CHARLOTTE, N.C.- The Florida SouthWestern State Softball team will open the 2021 season as the top team in the country as the NJCAA announced with their release of the Preseason National Poll Tuesday that the Bucs begin the year ranked #1.
FSW returns nearly their whole lineup as well as three of their top four pitchers to a team that went 23-2 a season ago and spent the entirety of the season ranked in the top five of the polls. The Bucs put up video game like numbers in their 25 game start, hitting .434 as a team while averaging over 10 runs per game. Their pitching was stout as well, pitching to the tune of a 1.83 ERA while allowing less than a hit and more than a strikeout per frame.
The Bucs bring back a potent offensive attack which includes a pair of 2019 1st Team All-Americans in Owen Bowers and Rebeca Laudino as well as Taylor Jensen and Natavia Ellis who were both well on their way to similar honors, hitting well North of .500 in 2020. Overall the Bucs return 80% of their hits, 75% of their home runs, and 76% of their RBIs from the top offense in the NJCAA from a season ago while losing just Haley Ellefson to Maryland from their pitching staff.
The National Poll was dominated by Florida squads with the top three teams and four of the top five all hailing from the Sunshine State. FSW leads the way with rivals Chipola and Central Florida following in behind while Tyler is the only non-Florida squad in the top five at #4 and Indian River rounding out the top five.
The #1 ranking marks the third time in the past four seasons that FSW has been tabbed the top team in the Nation by the NJCAA.
The Bucs will start their 2021 season on January 30th with a rare quadrupleheader where they will take on Tallahassee, Santa Fe, Louisburg, and Eastern Florida State in the Clearwater Kick off Classic. They won't play at home until February 17th when they host Ave Maria at 5:00 at City of Palms Park in Downtown Fort Myers.