CHARLOTTE, N.C.- The Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers will open the 2022 Baseball season as the #15 ranked team in the country as announced by the NJCAA National Office Monday in the release of their 2022 Preseason Poll.
The Bucs led the state of Florida with 44 wins last season and spent the second half of the year as the #1 ranked team in the coach's poll. The Bucs won their second straight Suncoast Conference Championship with a 23-7 record and earned their first two wins at the State Tournament in program history to finish 4th. FSW returns six starters and 12 players overall to the fold in 2022 including All-Conference sluggers Ronny Medina and Matthew Corpas. After losing four pitchers in the top 13 rounds of the Major League Baseball draft last season, the Bucs loaded up on experienced transfer arms in the offseason, led by University of Florida signee Magnus Ellerts and Collegiate Baseball Division I Freshman All-American hurler Frank Ellisalt.
Defending National Champs McLennan lead the preseason poll with 2021 runners-up Central Arizona checking in at #2 and San Jacinto, Crowder, and Walters State rounding out the top five. The Bucs are one of just three teams from Florida in the poll as they are joined by #8 Miami Dade and #16 Santa Fe.
The Bucs open their 2022 season this weekend at the Marissa Gusto Memorial Tournament in Downtown Fort Myers. They will kick off the year with an early morning on Friday when they take on ASA Miami at City of Palms Park in a 10:30 AM first pitch.