FORT MYERS, Fla.- With her 2025 NFCA Gold Glove in tow, Florida SouthWestern catcher Faith Wharton will be headed up the Gulf Coast next season as the Bucs sophomore backstop has signed with Eckerd College in St. Petersburg.
Wharton impacted the game on both sides of the ball in her lone season with the Bucs in 2025. At the plate she hit .343 with 9 doubles and 4 home runs while driving in 37 runs while behind the plate she gunned down 14 would-be basestealers which ranked 5th in the country. She earned 2nd Team All-Citrus Conference honors and was named to the All-Tournament Team at both the FCSAA Championships and the NJCAA World Series. For her defensive efforts, Wharton became the first FSW catcher in program history to earn an NFCA Gold Glove, joining teammate Skylar Brennan on the 2025 list.
Wharton helped FSW to their ninth consecutive Conference Championship this season while the Bucs also secured their fourth FCSAA Title and their eighth trip to the NJCAA World Series where they finished as runners-up.
She signs with an Eckerd team coming off of a big bounce back season as the Tritons finished 30-20 on the year and 16-14 in Sunshine State Conference action, more than doubling their win total from the 2024 campaign.
Wharton is one of six Bucs to sign at the next level off of this year's team, joining Emilly Allegood (Campbell), Virginia Mambelli (South Alabama), Kmari Williams (FGCU), Nicole Edmiaston (Stetson), and Leah Meyer (Abilene Christian).