FORT MYERS, Fla.- Florida SouthWestern All-American and National Champion Sydney McCray will be trading in the humid air of Southwest Florida for the dry heat of the Desert Southwest next season after the Bucs do it all outfielder signed with Grand Canyon University on National Signing Day in Suncoast Credit Union Arena.

 

McCray had a monster freshman season for the Bucs in 2023, earning 2nd Team NJCAA All-American honors to go along with both 1st Team FCSAA All-State and 2nd Team NFCA All-Region accolades.  She hit .410 while smacking eight doubles, six triples, and two home runs while driving in 44 runs on the year. She was all over the basepaths, swiping 26 bases in 29 chances on the year.  McCray had 18 multi-hit games on the season including four in a row mid-season when she went 11-14 during the stretch. She put together a career long 11 game hit streak in Southern Conference play, helping her earn 1st Team All-Conference honors. McCray came up huge when the Bucs needed her most in the NJCAA National Tournament, registering three straight multi-hit games to begin the tournament and eight overall to help lead FSW to the National Championship for which she was named to the All-Tournament Team at week's end. But it wasn't just all offense for McCray last season as she earned the Bucs first NFCA Gold Glove Award, committing just one error in 62 chances on the season.  She began her collegiate career with 54 straight games played without committing a miscue.

 

Grand Canyon had themselves a heck of a year in 2023, setting a new program record for wins while going 47-13 overall and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season where they upset #2 UCLA in the first round.  

 

McCray was one of two Bucs to sign during the early period, joining teammate Sietske Drijvers who inked with Mercer.