SCF Athletes: Where Are They Now? (2018-19)

While I got to meet many of the SCF athletes from the 2018-19 school, I was always curious to know where are they now and here's where we begin. As far as what I know, these are the athletes I know for sure where they are going.

Men's Basketball:
The Manatees finished 18-15 overall with a 6-6 record in the Suncoast where they won the Suncoast Conference Tournament and qualified for the FCSAA State Tournament for the first time since 2012-13. On the team, there were nine sophomores on the team: DeAndre Osuigwe, Tre Alexandrea, Corey Davis, Cyrus Barnes, Joel, Coffey, Dylan Porter, Miles Wilson, Clarence Miles and Shelby Rhodes.

Osuigwe: A rare pass-first guard, Osuigwe has committed to playing for the University of Alaska-Anchorage (NCAA DII) with his final two years of eligibility remaining, so he will be listed as a double transfer. The Seawolves finished last season 14-14 overall with a 9-11 record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC).

Osuigwe spent his freshman year at Nyack College (NCAA DII) where he averaged 7.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in 25 games with 16 starts before transferring to SCF for his sophomore. As a Manatee, Osuigwe averaged 11.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while being named a member of the All-Suncoast Second Team.


Alexandrea: Alexandrea will be attending Thomas University (NAIA) in Thomasville, Gerogia with two years of eligibility remaining. The Night Hawks finished 13-13 overall with a 9-9 record in the Sun Conference.

Alexandrea began his collegiate career at SCF averaging seven points, 3.3 rebounds and five assists per game. After redshirting his sophomore year due to injury, Alexandrea finished his redshirt sophomore year with 9.2 points and 4.4 assists per game while joining Osuigwe on the All-Suncoast Second Team.


Davis: For Davis, he will be attending Keiser University (NAIA) as a double JUCO transfer with two years of eligibility remaining, Last season, Keiser went 15-14 overall with an 11-7 record in the Sun Conference. In their exhibition game against Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), the Seahawks fell 87-85, but gave the Eagles quite a scare. The Seahawks fell in the quarterfinals of the Sun Conference Tournament

Davis spent his freshman year at Columbia College (CCCAA) in Sonora, California where he averaged 3.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game while helping the Jumpers to a 17-8 overall record with an 11-3 record in the Central Valley Conference. As a member of SCF, Davis averaged 2.8 points per game, which included a season-high 12 points against Impact Academy.

Barnes: Barnes will continue his basketball career at Lindenwood University (NCAA DII) in St. Charles, Missouri with two years of eligibility remaining. The Lions finished 16-16 overall last season with a 9-10 record in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MAIA) where they fell in the first round of the MIAA Tournament.

Barnes began his collegiate basketball career at SCF averaging 2.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. Upon the arrival of head coach Tom Parks, Barnes' stats started to skyrocket up as he averaged 9.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while joining Alexandrea and Osuigwe on the All-Suncoast Second Team.


Coffey: Coffey will be attending Webber International (NAIA). Coffeey averaged 2.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game as a sophomore for SCF. Coffey will have two years of eligibility remaining upon arrival to Webber. The Warriors finished 13-17 overall with a 4-14 record in the Sun Conference.

Porter: Porter will be attending the University of Florida, but not as a member of the Gators basketball team. Porter played in four games and averaged 1.3 rebounds per game.

Miles: Miles will be attending St. Thomas University (NAIA) in Miami Gardens with two years of eligibility remaining. Last season, the Bobcats finished 11-16 overall with a 10-8 record in the Sun Conference where they made the postseason before falling in the quarterfinals of the Sun Conference Tournament.

The three point specialist averaged four points per game and had a team-leading 41% shooting percentage behind the arc. In one of his best games, Miles scored a career-high 29 points against Impact Academy while going 9-for-16 behind the arc.

Like Porter, Rhodes and Wilson will also be going to school only.

Volleyball:
After volleyball finished 6-25 with an 0-6 record in the Suncoast, the two sophomores on the teams, Bethany Bonville and Gabriella Valdez-Perez, have decided not to continue playing collegiately, while another two players were able to transfer and continue where they left off: Fatima Rajaee and Nikoleta Kandic.

Rajaee has transferred to Florida Memorial University (NAIA) as a sophomore with her remaining three years of eligibility. As a freshman for SCF, Rajaee, a defensive specialist from Orlando, finished with 239 digs and 16 aces with the Manatees. The Lions finished 11-15 overall with a 4-12 record in the Sun Conference.

Kandic transferred to another junior college, Indian Hills Community College. The native of Belgrade, Serbia, who plays as an outside hitter, had 274 kills, 17 aces and 47 blocks (12 solo) with the Manatees.

The Warriors finished last season 18-16 overall with a 3-1 record in conference play.

Softball:
Seven sophomores have graduated as well as freshman Kailey Christian transferring: Megan Seeds, Nicci Palumbo, Haley McFadden, Cheyenne Nunez, Kyria Holcomb, Madison Yoder and Sydney Parks.

Christian: Because of her high academic scores at the NJCAA level, Christian will be transferring to Delaware as a sophomore with three years of eligibility remaining. The Blue Hens finished last season 22-29 with a 7-11 record in the Colonial League, but did not make it to the postseason.

Known for throwing three types of riseballs, Christian finished her freshman campaign on the mound with 22-4 record, 2.19 ERA and 196 strikeouts while batting a team-leading .366 with a home run and 36 RBI. Christian was named a member of the All-Suncoast First Team, Suncoast All-Academic Team and the FCSAA All-State Second Team in the end.

Palumbo: Palumbo will be attending Florida Atlantic (FAU) but not for softball. With a knee injury plaguing a big part of the season, Palumbo still manage to finish her sophomore campaign with a .364 batting average and 11 RBI. Palumbo was named a member of the Suncoast All-Academic Team.

McFadden: McFadden will continue her softball career at Warner University (NAIA) with two years of eligibility remaining. The Lions are coming off of finishing last season 28-16 overall with a 12-12 record in the Sun Conference where they finished 2-2 in the Sun Conference Tournament

McFadden will join fellow redshirt senior and former Manatee Kayleigh Walters. She batted .313 with two home runs and 31 RBI while being named a member of the All-Suncoast Second Team.

Nunez: Nunez will continue her softball career at USC Upstate with two years of eligibility remaining. The Spartans finished 41-15 last season with a 18-6 record in the Big South before finishing 1-2 in the Big South Championship Tournament.

Nunez finished her sophomore campaign batting .360 with a home run, 27 RBI and 38 stolen bases, while joining Christian and Seeds on the All-Suncoast First Team. Nunez broke the single season record for most stolen bases on March 27.

Yoder: Yoder will be attending USF, but not for softball. Yoder batted .200 with four RBI while being named a member of the Suncoast All-Academic Team.

Tennis:
After finishing 6-7 overall with a 4-6 record in the Region 8 Conference, four sophomores have moved forward and graduated from the SCF tennis team: Sara Jamal, Camile Portalier, Laura Illanes-Rodriguez and Diarra Thomas. Freshman Zeba Jamal will also be transferring

Sara Jamal: Sara will be attending Presbyterian College in Clemson, South Carolina with two years of eligibility remaining. The Blue Hose finished last season 17-7 overall with a 7-2 record in the Big South before falling in the conference quarterfinals.

Jamal finished 8-9 in singles (#2 singles) and 8-10 in doubles (#1), primarily playing with now sophomore Sara Ramirez-Goncalves. Prior to SCF, Sara played for Southern Methodist where she recorded eight victories in doubles play and three wins in singles play.


Illanes-Rodriguez: Illanes-Rodriguez will join Nunez to represent SCF as she continues her collegiate tennis at USC Upstate with two years of eligibility remaining. The Spartans finished the season 4-19 overall with a 2-7 record in the Big South before falling in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.

Illanes-Rodriguez finished her sophomore campaign 10-7 overall at #6 singles while being named the 2019 Vicki Schnurr Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Thomas: Primarily playing at #3 doubles, Thomas has decided to continue her tennis career at Coppin State in Baltimore. She will join the Eagles with two years of eligibility remaining. Coppin State finished 2-14 overall with a 1-4 record in the MEAC before falling in the first round of the MEAC Conference Tournament.

Predominantly playing with now sophomore Britain Botsford, Thomas was 10-8 in doubles, which included three combined wins at the FCSAA State Tournament (1) and the NJCAA National Tournament (2). Thomas was also 2-2 in singles action.

Zeba Jamal: Zeba will be attending Jacksonville State University in Alabama with three years of eligibility remaining. The Gamecocks finished last season with a 14-4 overall record and a 7-1 record in the Ohio Valley Conference where they fell in the semifinals of their conference tournament.

As a freshman at SCF, Zeba finished her career there with a 5-11 overall record in singles (#1 singles) and 13-8 in doubles with Portalier.

Portalier: Portalier will continue her playing career at the University of West Georgia (NCAA DII) with two years of eligibility. The Wolves finished last season with a 7-11 overall record with 2-9 record in the Gulf South Conference.

Portalier finished her sophomore campaign with a 7-10 overall record at #4 singles and a 13-8 record in doubles with Zeba Jamal. Portalier and Zeba Jamal claimed the NJCAA Flight 2 Consolation Doubles Championship.

Baseball:
After finishing 38-20 overall with a 20-11 record in the Suncoast, 15 sophomores have moved forward on their careers after graduating: Brian Dillingham, Shane Shifflett, Josh Bonynge, Josh Crouch, John Shields, Giovany Lorenzo, Corey Ireson, Bryce Hulett, Collin Moore, Cole Beavin, Hunter Perdue, Chris Holcomb, Brock Bell and Aaron Brown.

Dillingham: After finishing his redshirt sophomore campaign, Dillingham will be transferring to Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) with two years of eligibility remaining. The Blue Raiders finished last season with an 18-37 overall record and an 11-19 in Conference USA.

As a freshman, Dillingham finished with a .299 batting average with a home run and 16 RBI. After redshirting for the 2018 season due to injury, the Bradenton native and product of Braden River finished his sophomore campaign batting .332 with three home runs, 21 RBI and team-leading 23 stolen bases.


Shifflett: Shifflett will return to the SEC for his baseball career as he will be transferring to the University of South Carolina with two years of eligibility remaining. The Gamecocks finished last season 28-28 overall with an 8-22 record in the SEC. They did not make it to the postseason.

Prior to transferring to SCF, Shifflett began his collegiate baseball career at SEC foe Florida. There he batted .256 with seven RBI in 22 games. The Englewood native then decided to transfer to SCF where he batted .330 with five home runs and 23 RBI. As a result, he was named a member of the All-Suncoast First Team and the FCSAA All-State Second Team before signing with South Carolina.

Crouch: Crouch will be attending the University of Central Florida (UCF) with two years of eligibility remaining. The Knights finished their season 36-22 overall with an 11-13 record in the AAC. The Knights would fall in the semifinals of the AAC Tournament.

Playing all two years at SCF, Crouch finished his sophomore campaign batting .286 with five home runs and 25 RBI. Crouch was named a member of the All-Suncoast First Team twice.

Shields: Shields will continue his collegiate baseball career at Lipscomb University with two years of eligibility remaining. Lipscomb finished last season 30-25 overall with a 14-10 record in the A-SUN. They would be eliminated from the A-SUN Tournament after two losses.

Shields transferred mid-year from Alabama and began his freshman year at SCF where he batted .347 with a home run and 19 RBI, but by sophomore year, Shields' batting average dropped to .174 with a home run and eight RBI. Nevertheless, Shields was still named a member of the Suncoast All-Academic Team.

Lorenzo: Another player going to a rival school of FGCU, Lorenzo will be attending Stetson University with two years of eligibility remaining. The Hatters finished last season 27-32 overall with an 11-12 record in the A-SUN while hosting the A-SUN Tournament before falling to Liberty in the championship.

A native of Fort Myers, Lorenzo began his collegiate baseball career as a freshman at Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach. There he batted .246 with 21 RBI before transferring to SCF. As a sophomore, Lorenzo batted .319 with three home runs and 44 RBI. He was named a member of the All-Suncoast First Team.

Ireson: Ireson will be transferring to Florida Atlantic University (FAU) with two years of eligibility remaining. The Owls finished last season 41-21 overall with a 22-8 record in Conference USA. They would fall in the C-USA Championship to Southern Miss and were named runner-up as a result, however, they would make it to the NCAA National Tournament as an at-large bid while competing in the Athens Regional where they finished 1-2.

Ireson began his collegiate baseball career at Charleston Southern University where he went 0-2 with a 4.85 ERA and 14 strikeouts. After transferring to SCF, Ireson became an immediate force, going 8-2 with a 1.85 ERA and 91 strikeouts. Ireson was named a member of the All-Suncoast First Team and the FCSAA All-State Second Team.

Hulett: Hulett will continue on at the University of Pittsburgh with two years of eligibility remaining. The Panthers finished last season 21-34 overall with an 8-22 record in the ACC.

Hulett finished last season with a .244 batting average, three home runs and a team-leading 49 RBI.

Moore: A local product, Moore will continue his baseball career at Samford University in Birmingham. The Bulldogs finished last season 41-19 overall with a 19-5 record in the Southern Conference (SoCon) where they went 2-2 in the SoCon Tournament.

Moore finished his sophomore campaign batting .251 with four home runs and 31 RBI. As a result, Moore was named a member of the FCSAA All-Tournament Team.



Perdue: After two seasons with SCF, Perdue will be transferring to Florida State with two years of eligibility remaining. The Seminoles are coming off of a 42-23 record with a 17-13 record in the ACC. They would win the ACC Tournament and make it to the National Tournament where they won the Athens Regional in Athens, Georgia and the Baton Rouge Super Regional before falling the second round in the College World Series.

As a freshman, Perdue was 10-1 with a 3.97 ERA and 74 strikeouts. Last season, the native of Chesapeake, Virginia went 4-1 with a 2.38 ERA and 43 strikeouts before being shutdown after his game against South Florida State.

Holcomb: Another mid-transfer from Alabama, Holcomb will be transferring to Tulane with two years of eligibility remaining. Tulane finished last season 32-26 overall with a 12-11 record in the AAC before falling in the AAC Tournament.

After transferring from Alabama, Holcomb finished his sophomore campaign with a 2-3 record with one save, 2.08 ERA and 46 strikeouts.

Bell: Following the footsteps of his older brother, Bell was drafted to the Boston Red Sox in the seventh round (227th overall pick) in the MLB Draft. Bell finished his sophomore campaign 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA and 23 strikeouts. Brantley, Bell's older brother, was selected in the 11th round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds and is currently playing for the Chattanooga Lookouts (Cincinnati's Double-A Team). Bell was the only Manatee to be drafted for 2019.

Brown: Brown has decided to continue his collegiate baseball career and will join Dillingham at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) with two years of eligibility remaining. Prior to SCF, Brown began his freshman year at Vanderbilt where he went 1-0 with a 5.93 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 11 games of relief. After transferring to SCF, Brown went 9-3 overall with a 3.79 ERA and 101 strikeouts. Brown joined Ireson, Shifflett, Dillingham and Lorenzo on the All-Suncoast First Team and joined Ireson on the FCSAA All-State Second Team.

I'm proud of everyone of these athletes and what they've done for SCF. Now the next wave comes in and it's sure going to be a good one.

SCF Softball Finishes 2019 Postseason 1-2

The #20 SCF softball team (45-16) ended their season at the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament as they fell 3-2 to RV Indian River State (36-16). With the loss, the Manatees are eliminated from the tournament and finished 1-2.

Suncoast Head Coach of the Year Mandy Schuerman sent freshman All-Suncoast Second Team member Madi LoCastro to the mound while Southern Conference Head Coach of the Year Dale Atkinson sent sophomore Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year Dawn Bodrug to counter.

After a scoreless first inning, the Manatees would get on the board first at the top of the second after LoCastro hit a two-RBI double that sent freshmen Kailey Christian and Alexis Bridges home to make it 2-0 SCF, but the Pioneers would answer back as sophomores Brittini Norwood and Rachael Samaniego hit back-to-back RBI singles to tie the game at 2-2.

In the bottom of the third, LoCastro was pulled and Christian would come in for relief. Freshman Brooke Mathews would give the Pioneers a 3-2 lead with an RBI.

In the last four innings, the Manatees were unable to score as IRS pulled away with the win.

Bodrug would be credited with her 24th win of the year after throwing a complete game, giving up two runs on two hits while walking five and striking out five.

LoCastro would earn a no-decision after throwing 2.2 innings, giving up two runs on two hits, walking one batter and striking out one while going 1-for-1 with two walks and two RBI. LoCastro finished her freshman campaign 11-3.

Christian would be dubbed with her fifth loss and finished her freshman campaign 23-5 after giving up one run on three hits while walking two and striking out three. Christian will now be preparing for Delaware for the 2019-20 season.

Aside from LoCastro, sophomore Kyria Holcomb had SCF's other hit as she finished 1-for-3.

Norwood would be the only Pioneer with a multi-hit game as she finished 2-for-3 with an RBI.

IRS will advance to the semifinals of the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 District H Championship and face #3 Chipola (45-5), who defeated and eliminated #17 Seminole State College (45-16) 12-2 via mercy rule.

#1 FSW (54-2) fell in the finals of the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 District G Championship game after losing 6-3 to #4 College of Central Florida (54-9). The Buccaneers will be competing in the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 District H Championship and await the winner between IRS and Chipola. The winner of that game will join CCF and punch their ticket to the national tournament.

The CCF Patriots are the 2019 FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Champions and will be punching their ticket to the NJCAA JUCO Softball World Series for the first time since 2014.

To conclude this story, I'm very proud of what the SCF softball team has done this season and I'm thankful that I got to write stories on their games, even if some of them did not go according to plan.

Nevertheless, I wish the best of luck to Kailey Christian at Delaware and sophomores Cheyenne Nunez (USC Upstate), Haley McFadden (NAIA Warner), Megan Seeds, Nicci Palumbo (FAU), Sydney Parks, Kyria Holcomb and Madison Yoder on their next journeys. I know they'll be successful wherever it takes them.

Schuerman ends her fifth season with SCF at 177 career wins and a overall record of 177-99 and a 67-30 record in Suncoast play.

Thank you Coach Mandy and the SCF softball team for one thrill of a lifetime.

SCF Softball Splits First Two Days of Region 8 Tournament, Aims for District H

After several moments of heavy and light rain, the #20 SCF softball team (45-15) was put in a tough position as they fell 8-0 against #3 Chipola Colleg in the first game before making a comeback in the second game against Eastern Florida State for day one and day two of the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament. The Manatees are now 0-7 against the Indians and 8-2 against the Titans.

Day One (May 2):
Before SCF played their game, #4 College of Central Florida (CCF) defeated EFSC 11-3 via mercy rule, thus sending them to the losers bracket for Saturday.

Moving on to SCF vs Chipola, Suncoast Head Coach of the Year Mandy Schuerman sent freshman All-Suncoast First Team and FCSAA All-State Second Team member Kailey Christian to the mound while Panhandle Head Coach of the Year Belinda Hendrix sent sophomore All-Panhandle First Team member Amy Woodham to counter.

The Indians would get on the board in the bottom of the first after a home run by All-Panhandle First Team member and Panhandle Conference Player of the Year sophomore Candela Figueroa. It was her 11th home run of the season. The Indians would add two more runs to the mix from a two-RBI double by freshman All-Panhandle First Team member Mikayla Lewin to make it 3-0.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Indians extended the lead with an RBI single by sophomore All-Panhandle First Team member Eila Infante to make it 4-0 Chipola.

In the bottom of the fifth, sophomore All-Panhandle Second Team member Sydney Mclain hit a two-RBI single to make it 6-0 Chipola before sealing the deal in the bottom of the sixth with a sacrifice fly by sophomore Panhandle Honorable mention Lauren Finch and freshman All-Panhandle First Team and FCSAA All-State First-team member Haley Sandridge scored on a wild pitch to end the game.

Woodham would earn her 22nd win of the year after throwing four scoreless innings while giving up three hits, walking one batter and striking out three. Woodham is now 22-1 on the year.

Freshman Panhandle Pitcher of the Year as well as a member of the All-Panhandle First Team member Brianna Bailey threw two scoreless innings of relief while giving up two hits, walking one batter and striking out one.

Christian would be dubbed with the loss after giving up seven runs on eight hits while walking four and striking out four. Christian was also 1-for-3 at the plate. The upcoming Delaware transfer is now 23-4 on the year.

Freshman Ashlee Zientek threw two-thirds of an inning and gave up one run on one hit.

Aside from Christian, SCF's other four hits came off of the bats of sophomore All-Suncoast Second Team members Haley McFadden and Kyria Holcomb and freshmen Sabrina 'Sas' Long and Madelyn Graham.

For Chipola, Sandridge and Infante had two hits each, while Lewin and Mclain had two RBI each.

As a result of the loss, SCF was sent to the losers bracket.

Other Day One Scores:
Following SCF's game, #1 FSW defeated #17 Seminole State College 6-1 before #4 College of Central Florida (CCF) defeated EFSC 11-3 via mercy rule in the 4 pm game

RV Indian River State defeated RV Gulf Coast State College 8-0 via mercy rule in the 7 pm game.

Day Two (May 3):
For day two, SCF would face EFSC in the first game of the losers bracket and play at 10 am.

Schuerman would send freshman All-Suncoast Second Team member Madi LoCastro to the mound while EFSC head coach Jim Beitia sent freshman All-Southern Conference First Team and FCSAA All-State Second Team member Katelyn Wilfert.

After the first two innings went scoreless, the Titans would get on the board first at the top of the third after an RBI single by sophomore Hannah Crumblish and a two-RBI double by freshman All-Southern Conference First Team member Madison Neuhaus.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Manatees were hiding some power that they kept to get on the board. After loading the bases off singles by McFadden, Holcomb and Christian, Graham would bring in SCF's first run with a sacrifice fly, sending freshman Alexis Bridges, who came in to pinch run for McFadden, home. The Manatees would then tie the game from a two-RBI double by LoCastro that sent Holcomb and Christian home.

At the top of the fifth, the Titans would regain the lead after an RBI single by All-Southern Conference and FCSAA All-State First Team member and Southern Conference Player of the Year Nikki Pennington. This signaled the end for LoCastro as Schuerman sent Christian to come in for relief while transitioning LoCastro from pitcher to designated player. Christian was able to get the final two outs of the top half.

Little did EFSC knew was that there was an unexpected rally coming from SCF in the bottom of the fifth, beginning with a leadoff single by sophomore All-Suncoast First Team and FCSAA All-State Second Team member Cheyenne Nunez. Two batters later and a Nunez stolen base, Long would send Nunez home with a single to the tie the game at 4-4 before advancing to second. After back-to-back singles by McFadden and Holcomb loaded the bases, Christian would get the Manatees their lead back with a bases loaded two-RBI double, sending Long and McFadden home to make it 6-4 SCF. Graham would then follow with an RBI single and send Holcomb home to make it 7-4 before Christian made it 8-4 SCF after scoring on a throwing error on the same play.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Manatees would tack on one more run as McFadden hit into a sacrifice fly that sent sophomore All-Suncoast First Team Megan Seeds home to make it 9-4 SCF.

At the top of the seventh with two outs, Pennington attempted to get the Titans a final breath of lifer as she hit her 11th home run of the year, but it was all that could be produced as Neuhaus would pop out for the final out and an SCF.

LoCastro would earn the win after throwing 4.1 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits with one strikeout while going 1-for-3 with two RBI.

Christian gave up one run on one hit with two strikeouts in 2.2 innings while going 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored.

Wilfert would earn her 12th loss of the season, finishing her freshman campaign at 21-12. Wilfert gave up all nine run on 14 hits with one walk and one strikeout in six innings.

Aside from Christian, Four other Manatees had a multi-hit game: Nunez (2-for-4, one run and a stolen base), Long (3-for-4, one RBI and one run), McFadden (2-for-3, one RBI and one run) and Holcomb (2-for-4, two runs scored). Nunez's stolen base was her 38th this season and 61st in her career at SCF.

Graham finished 1-for-3 with two RBI. Graham was one of three with a multi-RBI game (Christian and LoCastro: two RBI each).

For EFSC, Pennington led the way batting 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI and finished her career with a career .399 batting average, 125 hits, 18 home runs and 104 RBI.

Crumblish also finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Neuhaus finished 1-for-3 with two RBI.

SCF would advance to the next round of the losers bracket.

With their second loss in the tournament, Eastern Florida State would be the first team eliminated from the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament and ended their season at 31-25.

Other Scores:
Following SCF's game, #17 Seminole State College (45-15) defeated RV Gulf Coast State College 3-2 for the 1 pm game. GCS would be the second team eliminated and ended their season at 37-17.

#4 CCF (53-9) defeated #3 Chipola College (44-5) 6-5 in the 4 pm game to advance to the FCSAA State/NJCAA District G Championship Game and send Chipola to the losers bracket.

#1 FSW (54-1) defeated RV Indian River State in a 9-5 come from behind win and also advanced to the  FCSAA State/NJCAA District G Championship Game while sending IRS to the losers bracket.

Up Next:
Six teams remains in the tournament with three just one loss away from being eliminated from the tournament.

The FCSAA State/NJCAA District G Championship Game (State Champion) is set in stone as #1 FSW will play #4 CCF at 4 pm. The winner of that game will be the first team in the state of Florida to go to the JUCO College Softball World Series in St. George, Utah, while the loser will compete in the FCSAA State/NJCAA District H Championship Game (State Runner-Up) on Sunday, May 5 at 10 am.

#17 Seminole State will #3 Chipola College at 10 am, while #20 SCF follows with their game against RV Indian River at 1 pm. SCF is 3-16 overall against the Pioneers, 7-12 against the Raiders and 0-7 against Chipola, which includes the 8-0 loss in the opening round (2012-Present).

The winner of those two games will face each other at 7 pm where the winner of that game will advance to the FCSAA State/NJCAA District H Championship Game against the loser of the  FCSAA State/NJCAA District G Championship Game.

SCF Softball Readies for FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament

The regular season is set in stone and eight teams will be competing in the 2019 FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament from May 2 to May 5. #20 SCF (44-14) is one of the eight participants to be in the tournament as the Suncoast Runner-Up. Furthermore, the Manatees are one of four top 20 ranked teams in the nation competing in the tournament. The Manatees will take on Panhandle Regular Season Champion Chipola College (43-4 in the first round of the tournament.

Last Time Out:
The Manatees closed the regular season on the road in Ocala as they split with #4 College of Central Florida (49-9) losing 9-5 in game one before winning 10-6 in game. Before they closed the regular season, the Manatees participated and hosted the Suncoast Conference Tournament at the SCF Softball Complex after sweeping Hillsborough Community College via the eight-run mercy rule by scores of 13-5 and 10-2. The Manatees were named the Suncoast Conference Tournament champions to earn a spot in the state tournament after finishing second behind Suncoast Regular Season Champion #1 FSW (52-1).

Tournament Participants:
Along with SCF, the following teams, conference regular season champions and conference runner-up, will also be participating in the tournament:
Mid-Florida: #4 CCF (48-8, 23-1 Mid-Florida)*

Mid-Florida Runner-up: #17 Seminole State (44-14, 19-5 Mid-Florida)

Panhandle: #3 Chipola College (43-4, 18-1 Panhandle)*

Panhandle Runner-up: RV Gulf Coast State (37-15, 14-8 Panhandle)

Southern: RV Indian River State (32-13, 16-2 Southern)*

Southern Runner-up: Eastern Florida State (31-23, 14-6 Southern)

Suncoast: #1 FSW (52-1, 19-1 Suncoast)*

Suncoast Runner-up: #20 SCF (44-14. 16-4 Suncoast)

*Regular Season Champion

Breakdown of Tournament and What's at Stake:
The FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament is a double elimination tournament located at Boombah Soldiers Creek Park in Longwood, Florida, hosted by #17 Seminole State.

Once a team loses a game, they will get sent down to a losers bracket. Once a team get two losses, they are eliminated from the tournament.

What's at stake? Two teams (District G and District H) will automatically qualify to represent the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 in the NJCAA College Softball World Series in St. George, Utah. District G is basically the FCSAA State Champion and District H is the FCSAA State Runner-Up.

They are no surprises for a couple of the teams due to their ranking: #1 FSW, #3 Chipola and #4 CCF. Should any of these teams be eliminated from the state tournament, then they will still be in line for an at-large bid in the tournament. Of course, it would not be a surprise #1 FSW would go to the college softball world series because 1. they're the #1 team in the nation and 2. they have a very strong at-large bid to qualify for the national tournament.

State Tournament Bracket and Times:
Opening Round (May 2)-
Game One: Eastern Florida State (31-23) vs #4 CCF (49-9) 10 am

Game Two: # 3 Chipola (43-4) vs #20 SCF (44-14) 1 pm

Game Three: #1 FSW (52-1) vs #17 Seminole State (44-14) 4 pm

Game Four: RV Gulf Coast State (37-15) vs RV Indian River State (34-13) 7 pm

Losers Bracket (May 3)-
Game Five: Game One Loser vs Game Two Loser (10 am)

Game Six: Game Three Loser vs Game Four Loser (1 pm)

Winner's Bracket (May 3)-
Game Seven: Game One Winner vs Game Two Winner (4 pm)

Game Eight: Game Three Winner vs Game Four Winner (7 pm)

Loser Bracket (May 4)-
Game Nine: Game Six Winner vs Game Seven Loser (10 am)

Game 10: Game Five Winner vs Game Eight Loser (1 pm)

District G Championship (May 4): Game Seven Winner vs Game Eight Winner (4 pm)

Losers Bracket (May 4)
Game 12: Game 10 Winner vs Game Nine Winner (7 pm)

District H Championship (May 5): Game 11 Loser vs Game 12 Winner

Softball Awards:
All four conferences had specific awards and accolades: Player of the Year (all conferences and states), Coach of the Year (all conferences and states), Pitcher of the Year (all conferences and states), All-First Team (all conferences), All-Second Team (all conferences), Honorable Mention (all conferences), FCSAA All-State (first and second team), the Jean Williams Scholar-Athlete Award (FCSAA All-State), FCSAA All-Academic Team, FCSAA All-Tournament Team, FCSAA All-Tournament Team MVP and FCSAA All-Tournament Team Coach of the Year. The first team and second team is placed individually by position including designated player.

Suncoast Player of the Year:
For Suncoast Player of the Year, it was awarded to FSW's freshman Rebecca Laudino. Laudino, a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, batted .525 with four home runs, 35 RBI and 42 stolen bases.

Suncoast Pitcher of the Year:
FSW would take another accolade as sophomore Kelsi Collins was named Suncoast Pitcher of the Year. Collins finished the regular season 24-0 with two saves, a 1.05 ERA and 172 strikeouts.

Suncoast Coach of the Year:
It was a hard fought battle between FSW's 3x Suncoast Coach of the Year in Robert Iamurri and SCF head coach Mandy Schuerman for Suncoast Coach of the Year, but in the end Schuerman earned the accolade for the second time in her career as SCF head coach. Schuerman, who enters her fifth season as head coach for SCF, is currently 176-96 overall with SCF. Schuerman secured her 150th as head coach on March 2 against CCF.

"It was voted on by my conference peers, so I feel humbled by their respect," said Schuerman on winning Suncoast Coach of the Year.

All-Suncoast First Team:
Three Manatees made the All-Suncoast First Team: sophomores Cheyenne Nunez and Megan Seeds and freshman Kailey Christian.

Nunez is batting .367 with 67 hits, a home run, 27 RBI and 37 stolen bases. Nunez was 2-for-7 against CCF with a stolen base. On March 27, she broke the SCF softball single season record for most stolen bases. In fact, the upcoming transfer for USC Upstate has 60 career stolen bases with SCF.

Seeds is batting .290 with 29 hits, a home run, 19 RBI and 11 stolen bases, while on the mound she is 2-3 with a 5.55 ERA and 18 strikeouts. Seeds was 3-for-7 against CCF with two runs scored and pitched one inning in the first game loss. As an outfielder, Seeds has a .984 fielding percentage (1.000 in Suncoast play).

Christian is 23-3 with a 1.97 ERA and 187 strikeouts while batting .364 with 51 hits, a home run and 34 RBI. The upcoming transfer for the University of Delaware did not throw against CCF, but did bat and went 3-for-4 with an RBI. I'm guessing the reason why head coach Mandy Schuerman did not have Christian pitch against CCF is to save her arm for the state tournament, which makes sense in a way.

Other members that joined Nunez, Seeds and Christian included the following by teams:
FSW: Laudino, Collins, freshmen Haley Ellefson, Owen Bowers and Lindsay Corbin and sophomores Madison Johnson, Paris Woods and Sarah Lawton

HCC: sophomores Dominique Mannerino and Juliana Uribe

Polk State: freshman Destinee Jackson and sophomore Victoria Perry

St. Pete: freshman Hannah Barnes

SFSC: sophomore April Alvarado

All-Suncoast Second Team:
For the All-Suncoast Second Team, it was freshmen Lauren Bostwick and Madi LoCastro and sophomores Kyria Holcomb and Haley McFadden that represented SCF.

Bostwick is batting .267 with 35 hits, two home runs, 23 RBI and 23 stolen bases. Against CCF, Bostwick hit her first career collegiate home runs as she finished the series 2-for-6 with two home runs and four RBI.

LoCastro is 10-2 with a 2.10 ERA and 48 strikeouts on the mound while batting .333 with seven home runs and 29 RBI at the plate. In game one against CCF, LoCastro threw five innings of relief while finishing the series 2-for-7 with a home run and four RBI.

An At-Large representative, Holcomb is batting .307 with 44 hits, a home run and 31 RBI, despite finishing 1-for-8 against CCF.

McFadden is batting .309 with 44 hits, two home runs and 30 RBI. The upcoming transfer for NAIA Warner University was 1-for-4 with an RBI against CCF.

Other members that joined Bostwick, LoCastro, Holcomb and McFadden included the following by teams:
FSW: freshmen Nativia Ellis and Pallas Potter and sophomore Alison Yawn

HCC: sophomores Daniela Bautista and Aliyah Carter and freshman Cerynn Siemer

Polk State: freshman Anizya Vargas

St. Pete: freshmen Isabella Huff and Ashley Smith and sophomore Emily Biddle

SFSC: freshman Janea Mobley, and sophomores Raylee Coleman and Shellby Young

FCSAA All-State Team:
Nunez and Christian were also named members of the FCSAA All-State Second Team.

All-Suncoast All-Academic Team:
Nine players were named to the Suncoast All-Academic Team: Bostwick, Christian, Nunez, Seeds, freshmen Ashley Zientek and Madelyn Graham and sophomores Nicci Palumbo, Sydney Parks and Madison Yoder.

Zientek, the fourth pitcher on the team is currently 9-4 with a 3.23 ERA and 76 strikeouts. Zientek threw a complete game with four strikeouts in the final regular season game against CCF.

Trying to regain her power after battling with a concussion and knee troubles, Graham is still batting .297 with 27 hits, four home runs and 27 RBI. Against CCF, Graham was 0-for-2 with an RBI.

After being shutdown for the rest of the season due to a knee injury, Palumbo had a productive year batting .364 with 11 RBI.

Parks is batting .213 with 11 RBI.

Yoder is batting .202 with four RBI.

A Look at SCF:
Along with Nunez, McFadden, Holcomb, Seeds, Bostwick, LoCastro and Christian, freshmen Sabrina "Sas" Long also joins the fray. Long is batting .348 with three home runs and a team-leading 43 RBI. Long was the hero in game two against CCF as she hit a grand slam, the second for the Manatees this season while going 3-for-7 with four RBI.

Scouting Chipola:
The Indians, who are ranked #3 in the nation will represent the Panhandle Conference after finishing 18-1 and claiming the Panhandle Conference Regular Season Championship.

In their last game, the Indians defeated Pensacola State College 8-0. The game was dubbed as a perfect game thrown by freshman Brianna Bailey. Bailey is currently 21-2 with a 1.31 ERA and 173 strikeouts while batting .333 with a home run and nine RBI and was recently named Panhandle Pitcher of the Year as well as a member of the All-Panhandle First Team.

Aside from Bailey, sophomore Amy Woodham is 21-1 with a 1.58 ERA and 143 strikeouts while batting .359 with five home runs and 35 RBI. In her last game on the mound, Woodham threw four innings with three strikeouts against Gulf Coast State, while at the plate she went 0-for-2. Woodham joined Bailey on the All-Panhandle First Team.

Meanwhile, sophomore Candela Figueroa is batting .465 with 10 home runs and 49 RBI. Figueroa was 2-for-3 against Pensacola State and as a result, she was named a member of the All-Panhandle First Team and the Panhandle Conference Player of the Year.

Series History (2012-Present):
The Manatees have yet to beat Chipola as they are 0-6 overall. Last time both teams met, the Indians defeated the Manatees on January 31, 2015 by a score of 7-1.

How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available via Game Changer and will air livestream on the FCSAA Digital Network.

Fans can also keep up to speed on Twitter:
SCF: @SCFSoftball
IRS: @IRSCTheRiver
FSW: @FSWBucs
GCS: @GCSCsoftball
Chipola: @chipolasoftball
CCF: @cfpats
Eastern Florida State: @efsctitans
Seminole State: @SeminoleStateSB

Livestats Link: https://gc.com/game-5cc1cc3a1e12f9001ed9c6a2

Livestream Link: https://team1sports.com/fcsaa/

SCF Splits Series with CCF, Now Readies for State Tournament

The #20 SCF softball team (44-14) closed the regular season on the road as they split with #4 College of Central Florida (49-9) losing 9-5 in game one before winning 10-6 in game two. With the split, the Manatees are now 13-18 against the Patriots and split the series at 2-2 this season.

"We have to figure out how to come out aggressively after being on the road," said head coach Mandy Schuerman. "I thought We made adjusts just to late in the game. CCF is a well coached team with a lot of talent so if you are slow to get started, it will be hard to beat them."

Game One:
For game one, Schuerman sent sophomore Megan Seeds to the mound while CCF head coach Kevin Fagan freshman Barbara Cook to counter.

The Patriots would be the first to get on the board in the bottom of the first as freshman Olivia Simon and sophomore Elaina Lukas drew back-to-back bases loaded walks for 2-0 CCF lead. It did not stop for the Patiots in the bottom of the second as sophomore Maggie Trgo hit a two-RBI triple to start the inning. Schuerman decided to pull Seeds and send freshman Madi LoCastro to the mound while sending Seeds to right.

The Patriots put a bigger effect with LoCastro on the mound after back-to-back RBI singles by sophomore Joanna Muldoon and Simon which was then followed by Muldoon scoring on a fielding error to make it 7-0 CCF.

The Patriots would tack another run on the board from a solo shot by freshman Ashley Harris. It was her fourth of the season.

Not wanting to get shutout by the eight-run mercy rule, the Manatees fought to get on the board at the top of the fifth. After sophomore Madison Yoder drew a walk and classmate Sydney Parks was hit by a pitch, freshman Lauren Bostwick, on an 0-1 count, would clock her first collegiate home run to center to make it 8-3 CCF, but the Patriots would add one more run from a fielder's choice by Harris.

At the top of the seventh, the Manatees would try to catch a breath and add to their score beginning with a leadoff solo shot by Bostwick. This was her second home run of the season and second of the game. After sophomore Cheyenne Nunez hit a single to left before stealing her 37th base of the season, classmate Kyria Holcomb would single before sophomore Haley McFadden sent Nunez home with a single to make it 9-5 CCF, but it was all the Manatees could muster as CCF claimed the first game.

Seeds would be credited with her third loss of the season after one inning, giving up four runs on two hits while walking six and striking out one. Seeds is now 2-3 on the season.

LoCastro would give up five runs (four earned) on eight hits while walking three batters in five innings of relief.

Cook would earn her 19th win of the season after 4.1 innings, giving up three runs on two hits with three walks.

Freshman Kelsie Rivers gave up on two runs on four hits while walking one and striking out two in 2.2 innings of relief.

Bostwick would be the only Manatee in game one with a multi-hit and multi-RBI game as she finished 2-for-3 with her first collegiate home runs and four RBI. In fact, Bostwick is the only Manatee this season with a multi-home run game.

For the Patriots, Muldoon (3-for-4, one RBI) and Trgo (2-for-3, two RBI) would be the only Patriots with a multi-hit game with Trgo being the only one with a multi-RBI game for game one.

Game Two:
For game two, Schuerman sent freshman Ashlee Zientek to the mound while Fagan sent Rivers to counter.

The Patriots would be the first to get on the board again in the bottom of the first as Trgo would hit a solo shot to left. This was her first home run of the season.

Despite the home run given up, the Manatees would respond back in retaliation at the top of the second as LoCastro would clock a shot to give the Manatees a 2-1 lead. This was her seventh home run of the season, but Muldoon would tie the game up with a solo shot to center in the bottom of the second. This was her 10th home run of the season.

The Manatees would then regain the lead at the top of the third starting with a single by Seeds. After a Holcomb sacrifice bunt, Long would hit a double to left before freshman Madelyn Graham sent a sacrifice fly to right to send Seeds home to make it 3-2 SCF. Freshman Kailey Christian would then follow with an RBI single to center, sending Long home to make it 4-2 SCF. Fagan would then send Cook to the mound for relief

In the bottom of the third, the Patriots would retie the game at 4-4 after a two-run shot by sophomore Olivia Pope. This was her fourth home run of the season. The Patriots would then retake the lead in the bottom of the fourth after a Manatee fielding error to make it 5-4, but the Manatees would retaliate at the top of the fifth. After Graham drew a two-out walk and Christian lining a double to left, LoCastro would bring the offense back with a double to center, sending Graham and Christian home to make it 6-5 SCF, but Pope would retie the game in the bottom of the fifth with her fifth home run of the season and second of the game.

With the score tied 6-6 heading to the top of the sixth, the Manatees found the sparks they needed to regain the lead for a third time. After back-to-back one out singles by Nunez and Seeds and Holcomb reaching first on fielder's choice, all eyes turned to Long and on the first pitch, the Bartow native sent a grand slam to left to make it 10-6 SCF. This was Long's third home run of the season and the second grand slam this season for the Manatees.

"I was just trying to have a great at bat to help my team get the lead," said Long on her grand slam.

In the bottom half of the seventh, Zientek would get herself in a little bit of a jam after loading the bases, but with their strong defense, the Manatees were able to get the final out for the win.

"We had a collaborative offensive effort by many girls on our team," said Schuerman on game two. "I am happy to see our hitting come alive at the right time in the season."

Zientek would earn her ninth win of the season, putting her at 9-4 on the season after throwing a complete game giving up all six runs (five earned) on 12 hits, walking four batters and striking out one. Zientek was also 1-for-3 at the plate.

Rivers would be credited with a no-decision after throwing 2.2 innings, giving up four runs on six hits while walking one and striking out one.

Cook would earn her fourth loss of the season, putting her at 18-4 on the season after giving up six runs on six hits while walking one and striking out three in 4.1 innings of relief.

Seeds and Christian each finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Christian added an RBI to the mix.

Long and LoCastro each finished 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI.

For CCF, Pope would lead the team batting 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI while sophomore Anina Fernandez (2-for-4, one run), Muldoon (2-for-3, one RBI) and sophomore Bailey Wilson (2-for-2) had two hits each.

Trgo finished 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.

The Manatees have officially closed their portion of the regular season and Suncoast Conference play with a 22-7 record at home, 16-7 record on the road and a 7-3 record on neutral ground (3-1 JUCO Kickoff Classic, 2-2 Seminole Tournament, 2-0 Suncoast Tournament).

Up Next:
The Manatees will now prepare for the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament from May 2-5. The top two teams will represent NJCAA Region 8 and secure a spot for the 2019 NJCAA College Softball World Series. The Manatees will open their part of the tournament against #3 Chipola (43-4). The Indians were named the Panhandle Conference Regular Season Champions after going 18-1 in conference play.

"When opening with Chipola, I’m expecting to continue to have solid defense and pitching and to continue to have great at bats," said Schuerman on facing Chipola. "I’m hoping to come away with a big win against a championship caliber team."

State Tournament Bracket and Times:
#4 CCF  (49-9) vs  RV Indian River State (34-13) 10 am

# 3 Chipola (43-4) vs #20 SCF (44-14) 1 pm

#1 FSW (52-1) vs #17 Seminole State (44-14) 4 pm

Eastern Florida State (31-23) vs RV Gulf Coast State (37-15) 7 pm

SCF Softball Closes Regular Season @ CCF

The #20 SCF softball team (43-13, 16-4 Suncoast) will close the regular season on the road for non-conference play as they travel to Ocala to take on #4 College of Central Florida (48-8, 23-1 Mid-Florida) for a Thursday afternoon doubleheader April 25 at 2:30 and 4:30 pm.

Last Time Out:
The Manatees wrapped up Suncoast play with the Suncoast Tournament. There, they swept Hillsborough in the series winning game one 13-5 on Saturday and 10-2 in game two on Monday. Both games were won via mercy rule. With the wins, the Manatees secured a spot in the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament as the Suncoast runner-up.

Qualified Teams:
Mid-Florida: #4 CCF (48-8, 23-1 Mid-Florida)*

Mid-Florida Runner-up: #17 Seminole State (44-14, 19-5 Mid-Florida)

Panhandle: #3 Chipola College (43-8, 18-1 Panhandle)*

Panhandle Runner-up: Gulf Coast State (37-15, 14-8 Panhandle)

Southern: Indian River State (32-13, 16-2 Southern)*

Southern Runner-up: Eastern Florida State (31-23, 14-6 Southern)

Suncoast: #1 FSW (52-1, 19-1 Suncoast)*

Suncoast Runner-up: #20 SCF (43-13. 16-4 Suncoast)

DII: Pasco-Hernando (20-18)^

*Conference Regular Season Champion
^: competes in NJCAA DII Level

Rankings:
The Manatees finished at #5 in the final week of the NJCAA Region 8 Softball Coaches' Poll, but it did not stop as they were reentered at #20 in the NJCAA National Top 20 Poll after Three Rivers Community College (33-6) dropped in the polls after a split series against State Fair Community College. Three Rivers, who was ranked #20 in the national polls, comes from NJCAA Region 16/Missouri Community College Athletic Conference (MCCAC).

The Squad:
The squad that still leads the way for the Manatees are sophomores Cheyenne Nunez, Haley McFadden, Kyria Holcomb and Megan Seeds, while for the freshman group it is Lauren Bostwick, Sabrina "Sas" Long, Madi LoCastro and Kailey Christian.

Nunez remains as the speedster on the team. The upcoming USC Upstate transfer is batting .371 with 63 hits, a home run 27 RBI and 36 stolen bases. Nunez was 6-for-7 in the Suncoast Conference Tournament with three runs scored and two stolen bases.

McFadden is batting .291 with 39 hits, two home runs and 29 RBI. The upcoming transfer for NAIA Warner University was 4-for-7 with an RBI in the Suncoast Conference Tournament

Holcomb is batting .321 with 41 hits, a home run and 32 RBI. Holcomb finished 2-for-7 with five RBI in the Suncoast Conference Tournament.

Seeds is batting .279 with 24 hits, a home run, 19 RBI and 11 stolen bases. Seeds was 3-for-8 with two RBI in the Suncoast Conference Tournament.

Bostwick is batting .258 with 19 RBI and 23 stolen bases. Bostwick was 3-for-6 with three runs scored in the Suncoast Conference Tournament.

Long is batting .346 with two home runs and a team-leading 39 RBI. Long was 5-for-8 with four RBI in the Suncoast Conference Tournament.

LoCastro is 10-4 with a 1.94 ERA and 48 strikeouts on the mound while batting .327 with six home runs and 24 RBI at the plate. LoCastro threw a complete game in game two of the Suncoast Conference Tournament with one strikeout while batting 2-for-6 with an RBI.

Christian is 23-3 with a 1.97 ERA and 187 strikeouts while batting .354 with 47 hits, a home run and 33 RBI. The upcoming transfer for the University of Delaware that was named SCF Student-Athlete of the Month threw 2.1 innings in the Suncoast Conference Tournament with one strikeout in game one while batting 2-for-6 with four RBI.

Scouting CCF:

The Patriots are coming off of sweeping Lake Sumter State to close Mid-Florida Conference play where they won both games by scores of 8-0 in six innings and 2-1.

Sophomore Tiffany Steczo leads the team with a .421 batting average, 23 home runs and 62 RBI. Steczo's 23 home runs not only lead the team, the Mid-Florida Conference and state, but are also second in the nation. Steczo was 3-for-7 with a home run against LSSC.

Sophomore Anina Fernandez is batting .394 with 25 hits, 13 home runs and 53 RBI. Fernandez was 3-for-7 against LSSC with two RBI.

On the mound, the freshman duo of Kelsie Rivers and Barbara Cook are 18-3 with one save each. Rivers has a 1.96 ERA with 121 strikeouts while Cook has a 1.95 ERA with 67 strikeouts. Both played and started in the series against LSSC with a complete game. Rivers throwing a complete game giving up one run and striking out six batters, while Cook threw a six inning shutout and struck out five.

Series History (2012-present):

Against CCF, SCF is 12-17 against the Patriots which included a 6-5 win at the beginning of the season at the JUCO Kickoff Classic and split at SCF where CCF won the first game 5-3 in extra innings before SCF won the second by a score of 6-0. The win in the second game was head coach Mandy Schuerman's 150th career win with SCF.

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be available for the games and fans can also keep up on Twitter:

SCF: @SCFSoftball
CCF: @cfpats

Livestats Link: Livestats Link (account needed): https://gc.com/t/spring-2019/state-college-of-florida-softball-5c4617fc03d69700218c16d3

Suncoast Tournament Champs! SCF Dances to States

PC: SCF Athletics

The SCF softball team (43-13) is officially done with Suncoast Conference play as they swept Hillsborough (19-27) in game two of the Suncoast Conference Tournament at the SCF Softball Complex by a score of 9-1 via mercy rule. With the win, the Manatees are not only 27-7 (2012-present) against the Hawks, but have won the Suncoast Conference Championship and have punched their ticket to the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament.

"It feels good to head to back to states," said head coach Mandy Schuerman.

For game two of the tournament, Schuerman sent freshman Madi LoCastro to the mound while HCC head coach Elizabeth Holloman sent freshman Landry Newgent to counter.

The Manatees would begin big at the top of the first beginning with a leadoff single by sophomore Cheyenne Nunez before classmate Megan Seeds drew a walk. After sophomore Kyria Holcomb was called out due to offensive interference, classmate Haley McFadden would open the gates with a double to left and send Nunez home for 1-0 SCF lead. Freshman Sabrina Long would follow with a RBI single to left and send Seeds home. 

One batter later, freshman Kailey Christian would line a single to center, giving the Manatees a 4-0 lead. LoCastro was quick to follow with an RBI single of her own before the Manatees batted around after freshman Lauren Bostwick hit a single to the pitcher before Nunez was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Seeds was hit by a pitch to send LoCastro home to make it a 6-0 SCF lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Hawks would get their first run on the board as sophomore Daniela Bautista hit an RBI single with SCF still ahead 6-1, but at the top of the fifth, the Manatees would retaliate back beginning with a leadoff double by McFadden before freshman Alexis Bridges came in to pinch run and advanced to third on a passed ball before scoring on a single by Long to make it 7-1 SCF.

The Hawks would add another run on the board from an RBI groundout by sophomore Dom Mannerino made it 7-2 SCF, but the Manatees would not stop their onslaught at the top of the sixth. After back-to-back singles by Bostwick and Nunez before Seeds laid a sacrifice bunt for Holcomb. With a 3-1 count, the Palmetto native sent the speedsters home with a single to center to make it 9-2 SCF. Bridges would then follow with an RBI single to make it 10-2 SCF with an attempt of securing the eight-run mercy rule for the win.

LoCastro would earn her 10th win of the season, putting her at 10-2 on the year after throwing a six-inning complete game, giving up two runs on six hits with one strikeout. She was also 1-for-3 with an RBI.

"My goal is to make the batters hit easy ground balls to my defense," said LoCastro. "The infield really had my back the entire game and I couldn't do it without them backing me up every play. I'm very proud of them."

"Madi Lo (LoCastro) had a great game pounding the strike zone and helping to give our defense good outs," said Schuerman on LoCastro's performance. "Our team did a great job of supporting her both offensively and defensively."

Newgent would be credited with the loss after throwing six innings, giving up all 10 runs on 14 hits while walking one and striking out three. Newgent finished her freshman campaign at 12-15 on the year.

Nunez and Long finished with three hits each. Nunez added two runs while Long added two RBI and a run. McFadden and Bostwick were 2-for-3 with a run each. McFadden also added an RBI. Holcomb and Christian were each 1-for-4 with two RBI.

"We didn’t make hardly any errors tonight, we were laying out for balls, our communication was great and our defense was on it today," said Nunez. "As for the offensive side, we kept hitting the ball hard on the ground and hitting line drives, moving runners around and scoring a lot. You could just tell that we wanted it from the first pitch to the last pitch."

With the state tournament set in stone, the Manatees will play #3 Chipola College (43-8, 18-1 Panhandle) in the first round. Chipola was the Panhandle Conference Regular Season Champion.

"We have put so much effort and heart into this season and since we didn’t make it last year we have been determined since day one to make a statement," said Nunez. "We have the skill, hustle and heart to not give up. This team is by far ready to be done, we’re hungry and want more."

"We will be working on all the little things and focusing on routine plays," Nunez continued. "When we play like we know how to play and our energy is high we are capable of amazing things. I am beyond blessed to be apart of SCF softball. It has definitely been a life changing experience."

Up Next:
The Manatees close the regular season with one final non-conference doubleheader on the road as they head to Ocala to face #4 College of Central Florida (44-14, 19-5 Mid-Florida).

"CCF is a good team and have girls who can hit," said Nunez on CCF. "We just have to do what we have been doing. We need to keep it simple and play our game and not let anyone take it out of our hands. If we play against CCF like we have been, I have no worries that we will do great and get the win."

"It's definitely going to be a good game," said LoCastro. "Central Florida is a great team. We just have to play our game and we will do great."

SCF Takes Game One of Suncoast Tournament, Clips HCC

After being unable to play Friday due to Mother Nature, the #1 seed RV SCF softball team (42-13) were able to take game one of the Suncoast Conference Tournament at the SCF Softball Complex as they defeated #3 seed Hillsborough (19-26) 13-5 via mercy rule. With the win, the Manatees are now 26-7 against the Hawks.

Game One:
Before SCF played their game, they awaited the winner between HCC and #4 seed St. Pete College (27-25) in a nail biter of a game as the Hawks eliminated the Titans 3-2 in eight innings.

Freshman Landry Newgent earned her 12th win on the year after throwing an eight inning complete game, giving up two runs on six hits with four strikeouts. Newgent is now 12-14 on the year.

Freshman Gabriella Cirilo would be dubbed with her seventh loss, ending her freshman campaign at 7-7 after giving up one run on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

Sophomore Sydney Tulin threw a third of an inning, giving up two runs on two hits with two walks.

For the Hawks offense, sophomores Dominique Mannerino, Aliyah Carter and Daniela Bautista had two hit apiece with Bautista being the only Hawk with a multi-RBI game and Carter bringing the other RBI. In fact, Mannerino, Carter and Bautista had the Hawks only six hits.

For the Titans offense, freshman Samantha Crim was the only player with a multi-hit game as she went 2-for-3 with a run.

Freshman Isabella Huff and sophomore Emily Biddle were 1-for-4 with an RBI each. Huff also added a run scored.

Game Two:
For game two of the tournament, head coach Mandy Schuerman sent her ace starter in freshman Kailey Christian to the mound while HCC head coach Elizabeth Holloman sent her freshman Tatiana Watts to counter.

In a rare moment for SCF, the Hawks would get on the board first at the top of the first after freshman Ysa Dominguez hit a bases-loaded two-RBI single to make it 2-0 HCC, but the Manatees would respond back in the bottom half of the inning after a suicide squeeze bunt by sophomore Kyria Holcomb that brought in classmate Cheyenne Nunez to cut the lead by one.

After holding HCC scoreless in the top half of the second, the Manatees rallied a big bottom half of the inning. After three one-out singles by Nunez and freshmen Madi LoCastro and Lauren Bostwick to load the bases, sophomore Megan Seeds would draw a walk and send LoCastro home to tie the game up at 2-2. Holcomb would send Bostwick home on a fielder's choice to load the bases again and give SCF a 3-2 lead. After sophomore Haley McFadden grounded into a fielder's choice that did not bring in a run, freshman Sabrina Long would extend the lead with a two-RBI single, sending Seeds and Holcomb home. Freshman Madelyn Graham would then follow with an RBI single bringing in McFadden before Christian, who batted around in the lineup, hit a two-RBI single that brought in Long and sophomore pinch runner Sydney Park to make it 8-2 SCF.

At the top of the third, HCC would bring in two runs with an RBI double by freshman Gabie Bello before she scored on a fielding error. Schuerman would pull Christian out and send freshman Ashlee Zientek to the mound for relief where she finished the inning with a double play.

The Manatees would respond back with their strong bat. After freshman Landry Newgent came in for relief, the Manatees would load the bases on three straight fielding errors with two of them on sophomore Jordyn Frank. Bostwick and Nunez would score on a fielding error from sophomore catcher Aliyah Carter before Holcomb brought Seeds home with a sacrifice fly to make it 11-4 SCF. After back-to-back singles by McFadden and Long, Zientek would reach on fielding error while McFadden scored to make it 12-4 SCF before Long was called out trying to advance home.

At the top of the fifth, HCC would get one more run on the board from an RBI single by Franks to make it 12-5, but the Manatees would not let the win out of their sight in the bottom half. After McFadden reached on an error and singles by Holcomb and Graham occurred, Zientek would hit into a fielding error and send Holcomb home to seal the deal for an SCF win.

Christian would earn her 22nd win of the season, putting her at 22-3 on the season, after throwing 2.1 innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits while walking three and striking out one. Christian was also 1-for-2 with two RBI. Zientek would throw 2.2 innings of relief and give up one run on two hits with one strikeout.

Watts would be credited with the loss after throwing two innings, giving up eight runs on eight hits while walking two. Newgent gave up five runs on five hits in 2.1 innings.

Four Manatees had a multi-hit game with Nunez finishing 3-for-4 with two runs and two stolen bases while McFadden, Long and Graham finished 2-for-4 each. Holcomb finished 1-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored.

For the Hawks, Dominguez, Bello and Franks had two hits each. Dominguez and Franks had two RBI each.

Up Next:
The Manatees are looking to take game two of the tournament so they can punch their ticket to the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament in Longwood, Florida on Monday, April 22 at 5 pm. Should SCF lose game two, then there will be a third game at 7 pm to decide who will qualify for the state tournament.

SCF Hosts Suncoast Tournament, Sets Sight on FCSAA/NJCAA Tournament

The RV SCF softball team (41-13) look to qualify for the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament at Boombah Soldiers Creek Park in Longwood, Florida. In order for them to qualify, the Manatees will first have to win the Suncoast Conference Tournament at the SCF Softball Complex in Bradenton on April 19 and 20.

The Manatees will await the winner between the #3 seed Hillsborough (18-25) and #4 seed St. Pete College (27-24) and play for best-of-3 series. The game between HCC and SPC will be played on Friday, April 19 at noon. SCF will then play the winner at 2 pm on April 19 for the first game. On April 20, game two will commence at 1 pm. Game three, if needed, will start at 3 pm. The winner of the Suncoast Tournament will qualify for a spot in the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament.

Last Time Out:
The Manatees closed out Suncoast Conference Play in the regular with a sweep over Polk State by scores of 4-0 and 4-2 on the road. The Manatees earned sweeps against all of their Suncoast opponents but one: #1 FSW (52-1, 19-1 Suncoast). Despite the sweep over Polk State, the Manatees drop from the NJCAA Top 20, but are still receiving votes.

What's at Stake:
The winner of the Suncoast Tournament will secure a spot in the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament at Boombah Soldiers Creek Park in Longwood, Florida. From there, the top two teams will go on to the NJCAA College Softball World Series in St. George, Utah.

Suncoast Standings:
1. #1 FSW (51-1, 19-1 Suncoast)* #
2. RV SCF (41-13, 16-4 Suncoast)
3. Hillsborough (18-25, 8-12 Suncoast)
4. St. Pete College (27-24, 7-13 Suncoast)%
5. Polk State (20-28, 6-14 Suncoast)
6. South Florida State (24-24, 4-16 Suncoast)

*: Suncoast Conference Regular Season Champions
#: Clinched Playoff Berth

Because of their conference records, Polk State and SFSC are not eligible to compete in the Suncoast Conference Tournament. Meanwhile, FSW has automatically secured a spot in the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament, but what would happen if they were eliminated from the state tournament? If that's the case, then they would not be able to compete in the national tournament because there are no at-large bids in softball.

The Squad:
The squad that still leads the way for the Manatees in the sophomore class are Cheyenne Nunez, Haley McFadden, Kyria Holcomb and Megan Seeds, while for the freshman group it is Lauren Bostwick, Sabrina "Sas" Long, Madi LoCastro and Kailey Christian.

Nunez remains as the speedster on the team. The upcoming USC Upstate transfer is batting .350 with 57 hits, a home run, 27 RBI and 34 stolen bases. Nunez was 3-for-6 with two stolen bases against Polk State.

McFadden is batting .290 with 33 hits, two home runs and 28 RBI. Against Polk State, the upcoming Warner University transfer went 3-for-6 with a home run and three RBI.

Holcomb is batting .320 with 39 hits, a home run and 25 RBI. Against Polk State, Holcomb finished 3-for-7 with an RBI and a stolen base.

Seeds is batting .289 with 252 hits, a home run, 17 RBI and 11 stolen bases. Seeds was 2-for-7 with three RBI against Polk State.

Bostwick is batting .252 with 19 RBI and 23 stolen bases. Against Polk State, Bostwick went 0-for-5 with two stolen bases.

Long is batting .331 with two home runs and a team-leading 35 RBI despite going 1-for-7 against Polk State.

LoCastro is 9-2 with a 1.87 ERA and 47 strikeouts on the mound while still batting .336 with six home runs and 23 RBI at the plate. LoCastro did not pitch against Polk State, but went 1-for-3 at the plate.

Christian is 21-3 with a 1.87 ERA and 186 strikeouts while batting .354 with 46 hits, a home run and 29 RBI. The upcoming transfer for the University of Delaware that was named SCF Student-Athlete of the Month threw her fourth complete game shutout against Polk State with five strikeouts while batting 1-for-3 at the plate.

Scouting SPC:

The Titans fell to HCC losing 3-2 in game one and 8-0 in six innings. They will conclude the season against Seminole State College (42-14, 19-5 Mid-Florida) on Friday, April 26 at 1 and 3 pm.

Sophomore Sydney Tulin leads the team with five home runs at the plate, while on the mound she is 8-7 with a 4.49 ERA and 47 strikeouts.

Freshman Hannah Barnes is batting .377 with 32 RBI, while classmate Isabella Huff leads in batting average (.388), RBI (33) hits (67) and stolen bases (17).

Meanwhile freshman Ashley Smith joins Tulin with a  5-5 record, a 3.57 ERA and 50 strikeouts.

Scouting HCC:

The Hawks ended their part of Suncoast Conference play with a sweep over SPC to get the #3 seed in the tournament. After the tournament, HCC will play Seminole State on Saturday, April 27 at 1 and 3 pm.

At the plate, sophomore Dominique Mannerino is batting .380 with seven home runs and 31 RBI while fellow classmate Aliyah Carter is batting .304 with a team-leading 10 home runs and 38 RBI. 

Meanwhile the mound, freshman Landry Newgent is 11-14 with a 3.75 ERA and 50 strikeouts.

Series History (2012-present):
The Manatees are 20-14 against SPC and 25-7 against HCC. In fact, SCF swept both teams at home and on the road this season.

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be available for the games and fans can also keep up on Twitter:

SCF: @SCFSoftbll

SPC: @spcsoftball
HCC: @HCCFL

Livestats Link (account needed): https://gc.com/t/spring-2019/state-college-of-florida-softball-5c4617fc03d69700218c16d3

SCF Softball Closes Suncoast Plays, Sweeps Polk State

The #19 SCF softball team (41-13, 16-4 Suncoast) closed up Suncoast Conference play in the regular season with their fifth overall series sweep as they defeated Polk State (20-28, 6-13 Suncoast) by scores of 4-0 and 4-2. With the wins, the Manatees are now 25-9 against the Eagles (2012-Present).

Game One:
Schuerman sent freshman Kailey Christian to the mound while Polk State head coach Donna Byars sent freshman Sarah Grindrod to counter.

The Manatees would begin the game on the board, beginning with a leadoff single from sophomore Cheyenne Nunez. After back-to-back walks drawn by classmates Megan Seeds and Kyria Holcomb to load the bases, sophomore Haley McFadden would send a fly ball to left for a sacrifice fly to send Nunez home. After freshman Sabrina "Sas" long was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the second time, Byars would make a pitching change and send freshman Alayna Carranco to the mound, but the Manatees would answer back with another run as Seeds scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0 SCF.

At the top of the third, the Manatees would add two more runs to the board from a two-run blast by McFadden to make it 4-0 SCF. This was her second home run of the season.

Despite the 4-0 Manatee lead, the Eagles tried to get Christian to crack in the bottom of the third with the bases loaded, but the upcoming Delaware transfer refused to let the Eagles claw their way on the scoreboard after back-to-back fly outs. From there, the Manatees kept up the defense to pull away for the win.

Christian would earn her 21st win of the season, putting her at 21-3 overall, after throwing her 20th complete game and fourth shutout of the season while walking one batter and striking out five. She was also 1-for-3 with a double.

Grindrod would be credited with the loss after two-thirds of an inning, giving up one two runs on one hit while walking two batters.

Carranco threw 6.1 innings of relief, giving up two runs on seven hits while striking out one.

For game one, McFadden was the hero after going 2-for-3 with the home run and three RBI.

Nunez would be the only other Manatee with a multi-hit game as she finished 2-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base.

Holcomb, Long and freshman Madi LoCastro had one each.

Sophomore Lauren Estrada would be the only Eagle with a multi-hit game in game one after finishing 2-for-2 while sophomore Destiny Breeden and freshmen Alexis McBride and Anizya Vargas had the Eagles other three hits.

Game Two:
Schuerman would send freshman Ashlee Zientek to the mound for game two while Byars sent freshman Megan Wilder to counter.

Once again, the Manatees would get on the scoreboard first at the top of the first after back-to-back RBI doubles by Seeds and Holcomb, but the Eagles would attempt to threaten the Manatees lead after a Vargas RBI single.

At the top off the fourth, the Manatees would pound in some insurance runs beginning with a one-out single by Zientek before Schuerman sent freshman Alexis Bridges to pinch run before she advanced to second on a passed ball. After freshman Lauren Bostwick drew a walk, Nunez made a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners for Seeds. With a 3-0 count, the Pinellas Park native would come to the plate and send Bridges and Bostwick home with a double to center to make it 4-1 SCF.

The Eagles attempted to be a threat to Zientek as Polk State would get a second run on the board from an RBI double by freshman Alexis McBride in the bottom of the sixth, but the Winter Springs native would not let that get in the way as she pulled away with the win. Zientek was also 2-for-2 at the plate.

Zientek would earn her eighth win of the season after throwing a complete game, giving up two runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out five. Zientek is now at 8-4 on the season.

Wilder would end up with the loss after giving up all four runs on six hits while walking three and striking out one in 3.1 innings.

Carranco threw 3.2 scoreless innings with one walk.

Seeds and Holcomb finished 2-for-4 each with Seeds leading the way with three RBI and Holcomb adding the other RBI.

Nunez and McFadden had the Manatees other lone hits.

For Polk State, sophomore Destinee Jackson was the only Eagle in game two with a multi-hit game as she finished 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Other Suncoast Scores:
#1 FSW (51-1, 18-1 Suncoast) swept South Florida State (24-24, 4-16 Suncoast) 11-0 in game one and 2-0 in game two.

Hillsborough (18-25, 8-12 Suncoast) swept St. Pete College (27-24, 7-13 Suncoast) 3-2 in game one and 8-0 in six innings via mercy rule.

Suncoast Standings:
1. #1 FSW (51-1, 18-1 Suncoast)* #
2. #19 SCF  (41-13, 16-4 Suncoast)
3. Hillsborough (18-25, 8-12 Suncoast)
4. St. Pete College (27-24, 7-13 Suncoast)
5. Polk State (20-28, 6-13 Suncoast)
6. South Florida State (24-24, 4-16 Suncoast)

*Suncoast Conference Regular Season Champions
#Clinched Playoff Berth

Upcoming Suncoast Games:
*4/18: #1 FSW @ Polk State
*game was suspended from April 9. FSW is ahead of Polk State 9-3 at the top of the second inning.

Up Next:
The Manatees will host the Suncoast Conference Tournament at the SCF Softball Complex on Friday, April 19. Since the Manatees are the #2 team in the Suncoast, they will be the #1 seed of the tournament and will have a bye while they await the winner between the #3 seed (HCC) and #4 seed (SPC). HCC and SPC will play each other at 5 pm and the winner between those two teams will play SCF in the championship game at 7 pm.

SCF Softball Looks to Sweep Polk State

The #19 SCF softball team (39-13, 14-4 Suncoast) look to close Suncoast Conference play on a good note before the Suncoast Conference Tournament as they travel to Winter Park to face Polk State (20-26, 6-11 Suncoast) on Tuesday, April 16 at 5 and 7 pm at the Diamond Complex. This will be the last conference doubleheader for the Manatees.

Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off being swept by #1 Florida Southwestern by scores of 6-1 and 13-0. Despite the losses, the Manatees are still in good shape as far as the standings in the Suncoast.

Suncoast Standings:
1. #1 FSW (49-1, 14-1 Suncoast)
2. #20 SCF (39-13, 14-4 Suncoast)
3. SPC (25-22, 7-11 Suncoast)
4. Polk State (20-26, 6-11 Suncoast)
5. Hillsborough (16-25, 6-12 Suncoast)
6. South Florida State (24-22, 4-14 Suncoast)

Suncoast Tournament:
Chances are that SCF will be the #2 team in conference and will be hosting the Suncoast Conference Tournament at the SCF Softball Complex.

How the tournament goes is like this: three teams will compete. The #2 team in the Suncoast will be the #1 seed (likely SCF) in the tournament. From there, they will have a bye and await the winner between the #3 and #4 seed (between SPC, Hillsborough, and Polk State). The winner between those two teams will advance to the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament.

The Squad:
The squad that leads the way for the Manatees are sophomores Cheyenne Nunez, Haley McFadden, Kyria Holcomb and Megan Seeds while for the freshman group it is Lauren Bostwick, Sabrina "Sas" Long, Madi LoCastro and Kailey Christian.

Nunez, remains as the speedster on the team. Nunez is batting .344 with 54 hits, a home run, 27 RBI and 32 stolen bases. Nunez was 1-for-4 with an RBI and two stolen bases against FSW.

Announced on April 1, Nunez has committed to finish her softball career at USC Upstate with her two years of eligibility.

McFadden is batting .280 with 33 hits, a home run and 25 RBI despite going 0-for-7 against FSW. Announced earlier, the Orlando native has committed to finishing her softball career at NAIA Warner University with her two years of remaining eligibility.

Holcomb is batting .318 with a home run and 25 RBI. Against FSW, Holcomb finished 2-for-5.

Seeds is batting .289 with 22 hits, a home run, 14 RBI and 11 stolen bases while going 2-2 with a 4.20 ERA and 17 strikeouts despite going 0-for-5 against FSW

Bostwick is batting .263 with 19 RBI and 21 stolen bases. Against FSW, Bostwick was 1-for-3 with a stolen base.

Long is batting .340 with two home runs and 35 RBI. Long went 2-for-5 against FSW.

LoCastro is 9-2 with a 1.87 ERA and 47 strikeouts on the mound while still batting .333 with six home runs and 23 RBI at the plate. LoCastro gave up seven unearned runs against FSW in one inning of relief.

Christian is 20-3 with a 1.95 ERA and 181 strikeouts while batting .347 with 43 hits, a home run and 29 RBI. Christian's 20 wins are tied for third most in the FCSAA, while her strikeout total is the fourth. The upcoming transfer for the University of Delaware that was named SCF Student-Athlete of the Month gave up six runs on nine hits in 4.1 innings while striking out three.

Scouting Polk State:

Sitting in fifth place in the Suncoast, the Eagles are coming off of losing a doubleheader to Hillsborough by scores of 7-4 and 9-8. Polk State played #1 FSW in a doubleheader losing game one 13-0 via mercy rule. The second game was suspended due to rain. That game will be made up for Thursday, April 18 with FSW ahead 9-3 at the top of the second inning.

Freshman Destinee Jackson leads the team with a .429 with nine home runs and 36 RBI. Jackson was 1-for-6 with two RBI against HCC.

Freshman Alayna Carranco is 6-6 on the mound.

Series History (2012-present):

The Manatees hold a 23-9 overall record against Polk State, which includes a sweep at home winning 4-3 in game one and 9-2 in game two. The Eagles last win against the Manatees was on March 22, 2018.

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be available and fans can also keep up on Twitter:

SCF: @SCFSoftbll

Polk State: @Polk_Athletics

Livestats Link (account needed): https://gc.com/t/spring-2019/state-college-of-florida-softball-5c4617fc03d69700218c16d3

SCF Softball Falls to FSW

The #19 SCF softball team (39-13, 14-4 Suncoast) watched both games slip away early and couldn't recover against #1 Florida Southwestern (47-1, 14-1 Suncoast) on Thursday as they lost 6-1 in game one before falling 13-0 in game two.

Game One:
Florida Southwestern got on the board in the first inning. Freshman Owen Bowers's sac fly scored one run for Florida Southwestern.

Sophomore Kelsi Collins was in the pitcher's circle for Florida Southwestern. She surrendered one run on two hits over three and a third innings, striking out four. Collins is now at 22-0 on the season.

Freshman Kailey Christian toed the rubber for SCF, but was pinned with the loss putting her at 20-3 on the season. Christian surrendered six runs on nine hits over four and a third innings, striking out three and walking zero. Freshman Ashlee Zientek threw one and two-thirds innings in relief out of the bullpen.

FSW hit three home runs on the day. Sophomore Paris Woods had a four bagger in the fifth inning. Potter had a long ball in the second inning. Freshman Rebecca Laudino went yard in the fourth inning.

Sophomore Kyria Holcomb led SCF with two hits in three at bats. SCF didn't commit a single error in the field. Sophomore Haley McFadden had the most chances in the field with five.

FSW totaled nine hits in the game. Laudino and freshmen Lindsey Corbin, and Pallas Potter all managed multiple hits for Florida Southwestern. Laudino went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead Florida Southwestern in hits. Florida Southwestern was sure-handed and didn't commit a single error. Freshman Natavia Ellis made the most plays with ten.

Game Two:
A single by sophomore Cheyenne Nunez in the first inning was a positive for State College of Florida Softball.

Freshman Haley Ellefson was in the circle for Florida Southwestern. She surrendered zero runs on four hits over five innings, striking out six and walking zero. Ellefson would earn her 13th win of the season.

Zientek was on the rubber for SCF for her fifth loss of the season. She allowed eight hits and seven runs over three innings, striking out two and walking zero. Freshman Madi LoCastro threw one inning in relief out of the bullpen.

Freshman Sabrina Long went 2-for-2 at the plate to lead the Manatees in hits.

FSW collected 14 hits on the day. Ellis, Laudino, Corbin and freshman Ciara Ford each managed multiple hits. The Buccaneers was sure-handed in the field and didn't commit a single error. Ellis had the most chances in the field with eight.

Up Next:
The Manatees will close part of their season with a final Suncoast road trip as they travel to Winter Haven to take on Polk State (20-26, 6-11 Suncoast) on Tuesday, April 16 at 5 and 7 pm. This will be the last conference doubleheader for the Manatees.

SCF Softball Looks for Rematch Against FSW

Looking for a revenge matchup, the #19 SCF softball team (39-11, 14-2 Suncoast) readies up for their second to last road trip as they face #1 FSW (45-1, 12-1 Suncoast) at City of Palms Park in Ft. Myers on Thursday, April 11 at 4 and 6 pm.

Last Time Out:
The Manatees closed out the home portion of their season with a doubleheader against St. Pete College in success winning both games by scores of 4-1 and 2-1. The doubleheader was also their last regular home series doubleheader that was dubbed as sophomore night for seven sophomores, Cheyenne Nunez, Megan Seeds, Sydney Parks, Kyria Holcomb, Haley McFadden, Madison Yoder and Nicci Palumbo.

Suncoast Standings:
1. #1 FSW (45-1, 12-1 Suncoast)
2. #20 SCF (39-11, 14-2 Suncoast)
3. Polk State (20-24, 6-9 Suncoast)
4. SPC (23-22, 5-11 Suncoast)
5. Hillsborough (14-23, 4-10 Suncoast)
6. South Florida State (24-20, 4-12 Suncoast)

The Squad:
The sophomore squad that leads the way for the Manatees are Nunez, McFadden, Holcomb and Seeds while for the freshman group it is Lauren Bostwick, Sabrina "Sas" Long, Madi LoCastro and Kailey Christian.

Nunez, the speedster on the team is batting .346 with 53 hits, a home run 26 RBI and 30 stolen bases, despite going 0-for-6 with an RBI and a stolen base against SPC.

Announced on April 1, Nunez has committed to finish her softball career at USC Upstate with her two years of eligibility

McFadden is batting .289 with 33 hits, a home run and 25 RBI. McFadden was 1-for-6 with an RBI against SPC. Announced earlier, the Orlando native will be signing with NAIA Warner University with her two years of remaining eligibility.

Holcomb is batting .309 with a home run and 25 RBI. Against SPC, Holcomb finished 2-for-6.

Seeds is batting .310 with 22 hits, a home run, 14 RBI and 11 stolen bases while going 2-2 with a 4.20 ERA and 17 strikeouts. In the series against SPC, Seeds went 1-for-5 with an RBI, two walks and two stolen bases.

Bostwick is batting .261 with 19 RBI and 20 stolen bases. Against SPC, Bostwick was 1-for-5 with a walk.

Long is batting .338 with two home runs and 35 RBI, despite going 0-for-4 with a walk.

LoCastro is 9-2 with a 1.89 ERA and 47 strikeouts on the mound while batting .333 with six home runs and 23 RBI at the plate. LoCastro threw a complete game with a strikeout in the second game against SPC. 

Like LoCastro, Christian also continues her role on the mound as well as the plate with consistency. Christian is 20-2 with a 1.73 ERA and 178 strikeouts while batting .352 with 43 hits, a home run and 29 RBI. Christian's 20 wins are tied for third most in the FCSAA, while her strikeout total is the fourth. Christian threw her 16th complete game in the win over SPC, striking out nine batters in game one of the series while going 2-for-3. On April 9, the upcoming transfer to the University of Delaware was named SCF student athlete of the month.

Scouting FSW:
The Buccaneers are coming off of facing Polk State with a partial delay where they defeated the Eagles 13-0 via mercy rule in game before suspending the second game due to rain despite being ahead 9-3 in the second inning. The date to resume game two is yet to be determined.

FSW remains #1 in the NJCAA Region 8 Softball Coaches' Poll and in the NJCAA DI Softball Top 20 Poll with their lone in Suncoast play to Hillsborough.

Freshman Owen Bowers leads the team with 16 home runs and 72 RBI while batting .442. Bowers was 2-for-2 with a home run and three RBI in game one against Polk State.

Another players on the base-paths for FSW is freshman Rebeca Laudino. Laudino is batting .541 with three home runs, 31 RBI and 38 stolen bases. Laudino was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base in game one against Polk State

Meanwhile on the mound, sophomore Kelsi Collins and freshman Haley Ellefson have yet to lose any games this season as they combine with a 33-0 record.

Collins is 21-0 with a 1.03 ERA and 158 strikeouts. In her last game against Polk State, Collins threw three scoreless innings with four strikeouts for the win. Collins has 12 complete games in her name.

Ellefson is 12-0 with a 1.58 ERA and 31 strikeouts while batting .429 with six home runs and 34 RBI.

Series History (2015-Present):
The Manatees are 1-9 against the Buccaneers. Both teams played earlier in the season at the SCF Softball Complex where FSW won 3-2 in eight innings in game before winning 9-0 in game two via mercy rule (3/21). The Manatees lone win was on March 8, 2016 where the Manatees won 2-1.

How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available (account needed) and will air livestream on YouTube. fans can also follow both teams on Twitter:
SCF: @SCFSoftball
FSW: @FSWBucs

Game Changer Link: https://gc.com/t/spring-2019/state-college-of-florida-softball-5c4617fc03d69700218c16d3

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCieVs2j4BG3eWW5rkk8iwsw?fbclid=IwAR2wpl7ur6uHkl7vCd2wIlUgUdGxZazvRw_Cbrnuytjf4rFzIrQGjO2p2_g