not matter now. This is a brand new season. Our team is excited about the State Tournament and we can't wait to see all of our hard work pay off. The tournament will be challenging because it's the best of the best from our region playing, but I have no doubt that we will compete to the best of our abilities and hopefully once it's all said and done, we will be on top".

"We're at the point in our season where all of our hard work will pay off," said Stetson signee and First Team All-State selection Riley Russell. "Winning the Suncoast Conference title again was a glimpse into how talented and awesome this team is. We are all excited for the State Tournament and we can't wait to go out prove ourselves like we did last season. I believe that there is no team and coaching staff more deserving of this opportunity than us. Hopefully we'll be able to bring home another state title and continue our season at National Tournament."

The NJCAA District 8/FCSAA State Softball Tournament is an 8-team, double elimination tournament that begins Wednesday, May 3 and continues through Sunday, May 6. The two teams remaining at the end of the tournament will advance to the NJCAA Division I Softball Championship at the Canyons Complex in St. George, Utah (May 16-19, 2018).

The Purple and Aqua (48-3), ranked No. 1 in the latest NJCAA Division I Softball National Top 20 rankings, have won 40 of their last 41 games and are riding a 10-game winning streak. The Bucs secured their third consecutive Suncoast Conference Championship with a 19-1 mark in conference play and will head to the Boombah Soldiers Creek Park in Longwood, Fla. to compete in their third straight FCSAA Region 8 State Tournament (May 3-6).

As a team, FSW ranks third in the nation in opponents' batting average (.194) and stolen bases (228), but they also ranked in the top 25 nationally in multiple categories, including batting average (.411, 4th), triples (29, 5th),shutouts (19; 7th) on base percentage (.462, 8th), ERA (1.38, 11th), runs (453, 13th), hits (569, 17th) and RBIs (365, 23rd).

FOLLOW THE BUCS
For the latest news on FSW Athletics, log on to FSWBucs.com or stay connected to the Bucs on social media. Follow the Buccaneers on Twitter @FSWBucs, on Instagram @FSWBucs, on Facebook at Facebook.com/FSWBucs and on Snapchat at BucsSnaps.

SUNCOAST CREDIT UNION ARENA
The Buccaneers compete in the brand new Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Suncoast Credit Union Arena is approximately 75,000 square feet and is home to the FSW basketball teams and a student athletic center. The arena seats approximately 3,300 fans and includes six skyboxes, a hospitality event center, competition courts that convert into recreational courts, athletic office space, student, faculty and staff wellness, and an athletic center with a fitness pavilion, men's and women's locker rooms and a weight training area. The arena has two Daktronics displays, on the north and south walls, that each measure 10 feet high by 20 feet wide. Both displays incorporate variable content zoning to each show one large image or they can be divided into multiple windows to show any variety of live video, instant replays, up-to-the-minute statistics, graphics and animations, and sponsorship messages. One-hundred feet of ribbon displays have been installed on the east and west walls of the arena. The ribbons provide the opportunity to supplement the content on the main displays as well as highlight sponsors throughout events.

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).

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 is the brand new Suncoast Credit Union Arena (completed in fall 2016), where FSW's men's and women's basketball teams 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. The women's basketball program is also in the Suncoast Conference, but with only three other teams (Hillsborough Community College, St. Petersburg College and Eastern Florida State College).

For more information on Region 8 log on to www.TheFCSAASports.com.