Posted: May 03, 2023
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.- Two days ahead of the 2023 FCSAA State Tournament, four Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers got some good news as Belle Sardja, Sydney McCray, Shenita Tucker, and Feline Poot were named to the FCSAA All-State Teams with Sardja earning the state's top honor as FCSAA Pitcher of the Year, the fourth straight Buc to earn the award.
Belle Sardja was named the FCSAA Pitcher of the Year, going 20-2 in the circle while leading the state in both saves with five and ERA at 0.83. Sardja allowed just 17 earned runs in 143 2/3 innings during the regular season, putting her ERA mark third best of all NJCAA Division I hurlers. She fired 15 complete games including six shutouts while allowing opposing hitters to hit just .176 against her. She is the fourth straight FSW ace to earn FCSAA Pitcher of the Year honors joining Kelsi Collins (2019), Alyssa O'Donnell (2021), and Bailey Haggard (2022).
Joining Sardja on the 1st Team was freshman Sydney McCray. McCray had a big rookie year for the Bucs, hitting .409 with a team best 48 runs scored and 36 RBIs on the season. McCray finished the regular season with six doubles, six triples, and a pair of home runs while also swiping 23 bases in 25 chances in 47 games. McCray had 14 multi-hit games this season and accounted for two or more runs in a game on 22 occasions.
Feline Poot earns her third straight All-State nod, picking up 2nd Team honors in 2023. Poot turned it on late in the season, finishing the regular season with a .392 average and a team best 13 home runs and 46 RBIs. Her .833 slugging percentage ranked third best in the state this season while her 13 long balls ranked fifth. Poot joined elite, if not stand alone company late in the season, hitting her 50th career home run and blowing past 200 career RBIs for FSW.
Making back to back appearances on the All-State Team was Shenita Tucker who joined Poot as a 2nd Team selection. Tucker hit .396 atop the Bucs lineup during the regular season, accounting for 84 runs in 51 games, scoring 48 and driving in another 36. The speedster racked up 52 stolen bases on the season ranking second in the state and seventh Nationally. Pushing past the 50 steal mark for the second straight season, Tucker joins just two Bucs in the all-time record books to have done so. Her 118 career swipes are just three short of the FSW all-time record.
The Bucs All-State quartet will lead them into battle at the FCSAA State Tournament this weekend in Clermont with their road to a title beginning on Friday at 10 AM when they take on the Panhandle Conference runner-up Pensacola State Pirates.