Posted: May 02, 2023
FORT MYERS, Fla.- The 2023 Southern Conference Champion Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers were expectedly well represented on the league's All-Conference Team released on Monday as 13 Bucs made their way onto the list including seven first teamers led by Belle Sardja who earned Pitcher of the Year honors.
Sardja was lights out in the circle for the Bucs in Southern Conference play to earn Pitcher of the Year honors. She was 8-1 with a 0.96 ERA in league play across 58 1/3 innings, posting a 0.70 WHIP in the process, each of which led the Southern Conference.
The Bucs had a pair of returning 1st Teamers in sophomores Shenita Tucker and Feline Poot. Tucker hit .348 in league play at the top of the Bucs order, swiping 13 bags in 14 chances to lead the team. Poot put up monster numbers in conference action, hitting .421 and slugging .921 while leading all Southern Conference hitters with six home runs.
Two other FSW infielders were also 1st Team selections as D'Yani McKinley and Carys Platt joined Poot to make three of four infield picks Bucs. Platt was the Bucs leading hitter in conference play, hitting .556 and reaching base at a .638 clip. She finished with 12 runs scored and was 11 of 12 in stolen base attempts. McKinley was second to only Platt in batting average and on base percentage in conference action, hitting an even .500 and reaching base in 62% of her plate appearances.
A pair of freshmen rounded out the Bucs seven 1st Team picks as Sydney McCray earned the nod in the outfield and Lea Chevrier in the pitching circle. McCray hit .324 and slugged .568 in conference play, leading all Southern Conference hitters with 15 RBIs. Chevrier was 2-0 with a 1.24 ERA in five conference games, striking out 17 in 17 innings pitched.
Five Bucs were also scattered on the All-Southern Conference 2nd Team.
Caroline Figueroa earned 2nd Team honors for the second straight season, hitting .345 with three doubles and five RBIs in conference play.
A pair of FSW outfielders found their way onto the 2nd Team as Laura Vigna and Maddy Golka garnered honors. Vigna played in all 14 conference tilts, hitting .275 with five RBIs and seven runs scored. Golka hit .250 and accounted for 10 runs, scoring six and driving in four others in eight conference contests.
The battery of Kylee Graham and Sietske Drijvers earned 2nd Team honors as Graham posted a 2.21 ERA with a win and a save in four Southern Conference games while Drijvers finished with three doubles and a home run offensively and threw out three runners and committed just two errors defensively in 13 conference games played.
Orchestrating the bunch was the 2023 Southern Conference Coach of the Year Robert Iamurri who takes home Coach of the Year honors for the sixth time during his FSW career. Iamurri led the Bucs to their seventh straight Conference Championship and a 46-5 overall record during the regular season.
The Bucs will be back in action on Friday when they open the FCSAA State Tournament in Clermont with an early morning date against Pensacola State at 10 AM.