While I was suffering in Bradenton and desperately wanted to go back to FGCU stat, I was thankful enough to watch the FGCU men's basketball games from the comforts of my own house. The Eagles (5-2) recently competed in the Homewood Suites FGCU Shootout. The teams that participated in the tournament included Denver (2-4), Navy (5-3) and St. Francis-Brooklyn (1-5), where the Eagles swept all three teams.
Navy defeated Denver 79-71 and St. Francis Brooklyn 85-76 and Denver defeated St. Francis Brooklyn 60-50 in prior games in the tournament. Navy played a previous game and won 110-45 against NCAA DIII Washington College.
On Friday, FGCU first played Denver. Despite a strong fight from the Pioneers, the Eagles ended up winning 79-71.
"We didn't get off to a good start from an energy standpoint, but once we locked in Brandon and Zach did some good things to get us going," said FGCU head coach Joe Dooley. "But we have to figure out our defense and get more stops. However, the ball did move a lot better today – 16 assists on 26 field goals is good to see. Ray (Scott Jr.) made some solid plays, and our bench really gave us a lift."
Redshirt junior Zach Johnson led the way with 20 points (5-for-9. 3-for-5 3PT, 7-for-9 FT), two rebounds and one assist. Johnson also added four steals in the game.
Redshirt senior Brandon Goodwin and senior Christian Terrell had 16 points and four rebounds each. Goodwin added three assists and one steal while Terrell added five assists.
Redshirt senior Antravious Simmons had four points, one rebound and one block.
Off the bench, sophomore Raysean Scott Jr was two rebounds shy of a double-double. The Compton native had a season-high 15 points (7-for-8 FG) with eight rebounds and one block.
On Saturday, the Eagles played Navy and sunk the Midshipmen 70-54. Goodwin led the way with 19 points (7-for-11 FG, 2-for-6 3FG, 3-for-4 FT) and added four rebounds and two assists.
"I thought once we got into a rhythm in the 2nd half we were able to take control of the game," commented Dooley. "But it all came down to our defense tonight. We were able to get stops and get out and run; the ball didn't stick as much tonight. We also did a much better job on the backboards and had better energy – especially in the 2nd half."
Johnson had 17 points (6-for-12 FG, 3-for-6 3FG, 2-for-2 FT), five rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Terrell had a double-double of 12 points (5-for-9 FG, 2-for-3 3FG) and 10 rebounds. The Jacksonville native added one assist and one block as well.
Redshirt sophomore Brady Ernst had a season-high eight rebounds along with two points, one block and one steal. In the game against Denver, the Clinton, Iowa native had four points, one rebound, one block and one steal.
Scott had four points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Simmons had six points, one rebound, one assist, one block and one steal.
In the game against St. Francis Brooklyn, The Eagles tamed the Terriers 75-51.
"It was sort of a methodical, grind-it-out game," commented Dooley. "It was the third game in three days for both teams, and I think that showed a little bit. But overall it was a good performance, and I think we got better this weekend. We've got some things to tighten up over the coming week, but it was good to get back on track."
Terrell led the game with 20 points (7-for-10 FG, 2-for-2 3FG, 4-for-4 FT) and added three rebounds.
Simmons was three rebounds shy of his fifth career double-double and finished with 15 points (7-for-9 FG, 1-for-2 FT), seven rebounds and two assists.
Johnson and Goodwin combined for a seaon-low 13 points (Johnson (8 points), Goodwin (5 points)). Each had four rebounds. Johnson added three assists and three steals while Goodwin added two assists.
Scott was, once again, shy of a double-double. This time, by three points. Scott ended with seven points (3-for-3 FG, 1-for-1 FT), 10 rebounds, two assists and one block.
Off the bench, Ernst added three points and freshman Darnell Rogers got his first field goal of the game, ending with three points and one assist.
Redshirt junior Ricky Doyle had 10 points, two rebounds, three assists and one steal. The Naples native and Michigan Transfer had one point, two rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals against Denver and four points, four rebounds and one block against Navy.
Redshirt junior Dinero Mercurius and freshman Bryan Thomas were inactive due to injury, redshirt sophomores Kyle Hoffman and Troy Baxter Jr and redshirt junior Mark Matthews were inelgible to play due to them redshirting for the year after transferring. Freshman Ryan Roucant is technically eligible, but is choosing to redshirt for the season. Redshirt junior Michael Gilmore is also ineligible, but for a duration of the season. The Miami native will be eligible to play at the end of this fall semester (possibly December 27 against Rhode Island or December 29 against Florida Memorial).
At the end of the tournament, the results are as noted:
1. FGCU (3-0)
2. Navy (2-1)
3. Denver (1-2)
4. St. Francis Brooklyn (0-3)
Afterwards, the Homewood Suites FGCU Shootout All-Tournament Team was announced:
Representing FGCU was Johnson and Terrell. Terrell was also named All-Tournament Team MVP. For Denver was senior Daniel Amigo, Navy was senior Bryce Dulin and St. Francis Brooklyn was sophomore Rasheem Dunn.
The Terriers return to Brooklyn to face NCAA DIII New Rochelle.
The Pioneers will return to Denver to face the University of Wyoming.
The Midshipmen return to Annapolis to face Delaware.
FGCU remains at home for the next game and will face NAIA Webber International University on Wednesday, November 29 at 7 PM.
About Me
FGCU Men's Tennis Bios
Now that I have talked about the women's tennis team, why don't we talk about the men's tennis team.
The FGCU men's tennis team returns for the next season coming up after struggling last. The team 10-13 overall with a 3-3 record in conference. Luckily, the men were able to make it to the conference tournament as the No. 4 seed. They defeated No. 5 seed Upstate 5-1 in the quarterfinals and No. 1 seed UNF 4-3 in the semifinals before defeating No. 6 Lipscomb 4-2 in the championship and securing an automatic bid for the national tournament before falling to UF in the first round. Now of course with every team, they will lose someone that has been a key part of the team.
The team is led by head coach C.J. Weber. Weber enters his 7th season as head coach.
Weber graduated from Eastern Illinois and was an outstanding tennis player and student. While playing tennis his senior year, he was three-time Ohio Valley All-Conference selection, as well as a Player of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year. Weber was also a four-time recipient of EIU's Scholar-Athlete Award and garnered Academic All-America first team honors as a senior, following his selection to the Academic All-America District first team as a junior and senior. Weber was also a two-time MVP and selected team captain as a senior and finished his career with a 44-18 singles record.
After graduating from EIU, Weber spent the 2004-05 season as the assistant coach of both Eastern Illinois' men's and women's tennis programs, and picked up experience managing and providing instruction at summer tennis camps at both Eastern Illinois and Illinois.
Weber spent the spring of 2006 serving as the volunteer assistant coach for the ninth-ranked Fighting Illini, coordinating practice sessions, providing on-court instruction and match preparation, overseeing fitness and conditioning, as well as providing administrative support. At Illinois, he coached three All-Americans, including NCAA Doubles Champions Ryan Rowe and Kevin Anderson, and helped guide the team to the semifinals of the USTA/ITA National Indoors Tournament and to the "Sweet Sixteen" of the NCAA Tournament.
He then was an assistant coach for the University of Miami. Over his five years as an assistant coach for Miami, the Hurricanes had four players earn a total of eight All-America honors. In 2011, Weber helped guide the Hurricanes to a No. 27 ITA ranking and a fourth place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season. For his efforts he was named the 2011 ITA Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year before being named head coach for FGCU.
In addition to collegiate coaching, Weber has helped train a list of ATP tour players, including current ATP No. 14 Kevin Anderson, spending significant time preparing him for the 2011 Australian Open and the BB&T Open in 2012 and 2014. Following the 2015 season Weber continued working with Anderson, helping him prepare for the grass court circuit in England, where he made the finals of Queens and lost in a 5 set thriller to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the fourth round at Wimbledon. Weber also spent time with Anderson in preparation for this summer’s hard court season and the US Open Series. Prior to his work with Anderson, Weber traveled with retired ATP No. 174 Ryler Deheart to various tournaments, most notably Wimbledon, the US Open and the French Open from 2009-10.
In his inaugural season, Weber led the men’s tennis team to a sixth-place finish in the A-Sun, qualifying them for its first-ever A-SUN Tournament berth as they finished 7-10 overall and 4-5 in conference play. The Eagles had a winning record at home (6-5) and hosted their first-ever night match in front of 200-plus people beating Kennesaw State 4-3. Weber had two players named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshmen team, a first for the program. Tianyu Bao was the first FGCU Eagle to be named the A-SUN Freshman of the Year and land on the All-Freshmen team, while Michael Beiler was honored to the All-Freshmen team as well.
In his second year at the helm, Weber guided the Green and Blue to an unprecedented number of program-firsts highlighted by their 4-3 win over tradition-rich Oklahoma State, fourth-place finish in conference play and first postseason victory after defeating USC Upstate in the 2013 A-Sun Tournament. Adding to the list of first-time successes, then sophomores Jordi Vives and Bao received All-Conference honors. Bao was a second-team member, while Vives was named to the All-Conference first team, the A-SUN All-Tournament team and an Academic All-Conference selection.
In his third season, Weber guided the Eagles to finish third in the conference and claim 12 wins. Highlighting the 2014 campaign was then-junior Vives, whom Weber led to become the first from FGCU to earn an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national rank - reaching a career-high No. 35, compile a nation-leading 14-match unbeaten streak and represent the Eagles in the NCAA Tournament for the first time, where he earned a win and advanced to the round of 32. Vives' success crowned him A-Sun Player of the Year and earned him spots on the All-Conference First Team, the A-Sun All-Tournament team and the Academic All-Conference squad. Bao was also named to the First-Team. Vives and Dean Tsamas earned the program's first regional ranking, appearing at No. 9 in the ITA Southeast Region.
Weber led the Eagles to an astounding 17-6 overall record in the spring of 2015 and a perfect 8-0 mark in conference play including other milestones. During the 2014-15 season, Weber's Eagles defeated four nationally-ranked opponents, most notably No. 71 Miami in February and capped the year with the program's first regular season title and tournament championship ring. Weber was later recognized by the ITA, being named the Southeast Region's Coach of the Year. FGCU had a total of six players win A-SUN All-Conference Awards including Vives (Player of the Year), Beiler (First Team) and Ricky Ventura (First Team). Second Team honorees included Vives and Eduardo Alfonzo in doubles as well as Austin Bates and Bao in singles. Bates was also named to the All-Freshmen Team. Ventura was also named the A-Sun Tournament MVP. The Eagles finished the year ranked sixth in the Southeast Region, the highest ranking in Division I history, as well as it's first national ranking at No. 75. Weber led the team to their first NCAA Tournament appearance before falling to UCLA in the first round.
FGCU repeated its regular-season title in 2016, finishing the year undefeated in conference play along with a 16-6 mark overall. Weber's Eagles again found themselves placed among the nation's best, climbing as high as No. 74 in the ITA Rankings over the course of the season. Facing a tough schedule featuring six NCAA Tournament team, the Eagles earned four wins against the nation's best. Weber was named the A-SUN Coach of the Year for the second time in as many seasons.
Adversity was the theme in 2016-17 as the Eagles faced numerous injuries, weather delays, and a tough schedule en route to their second NCAA Tournament appearance in three seasons. The Green and Blue were hampered by injuries throughout the season but hit their stride late in the year. The Eagles finished the regular season 8-12 and 3-3 in A-SUN play, facing the likes of Florida State, Miami, #29 South Alabama, #48 UCF and #34 Memphis. However, in the A-SUN Tournament, FGCU strung together three wins, including a semifinal victory over No. 1 UNF that concluded at 3:15 in the morning, to secure the program's second NCAA berth in three years.
With his great coaching experience with Eastern Illinois, Illinois and Miami, Weber has great potential for these young men for this season.
Helping out Weber this season is Lucas Vaz. Vaz enters his second season as assistant coach for Weber.
Hailing from Sao Pablo, Brazil, Vaz was a former tennis player for FGCU and was a dominate force for the team.
After spending his freshman year at Tulsa University, he transferred to FGCU from sophomore to senior year as an active player with an astonishing 65 career wins as well as becoming a member of the A-Sun All Second Team before becoming a student assistant for coach Weber.
Although Vaz is no longer a player on the team, his phenomenal experience as a coach will surely bring a lot to the table.
A new season means out with the old, in with the new.
The team lost Andy Alfonzo and Sam Chaffin as they graduated.
This year's team consists of two seniors, three juniors, one transfer and two sophomores.
The two seniors that have been a big part of FGCU are Austin Bates and Oliver Landert.
The first senior whom I consider to be the to be the voice of FGCU men's tennis is Austin Bates.
At 6-1 and hailing from Marietta, Georgia, Bates has more lung capacity than the city of Manhattan.
In his freshman year, Bates went all out. He went 6-2 in singles competition with a 3-0 record in conference and 6-5 with a 2-1 mark in doubles. He did so well that he was named to the Atlantic Sun All-Conference Second Team in singles and the A-Sun All-Freshman Team.
Unfortunately, he was unable to play his sophomore year and utilized a medical redshirt due to an injury, but his junior year was his redemption. Bates finished the season with a 6-7 overall record in singles, including two crucial wins in conference play. Bates began the season with a win in his first match in more than a year, defeating Grand Canyon’s Valentin Lang 6-4, 7-5 and followed with a victory over UC Irvine’s Bruce Man Song Hing 3-6, 6-2, 11-9. He then defeated Kennesaw State’s David Durham and Arkansas’ Austin Robles to finish the fall season and came back from 0-5 down in the second set against Stetson’s Coilin MacNamara to win 6-4, 7-6 and later defeated Lipscomb’s Jorge Ortega 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 to help FGCU clinch a spot in the A-SUN Tournament. Bates also went 6-9 in doubles with wins over George Washington and #48 UCF in the spring.
For the voice of FGCU men's tennis, I know Bates will go rampage on his opponents with more than just his voice.
The other senior whom I call FGCU's Swiss Superman is Oliver Landert.
Originally from Switzerland, the 6-0 senior, now residing in Naples, Florida, has tennis in his blood as his elder sister and new assistant coach. Alex, formerly played for FGCU's women's tennis team.
Prior to FGCU, Landert started his collegiate tennis career at Florida as a redshirt freshman. There he played against teams like then No. 4 UCLA and reached the semifinals in singles play at the USTA/ITA Southeast Regional Championships.
By sophomore year, Oliver transferred to FGCU and went wild. He tallied 31 total wins with a 3-1 record as No. 4 and a 7-4 record at No. 5. singles while winning all four of his A-SUN matches and was 3-0 in doubles. He earned A-SUN Second Team honors for his hard work.
By junior year, Landert finished the season 11-22 in singles and 17-16 in doubles. Landert began the spring with wins over Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman. He defeated Xavier’s Matt Bishop, claimed a victory over USC Upstate’s Ankush Arora in the A-SUN Quarterfinals.
Landert is still to me considered the Swiss Superman and I know there is no kryptonite that will stop him.
To backup the seniors, three juniors come into play: Javier Fernandez, Ezequiel Cerrini and Mateo Ruiz.
The first of three juniors with the speed of a Japanese bullet train is Javier "Javi" Fernandez.
The 5-8 sophomore from Ibiza, Spain is really fast in his game.
In his freshman year, Fernandez struck like a napalm strike. He tallied 15 singles wins including a perfect 6-0 mark in A-SUN play, playing mainly as the No. 5 and No. 6 on the court. He helped the team clinch the regular season with a win over Stetson and compiled 9-6 record in doubles. Fernandez was so phenomenal that he was named A-Sun’s Freshman of the Year and earned A-Sun Second Team and A-Sun All-Freshman Team honors.
In his sophomore year, Fernanadez won 11 matches in the fall, including victories over FAU, Florida State, Duke, UCF, and UNF. He won eight of his final nine matches to end the season, beginning with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Pierre Fossier of Stetson (3/23), followed with the first of two wins over Jonathan Deautreill (3/25). After a loss to USC Upstate, Fernandez won his final six matches (remaining two matches were unfinished), including clinching FGCU’s semifinal win over No. 1 UNF (4/22), defeated George Wong in the A-SUN Final 6-1, 6-0, claimed a first set win over #15 Florida’s Johannes Ingildsen, claimed 11 doubles wins, nine during the dual season, went 7-5 in doubles with four wins in the final six matches and won every match during the A-SUN Tournament. Fernandez paired with Bates to defeat Wisconsin’s Osgar O’Hoisin and Darius Mackenzie in the Spring Invitational. He remained a vital part of the lineup earning Second Team All-Conference honors with a 23-16 record overall and a 5-1 record in A-SUN play and was later named to the ASUN All-Tournament Team.
With his speed, Fernanadez is going to turn heads again
The second junior on the men's tennis team is Ezequiel "Eze" Cerrini.
Originally from Argentina and now residing in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, the 6-0 junior has a serve that can take out a tank.
In his freshman year, Cerrini made an immediate impact playing as the No. 5 and No. 6 singles before playing the No. 2 singles. There he had 13 wins in singles and five in doubles. Because of his success, he was named to the A-SUN All-Freshman team.
Following an impressive freshman season with a 16-19 record in singles play and 12 more victories in doubles action. Cerrini won six of his first eight singles matches of the fall, defeating opponents from FAU, USF, UC San Diego, USC, UC Irvine and Florida State, went 4-2 in conference action, with wins against Stetson, USC Upstate, NJIT, and Kennesaw State, settled into the No. 4 spot, where he produced a 7-3 record, including a win in the A-SUN Tournament Championship over Daniel Cardenas. Cerrini partnered primarily with Andres Alfonzo at No. 2 doubles, producing a 5-6 record at that spot and a 5-11 mark overall … The duo went 2-1 in the A-SUN Tournament, including a vital win over No. 1 UNF in the semifinals that put the Eagles in front 1-0 in the match. Cerrini did so well that he earn A-SUN Second Team All-Conference honors.
Cerrini is surely going to make impact again for the team.
The last true junior on the team is Mateo Ruiz.
At 6-1 and hailing from from Bucaramanga, Colombia has came with a goal to make it to the top.
Prior to FGCU, Ruiz played his freshman year at Oklahoma State University. There he went 1-2 in singles.
After transferring to FGCU for his sophomore year, Ruiz got more time to play. Mainly playing at the No. 3 Singles, Ruiz went 13-16 in singles and 14-13 in doubles in his first season as an Eagle and picked up a vital win against No. 1 UNF in the A-SUN semifinals over #123 Jefta Kecic (April 22) teaming with Javier Fernandez to post a 7-5 record in doubles, the duo earned wins over Tennessee Tech (Feb. 18), NJIT (April 1), and Lipscomb (April 8) and won every match during the A-SUN Tournament, ending the season winning four of their last six matches.
For Ruiz, he's a great force for the team.
FGCU managed to ink a transfer for the team: Felipe "Feli" Escobar.
At 5-8 and hailing from Pereira, Colombia, Escobar came to make himself heard.
Prior to FGCU, Escobar played two matches at Texas Christian University. He went 0-2 in both one singles match and one doubles match.
Escobar joins FGCU as a junior and will have two years of eligibility remaining, but I know he can make his way to the top.
The lone true sophomore that I always tell to use his height to his advantage is Felipe "Pipe" Ramirez.
At 6-1 and hailing from Armenia, Colombia, Ramirez came as a wildcard for the men's team.
In his freshman year, Ramirez made an instant impact after becoming eligible in the spring and rose from No. 4 in the lineup to the top spot in both doubles and singles. Ramirez recorded an 11-6 record in singles and a 9-8 record in doubles, teaming mainly with Landert and Cerrini. Ramirez defeated Lipscomb’s #118 Rob Mitchell to in the A-SUN Final to clinch FGCU’s second NCAA Tournament berth in three seasons. Ramirez did so well that he earned A-SUN Freshman of the Year honors, a spot on the A-SUN All-Conference First Team, and A-SUN All-Freshman Team accolades and a spot on the A-SUN All-Tournament Team.
For Ramirez, I know he'll use his height and power to his advantage and make more impact.
The last member on the team is Juan Montes.
At 6-1 and hailing from Pereira, Colombia, Montes come with professional experience.
Prior to FGCU, Montes played professionally. He was ranked No. 1654 in the ATP ranking and, at one point, went as high as No. 1286 in the standings and secured eight ATP points throughout his amateur career while winning one futures competition in doubles and made it to the finals twice.
Montes is listed as a sophomore, but will sit out this season due to playing pro one year outside of the six-month window. He will have two years of eligibility remaining, but I know he will be a strong force for the team next year.
I have hung around so many men's tennis players and I have seen the fire and passion they possess.
For this season, I know that they will give all the teams what they got. No matter the outcome, they will do just fine this season. Below are a few personal photos with me and some of the tennis players.
PC: FGCUAthletics.com for individuals players
The FGCU men's tennis team returns for the next season coming up after struggling last. The team 10-13 overall with a 3-3 record in conference. Luckily, the men were able to make it to the conference tournament as the No. 4 seed. They defeated No. 5 seed Upstate 5-1 in the quarterfinals and No. 1 seed UNF 4-3 in the semifinals before defeating No. 6 Lipscomb 4-2 in the championship and securing an automatic bid for the national tournament before falling to UF in the first round. Now of course with every team, they will lose someone that has been a key part of the team.
The team is led by head coach C.J. Weber. Weber enters his 7th season as head coach.
Weber graduated from Eastern Illinois and was an outstanding tennis player and student. While playing tennis his senior year, he was three-time Ohio Valley All-Conference selection, as well as a Player of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year. Weber was also a four-time recipient of EIU's Scholar-Athlete Award and garnered Academic All-America first team honors as a senior, following his selection to the Academic All-America District first team as a junior and senior. Weber was also a two-time MVP and selected team captain as a senior and finished his career with a 44-18 singles record.
After graduating from EIU, Weber spent the 2004-05 season as the assistant coach of both Eastern Illinois' men's and women's tennis programs, and picked up experience managing and providing instruction at summer tennis camps at both Eastern Illinois and Illinois.
Weber spent the spring of 2006 serving as the volunteer assistant coach for the ninth-ranked Fighting Illini, coordinating practice sessions, providing on-court instruction and match preparation, overseeing fitness and conditioning, as well as providing administrative support. At Illinois, he coached three All-Americans, including NCAA Doubles Champions Ryan Rowe and Kevin Anderson, and helped guide the team to the semifinals of the USTA/ITA National Indoors Tournament and to the "Sweet Sixteen" of the NCAA Tournament.
He then was an assistant coach for the University of Miami. Over his five years as an assistant coach for Miami, the Hurricanes had four players earn a total of eight All-America honors. In 2011, Weber helped guide the Hurricanes to a No. 27 ITA ranking and a fourth place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season. For his efforts he was named the 2011 ITA Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year before being named head coach for FGCU.
In addition to collegiate coaching, Weber has helped train a list of ATP tour players, including current ATP No. 14 Kevin Anderson, spending significant time preparing him for the 2011 Australian Open and the BB&T Open in 2012 and 2014. Following the 2015 season Weber continued working with Anderson, helping him prepare for the grass court circuit in England, where he made the finals of Queens and lost in a 5 set thriller to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the fourth round at Wimbledon. Weber also spent time with Anderson in preparation for this summer’s hard court season and the US Open Series. Prior to his work with Anderson, Weber traveled with retired ATP No. 174 Ryler Deheart to various tournaments, most notably Wimbledon, the US Open and the French Open from 2009-10.
In his inaugural season, Weber led the men’s tennis team to a sixth-place finish in the A-Sun, qualifying them for its first-ever A-SUN Tournament berth as they finished 7-10 overall and 4-5 in conference play. The Eagles had a winning record at home (6-5) and hosted their first-ever night match in front of 200-plus people beating Kennesaw State 4-3. Weber had two players named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshmen team, a first for the program. Tianyu Bao was the first FGCU Eagle to be named the A-SUN Freshman of the Year and land on the All-Freshmen team, while Michael Beiler was honored to the All-Freshmen team as well.
In his second year at the helm, Weber guided the Green and Blue to an unprecedented number of program-firsts highlighted by their 4-3 win over tradition-rich Oklahoma State, fourth-place finish in conference play and first postseason victory after defeating USC Upstate in the 2013 A-Sun Tournament. Adding to the list of first-time successes, then sophomores Jordi Vives and Bao received All-Conference honors. Bao was a second-team member, while Vives was named to the All-Conference first team, the A-SUN All-Tournament team and an Academic All-Conference selection.
In his third season, Weber guided the Eagles to finish third in the conference and claim 12 wins. Highlighting the 2014 campaign was then-junior Vives, whom Weber led to become the first from FGCU to earn an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national rank - reaching a career-high No. 35, compile a nation-leading 14-match unbeaten streak and represent the Eagles in the NCAA Tournament for the first time, where he earned a win and advanced to the round of 32. Vives' success crowned him A-Sun Player of the Year and earned him spots on the All-Conference First Team, the A-Sun All-Tournament team and the Academic All-Conference squad. Bao was also named to the First-Team. Vives and Dean Tsamas earned the program's first regional ranking, appearing at No. 9 in the ITA Southeast Region.
Weber led the Eagles to an astounding 17-6 overall record in the spring of 2015 and a perfect 8-0 mark in conference play including other milestones. During the 2014-15 season, Weber's Eagles defeated four nationally-ranked opponents, most notably No. 71 Miami in February and capped the year with the program's first regular season title and tournament championship ring. Weber was later recognized by the ITA, being named the Southeast Region's Coach of the Year. FGCU had a total of six players win A-SUN All-Conference Awards including Vives (Player of the Year), Beiler (First Team) and Ricky Ventura (First Team). Second Team honorees included Vives and Eduardo Alfonzo in doubles as well as Austin Bates and Bao in singles. Bates was also named to the All-Freshmen Team. Ventura was also named the A-Sun Tournament MVP. The Eagles finished the year ranked sixth in the Southeast Region, the highest ranking in Division I history, as well as it's first national ranking at No. 75. Weber led the team to their first NCAA Tournament appearance before falling to UCLA in the first round.
FGCU repeated its regular-season title in 2016, finishing the year undefeated in conference play along with a 16-6 mark overall. Weber's Eagles again found themselves placed among the nation's best, climbing as high as No. 74 in the ITA Rankings over the course of the season. Facing a tough schedule featuring six NCAA Tournament team, the Eagles earned four wins against the nation's best. Weber was named the A-SUN Coach of the Year for the second time in as many seasons.
Adversity was the theme in 2016-17 as the Eagles faced numerous injuries, weather delays, and a tough schedule en route to their second NCAA Tournament appearance in three seasons. The Green and Blue were hampered by injuries throughout the season but hit their stride late in the year. The Eagles finished the regular season 8-12 and 3-3 in A-SUN play, facing the likes of Florida State, Miami, #29 South Alabama, #48 UCF and #34 Memphis. However, in the A-SUN Tournament, FGCU strung together three wins, including a semifinal victory over No. 1 UNF that concluded at 3:15 in the morning, to secure the program's second NCAA berth in three years.
With his great coaching experience with Eastern Illinois, Illinois and Miami, Weber has great potential for these young men for this season.
Helping out Weber this season is Lucas Vaz. Vaz enters his second season as assistant coach for Weber.
Hailing from Sao Pablo, Brazil, Vaz was a former tennis player for FGCU and was a dominate force for the team.
After spending his freshman year at Tulsa University, he transferred to FGCU from sophomore to senior year as an active player with an astonishing 65 career wins as well as becoming a member of the A-Sun All Second Team before becoming a student assistant for coach Weber.
Although Vaz is no longer a player on the team, his phenomenal experience as a coach will surely bring a lot to the table.
A new season means out with the old, in with the new.
The team lost Andy Alfonzo and Sam Chaffin as they graduated.
This year's team consists of two seniors, three juniors, one transfer and two sophomores.
The two seniors that have been a big part of FGCU are Austin Bates and Oliver Landert.
The first senior whom I consider to be the to be the voice of FGCU men's tennis is Austin Bates.
At 6-1 and hailing from Marietta, Georgia, Bates has more lung capacity than the city of Manhattan.
In his freshman year, Bates went all out. He went 6-2 in singles competition with a 3-0 record in conference and 6-5 with a 2-1 mark in doubles. He did so well that he was named to the Atlantic Sun All-Conference Second Team in singles and the A-Sun All-Freshman Team.
Unfortunately, he was unable to play his sophomore year and utilized a medical redshirt due to an injury, but his junior year was his redemption. Bates finished the season with a 6-7 overall record in singles, including two crucial wins in conference play. Bates began the season with a win in his first match in more than a year, defeating Grand Canyon’s Valentin Lang 6-4, 7-5 and followed with a victory over UC Irvine’s Bruce Man Song Hing 3-6, 6-2, 11-9. He then defeated Kennesaw State’s David Durham and Arkansas’ Austin Robles to finish the fall season and came back from 0-5 down in the second set against Stetson’s Coilin MacNamara to win 6-4, 7-6 and later defeated Lipscomb’s Jorge Ortega 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 to help FGCU clinch a spot in the A-SUN Tournament. Bates also went 6-9 in doubles with wins over George Washington and #48 UCF in the spring.
For the voice of FGCU men's tennis, I know Bates will go rampage on his opponents with more than just his voice.
The other senior whom I call FGCU's Swiss Superman is Oliver Landert.
Originally from Switzerland, the 6-0 senior, now residing in Naples, Florida, has tennis in his blood as his elder sister and new assistant coach. Alex, formerly played for FGCU's women's tennis team.
Prior to FGCU, Landert started his collegiate tennis career at Florida as a redshirt freshman. There he played against teams like then No. 4 UCLA and reached the semifinals in singles play at the USTA/ITA Southeast Regional Championships.
By sophomore year, Oliver transferred to FGCU and went wild. He tallied 31 total wins with a 3-1 record as No. 4 and a 7-4 record at No. 5. singles while winning all four of his A-SUN matches and was 3-0 in doubles. He earned A-SUN Second Team honors for his hard work.
By junior year, Landert finished the season 11-22 in singles and 17-16 in doubles. Landert began the spring with wins over Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman. He defeated Xavier’s Matt Bishop, claimed a victory over USC Upstate’s Ankush Arora in the A-SUN Quarterfinals.
Landert is still to me considered the Swiss Superman and I know there is no kryptonite that will stop him.
To backup the seniors, three juniors come into play: Javier Fernandez, Ezequiel Cerrini and Mateo Ruiz.
The first of three juniors with the speed of a Japanese bullet train is Javier "Javi" Fernandez.
The 5-8 sophomore from Ibiza, Spain is really fast in his game.
In his freshman year, Fernandez struck like a napalm strike. He tallied 15 singles wins including a perfect 6-0 mark in A-SUN play, playing mainly as the No. 5 and No. 6 on the court. He helped the team clinch the regular season with a win over Stetson and compiled 9-6 record in doubles. Fernandez was so phenomenal that he was named A-Sun’s Freshman of the Year and earned A-Sun Second Team and A-Sun All-Freshman Team honors.
In his sophomore year, Fernanadez won 11 matches in the fall, including victories over FAU, Florida State, Duke, UCF, and UNF. He won eight of his final nine matches to end the season, beginning with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Pierre Fossier of Stetson (3/23), followed with the first of two wins over Jonathan Deautreill (3/25). After a loss to USC Upstate, Fernandez won his final six matches (remaining two matches were unfinished), including clinching FGCU’s semifinal win over No. 1 UNF (4/22), defeated George Wong in the A-SUN Final 6-1, 6-0, claimed a first set win over #15 Florida’s Johannes Ingildsen, claimed 11 doubles wins, nine during the dual season, went 7-5 in doubles with four wins in the final six matches and won every match during the A-SUN Tournament. Fernandez paired with Bates to defeat Wisconsin’s Osgar O’Hoisin and Darius Mackenzie in the Spring Invitational. He remained a vital part of the lineup earning Second Team All-Conference honors with a 23-16 record overall and a 5-1 record in A-SUN play and was later named to the ASUN All-Tournament Team.
With his speed, Fernanadez is going to turn heads again
The second junior on the men's tennis team is Ezequiel "Eze" Cerrini.
Originally from Argentina and now residing in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, the 6-0 junior has a serve that can take out a tank.
In his freshman year, Cerrini made an immediate impact playing as the No. 5 and No. 6 singles before playing the No. 2 singles. There he had 13 wins in singles and five in doubles. Because of his success, he was named to the A-SUN All-Freshman team.
Following an impressive freshman season with a 16-19 record in singles play and 12 more victories in doubles action. Cerrini won six of his first eight singles matches of the fall, defeating opponents from FAU, USF, UC San Diego, USC, UC Irvine and Florida State, went 4-2 in conference action, with wins against Stetson, USC Upstate, NJIT, and Kennesaw State, settled into the No. 4 spot, where he produced a 7-3 record, including a win in the A-SUN Tournament Championship over Daniel Cardenas. Cerrini partnered primarily with Andres Alfonzo at No. 2 doubles, producing a 5-6 record at that spot and a 5-11 mark overall … The duo went 2-1 in the A-SUN Tournament, including a vital win over No. 1 UNF in the semifinals that put the Eagles in front 1-0 in the match. Cerrini did so well that he earn A-SUN Second Team All-Conference honors.
Cerrini is surely going to make impact again for the team.
The last true junior on the team is Mateo Ruiz.
At 6-1 and hailing from from Bucaramanga, Colombia has came with a goal to make it to the top.
Prior to FGCU, Ruiz played his freshman year at Oklahoma State University. There he went 1-2 in singles.
After transferring to FGCU for his sophomore year, Ruiz got more time to play. Mainly playing at the No. 3 Singles, Ruiz went 13-16 in singles and 14-13 in doubles in his first season as an Eagle and picked up a vital win against No. 1 UNF in the A-SUN semifinals over #123 Jefta Kecic (April 22) teaming with Javier Fernandez to post a 7-5 record in doubles, the duo earned wins over Tennessee Tech (Feb. 18), NJIT (April 1), and Lipscomb (April 8) and won every match during the A-SUN Tournament, ending the season winning four of their last six matches.
For Ruiz, he's a great force for the team.
FGCU managed to ink a transfer for the team: Felipe "Feli" Escobar.
Prior to FGCU, Escobar played two matches at Texas Christian University. He went 0-2 in both one singles match and one doubles match.
Escobar joins FGCU as a junior and will have two years of eligibility remaining, but I know he can make his way to the top.
The lone true sophomore that I always tell to use his height to his advantage is Felipe "Pipe" Ramirez.
At 6-1 and hailing from Armenia, Colombia, Ramirez came as a wildcard for the men's team.
In his freshman year, Ramirez made an instant impact after becoming eligible in the spring and rose from No. 4 in the lineup to the top spot in both doubles and singles. Ramirez recorded an 11-6 record in singles and a 9-8 record in doubles, teaming mainly with Landert and Cerrini. Ramirez defeated Lipscomb’s #118 Rob Mitchell to in the A-SUN Final to clinch FGCU’s second NCAA Tournament berth in three seasons. Ramirez did so well that he earned A-SUN Freshman of the Year honors, a spot on the A-SUN All-Conference First Team, and A-SUN All-Freshman Team accolades and a spot on the A-SUN All-Tournament Team.
For Ramirez, I know he'll use his height and power to his advantage and make more impact.
The last member on the team is Juan Montes.
At 6-1 and hailing from Pereira, Colombia, Montes come with professional experience.
Prior to FGCU, Montes played professionally. He was ranked No. 1654 in the ATP ranking and, at one point, went as high as No. 1286 in the standings and secured eight ATP points throughout his amateur career while winning one futures competition in doubles and made it to the finals twice.
Montes is listed as a sophomore, but will sit out this season due to playing pro one year outside of the six-month window. He will have two years of eligibility remaining, but I know he will be a strong force for the team next year.
I have hung around so many men's tennis players and I have seen the fire and passion they possess.
For this season, I know that they will give all the teams what they got. No matter the outcome, they will do just fine this season. Below are a few personal photos with me and some of the tennis players.
PC: FGCUAthletics.com for individuals players
FGCU Softball Bios
With each new season means a whole new change in another team. For this bios blog, I will be introducing the FGCU softball team. Last season, the softball team went 30-30 with an 8-9 record in conference. They were able to make it to the conference tournament before falling to USC Upstate in the championship game.
During the season, the team played several teams for their tough season. Aside from playing against UCF, FAU, FIU and USF, the Eagles also got the opportunity to play in the Triple Crown Sports Puerto Vallarta Challenge. Although they went 1-4 in the tournament, the Eagles did manage to beat Fresno State, who was ranked No. 21 in the nation at the time and played against FSU, who was No. 1 in the nation despite losing both games. It was an experience though for the team.
Of course at all the softball games I attended, I always do my cheer every time we score: "FGCU Let's Get Hype, Whoop There It Is!"
The team is led by head coach David Deiros, who is entering into his 15th season as head coach and is considered the "founding father" of FGCU softball.
Deiros, a Naples native, was a graduate of USF and became a chemistry teacher and a coach at Lely High School. Deiros coached football, girls' basketball, baseball and, of course, softball.
In his first year as head coach at FGCU, Deiros led the team to a astonishing 57-7 record and their first invitation to the NCAA National Tournament in just their second year of eligibility for postseason play. He did so well that he won Division I-II All-Independent Coach of the Year three consecutive times as well as the memorable moment in 2012 when the Eagles went to the NCAA College Softball National Tournament and beat the gators in their opening game.
In the 2016 season, Deiros was named Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year and helped Louie Ross, Ashley Dobson and Makensie McAvoy to their successful senior years.
When I first met coach Deiros, I was a little nervous because he seemed very intimidating to speak to, let alone meet in person, but after a while in the season, he was actually pretty nice. This season, he is going to rock the house for the softball team.
With the departure of assistant coaches Erika Bennett and Lindsay Ubrun, it seemed hard to find replacements for them, but that was not the case. Deiros found two perfect candidates: Jamie Kertes and Jaime Edwards.
The first is Jamie Kertes.
A native of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, Kertes enters her first season as an assistant coach and will be working primarily with pitching and at first base.
Prior to FGCU and coaching, Kertes started her softball career as a player for Bowling Green State University of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
From her freshman to senior year, Kertes was a stronghold for the Falcons. In her four-year career at BGSU, Kertes set career pitching records for appearances (176) and games started (111), third on the BGSU career lists for strikeouts (512) and shutouts (23) and fourth in school history in wins (52) and strikeouts per seven innings (5.17) and fifth in innings pitched (693 1/3).
After her senior year, Kertes took a position as an assistant coach for Stony Brook for a two-year stint where she coached the Seawolves to the second-lowest ERA in the American East Conference.
With her pitching experience, Kertes is gonna make great impact for the rotation of FGCU's pitchers.
The other coach joining the fray is Jaime Edwards.
Edwards, a native of Austin, Texas, enters her first season as an assistant coach and will be working mainly with fielding.
Prior to FGCU and her coaching career, Edwards played for the University of Houston of, at the time, Conference USA (C-USA). At the plate, Edwards hit .277 with 18 doubles and eight home runs while driving in 67 runs. Edwards sits fourth all-time in fielding percentage (.987), while holding career- and single-season marks for double plays turned (64, 24). In addition, Edwards was a three-time NFCA Academic All-American and a member of the 2012 Conference USA All-Freshman Team.
After her playing career at Houston ended, Edwards went to coach at NCAA DII West Texas A&M of the Lone Star Conference for two years. During that time, she was a member of the 2016 NFCA South Central Region Coaching Staff of the Year and helped the Lady Buffs finish 59-5, winning Super Regionals and making an appearance in the Division II Spring Sports Festival. Last year saw West Texas A&M once again make it to Regionals behind a 49-11 record.
With a new wave returning to DI, Edwards will surely show what she's made of.
With a new team means a new wave of players coming and returners returning.
FGCU lost catcher Brianna Tourtillott, catcher Amber Plaza, pitcher Taylor Wade, second baseman Jeanie Verderese and former FGCU swimmer Evita Leter as they graduated.
Juniors Caley Chapel and Morgan Sutherland, sophomore Ariana Branstiter and senior Gabbee Draney have parted ways from the team.
Nonetheless, this year's team consists of eight seniors, two true juniors, four transfers (two sophomores and two juniors), one true sophomore and eight freshman.
The six seniors have been the backbones for the softball team: Natalie Lopez (OF), Emily Demrius (2B), Kelsey Huff (OF), Ashley Swiderski (2B), Brittany McGuire (1B/3B), Erica Ward (1B/3B), Bri Innamorato (SS/3B) and LuLu Newmark (C).
The first of eight seniors is my best friend: Natalie Lopez.
The 5-6 outfielder from Miami, Florida has a lot of fire to make the place burn down and a striking fielding ability like a napalm strike.
In her freshman year, Nat started 30 of her 50 games played batting a .328 batting average with 21 hits, six RBIs, 14 runs scored, and eight stolen bases. She also had an .871 fielding percentage.
When sophomore year came around, her batting average went down to .268 and had one RBI, but she had 22 hits, 22 runs, and seven stolen bases. Lopez also had .983 fielding percentage, and to make matters much sweeter, Nat made a Sportscenter Top 10 Play nomination during the A-Sun Conference softball tournament making a diving catch against Kennesaw State.
In her junior year, Lopez started all 59 games where she batted .333 with 54 hits, 24 runs, eight RBIs, 20 stolen bases and a .988 fielding percentage.
With her quick fielding, Nat will strike down more than just stopping the ball from hitting the ground.
If you need a player who can play strong on the field as well as play the drum on the bench to get the team fired up, then you're looking at Emily Demurias.
The 5'4 infielder from Miami, Florida is a drumming sensation.
In her freshman year, it was not her strongest year. Starting four of her 30 games she played, Demurias batted .150 with three hits, two runs, two RBIs, and a stolen base.
When sophomore year came, she got better and played mainly as a pinch runner. Starting eight of her 36 games played, Demurias batted .214 with three hits, 10 runs and a stolen base.
In her junior year, Demurias started nine of her 41 games played, Demurias batted .174 with four hits, nine runs, one RBI, and one stolen base.
This season, Demurias will surely make impact for her last season.
If you see someone that has the speed like the Flash, then you just saw Kelsey Huff.
The 5'7" outfielder from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida can show it more than tell it.
In her freshman year, Huff started 39 of the 48 games, batting .331 with 40 hits, 31 runs, seven RBIs, and 22 stolen bases. She also had 12 multi-hit games and did so well that she was named to the A-SUN All-Freshman team.
When sophomore year came, Huff got better starting 58 of her 59 games played while hitting .366 with 75 hits, 46 runs, eight doubles, a triple, a home run, 20 RBIs and a team-leading 25 stolen bases. She earned A-SUN All-Conference Second Team honors for her hard work.
It was Huff's junior that made it worth while. Starting all 60 games, Huff batted .363 with 77 hits (three doubles, six triples), 21 RBIS and 29 stolen bases. She did so well that she earned A-SUN All-Conference First Team honors.
With her speed, Huff will show that she can blow the house down.
Taking over for Verderese in the huddle is Ashley Swiderski.
The 5'6" second baseman from Naples, Florida will give it all she's got.
In her freshman year, Swiderski was off to a rocky start. She started 17 of her 33 games played and batted .042 with 2 hits, 5 RBIs and 2 runs.
Unfortunately, in her sophomore Swiderski did not play the whole season due to injury and used a medical redshirt, but her redemption season came into play drastically junior year as she got better. Swiderski batted .163 with 17 hits, 13 runs, five doubles, one triple, one home run, 10 RBIs and stolen base.
For Swiderski, her redemption will continue to make wonders.
You want a player who has a great amount of power, then you can turn to Brittany McGuire.
The 5'8" third baseman/first baseman from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida has the power to knock down Mt. St. Helens.
In her freshman year, she started 42 of her 45 games batting .223 with 25 hits, eight doubles, 23 runs, four home runs, 26 RBIs and four stolen bases.
In her sophomore year, McGuire did not have the best season and missed a little over a month due to injury, but came back. She started 11 of the 35 games batting .163 with nine hits, three doubles, two home runs, three runs and nine RBIs.
In her junior year, McGuire's redemption came into play at good measures. Starting 55 of her 56 games played, McGuire batted .219 with 33 hits, nine doubles, one triple, four home runs and 18 RBIs.
For McGuire, she will show her power game is ready for one more round.
The next person is someone who I have known for a good while personally from another collegiate level and that's Erica Ward.
The 5'8" junior third baseman from Jacksonville, Florida was one of Deiros top recruits to come play for FGCU last year.
Prior to FGCU, Erica played for State College of Florida (SCF) of the Suncoast Conference in NJCAA Region 8. She originally played catcher and occasionally shortstop for SCF.
In her freshman year, she batted .353 with 47 hits, 13 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, and 24 RBIs.
When sophomore year came, Ward batted .331 with 11 home runs, 47 RBIs and scored 43 runs.
When I heard that she signed her National Letter of Intent (NLI) with FGCU last year, I was so happy for her to join.
In her junior year at FGCU, Ward went on a tear in the beginning of the season. Starting 12 of her 15 games played, she batted .273 with nine hits, three runs, one double, one triple, one home run and eight RBIs before ending her season early due to a knee injury.
With the road to recovery, Ward will get the redemption she deserves.
Next up to the plate (no pun intended) is my other best friend: Bri Innamorato.
The 5'9" infielder from Mullica Hill, New Jersey can play every infield position at anytime as well as designated hitter.
In her freshman year, Bri had a little rocky start. Starting six of her 25 games, Innamorato batted .111 with two hits and a stolen base.
By the time sophomore year came around, Innamorato got better. Starting 44 of her 52 games played, Innamorato batted .233 with 28 hits, 10 runs, 13 RBIs, and 4 stolen bases. She did so well that she earned A-SUN Second Team All-Conference Honors.
It was Innamorato's junior year that turned heads. In the first four games, she batted .875, which led the nation. She finished batting .265 with 40 hits, seven doubles, two home runs, 20 RBIs and six stolen bases. She earned A-SUN Second Team All-Conference Honors for the second-straight season.
For Innamorato's final season, she will make her presence known that she's coming.
Lastly on the team for seniors is LuLu Newmark.
The 5'3" catcher from Pembroke Pines, Florida can bring the rhythm to the bat.
Prior to FGCU, LuLu played for Bowling Green of the Mid-American Conference. Starting 13 of her 19 games played, she batted .120 with three hits, one run and four RBIs.
When she transferred her sophomore, LuLu made a great transition at FGCU. Starting 24 of the 33 games she played, Newmark batted .226 with 14 hits, three doubles, three runs, one home run and nine RBIs.
In her junior year, it was Newmark's time to shine. Starting 43 of her 49 games played, Newmark batted .217 with 25 hits, two doubles, two triples, four home runs and 11 RBIs. She did so well that she was named on the A-SUN Conference All-Tournament Team.
For Newmark, she will bring plenty of rhythm to make the magic happen.
The returning juniors on the team are very impacting for the backbone: Riley Randolph (LHP) and Racquel Fournet (OF).
The first of two is who I can consider to be my twin is Riley Randolph. The 5'8" left-handed pitcher from St. Petersburg, Florida has enough pitching power to make Aroldis Chapman go "WHAAAATTT."
In her freshman year, Riley tore the opposing teams' houses down as the starting ace pitcher. In 33 games, Riley had a record of 16-5 with a 1.39 ERA, 10 complete games (six shutouts), four saves and 123 strikeouts. She was so successful, she was named A-Sun Freshman and Pitcher of the Year, A-Sun First Team honors, A-Sun All-Conference Freshman Tean and Third Team NFCA All-South Region honoree.
In her sophomore year, Randolph, remaining as the ace pitcher, produced an 18-11 record with a 2.06 ERA, 19 complete games (four shutouts), two saves and 160 strikeouts. She was named on the A-SUN Conference All-Tournament Team for her hard work.
Riley is definitely going to be a powerful asset to the pitching rotation yet again.
The other junior that also known for being called "Rac City" is Racquel Fournet.
The 5'6" first baseman turned returned outfielder from Windermere, Florida is the main natural lefty for the power game.
In her freshman year, as a first baseman, Fournet took the power game by storm. Starting all 59 games she played in, she batted .354 with 63 hits, 18 runs, a team-leading seven home runs, 45 RBIs and one stolen base. She did so well that she was named to the A-Sun All-Freshman Team and earned A-Sun First Team honors.
In her sophomore year, still at first base, Fournet started all 60 games she played in. She batted .299 with 49 hits, 31 runs, 16 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 41 RBIs and three stolen bases, thus earning Second Team All-Conference honors as well as her first career All-Academic Team selection.
For Fournet and her new found role returning to the outfield, she's here to show the world that "Rac City" is ready.
FGCU managed to pick up fout new transfers to the team: Kate Kelly (OF- Seminole State College), Brooke Clemens (C- Florida), Bri Bennett (C- Lake Sumter College) and Addy Simpson (SS/RHP- Albany).
The first of four transfers is Kate Kelly.
The 5-7 outfielder from Cape Coral, Florida comes to FGCU with plenty of speed.
Prior to FGCU, Kelly played one season with Seminole State College of the Suncoast Conference in NJCAA Region 8. There, Kelly hit .417 and drove in 24 runs and swiped 48 stolen bases. She did so well there that she earned All-State and All-Conference honors in addition to a nod on the FCSAA All-Tournament team.
Kelly joins the team as a redshirt sophomore with three years of eligibility remaining, but you can imagine the speed from Kelly is coming.
Next on the team is one of my personal favorite transfers: Brooke Clemens.
The 5-9 catcher from West Rotunda, Florida came with plenty of power.
Prior to FGCU, Clemens spent her first two years at Florida of the SEC.
In her freshman year, Clemens played in nine games and batted .143 with one RBI and a walk.
In her sophomore year, Clemens started two of 22 games played batting .136 with three hits, one home run and five runs before transferring to FGCU.
Clemens comes to FGCU as a junior with two years of eligibility remaining, but I can assure that her power will come into play strongly.
Another powerful player joining McGuire, Fournet and Clemens is Bri Bennett.
The 5-6 catcher from Jacksonville, Florida comes with a powerful purpose.
Prior to FGCU, Bennett started her first two years at Lake Sumter State College of the Mid-Florida Conference in the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8.
There, as a freshman, Bennett batted .307 with 46 hits, 25 runs, seven doubles, 14 home runs, 38 RBIs and six stolen bases.
In her sophomore year, Bennett batted .300 with 84 hits, 34 runs, 26 doubles, 15 home runs, 72 RBIs and three stolen bases.
She earned First Team Mid-Conference honors and NFCA Second Team All-Region honoree as a result of her hard work.
Bennett still holds single season records for most home runs (15), RBIs (72), doubles (26) and walks, and career records for home runs (29), RBIs (109), doubles (33), walks (59) as well as being in the top five in hits (124).
Bennett joins FGCU as a junior with two years of eligibility remaining and you can guarantee her power will come into play with ease.
The final transfer for FGCU is Addy Simpson.
The 5-7 shortstop/right-handed pitcher from Delray Beach, Florida comes to FGCU with a better opportunity.
Prior to FGCU, Simpson played her freshman year at the University of Albany of the America East Conference (AEC). Simpson started 16 of her 24 games played batting .159 with seven hits, four runs, two doubles and nine RBIS.
Simpson joins FGCU as a sophomore with three years of eligibility remaining as a shortstop, but you can bet she will put her foot in the door and make it happen.
For Morgan White, being the only true sophomore on the team seems scary, but in reality, it's a confidence boost.
The 6' right-handed pitcher from Ocala, Florida is always ready for the challenge.
In her freshman year, White was utilized offensively as a designated hitter and as a pitcher. In 34 games, White, as a DH, batted .194 with 12 hits, three runs, five doubles, one home run and six RBIs.
As a pitcher, White struggled and was mainly used in relief. She had a 2-4 record with a 5.68 ERA and 22 strikeouts.
For White, her chance for redemption as a pitcher will come in good time.
Now how about those freshman? FGCU managed to sign eight true freshman: Ahnie Jumper (C/3B), Haley Morrell (SS), Ashley Biddle (1B), Riley McCarthy (C), Marissa Mesiemore (RHP/3B), Farley Callaghan (OF) and Taylor Bauman (RHP).
The first of eight freshman is Ahnie Jumper.
The 5-6 catcher/third baseman from Clewiston, Florida comes into play with ease.
Prior to signing with FGCU, Jumper played for Plantation American Heritage High School under head coach Marty Cooper. In her senior year, she batted .488 with 21 hits, 16 runs, six doubles, one triple, one home run and 20 RBIs. In 89 games, from seventh grade to senior year, Jumper batted a career .366 with 67 hits, 48 runs and 49 RBIs.
In addition, she was a three-time state champion and a First Team All-County selection and helped her high school to a Class 6A runner-up finish.
For Jumper, she will make her presence ready for her first year.
Coming into play on deck with a strong will is Haley Morrell.
The 5-7 shortstop from Tampa, Florida is here to represent the Tampa Bay area.
Prior to FGCU, Morrell played for the Academy of Holy Names under head coach Kevin Vargas. There, Morrell batted a .477 career batting average and 20 career home runs including batting .500 her senior year with 11 home runs and 24 RBIs.
As a result of her hard work, Morrell earned Defensive Player of the Year both freshman and sophomore year, named Academy of Holy Names' Offensive Player of the Year her junior year, earned Second Team All-County and Miracle Softball All-State Honorable Mention.
For Morrell and her experiences, she will turn heads with ease.
To back up McGuire and Ward, Ashley Biddle is here.
The 5-4 first baseman from Trenton, Florida fills the gap perfectly to back up both McGuire and Ward.
Prior to FGCU, Biddle played for Trenton High School under head coach Todd Bryant. There she hit .412 at Trenton High School, driving in 111 runs on 24 doubles through her first three seasons including batting .564 with 44 hits and 33 RBIs as a sophomore.
Biddle earned All-State honors twice and was named a three-time Gainesville Sun All-Area selection.
For Biddle, this will be one thrill of an adventure.
Catchers are one of the hardest positions to compete for and Riley McCarthy is one of the players to compete with.
The 5-6 catcher from Manassas, Virginia is one of two players not from Florida, but that makes no difference.
Prior to FGCU, McCarthy played at Brentsville District High School under head coach Ted Lyons. She lettered all four years where she was a two-time All-State selection, three-time All-Region and four-time All-Conference selection batting a .467 career batting average. McCarthy is also the Virginia state record holder in hits (106).
For McCarthy, she may have some competition with Newmark, Clemens and Bennett, but she can pull it off.
To help Randolph and White in the pitching rotation, Marissa Mesiemore is ready for that.
The 5-7 right-handed pitcher/third baseman from Bushnell, Florida has the capability that Deiros needs.
Prior to FGCU, Mesiemore played for South Sumter High School under head coach Drew Noe. As a batter, Mesiemore, a four year letterwinner, batted a .399 batting average, including a .446 batting average her senior year with 29 career home runs and 113 career RBIs.
As a pitcher, Mesiemore recorded 23 wins with a 0.80 ERA while striking out 271 batters her junior year and a career total 793 strikeouts. She also led South Sumter to the final four of the District 5A State Finals.
The pitching is surely gonna rock the house with Mesiemore in the rotation
To add more depth in the outfield with Huff, Lopez, Fournet and Kelly, Farley Callaghan comes into play.
The 5-5 outfielder from Ponte Vedra, Florida comes in with great passion.
Prior to FGCU, Callaghan played for Ponte Vedra High School under head coach Gordie Rolison. There, Callaghan led the Sharks to a 20-6 record in 2016 behind 26 RBIs while playing travel ball with Florida Select and finished ninth at the ASA 18U National Championship in Oklahoma. She also hit better than .340 in each of her previous five seasons in travel ball.
For Calaghan and her travel ball experience, she is surely gonna make impact with FGCU.
Last, but not least to add more depth to the pitching rotation is Taylor Bauman.
The 5-6 right-handed pitcher from Jacksonville, Florida joins Randolph, White and Mesimore with competition.
Prior to FGCU, Bauman played for Atlantic Coast High School under head coach David Matchett.
There, she recorded a 2.65 ERA while striking out 222 batters her junior while also hitting .368 with nine home runs. She ended her season as a pitcher with a 2.00 ERA and 62 strikeouts.
For Bauman, she will show what she's got in the rotation.
I got to meet all of the new players and I must say they're really cool to talk to. The new coaches were also really nice and I was glad to make them feel welcome to FGCU.
I'm really looking forward to the new season and see how everything works out with the team and still use my cheer.
PC: FGCUathletics.com
During the season, the team played several teams for their tough season. Aside from playing against UCF, FAU, FIU and USF, the Eagles also got the opportunity to play in the Triple Crown Sports Puerto Vallarta Challenge. Although they went 1-4 in the tournament, the Eagles did manage to beat Fresno State, who was ranked No. 21 in the nation at the time and played against FSU, who was No. 1 in the nation despite losing both games. It was an experience though for the team.
Of course at all the softball games I attended, I always do my cheer every time we score: "FGCU Let's Get Hype, Whoop There It Is!"
The team is led by head coach David Deiros, who is entering into his 15th season as head coach and is considered the "founding father" of FGCU softball.
Deiros, a Naples native, was a graduate of USF and became a chemistry teacher and a coach at Lely High School. Deiros coached football, girls' basketball, baseball and, of course, softball.
In his first year as head coach at FGCU, Deiros led the team to a astonishing 57-7 record and their first invitation to the NCAA National Tournament in just their second year of eligibility for postseason play. He did so well that he won Division I-II All-Independent Coach of the Year three consecutive times as well as the memorable moment in 2012 when the Eagles went to the NCAA College Softball National Tournament and beat the gators in their opening game.
In the 2016 season, Deiros was named Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year and helped Louie Ross, Ashley Dobson and Makensie McAvoy to their successful senior years.
When I first met coach Deiros, I was a little nervous because he seemed very intimidating to speak to, let alone meet in person, but after a while in the season, he was actually pretty nice. This season, he is going to rock the house for the softball team.
With the departure of assistant coaches Erika Bennett and Lindsay Ubrun, it seemed hard to find replacements for them, but that was not the case. Deiros found two perfect candidates: Jamie Kertes and Jaime Edwards.
The first is Jamie Kertes.
A native of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, Kertes enters her first season as an assistant coach and will be working primarily with pitching and at first base.
Prior to FGCU and coaching, Kertes started her softball career as a player for Bowling Green State University of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
From her freshman to senior year, Kertes was a stronghold for the Falcons. In her four-year career at BGSU, Kertes set career pitching records for appearances (176) and games started (111), third on the BGSU career lists for strikeouts (512) and shutouts (23) and fourth in school history in wins (52) and strikeouts per seven innings (5.17) and fifth in innings pitched (693 1/3).
After her senior year, Kertes took a position as an assistant coach for Stony Brook for a two-year stint where she coached the Seawolves to the second-lowest ERA in the American East Conference.
With her pitching experience, Kertes is gonna make great impact for the rotation of FGCU's pitchers.
The other coach joining the fray is Jaime Edwards.
Edwards, a native of Austin, Texas, enters her first season as an assistant coach and will be working mainly with fielding.
Prior to FGCU and her coaching career, Edwards played for the University of Houston of, at the time, Conference USA (C-USA). At the plate, Edwards hit .277 with 18 doubles and eight home runs while driving in 67 runs. Edwards sits fourth all-time in fielding percentage (.987), while holding career- and single-season marks for double plays turned (64, 24). In addition, Edwards was a three-time NFCA Academic All-American and a member of the 2012 Conference USA All-Freshman Team.
After her playing career at Houston ended, Edwards went to coach at NCAA DII West Texas A&M of the Lone Star Conference for two years. During that time, she was a member of the 2016 NFCA South Central Region Coaching Staff of the Year and helped the Lady Buffs finish 59-5, winning Super Regionals and making an appearance in the Division II Spring Sports Festival. Last year saw West Texas A&M once again make it to Regionals behind a 49-11 record.
With a new wave returning to DI, Edwards will surely show what she's made of.
With a new team means a new wave of players coming and returners returning.
FGCU lost catcher Brianna Tourtillott, catcher Amber Plaza, pitcher Taylor Wade, second baseman Jeanie Verderese and former FGCU swimmer Evita Leter as they graduated.
Juniors Caley Chapel and Morgan Sutherland, sophomore Ariana Branstiter and senior Gabbee Draney have parted ways from the team.
Nonetheless, this year's team consists of eight seniors, two true juniors, four transfers (two sophomores and two juniors), one true sophomore and eight freshman.
The six seniors have been the backbones for the softball team: Natalie Lopez (OF), Emily Demrius (2B), Kelsey Huff (OF), Ashley Swiderski (2B), Brittany McGuire (1B/3B), Erica Ward (1B/3B), Bri Innamorato (SS/3B) and LuLu Newmark (C).
The first of eight seniors is my best friend: Natalie Lopez.
The 5-6 outfielder from Miami, Florida has a lot of fire to make the place burn down and a striking fielding ability like a napalm strike.
In her freshman year, Nat started 30 of her 50 games played batting a .328 batting average with 21 hits, six RBIs, 14 runs scored, and eight stolen bases. She also had an .871 fielding percentage.
When sophomore year came around, her batting average went down to .268 and had one RBI, but she had 22 hits, 22 runs, and seven stolen bases. Lopez also had .983 fielding percentage, and to make matters much sweeter, Nat made a Sportscenter Top 10 Play nomination during the A-Sun Conference softball tournament making a diving catch against Kennesaw State.
In her junior year, Lopez started all 59 games where she batted .333 with 54 hits, 24 runs, eight RBIs, 20 stolen bases and a .988 fielding percentage.
With her quick fielding, Nat will strike down more than just stopping the ball from hitting the ground.
If you need a player who can play strong on the field as well as play the drum on the bench to get the team fired up, then you're looking at Emily Demurias.
The 5'4 infielder from Miami, Florida is a drumming sensation.
In her freshman year, it was not her strongest year. Starting four of her 30 games she played, Demurias batted .150 with three hits, two runs, two RBIs, and a stolen base.
When sophomore year came, she got better and played mainly as a pinch runner. Starting eight of her 36 games played, Demurias batted .214 with three hits, 10 runs and a stolen base.
In her junior year, Demurias started nine of her 41 games played, Demurias batted .174 with four hits, nine runs, one RBI, and one stolen base.
This season, Demurias will surely make impact for her last season.
If you see someone that has the speed like the Flash, then you just saw Kelsey Huff.
The 5'7" outfielder from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida can show it more than tell it.
In her freshman year, Huff started 39 of the 48 games, batting .331 with 40 hits, 31 runs, seven RBIs, and 22 stolen bases. She also had 12 multi-hit games and did so well that she was named to the A-SUN All-Freshman team.
When sophomore year came, Huff got better starting 58 of her 59 games played while hitting .366 with 75 hits, 46 runs, eight doubles, a triple, a home run, 20 RBIs and a team-leading 25 stolen bases. She earned A-SUN All-Conference Second Team honors for her hard work.
It was Huff's junior that made it worth while. Starting all 60 games, Huff batted .363 with 77 hits (three doubles, six triples), 21 RBIS and 29 stolen bases. She did so well that she earned A-SUN All-Conference First Team honors.
With her speed, Huff will show that she can blow the house down.
Taking over for Verderese in the huddle is Ashley Swiderski.
The 5'6" second baseman from Naples, Florida will give it all she's got.
In her freshman year, Swiderski was off to a rocky start. She started 17 of her 33 games played and batted .042 with 2 hits, 5 RBIs and 2 runs.
Unfortunately, in her sophomore Swiderski did not play the whole season due to injury and used a medical redshirt, but her redemption season came into play drastically junior year as she got better. Swiderski batted .163 with 17 hits, 13 runs, five doubles, one triple, one home run, 10 RBIs and stolen base.
For Swiderski, her redemption will continue to make wonders.
You want a player who has a great amount of power, then you can turn to Brittany McGuire.
The 5'8" third baseman/first baseman from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida has the power to knock down Mt. St. Helens.
In her freshman year, she started 42 of her 45 games batting .223 with 25 hits, eight doubles, 23 runs, four home runs, 26 RBIs and four stolen bases.
In her sophomore year, McGuire did not have the best season and missed a little over a month due to injury, but came back. She started 11 of the 35 games batting .163 with nine hits, three doubles, two home runs, three runs and nine RBIs.
In her junior year, McGuire's redemption came into play at good measures. Starting 55 of her 56 games played, McGuire batted .219 with 33 hits, nine doubles, one triple, four home runs and 18 RBIs.
For McGuire, she will show her power game is ready for one more round.
The next person is someone who I have known for a good while personally from another collegiate level and that's Erica Ward.
The 5'8" junior third baseman from Jacksonville, Florida was one of Deiros top recruits to come play for FGCU last year.
Prior to FGCU, Erica played for State College of Florida (SCF) of the Suncoast Conference in NJCAA Region 8. She originally played catcher and occasionally shortstop for SCF.
In her freshman year, she batted .353 with 47 hits, 13 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, and 24 RBIs.
When sophomore year came, Ward batted .331 with 11 home runs, 47 RBIs and scored 43 runs.
When I heard that she signed her National Letter of Intent (NLI) with FGCU last year, I was so happy for her to join.
In her junior year at FGCU, Ward went on a tear in the beginning of the season. Starting 12 of her 15 games played, she batted .273 with nine hits, three runs, one double, one triple, one home run and eight RBIs before ending her season early due to a knee injury.
With the road to recovery, Ward will get the redemption she deserves.
Next up to the plate (no pun intended) is my other best friend: Bri Innamorato.
The 5'9" infielder from Mullica Hill, New Jersey can play every infield position at anytime as well as designated hitter.
In her freshman year, Bri had a little rocky start. Starting six of her 25 games, Innamorato batted .111 with two hits and a stolen base.
By the time sophomore year came around, Innamorato got better. Starting 44 of her 52 games played, Innamorato batted .233 with 28 hits, 10 runs, 13 RBIs, and 4 stolen bases. She did so well that she earned A-SUN Second Team All-Conference Honors.
It was Innamorato's junior year that turned heads. In the first four games, she batted .875, which led the nation. She finished batting .265 with 40 hits, seven doubles, two home runs, 20 RBIs and six stolen bases. She earned A-SUN Second Team All-Conference Honors for the second-straight season.
For Innamorato's final season, she will make her presence known that she's coming.
Lastly on the team for seniors is LuLu Newmark.
The 5'3" catcher from Pembroke Pines, Florida can bring the rhythm to the bat.
Prior to FGCU, LuLu played for Bowling Green of the Mid-American Conference. Starting 13 of her 19 games played, she batted .120 with three hits, one run and four RBIs.
When she transferred her sophomore, LuLu made a great transition at FGCU. Starting 24 of the 33 games she played, Newmark batted .226 with 14 hits, three doubles, three runs, one home run and nine RBIs.
In her junior year, it was Newmark's time to shine. Starting 43 of her 49 games played, Newmark batted .217 with 25 hits, two doubles, two triples, four home runs and 11 RBIs. She did so well that she was named on the A-SUN Conference All-Tournament Team.
For Newmark, she will bring plenty of rhythm to make the magic happen.
The returning juniors on the team are very impacting for the backbone: Riley Randolph (LHP) and Racquel Fournet (OF).
The first of two is who I can consider to be my twin is Riley Randolph. The 5'8" left-handed pitcher from St. Petersburg, Florida has enough pitching power to make Aroldis Chapman go "WHAAAATTT."
In her freshman year, Riley tore the opposing teams' houses down as the starting ace pitcher. In 33 games, Riley had a record of 16-5 with a 1.39 ERA, 10 complete games (six shutouts), four saves and 123 strikeouts. She was so successful, she was named A-Sun Freshman and Pitcher of the Year, A-Sun First Team honors, A-Sun All-Conference Freshman Tean and Third Team NFCA All-South Region honoree.
In her sophomore year, Randolph, remaining as the ace pitcher, produced an 18-11 record with a 2.06 ERA, 19 complete games (four shutouts), two saves and 160 strikeouts. She was named on the A-SUN Conference All-Tournament Team for her hard work.
Riley is definitely going to be a powerful asset to the pitching rotation yet again.
The other junior that also known for being called "Rac City" is Racquel Fournet.
The 5'6" first baseman turned returned outfielder from Windermere, Florida is the main natural lefty for the power game.
In her freshman year, as a first baseman, Fournet took the power game by storm. Starting all 59 games she played in, she batted .354 with 63 hits, 18 runs, a team-leading seven home runs, 45 RBIs and one stolen base. She did so well that she was named to the A-Sun All-Freshman Team and earned A-Sun First Team honors.
In her sophomore year, still at first base, Fournet started all 60 games she played in. She batted .299 with 49 hits, 31 runs, 16 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 41 RBIs and three stolen bases, thus earning Second Team All-Conference honors as well as her first career All-Academic Team selection.
For Fournet and her new found role returning to the outfield, she's here to show the world that "Rac City" is ready.
FGCU managed to pick up fout new transfers to the team: Kate Kelly (OF- Seminole State College), Brooke Clemens (C- Florida), Bri Bennett (C- Lake Sumter College) and Addy Simpson (SS/RHP- Albany).
The first of four transfers is Kate Kelly.
The 5-7 outfielder from Cape Coral, Florida comes to FGCU with plenty of speed.
Prior to FGCU, Kelly played one season with Seminole State College of the Suncoast Conference in NJCAA Region 8. There, Kelly hit .417 and drove in 24 runs and swiped 48 stolen bases. She did so well there that she earned All-State and All-Conference honors in addition to a nod on the FCSAA All-Tournament team.
Kelly joins the team as a redshirt sophomore with three years of eligibility remaining, but you can imagine the speed from Kelly is coming.
Next on the team is one of my personal favorite transfers: Brooke Clemens.
The 5-9 catcher from West Rotunda, Florida came with plenty of power.
Prior to FGCU, Clemens spent her first two years at Florida of the SEC.
In her freshman year, Clemens played in nine games and batted .143 with one RBI and a walk.
In her sophomore year, Clemens started two of 22 games played batting .136 with three hits, one home run and five runs before transferring to FGCU.
Clemens comes to FGCU as a junior with two years of eligibility remaining, but I can assure that her power will come into play strongly.
Another powerful player joining McGuire, Fournet and Clemens is Bri Bennett.
The 5-6 catcher from Jacksonville, Florida comes with a powerful purpose.
Prior to FGCU, Bennett started her first two years at Lake Sumter State College of the Mid-Florida Conference in the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8.
There, as a freshman, Bennett batted .307 with 46 hits, 25 runs, seven doubles, 14 home runs, 38 RBIs and six stolen bases.
In her sophomore year, Bennett batted .300 with 84 hits, 34 runs, 26 doubles, 15 home runs, 72 RBIs and three stolen bases.
She earned First Team Mid-Conference honors and NFCA Second Team All-Region honoree as a result of her hard work.
Bennett still holds single season records for most home runs (15), RBIs (72), doubles (26) and walks, and career records for home runs (29), RBIs (109), doubles (33), walks (59) as well as being in the top five in hits (124).
Bennett joins FGCU as a junior with two years of eligibility remaining and you can guarantee her power will come into play with ease.
The final transfer for FGCU is Addy Simpson.
The 5-7 shortstop/right-handed pitcher from Delray Beach, Florida comes to FGCU with a better opportunity.
Prior to FGCU, Simpson played her freshman year at the University of Albany of the America East Conference (AEC). Simpson started 16 of her 24 games played batting .159 with seven hits, four runs, two doubles and nine RBIS.
Simpson joins FGCU as a sophomore with three years of eligibility remaining as a shortstop, but you can bet she will put her foot in the door and make it happen.
For Morgan White, being the only true sophomore on the team seems scary, but in reality, it's a confidence boost.
The 6' right-handed pitcher from Ocala, Florida is always ready for the challenge.
In her freshman year, White was utilized offensively as a designated hitter and as a pitcher. In 34 games, White, as a DH, batted .194 with 12 hits, three runs, five doubles, one home run and six RBIs.
As a pitcher, White struggled and was mainly used in relief. She had a 2-4 record with a 5.68 ERA and 22 strikeouts.
For White, her chance for redemption as a pitcher will come in good time.
Now how about those freshman? FGCU managed to sign eight true freshman: Ahnie Jumper (C/3B), Haley Morrell (SS), Ashley Biddle (1B), Riley McCarthy (C), Marissa Mesiemore (RHP/3B), Farley Callaghan (OF) and Taylor Bauman (RHP).
The first of eight freshman is Ahnie Jumper.
The 5-6 catcher/third baseman from Clewiston, Florida comes into play with ease.
Prior to signing with FGCU, Jumper played for Plantation American Heritage High School under head coach Marty Cooper. In her senior year, she batted .488 with 21 hits, 16 runs, six doubles, one triple, one home run and 20 RBIs. In 89 games, from seventh grade to senior year, Jumper batted a career .366 with 67 hits, 48 runs and 49 RBIs.
In addition, she was a three-time state champion and a First Team All-County selection and helped her high school to a Class 6A runner-up finish.
For Jumper, she will make her presence ready for her first year.
Coming into play on deck with a strong will is Haley Morrell.
The 5-7 shortstop from Tampa, Florida is here to represent the Tampa Bay area.
Prior to FGCU, Morrell played for the Academy of Holy Names under head coach Kevin Vargas. There, Morrell batted a .477 career batting average and 20 career home runs including batting .500 her senior year with 11 home runs and 24 RBIs.
As a result of her hard work, Morrell earned Defensive Player of the Year both freshman and sophomore year, named Academy of Holy Names' Offensive Player of the Year her junior year, earned Second Team All-County and Miracle Softball All-State Honorable Mention.
For Morrell and her experiences, she will turn heads with ease.
To back up McGuire and Ward, Ashley Biddle is here.
The 5-4 first baseman from Trenton, Florida fills the gap perfectly to back up both McGuire and Ward.
Prior to FGCU, Biddle played for Trenton High School under head coach Todd Bryant. There she hit .412 at Trenton High School, driving in 111 runs on 24 doubles through her first three seasons including batting .564 with 44 hits and 33 RBIs as a sophomore.
Biddle earned All-State honors twice and was named a three-time Gainesville Sun All-Area selection.
For Biddle, this will be one thrill of an adventure.
Catchers are one of the hardest positions to compete for and Riley McCarthy is one of the players to compete with.
The 5-6 catcher from Manassas, Virginia is one of two players not from Florida, but that makes no difference.
Prior to FGCU, McCarthy played at Brentsville District High School under head coach Ted Lyons. She lettered all four years where she was a two-time All-State selection, three-time All-Region and four-time All-Conference selection batting a .467 career batting average. McCarthy is also the Virginia state record holder in hits (106).
For McCarthy, she may have some competition with Newmark, Clemens and Bennett, but she can pull it off.
To help Randolph and White in the pitching rotation, Marissa Mesiemore is ready for that.
The 5-7 right-handed pitcher/third baseman from Bushnell, Florida has the capability that Deiros needs.
Prior to FGCU, Mesiemore played for South Sumter High School under head coach Drew Noe. As a batter, Mesiemore, a four year letterwinner, batted a .399 batting average, including a .446 batting average her senior year with 29 career home runs and 113 career RBIs.
As a pitcher, Mesiemore recorded 23 wins with a 0.80 ERA while striking out 271 batters her junior year and a career total 793 strikeouts. She also led South Sumter to the final four of the District 5A State Finals.
The pitching is surely gonna rock the house with Mesiemore in the rotation
To add more depth in the outfield with Huff, Lopez, Fournet and Kelly, Farley Callaghan comes into play.
The 5-5 outfielder from Ponte Vedra, Florida comes in with great passion.
Prior to FGCU, Callaghan played for Ponte Vedra High School under head coach Gordie Rolison. There, Callaghan led the Sharks to a 20-6 record in 2016 behind 26 RBIs while playing travel ball with Florida Select and finished ninth at the ASA 18U National Championship in Oklahoma. She also hit better than .340 in each of her previous five seasons in travel ball.
For Calaghan and her travel ball experience, she is surely gonna make impact with FGCU.
Last, but not least to add more depth to the pitching rotation is Taylor Bauman.
The 5-6 right-handed pitcher from Jacksonville, Florida joins Randolph, White and Mesimore with competition.
Prior to FGCU, Bauman played for Atlantic Coast High School under head coach David Matchett.
There, she recorded a 2.65 ERA while striking out 222 batters her junior while also hitting .368 with nine home runs. She ended her season as a pitcher with a 2.00 ERA and 62 strikeouts.
For Bauman, she will show what she's got in the rotation.
I got to meet all of the new players and I must say they're really cool to talk to. The new coaches were also really nice and I was glad to make them feel welcome to FGCU.
I'm really looking forward to the new season and see how everything works out with the team and still use my cheer.
PC: FGCUathletics.com
FGCU Women's Basketball Bios
After another successful, the FGCU women's basketball team prepares for another new season, and with a new season comes a new team. After going 26-9 with a 12-2 record in the A-SUN, the team went all the way to the conference tournament as the No. 2 seed in the tournament where they defeated Stetson by a score of 77-70 in the finals and earned an automatic bid to the national tournament.
Sadly, they lost a very controversial game to Miami in the first round, but made history with the men's basketball team as the first time both the men's and women's teams secured a spot in the national tournament.
The team is led by Karl Smesko, who is entering his 15th season as head coach.
Smesko is so far the only coach that has coached FGCU women's basketball since it started as an NAIA school in 1997.
Prior to coaching for FGCU, Smesko began as a head coach at NCAA D2 Walsh University of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC). There, he led the Cavaliers to the 1998 NAIA Division II National Championship with a 29-5 mark in which he was named the Mid-Ohio Conference and NAIA National Coach of the Year.
After his tenure with Walsh, Smesko landed a position with Maryland as an assistant coach before becoming the head coach for Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) of the Summit League and turned the program around.
After his two-year tenure with the Mastadons, Smesko landed the job as head coach for FGCU.
In his first season, Smesko led the Eagles to a 30-1 record when the Eagles were just transitioning to being an independent team in NCAA D2.
In his third season, Smesko led the Eagles to the NCAA tournament and a 29-2 record in 2005-06.
In his fourth season as head coach, Smesko's Eagles finished the regular season undefeated and ranked number one in the nation. The team won the South Region championship and advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championship game where they were National Runner up and finished with a 34-1 record.
After the Eagles' transition to D1 during the 2006-07 year, Smesko led the women’s basketball team to a second place finish in the A-SUN with a 13-3 record. They were the fifth best offensive team in the A-SUN as well as the second best defense. They were second in free throw percentage and third in field goal percentage.
In 2008-09, Smesko, who was voted A-SUN Coach of the Year, led the Eagles to a Regular Season A-SUN Championship with a 17-3 record. FGCU led the A-SUN in scoring, scoring margin, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, assists, assist-to-turnover ratio, and three-point field goals made during the 2008-09 season. The Eagles also cemented a place in the All-Time A-SUN record books by winning 17 conference games. The Eagles lost to eventual champion USF in the second round of the WNIT and finished the 2008-09 season with an overall record of 26-5.
During the 2009-10 season, the Eagles posted 24 wins to secure the program’s seventh 21-plus win season in the eight-year program history, along with a second place finish in the A-SUN Conference. FGCU received the program’s first invitation to play in the WNIT, where they advanced to the second round with a win over UTEP before falling to New Mexico and Georgia Tech, and also secured their third consecutive postseason WNIT automatic bid. By participating in the 2010 postseason WNIT, FGCU became the first A-SUN school to make three consecutive WNIT appearances. In addition, the Blue and Green also extended its home winning streak to 24 games, which ranks as the fourth longest home winning streak in Division I women’s basketball heading into the 2010-11 campaign.
Smesko saw the program nearly earn its first-ever top-25 national ranking as they earned the No. 26 spot in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches’ Poll. The Eagles would finish the 2011-12 season at No. 37 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll, while also finishing ranked No. 4 in the final version of the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 poll. FGCU concluded its season with an RPI of 59, 67 spots ahead of the next closest A-SUN member. During the course of the record setting 2011-12 season, Smesko won his 300th career game on Dec. 19 against USC Upstate. The victory was one of 17 games that the Eagles won by 20+ points during the campaign. For his efforts, Smesko was named the A-SUN Coach of the Year for the third time. FGCU finished with a 29-3 overall record and went undefeated through the A-SUN regular season en route to becoming the first A-SUN school to post an 18-0 record in conference play. He was also named Kay Yow National Coach of the Year, CollegeSportsMadness.com Mid-Major and A-SUN Coach of the Year.
During the 2012-13 season, Smesko finished with another A-SUN Coach of the Year award and another College Sports Madness A-SUN Coach of the year, while also earning CSM's Mid-Major Coach of the Year award. FGCU became the first school to go undefeated in A-Sun play in back-to-back seasons, finishing the season with the most victories (27) of the 13 Division I institutions in the state of Florida and capturing the program’s third consecutive A-SUN Regular Season crown. FGCU also secured the ninth-straight 21+ win in program history and participated in their sixth consecutive Division I postseason tournament (WNIT). Leading the nation and the ASUN in three-point field goals per game (9.4), for the second year in a row, the Green and Blue ranked in the top 40 in the country in 13 different statistical categories in the final NCAA rankings.
Under his direction, the team completed the 2013-14 season with a record of 26-8 including a 17-1 mark in conference action. The Eagles won their fourth-consecutive regular season championship and went undefeated in the A-SUN Conference tournament to win their second Tournament Championship in three seasons. With the A-SUN Championship, the Green and Blue earned another NCAA Tournament appearance, where they fell to eventual Sweet 16 team and no. 5 seed Oklahoma State in overtime. The 2013-14 season marked the 10th-consecutive season in which a Smesko coached team won at least 20 games.
The 2014-15 campaign saw historic breakthroughs for the FGCU women's basketball team. Smesko's squad finished the season with a record of 31-3 for the program's third 30-win season. The team compiled a win streak of 26 games to rank third in the nation and went undefeated in A-SUN Conference play for the third time, winning all 14 regular season games. With the team's success, the program earned its first-ever Division I national ranking, checking in at high as the No. 20 team and finishing the season at No. 21. With Smesko's leadership, the team also earned its first DI NCAA Tournament win with a 75-67 win over 10th-seeded Oklahoma State.
The 2015-16 season stands as one of the program’s most historic years. The squad finished with a record of 33-6 to set a new Division I win record. The win total stood just one shy of the all-time record and included a 14-0 record in A-SUN action. The team produced an unblemished league record for the fourth time in five seasons and won its sixth-straight regular season title with the performance. The Eagles were upset by Jacksonville University in the A-SUN Championship Final but took the league’s automatic bid to the WNIT Tournament where they made the most of the opportunity. The Eagles hosted Bethune-Cookman, Wake Forest, Tulane, Hofstra and Michigan in the opening rounds of the tournament and earned five-straight wins by a margin of over 15 points per game. The Michigan semifinal matchup drew a program-record crowd that sold out Alico Arena for the first time in women’s basketball history.
In 2016-17, Smesko rallied the Eagles from a 2-5 start to their seventh-straight 25-win campaign, which culminated in the team's fourth NCAA tournament appearance in six seasons of eligibility. The unit finished with a 26-9 record, while reinforcing it's "Raining Threes" mantra with 338 triples, third-most in the country. After finishing second in the conference in regular season play, FGCU downed North Florida and Jacksonville en route to the ASUN Championship game against first-seeded Stetson where the Eagles overcame a nine-point fourth quarter deficit to punch their ticket to the Big Dance. Following the come-from-behind victory, FGCU received a 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they faced 4th-seeded Miami in the First Round in a controversial loss
Smesko, to me, is still considered the godfather of FGCU women's basketball and "Raining 3s",and with the help of his assistant coaches, Chelsea Banbury, Chelsea Lyles, Jenna Cobb and video coordinator Stephanie Haas, there is no stopping him.
The team did lose six players: Jordin Alexander, Mikala McGhee, Haley Laughter, Sydnei McCaskill, Morgan Mecham and Tayler Goodall.
Alexander used her last year of eligibility after transferring from Brown as a grad student.
McGhee was unable to join due to eligibility issues after transferring from Missouri State and George Mason.
Mecham transferred to Oklahoma State, but it is not clear if she is playing or not.
Laughter and McCaskill have graduated and Goodall quit.
Currently on the team are five seniors, four transfers, four sophomores and four freshman.
The five seniors have been the backbones for Raining 3's since day one: Jessica Cattani (G), Erica Nelson (G), China Dow (G), Rosemarie Julien (F) and Taylor Grandijan (G)
The first of five seniors is Jessica Cattani. The 5-7 redshirt senior guard from Muskego, Wisconsin came in with slashing ability to outlast John Wall.
In her freshman year, Cattani was a walk-on for the team and utilized a redshirt to maintain all four years.
In her redshirt freshman year, Cattani was off to a slow start. She appeared in 20 where she shot 1.1 points per game (20 points) with 0.6 rebounds per game (12 rebounds) and 0.6 assists per game (11 assists).
In her redshirt sophomore year, Cattani got more playing time and got better. In 27 games, she averaged 2.2 ppg (59 points), 1.1 rpg (29 rebounds) and 0.4 apg (11 assists). She added 11 steals and one block as well
It was Cattani's redshirt junior year that made her time to shine. Cattani became a strong asset as a starter and as a role player off the bench. Starting 11 of her 33 games played, Cattani averaged 6.7 ppg (220 points) including a career-high 21 points against Lipscomb, 1.8 rpg (59 rebounds) and 1.2 apg (39 assists). Cattani also added 18 steals and one more block to her regime.
With her slashing ability, Cattani will give everything she's got for this season.
Next up is Erica Nelson. The 5-8 guard from Kansas City, Missouri came to make a statement with FGCU.
Prior to FGCU, Nelson spent her first two years at Johnson County Community College (JCCC) of the Kansas Jayhawk Conference in NJCAA DII Region VI.
In her freshman year at JCCC, starting 31 of her 36 games played, Nelson averaged 8.7 ppg (314 points), 4.8 rpg (173 rebounds) and 4.5 apg (163 assists). She helped guide the Cavaliers to win the NJCAA DII national basketball championship.
By sophomore year, Nelson scored 16.6 points per game and led Johnson County to the NJCAA Division II National Championship to a runner-up finish.
During her time with JCCC, Nelson earned All-Conference and All-Region honors, was tabbed as a NJCAA Division II All-American and picked up WBCA First Team All-American accolades for her time with JCCC.
Nelson transferred to FGCU after her tenure with JCCC and was on fire. Starting 26 of her 31 games played, she averaged 9.2 ppg (286 points), 2.2 rpg (70 rebounds) and 2.4 apg (75 assists). She also added 20 steals and nine blocks to the mix and earned A-SUN Player of the Week too.
With her ability as a stronger passer, Nelson will make sure she's ready to go.
If you want a player who is strong as Ray Lewis, chance are it's China Dow.
The 5-8 guard from Louisville, Kentucky will make you wish you did not step up to her.
Prior to FGCU, Dow played her first two years at Middle Tennessee State University of Conference USA (C-USA).
In her freshman year at MTSU, Dow started 16 of the all 34 games she played averaging 4.1 points per game and 2.2 rebounds per game.
By sophomore year, she was even more dominant. Dow started six of all 34 games she played in and averaged 16.4 points per game as a top reserve.
She then transferred to FGCU, but was ineligible to play due to the NCAA transfer rules, so she sat out the whole season.
By her redshirt junior year, Dow was eligible to play and came in with force. In 35 games, Dow averaged 8.7 ppg (303 points), 4.5 rpg (158 rebounds) and 2.3 apg (80 assists). She also added 11 blocks and 50 steals.
During the A-SUN Conference Tournament Championship, Dow lead the way offensively with a double-double (31 points and 10 rebounds), one block and three steals. As a result of the her big game, Dow was not only on the A-SUN Conference All-Tournament Team, but was also named the All-Tournament Team MVP.
With her power, Dow is no doubt a force no one should reckon with.
If you look for a player who has height like Whitney Knight, then you're looking at Rosemarie Julien.
The 5-11 junior guard from Port St. Lucie, Florida has an edge that can make anyone quiver.
Prior to FGCU, Julien played her first two years for Chipola College of the FCSAA/NJCAA DI Region 8 Panhandle Conference.
In her freshman year at Chipola, she started all 35 games and scored 11.9 points per game, had 4 rebounds per game and 1.4 assists per game. Julien helped lead them to the NJCAA DI National Basketball Tournament for their first championship.
In her sophomore year, Julien repeated the process again. Although she scored 9.6 points per game, she had 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, she went to the NJCAA DI National Basketball Tournament yet again and won for the second straight time.
After her tenure with Chipola, Julien transferred to FGCU with her two remaining years of eligibility and came in clutch for her junior year. Julien averaged 11 ppg (386 points), 2.9 rpg (102 rebounds) and 1.3 apg (47 assists). Julien also had four blocks and 37 steals to the mix. Because of her hard work, Julien was named A-SUN Newcomer of the Year and a member of the A-SUN All-Conference First Team along with being named A-SUN Player of the Week and a three-time A-SUN Newcomer of the Week.
With her hard work, Julien will make her competition know she's ready.
The last senior and my personal favorite on the team is Talyor Grandijan.
The 5-9 guard and redshirt senior from Cudahy, Wisconsin has supposedly been at FGCU for "forever". Grandijan, although listed as a grad student academically, is listed as a rare sixth year senior.
In her freshman year, Gradinjan was off to a slow start. She played in five games with one start, scoring 24 points with 4.8 points per game, 11 rebounds, one assist and two steals. Gradinjan was unable to play the rest of the season due to a knee injury, however, she still managed to maintain her 4 years of eligibility.
In her first redshirt freshman year, Grandijan sat out the next whole season due to a ACL injury, but in her second redshirt freshman year she went on a rampage. Starting in 16 of the 33 games she played, Gradinjan averaged 6.1 ppg (202 points), 2.6 rpg (85 rebounds), 0.9 apg (28 assists) and 15 steals. As a result of her dynamic performance, she was named to the Atlantic Sun Conference All-Freshman Team. She also made history for FGCU. After the Eagles won the conference tournament against former A-SUN member Northern Kentucky, the team, who was the No. 7 seed played in the 2015 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament and beat No. 10 Oklahoma State before falling to No. 2 Florida State. Gradinjan scored six points, one steal and one assist in the game against Oklahoma State and 12 points, four rebounds and two assists against FSU.
Her redshirt sophomore year is what really set the toll. Grandijan started all 39 of her games she played scoring 374 points with an average of 9.1 points a game, 161 rebounds, 31 assists, three blocks and 19 steals. Grandijan was named to the A-SUN All-Academic Team and started all three games in the A-SUN Conference Tournament and led the team to a runner-up finish in the finals against Jacksonville, but what really set her bar was in the WNIT Tournament. She scored 10 points against Bethune-Cookman, nine against Wake Forest, 10 against Tulane and six against Hofstra in the opening rounds. In the semifinals against Michigan, she had three points and three rebounds in the victory to the WNIT finals. Although they lost in the finals to South Dakota, Grandijan had 12 points, six rebounds and one assist in the games.
In her redshirt junior year, Grandijan started all 35 games with eight ppg (279 points), 3.4 rpg and 1.5 apg (52 assists). Because her hard work, Grandijan was once again named to the A-SUN All-Academic Team and CoSIDA Academic All-District 4 Team.
With her experience as the rare sixth year senior, Grandijan will make her last year worthwhile.
No returning juniors are on the team, but FGCU managed to ink four transfers to join the team: Davion Wingate (G: Stony Brook), Keri Jewett-Giles (G: Southern Miss), Kerstie Phills (G: Wagner) and Lisa Zderadicka (G: Houston Baptist)
The first of four transfers is Davion Wingate.
The 5-6 guard from Atlanta, Georgia came to make her mark with her new team.
Prior to FGCU, Wingate played her first two years at Stony Brook University of the America East Conference (AEC).
In her freshman year at Stony Brook, Wingate started 14 of her 32 games played averaging 8.7 ppg. She was a two-time America East Rookie of the Week and the second leading scorer in the conference among all freshmen and as a result, she was named on the AEC All-Rookie team.
In her sophomore year, Wingate started 22 of her 30 games played and tied for the team lead in scoring at 11.8 points per game and recorded double-figures in scoring 19 times on the year, including four 20-point performances. During the season, Wingate was named to the Florida Sunshine Classic All-Tournament Team and earned America East Player of the Week honors for her efforts against the Rattlers and Hoosiers.
Wingate will be listed as a redshirt junior and have two years of eligibility remaining, but will be ineligible to play this season in compliance with the NCAA transfer rule.
For Wingate next season, she will make her presence known that she'll be ready.
Next coming to FGCU as a local is Keri Jewett-Giles.
The 5-6 guard from Ft. Myers is ready to come back to her home where she started.
Prior to FGCU, Jewett-Giles spent her first two seasons at Southern Miss of Conference USA (C-USA).
As a freshman at Southern Miss, Jewett-Giles knocked down 7.1 points per contest while shooting .453 from the floor - the second-best shooting percentage on the team and led the Golden Eagle's with a .391 shooting percentage from the arc.
In her sophomore year, Jewett-Giles finished top-three on the team in points per game (9.0), assists (100), steals (63) and three-points (22) where she notched 10 double-figure scoring performances and logged four or more steals on seven occasions.
Jewett-Giles will be listed as a redshirt junior next season and have two years of eligibility remaining, but will be ineligible to play this season in compliance with the NCAA transfer rule.
for Jewett-Giles, she will show what this local girl is all about.
Someone I see that can give a lot of energy happens to be Kerstie Phills.
The 5-9 guard from guard from Charlotte, North Carolina came with one goal: winning.
Prior to FGCU, Phills played her freshman year at Wagner College of the Northeast Conference (NEC). There she led the Seahawks with 13.1 ppg, including a mark of 16.9 in conference play, which ranked fourth among all NEC players.
In addition, Phills led the team and ranked eighth in the conference with 6.9 rebounds per game, ranked second in the conference in NEC games with a .481 shooting percentage ranked second in the conference and ranked ninth with a .429 overall shooting percentage.
Phills ended the season on a 19-game double-figure scoring streak, reached double-figure scores in 22 of her last 23 games of the season and tallied five double-doubles on the year. As a result of her hard, Phills, in addition to being named NEC Rookie of the Week for a program record eight time, was named NEC Rookie of the Year and earned NEC All-Conference Second Team honors.
Phills will be listed as a redshirt sophomore next season and have three years of eligibility remaining, but will be ineligible to play this season in compliance with the NCAA transfer rule.
With her energy, Phills will show that she's ready
The last of the four transfers is Lisa Zderadicka (STARE-uh-dich-kuh).
The 5-6 guard from Vienna, Austria makes her mark with plenty of experience.
Prior to FGCU, Zderadicka started her basketball career in the states at Houston Baptist University of the Southland Conference.
In her freshman year, she was sidelined with a knee injury after three games into the season and utilized a medical redshirt.
As a redshirt freshman, Zderadicka started 15 of 29 games played where she scored 7.7 points per game and pulled down 2.4 rebounds. She ranked second on the team with 73 assists (2.5 per game) where tallied nine double-figures performances including five of the last eight games of the season.
In her redshirt sophomore year, Zderadicka started 14 of her 25 games played and led the Huskies squad with 11.0 ppg and topped the team in assists (71) and steals (29). She tallied 13 double-figure scoring performances, including a career-high 26 points going 10-of-20 from the floor vs. Abilene Christian and had four double-doubles on the season before graduating early.
In addition, prior to Houston Baptist and FGCU, Zderadicka has also played club ball for BC Vienna 87 and a six-time MVP of the league, 12-time Austrian champion, and an eight-time Vienna champion while leading her team to one second place finish and three third place finishes in the Austrian Women's National Basketball League. She also competed in four European Championships, playing U16 in the 2009 championship held in Estonia, U20 in 2010 held in Macedonia, and for both the U18 and U20 national teams who competed in Hungary and Macedonia, respectively, in 2011. Zderadicka also competed in the 3v3 U18 World Championship in Italy in 2011.
Zderadicka is listed as a graduate student and a redshirt junior, so as a result, she is immediately eligible to play and will have two years of eligibility remaining.
With her skills, Zderadicka will show the world that she is one of Austria's greatest players.
Next group to talk about is in the sophomore class: Chandler Ryan (G), Samantha Kisiel (F), Nasrin Ulel (F) and Tytionia Adderly (F).
The first of four sophomores is Chandler Ryan.
The 5-7 guard from Groveland, Illinois is listed as a redshirt freshman, but nonetheless is here to make her mark.
She did not play her freshman year due to injury, but you bet she'll make her mark stronger than ever.
Next up is Samantha Kisiel.
The 5-11 forward from Evergreen, Colorado started as a walk-on, but made the message clear she was ready.
In her freshman year, Kisiel played in nine games and averaged 0.6 ppg (5 points) and 0.2 rpg (2 rebounds). She also had one steal and one block to the mix.
Although Kisiel did not get into many games, you can be sure it will be different this season.
If you want a player that has a wild side, chances are you're looking at Nasrin Ulel.
The 5-9 forward from Murrieta, California makes the Tasmanian Devil quiver.
In her freshman year, Ulel appeared in 27 games and averaged 3.8 ppg (99 points), 1.4 rpg (36 rebounds) and 0.3 apg (seven assists). She also added a block and 10 steals to her mix.
For Ulel, she'll prove the world what she is made of.
The last sophomore who I dubbed as the "Rebound Queen" is Tytionia Adderly.
The 5-10 forward from Jupiter, Florida is known for her strength to get the ball offensively and defensively and every time she gets so many rebounds, I say to her after the games "What's with all those rebounds?"
In her freshman year, Adderly started 24 of her 33 games played. She averaged 4.8 ppg (159 points) including a game high 22 points against Northern Colorado, 7.7 rpg (255 rebounds) including a game high 16 rebounds and 1.3 apg (46 assists). Adderly also added six blocks and 43 steals. She did so well that she was named on the A-SUN All-Freshman Team and the A-SUN All-Tournament Team during the conference tournament.
With her strong rebounding, Adderly will make sure to defend her reign as the Rebounding Queen.
Now that the upper classmen are talked about, how about those freshman. FGCU managed to ink three freshman: Alyssa Blair (G), Sheahen Dowling (G) and Liberty Brown (G/F)
The first of three freshman is Alyssa Blair.
The 5-11 guard from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin came with a purpose.
Prior to FGCU, Blair played for Sun Prairie High School under head coach John Olson. There, Blair was a four-year letterwinner. As a senior, Blair recorded 11.2 ppg and 4.1 rpg while shooting .400 from beyond the arc as a senior and received All-Conference and All-Area honors while helping her team to a conference championship for the first time in 21 years.
With her new role at FGCU, Blair will show that she's ready to roll.
Next is a fellow native I can relate to and that's Sheahen Dowling.
The 5-7 guard from Chicago, Illinois wants to make the magic happen for Raining 3s.
Prior to FGCU, Dowling played for Trinity High School under head coach MikeValente. There she served as team captain her junior and senior seasons and helped her team finish third in the state of Illinois for the 4A division. Dowling averaged nine ppg, three apg, two steals per game, as well as .470 from beyond the arc and .520 from the field over her high school career. She was also a two-time Sectional Champion, a three-time Regional Champion and a three-time Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Champion.
For Dowling, she will show that this Chicago knows her way around.
The last freshman on the team is Liberty Brown.
The 6-0 guard/forward from Forney, Texas comes with a passion to play.
Prior to FGCU, Brown played for Lancaster High School under Jessica Linson. There, Brown was a two-year letterwinner where, as a junior, lead the district in field goal percentage, three point field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and blocked shots. As a senior, Brown helped her team to a district championship. She was ranked the 69th best wing player in the nation according to ESPNW.
With her experience nationally, Brown will show she's ready for the big leagues.
I've seen what the women's basketball team at FGCU is all about since my junior year and I have seen some of the best players make their marks to make it big, and no matter what happens, they always make it to the top.
PC: fgcuathletics.com
Sadly, they lost a very controversial game to Miami in the first round, but made history with the men's basketball team as the first time both the men's and women's teams secured a spot in the national tournament.
The team is led by Karl Smesko, who is entering his 15th season as head coach.
Smesko is so far the only coach that has coached FGCU women's basketball since it started as an NAIA school in 1997.
Prior to coaching for FGCU, Smesko began as a head coach at NCAA D2 Walsh University of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC). There, he led the Cavaliers to the 1998 NAIA Division II National Championship with a 29-5 mark in which he was named the Mid-Ohio Conference and NAIA National Coach of the Year.
After his tenure with Walsh, Smesko landed a position with Maryland as an assistant coach before becoming the head coach for Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) of the Summit League and turned the program around.
After his two-year tenure with the Mastadons, Smesko landed the job as head coach for FGCU.
In his first season, Smesko led the Eagles to a 30-1 record when the Eagles were just transitioning to being an independent team in NCAA D2.
In his third season, Smesko led the Eagles to the NCAA tournament and a 29-2 record in 2005-06.
In his fourth season as head coach, Smesko's Eagles finished the regular season undefeated and ranked number one in the nation. The team won the South Region championship and advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championship game where they were National Runner up and finished with a 34-1 record.
After the Eagles' transition to D1 during the 2006-07 year, Smesko led the women’s basketball team to a second place finish in the A-SUN with a 13-3 record. They were the fifth best offensive team in the A-SUN as well as the second best defense. They were second in free throw percentage and third in field goal percentage.
In 2008-09, Smesko, who was voted A-SUN Coach of the Year, led the Eagles to a Regular Season A-SUN Championship with a 17-3 record. FGCU led the A-SUN in scoring, scoring margin, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, assists, assist-to-turnover ratio, and three-point field goals made during the 2008-09 season. The Eagles also cemented a place in the All-Time A-SUN record books by winning 17 conference games. The Eagles lost to eventual champion USF in the second round of the WNIT and finished the 2008-09 season with an overall record of 26-5.
During the 2009-10 season, the Eagles posted 24 wins to secure the program’s seventh 21-plus win season in the eight-year program history, along with a second place finish in the A-SUN Conference. FGCU received the program’s first invitation to play in the WNIT, where they advanced to the second round with a win over UTEP before falling to New Mexico and Georgia Tech, and also secured their third consecutive postseason WNIT automatic bid. By participating in the 2010 postseason WNIT, FGCU became the first A-SUN school to make three consecutive WNIT appearances. In addition, the Blue and Green also extended its home winning streak to 24 games, which ranks as the fourth longest home winning streak in Division I women’s basketball heading into the 2010-11 campaign.
Smesko saw the program nearly earn its first-ever top-25 national ranking as they earned the No. 26 spot in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches’ Poll. The Eagles would finish the 2011-12 season at No. 37 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll, while also finishing ranked No. 4 in the final version of the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 poll. FGCU concluded its season with an RPI of 59, 67 spots ahead of the next closest A-SUN member. During the course of the record setting 2011-12 season, Smesko won his 300th career game on Dec. 19 against USC Upstate. The victory was one of 17 games that the Eagles won by 20+ points during the campaign. For his efforts, Smesko was named the A-SUN Coach of the Year for the third time. FGCU finished with a 29-3 overall record and went undefeated through the A-SUN regular season en route to becoming the first A-SUN school to post an 18-0 record in conference play. He was also named Kay Yow National Coach of the Year, CollegeSportsMadness.com Mid-Major and A-SUN Coach of the Year.
During the 2012-13 season, Smesko finished with another A-SUN Coach of the Year award and another College Sports Madness A-SUN Coach of the year, while also earning CSM's Mid-Major Coach of the Year award. FGCU became the first school to go undefeated in A-Sun play in back-to-back seasons, finishing the season with the most victories (27) of the 13 Division I institutions in the state of Florida and capturing the program’s third consecutive A-SUN Regular Season crown. FGCU also secured the ninth-straight 21+ win in program history and participated in their sixth consecutive Division I postseason tournament (WNIT). Leading the nation and the ASUN in three-point field goals per game (9.4), for the second year in a row, the Green and Blue ranked in the top 40 in the country in 13 different statistical categories in the final NCAA rankings.
Under his direction, the team completed the 2013-14 season with a record of 26-8 including a 17-1 mark in conference action. The Eagles won their fourth-consecutive regular season championship and went undefeated in the A-SUN Conference tournament to win their second Tournament Championship in three seasons. With the A-SUN Championship, the Green and Blue earned another NCAA Tournament appearance, where they fell to eventual Sweet 16 team and no. 5 seed Oklahoma State in overtime. The 2013-14 season marked the 10th-consecutive season in which a Smesko coached team won at least 20 games.
The 2014-15 campaign saw historic breakthroughs for the FGCU women's basketball team. Smesko's squad finished the season with a record of 31-3 for the program's third 30-win season. The team compiled a win streak of 26 games to rank third in the nation and went undefeated in A-SUN Conference play for the third time, winning all 14 regular season games. With the team's success, the program earned its first-ever Division I national ranking, checking in at high as the No. 20 team and finishing the season at No. 21. With Smesko's leadership, the team also earned its first DI NCAA Tournament win with a 75-67 win over 10th-seeded Oklahoma State.
The 2015-16 season stands as one of the program’s most historic years. The squad finished with a record of 33-6 to set a new Division I win record. The win total stood just one shy of the all-time record and included a 14-0 record in A-SUN action. The team produced an unblemished league record for the fourth time in five seasons and won its sixth-straight regular season title with the performance. The Eagles were upset by Jacksonville University in the A-SUN Championship Final but took the league’s automatic bid to the WNIT Tournament where they made the most of the opportunity. The Eagles hosted Bethune-Cookman, Wake Forest, Tulane, Hofstra and Michigan in the opening rounds of the tournament and earned five-straight wins by a margin of over 15 points per game. The Michigan semifinal matchup drew a program-record crowd that sold out Alico Arena for the first time in women’s basketball history.
In 2016-17, Smesko rallied the Eagles from a 2-5 start to their seventh-straight 25-win campaign, which culminated in the team's fourth NCAA tournament appearance in six seasons of eligibility. The unit finished with a 26-9 record, while reinforcing it's "Raining Threes" mantra with 338 triples, third-most in the country. After finishing second in the conference in regular season play, FGCU downed North Florida and Jacksonville en route to the ASUN Championship game against first-seeded Stetson where the Eagles overcame a nine-point fourth quarter deficit to punch their ticket to the Big Dance. Following the come-from-behind victory, FGCU received a 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they faced 4th-seeded Miami in the First Round in a controversial loss
Smesko, to me, is still considered the godfather of FGCU women's basketball and "Raining 3s",and with the help of his assistant coaches, Chelsea Banbury, Chelsea Lyles, Jenna Cobb and video coordinator Stephanie Haas, there is no stopping him.
The team did lose six players: Jordin Alexander, Mikala McGhee, Haley Laughter, Sydnei McCaskill, Morgan Mecham and Tayler Goodall.
Alexander used her last year of eligibility after transferring from Brown as a grad student.
McGhee was unable to join due to eligibility issues after transferring from Missouri State and George Mason.
Mecham transferred to Oklahoma State, but it is not clear if she is playing or not.
Laughter and McCaskill have graduated and Goodall quit.
Currently on the team are five seniors, four transfers, four sophomores and four freshman.
The five seniors have been the backbones for Raining 3's since day one: Jessica Cattani (G), Erica Nelson (G), China Dow (G), Rosemarie Julien (F) and Taylor Grandijan (G)
The first of five seniors is Jessica Cattani. The 5-7 redshirt senior guard from Muskego, Wisconsin came in with slashing ability to outlast John Wall.
In her freshman year, Cattani was a walk-on for the team and utilized a redshirt to maintain all four years.
In her redshirt freshman year, Cattani was off to a slow start. She appeared in 20 where she shot 1.1 points per game (20 points) with 0.6 rebounds per game (12 rebounds) and 0.6 assists per game (11 assists).
In her redshirt sophomore year, Cattani got more playing time and got better. In 27 games, she averaged 2.2 ppg (59 points), 1.1 rpg (29 rebounds) and 0.4 apg (11 assists). She added 11 steals and one block as well
It was Cattani's redshirt junior year that made her time to shine. Cattani became a strong asset as a starter and as a role player off the bench. Starting 11 of her 33 games played, Cattani averaged 6.7 ppg (220 points) including a career-high 21 points against Lipscomb, 1.8 rpg (59 rebounds) and 1.2 apg (39 assists). Cattani also added 18 steals and one more block to her regime.
With her slashing ability, Cattani will give everything she's got for this season.
Next up is Erica Nelson. The 5-8 guard from Kansas City, Missouri came to make a statement with FGCU.
Prior to FGCU, Nelson spent her first two years at Johnson County Community College (JCCC) of the Kansas Jayhawk Conference in NJCAA DII Region VI.
In her freshman year at JCCC, starting 31 of her 36 games played, Nelson averaged 8.7 ppg (314 points), 4.8 rpg (173 rebounds) and 4.5 apg (163 assists). She helped guide the Cavaliers to win the NJCAA DII national basketball championship.
By sophomore year, Nelson scored 16.6 points per game and led Johnson County to the NJCAA Division II National Championship to a runner-up finish.
During her time with JCCC, Nelson earned All-Conference and All-Region honors, was tabbed as a NJCAA Division II All-American and picked up WBCA First Team All-American accolades for her time with JCCC.
Nelson transferred to FGCU after her tenure with JCCC and was on fire. Starting 26 of her 31 games played, she averaged 9.2 ppg (286 points), 2.2 rpg (70 rebounds) and 2.4 apg (75 assists). She also added 20 steals and nine blocks to the mix and earned A-SUN Player of the Week too.
With her ability as a stronger passer, Nelson will make sure she's ready to go.
If you want a player who is strong as Ray Lewis, chance are it's China Dow.
The 5-8 guard from Louisville, Kentucky will make you wish you did not step up to her.
Prior to FGCU, Dow played her first two years at Middle Tennessee State University of Conference USA (C-USA).
In her freshman year at MTSU, Dow started 16 of the all 34 games she played averaging 4.1 points per game and 2.2 rebounds per game.
By sophomore year, she was even more dominant. Dow started six of all 34 games she played in and averaged 16.4 points per game as a top reserve.
She then transferred to FGCU, but was ineligible to play due to the NCAA transfer rules, so she sat out the whole season.
By her redshirt junior year, Dow was eligible to play and came in with force. In 35 games, Dow averaged 8.7 ppg (303 points), 4.5 rpg (158 rebounds) and 2.3 apg (80 assists). She also added 11 blocks and 50 steals.
During the A-SUN Conference Tournament Championship, Dow lead the way offensively with a double-double (31 points and 10 rebounds), one block and three steals. As a result of the her big game, Dow was not only on the A-SUN Conference All-Tournament Team, but was also named the All-Tournament Team MVP.
With her power, Dow is no doubt a force no one should reckon with.
If you look for a player who has height like Whitney Knight, then you're looking at Rosemarie Julien.
The 5-11 junior guard from Port St. Lucie, Florida has an edge that can make anyone quiver.
Prior to FGCU, Julien played her first two years for Chipola College of the FCSAA/NJCAA DI Region 8 Panhandle Conference.
In her freshman year at Chipola, she started all 35 games and scored 11.9 points per game, had 4 rebounds per game and 1.4 assists per game. Julien helped lead them to the NJCAA DI National Basketball Tournament for their first championship.
In her sophomore year, Julien repeated the process again. Although she scored 9.6 points per game, she had 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, she went to the NJCAA DI National Basketball Tournament yet again and won for the second straight time.
After her tenure with Chipola, Julien transferred to FGCU with her two remaining years of eligibility and came in clutch for her junior year. Julien averaged 11 ppg (386 points), 2.9 rpg (102 rebounds) and 1.3 apg (47 assists). Julien also had four blocks and 37 steals to the mix. Because of her hard work, Julien was named A-SUN Newcomer of the Year and a member of the A-SUN All-Conference First Team along with being named A-SUN Player of the Week and a three-time A-SUN Newcomer of the Week.
With her hard work, Julien will make her competition know she's ready.
The last senior and my personal favorite on the team is Talyor Grandijan.
The 5-9 guard and redshirt senior from Cudahy, Wisconsin has supposedly been at FGCU for "forever". Grandijan, although listed as a grad student academically, is listed as a rare sixth year senior.
In her freshman year, Gradinjan was off to a slow start. She played in five games with one start, scoring 24 points with 4.8 points per game, 11 rebounds, one assist and two steals. Gradinjan was unable to play the rest of the season due to a knee injury, however, she still managed to maintain her 4 years of eligibility.
In her first redshirt freshman year, Grandijan sat out the next whole season due to a ACL injury, but in her second redshirt freshman year she went on a rampage. Starting in 16 of the 33 games she played, Gradinjan averaged 6.1 ppg (202 points), 2.6 rpg (85 rebounds), 0.9 apg (28 assists) and 15 steals. As a result of her dynamic performance, she was named to the Atlantic Sun Conference All-Freshman Team. She also made history for FGCU. After the Eagles won the conference tournament against former A-SUN member Northern Kentucky, the team, who was the No. 7 seed played in the 2015 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament and beat No. 10 Oklahoma State before falling to No. 2 Florida State. Gradinjan scored six points, one steal and one assist in the game against Oklahoma State and 12 points, four rebounds and two assists against FSU.
Her redshirt sophomore year is what really set the toll. Grandijan started all 39 of her games she played scoring 374 points with an average of 9.1 points a game, 161 rebounds, 31 assists, three blocks and 19 steals. Grandijan was named to the A-SUN All-Academic Team and started all three games in the A-SUN Conference Tournament and led the team to a runner-up finish in the finals against Jacksonville, but what really set her bar was in the WNIT Tournament. She scored 10 points against Bethune-Cookman, nine against Wake Forest, 10 against Tulane and six against Hofstra in the opening rounds. In the semifinals against Michigan, she had three points and three rebounds in the victory to the WNIT finals. Although they lost in the finals to South Dakota, Grandijan had 12 points, six rebounds and one assist in the games.
In her redshirt junior year, Grandijan started all 35 games with eight ppg (279 points), 3.4 rpg and 1.5 apg (52 assists). Because her hard work, Grandijan was once again named to the A-SUN All-Academic Team and CoSIDA Academic All-District 4 Team.
With her experience as the rare sixth year senior, Grandijan will make her last year worthwhile.
No returning juniors are on the team, but FGCU managed to ink four transfers to join the team: Davion Wingate (G: Stony Brook), Keri Jewett-Giles (G: Southern Miss), Kerstie Phills (G: Wagner) and Lisa Zderadicka (G: Houston Baptist)
The first of four transfers is Davion Wingate.
The 5-6 guard from Atlanta, Georgia came to make her mark with her new team.
Prior to FGCU, Wingate played her first two years at Stony Brook University of the America East Conference (AEC).
In her freshman year at Stony Brook, Wingate started 14 of her 32 games played averaging 8.7 ppg. She was a two-time America East Rookie of the Week and the second leading scorer in the conference among all freshmen and as a result, she was named on the AEC All-Rookie team.
In her sophomore year, Wingate started 22 of her 30 games played and tied for the team lead in scoring at 11.8 points per game and recorded double-figures in scoring 19 times on the year, including four 20-point performances. During the season, Wingate was named to the Florida Sunshine Classic All-Tournament Team and earned America East Player of the Week honors for her efforts against the Rattlers and Hoosiers.
Wingate will be listed as a redshirt junior and have two years of eligibility remaining, but will be ineligible to play this season in compliance with the NCAA transfer rule.
For Wingate next season, she will make her presence known that she'll be ready.
Next coming to FGCU as a local is Keri Jewett-Giles.
The 5-6 guard from Ft. Myers is ready to come back to her home where she started.
Prior to FGCU, Jewett-Giles spent her first two seasons at Southern Miss of Conference USA (C-USA).
As a freshman at Southern Miss, Jewett-Giles knocked down 7.1 points per contest while shooting .453 from the floor - the second-best shooting percentage on the team and led the Golden Eagle's with a .391 shooting percentage from the arc.
In her sophomore year, Jewett-Giles finished top-three on the team in points per game (9.0), assists (100), steals (63) and three-points (22) where she notched 10 double-figure scoring performances and logged four or more steals on seven occasions.
Jewett-Giles will be listed as a redshirt junior next season and have two years of eligibility remaining, but will be ineligible to play this season in compliance with the NCAA transfer rule.
for Jewett-Giles, she will show what this local girl is all about.
Someone I see that can give a lot of energy happens to be Kerstie Phills.
The 5-9 guard from guard from Charlotte, North Carolina came with one goal: winning.
Prior to FGCU, Phills played her freshman year at Wagner College of the Northeast Conference (NEC). There she led the Seahawks with 13.1 ppg, including a mark of 16.9 in conference play, which ranked fourth among all NEC players.
In addition, Phills led the team and ranked eighth in the conference with 6.9 rebounds per game, ranked second in the conference in NEC games with a .481 shooting percentage ranked second in the conference and ranked ninth with a .429 overall shooting percentage.
Phills ended the season on a 19-game double-figure scoring streak, reached double-figure scores in 22 of her last 23 games of the season and tallied five double-doubles on the year. As a result of her hard, Phills, in addition to being named NEC Rookie of the Week for a program record eight time, was named NEC Rookie of the Year and earned NEC All-Conference Second Team honors.
Phills will be listed as a redshirt sophomore next season and have three years of eligibility remaining, but will be ineligible to play this season in compliance with the NCAA transfer rule.
The last of the four transfers is Lisa Zderadicka (STARE-uh-dich-kuh).
The 5-6 guard from Vienna, Austria makes her mark with plenty of experience.
Prior to FGCU, Zderadicka started her basketball career in the states at Houston Baptist University of the Southland Conference.
In her freshman year, she was sidelined with a knee injury after three games into the season and utilized a medical redshirt.
As a redshirt freshman, Zderadicka started 15 of 29 games played where she scored 7.7 points per game and pulled down 2.4 rebounds. She ranked second on the team with 73 assists (2.5 per game) where tallied nine double-figures performances including five of the last eight games of the season.
In her redshirt sophomore year, Zderadicka started 14 of her 25 games played and led the Huskies squad with 11.0 ppg and topped the team in assists (71) and steals (29). She tallied 13 double-figure scoring performances, including a career-high 26 points going 10-of-20 from the floor vs. Abilene Christian and had four double-doubles on the season before graduating early.
In addition, prior to Houston Baptist and FGCU, Zderadicka has also played club ball for BC Vienna 87 and a six-time MVP of the league, 12-time Austrian champion, and an eight-time Vienna champion while leading her team to one second place finish and three third place finishes in the Austrian Women's National Basketball League. She also competed in four European Championships, playing U16 in the 2009 championship held in Estonia, U20 in 2010 held in Macedonia, and for both the U18 and U20 national teams who competed in Hungary and Macedonia, respectively, in 2011. Zderadicka also competed in the 3v3 U18 World Championship in Italy in 2011.
Zderadicka is listed as a graduate student and a redshirt junior, so as a result, she is immediately eligible to play and will have two years of eligibility remaining.
With her skills, Zderadicka will show the world that she is one of Austria's greatest players.
Next group to talk about is in the sophomore class: Chandler Ryan (G), Samantha Kisiel (F), Nasrin Ulel (F) and Tytionia Adderly (F).
The first of four sophomores is Chandler Ryan.
The 5-7 guard from Groveland, Illinois is listed as a redshirt freshman, but nonetheless is here to make her mark.
She did not play her freshman year due to injury, but you bet she'll make her mark stronger than ever.
Next up is Samantha Kisiel.
The 5-11 forward from Evergreen, Colorado started as a walk-on, but made the message clear she was ready.
In her freshman year, Kisiel played in nine games and averaged 0.6 ppg (5 points) and 0.2 rpg (2 rebounds). She also had one steal and one block to the mix.
Although Kisiel did not get into many games, you can be sure it will be different this season.
If you want a player that has a wild side, chances are you're looking at Nasrin Ulel.
The 5-9 forward from Murrieta, California makes the Tasmanian Devil quiver.
In her freshman year, Ulel appeared in 27 games and averaged 3.8 ppg (99 points), 1.4 rpg (36 rebounds) and 0.3 apg (seven assists). She also added a block and 10 steals to her mix.
For Ulel, she'll prove the world what she is made of.
The last sophomore who I dubbed as the "Rebound Queen" is Tytionia Adderly.
The 5-10 forward from Jupiter, Florida is known for her strength to get the ball offensively and defensively and every time she gets so many rebounds, I say to her after the games "What's with all those rebounds?"
In her freshman year, Adderly started 24 of her 33 games played. She averaged 4.8 ppg (159 points) including a game high 22 points against Northern Colorado, 7.7 rpg (255 rebounds) including a game high 16 rebounds and 1.3 apg (46 assists). Adderly also added six blocks and 43 steals. She did so well that she was named on the A-SUN All-Freshman Team and the A-SUN All-Tournament Team during the conference tournament.
With her strong rebounding, Adderly will make sure to defend her reign as the Rebounding Queen.
Now that the upper classmen are talked about, how about those freshman. FGCU managed to ink three freshman: Alyssa Blair (G), Sheahen Dowling (G) and Liberty Brown (G/F)
The first of three freshman is Alyssa Blair.
The 5-11 guard from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin came with a purpose.
Prior to FGCU, Blair played for Sun Prairie High School under head coach John Olson. There, Blair was a four-year letterwinner. As a senior, Blair recorded 11.2 ppg and 4.1 rpg while shooting .400 from beyond the arc as a senior and received All-Conference and All-Area honors while helping her team to a conference championship for the first time in 21 years.
With her new role at FGCU, Blair will show that she's ready to roll.
Next is a fellow native I can relate to and that's Sheahen Dowling.
The 5-7 guard from Chicago, Illinois wants to make the magic happen for Raining 3s.
Prior to FGCU, Dowling played for Trinity High School under head coach MikeValente. There she served as team captain her junior and senior seasons and helped her team finish third in the state of Illinois for the 4A division. Dowling averaged nine ppg, three apg, two steals per game, as well as .470 from beyond the arc and .520 from the field over her high school career. She was also a two-time Sectional Champion, a three-time Regional Champion and a three-time Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Champion.
For Dowling, she will show that this Chicago knows her way around.
The last freshman on the team is Liberty Brown.
The 6-0 guard/forward from Forney, Texas comes with a passion to play.
Prior to FGCU, Brown played for Lancaster High School under Jessica Linson. There, Brown was a two-year letterwinner where, as a junior, lead the district in field goal percentage, three point field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and blocked shots. As a senior, Brown helped her team to a district championship. She was ranked the 69th best wing player in the nation according to ESPNW.
With her experience nationally, Brown will show she's ready for the big leagues.
I've seen what the women's basketball team at FGCU is all about since my junior year and I have seen some of the best players make their marks to make it big, and no matter what happens, they always make it to the top.
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