The FGCU women's basketball team (10-3) returns home for their next game as they compete in the FGCU Hilton Garden Inn Classic. FGCU welcomes Harvard (5-4), Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (3-6) and Akron (5-4) to the tournament.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off a 68-61 loss to Chattanooga and are hoping to bounce back.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan (1,032 career points) had six points against Chattanooga and currently sits 9th all-time in career points. Grandijan is 31 points away from surpassing Katie Schrader (1,062 career points) for 8th all-time. The Cudahy, Wisconsin native also sit 3rd all-time in career three pointers made (249) and is 46 away from surpassing Whitney Knight for 2nd all-time (294).
Sophomore Tytionia Adderly had 12 rebounds against Chattanooga and is averaging nine rebounds per game. The Jupiter native currently sits 8th all-time in offensive rebounds (146) and is 30 away from surpassing Courtney Chihil for 7th all-time (183).
For the FGCU Hilton Garden Inn Classic, FGCU will play Harvard and SIUE, but will not play Akron. FGCU defeated Akron earlier in the season at the Akron Classic by a score of 82-63.
Scouting Harvard:
The Crimson recently played the last two games on the road. They would lose 86-64 against Temple, but would beat Northeastern 79-69.
Sophomore guard Katie Banzen leads the way offensively for the Crimson. The 5-6 guard is scoring 14.8 points per game and is coming off a 27 point game game against Northeastern.
Sophomore forward Jeannie Boehm is averaging 10.7 points per game and 2.8 blocks per game. Defensively, Boehm has a team-leading 25 total blocks for the Crimson.
Series History vs Harvard:
This is the third time the Eagles and the Crimson will meet. FGCU is currently 2-0 against Harvard. They won 68-58 at Harvard on January 2, 2015 and 74-65 at home on December 5, 2015.
Scouting SIU-Edwardsville:
The Cougars are currently on a five-game losing streak after losing to Illinois State, A-SUN rival Stetson, Central Michigan, Missouri and Northern Illinois. SIUE will play Akron prior to FGCU in the tournament.
Players for SIUE include redshirt senior forward Lauren White, senior guard Donshel Beck and senior forward Gwen Adams.
White is averaging 14 points per game. Despite the loss to Northern Illinois, White is coming off the game after scoring 28 points.
Beck is averaging 11.8 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game. Last game, Beck secured a double-double (17 points and 13 rebounds) against Northern Illinios.
Adams, whose played mainly off the bench is leading the team in three point percentage (72.7%) while averaging 6.8 points per game. Adams had five points last game.
Series History vs SIU-Edwardsville:
This is the second time both FGCU and SIUE will meet. FGCU won 73-68 the first time on March 6, 2011.
Scouting Akron:
FGCU will not be facing Akron in the tournament. The Eagles faced the Zaps earlier in the season at the Akron Classic where they were victorious with a 82-63 win.
The Zips are coming of a 99-33 win over NAIA Ohio Christian University. FGCU is 2-0 against Akron including the prior game.
Offensively, redshirt junior guard Megan Sefcik leads the team with 12.9 points per game. Sefcik is coming off a 32 point game where she was 10-16 at the 3 point line.
Sophomore forward Haliegh Reinoehl leads the team in rebounds and is averaging 8.3 rebounds per game.
Sophomore guard Shaunay Edmonds is second behind Sefcik with 11.1 points per game.
Akron will play SIUE at 4:30 PM and FGCU will play Harvard at 7 PM on Wednesday December 20. On Thursday December 21, Akron will play Harvard at 4:30 PM before FGCU wraps up the tournament against SIUE at 7 PM.
The game against Harvard is dubbed a Blue Out with a event dubbed "Pizza for Finals" while the game against SIUE is promoting the Toys for Tots charity.
About Me
FGCU Cheerleaders: They Deserve Their Credit
Normally, I write about all the sports teams like volleyball, basketball and swimming, and how much hard work and commitment they have to get the job done, but do you want to know who else I think works really hard to get the job done? The FGCU Cheerleaders.
Led by head coach Emily Chaikin with the help of assistant coaches, Joyce Prive and Caleb Houston, the cheerleaders at FGCU work hard nonstop to the end of the games they are involved in.
The ladies and gentlemen that are a part of the squad gather together every Monday and Wednesday night at 5:30 PM for practice and go over the cheers and movements they need to do and where each cheerleaders are set to be positioned in a certain areas for the cheers. They also recap what happens from the previous basketball games and volleyball matches.
Now when people think of cheerleaders, some automatically think that they're not athletes, but that's not really true because they are athletes. They sometimes do not get enough credit for what they do, but they work hard to the end for each game that happens at the Alico Arena as well as for events outside of FGCU.
When it comes to volleyball games, Chaikin separates the squad into two teams: Team A and Team B. Sometimes, I don't remember which team is which and it can be very confusing, but when basketball season is in tact, all the cheerleaders and junior baton twirler Talya Carness all cheer together. Sometimes for the basketball games, some cheerleaders are able to go home for a certain amount of days, depending whether the attendance is really lite or if it's fully packed.
Currently there are five seniors on the team: Patrick Natali, Brittany Borman, Zahra "Z" Fayad, Jessica Gorman and Ernest Dorman.
Out of all the cheerleaders that I have met this year, I'm pretty close with a few of the returners like Natali as well as juniors Caragan Phillips, Hayley Krizanovic and Evy Reynolds. I even got a chance to meet and get to know some of the newcomers like freshmen Melissa Mazurkiewicz and Sage Frankwitt, sophomore Paige Pitkin and junior Kelsey Allen. Those newcomers I'm actually close with.
One of the funniest things I remembered was when I was living in a previous dorm last year and found out that my previous RA had Gorman as a roommate and every time I ran into Gorman, I would say to her "Hey neighbor" like I do with all of the people in my building.
As I wrote about this, I had a few compliments from some of the cheerleaders:
Phillips: "Thank you Patrick for your loyalty and love for us. You are our favorite dirty bird and my best friend. Very thankful for your friendship. Love you💗"
Allen: "Thanks Patrick your the best!!! xoxo❤️❤️"
Mazurkiewicz: "I love this!!"
Pitkin: "This is amazing, thank you so much!"
Dorman: "Thank you so much Patrick!! You are the best!"
Borman: "Aww Patrick!! thank you"
To me, one of the best compliments came from Fayad: "This is the sweetest thing ever! Thank you for all the support you always give to us and every sport! I am to the point where I get worried when I do not see you at a game :/ I am so happy you see how much hard work and effort we put into our program for FGCU! We love this school and athletics so very much! I hope more people can realize everything you mentioned! Very well written and truthful, Patrick. Thank you so much! We love you!!!! <3"
Even Borman and Frankwitt shared this blog post.
I even got compliments from Molly Miceli, the mother of former FGCU cheerleader, Lindsey Miceli, and Katie Jones, another former FGCU cheerleader.
Miceli: "Love it Patrick!! You have always been such a big supporter of the cheerleaders! Lindsey and I both think highly of you and your loyalty to the team."
Jones: "You are awesome, Patrick!!!!"
I have had the utmost privilege to meet, talk and motivate them to keep working hard to finish through the games that they are involved in. I have a lot of respect for the cheerleaders and every time I run into one, no matter if it's at the games or on campus, I would always give them a lot of credit and say this: "If you can run, jump, flip or do any form of gymnast moves, then you are considered an athlete."
It feels like they never get enough credit and that sometimes can be hurtful, but to me, they deserve a lot of credit for trying to get the fans hype and keeping the spirit alive and I give them a lot of praise for doing so.
Below are photos with me and some of the cheerleaders after the games from last year:
Led by head coach Emily Chaikin with the help of assistant coaches, Joyce Prive and Caleb Houston, the cheerleaders at FGCU work hard nonstop to the end of the games they are involved in.
The ladies and gentlemen that are a part of the squad gather together every Monday and Wednesday night at 5:30 PM for practice and go over the cheers and movements they need to do and where each cheerleaders are set to be positioned in a certain areas for the cheers. They also recap what happens from the previous basketball games and volleyball matches.
Now when people think of cheerleaders, some automatically think that they're not athletes, but that's not really true because they are athletes. They sometimes do not get enough credit for what they do, but they work hard to the end for each game that happens at the Alico Arena as well as for events outside of FGCU.
When it comes to volleyball games, Chaikin separates the squad into two teams: Team A and Team B. Sometimes, I don't remember which team is which and it can be very confusing, but when basketball season is in tact, all the cheerleaders and junior baton twirler Talya Carness all cheer together. Sometimes for the basketball games, some cheerleaders are able to go home for a certain amount of days, depending whether the attendance is really lite or if it's fully packed.
Currently there are five seniors on the team: Patrick Natali, Brittany Borman, Zahra "Z" Fayad, Jessica Gorman and Ernest Dorman.
Out of all the cheerleaders that I have met this year, I'm pretty close with a few of the returners like Natali as well as juniors Caragan Phillips, Hayley Krizanovic and Evy Reynolds. I even got a chance to meet and get to know some of the newcomers like freshmen Melissa Mazurkiewicz and Sage Frankwitt, sophomore Paige Pitkin and junior Kelsey Allen. Those newcomers I'm actually close with.
One of the funniest things I remembered was when I was living in a previous dorm last year and found out that my previous RA had Gorman as a roommate and every time I ran into Gorman, I would say to her "Hey neighbor" like I do with all of the people in my building.
As I wrote about this, I had a few compliments from some of the cheerleaders:
Phillips: "Thank you Patrick for your loyalty and love for us. You are our favorite dirty bird and my best friend. Very thankful for your friendship. Love you💗"
Allen: "Thanks Patrick your the best!!! xoxo❤️❤️"
Mazurkiewicz: "I love this!!"
Pitkin: "This is amazing, thank you so much!"
Dorman: "Thank you so much Patrick!! You are the best!"
Borman: "Aww Patrick!! thank you"
To me, one of the best compliments came from Fayad: "This is the sweetest thing ever! Thank you for all the support you always give to us and every sport! I am to the point where I get worried when I do not see you at a game :/ I am so happy you see how much hard work and effort we put into our program for FGCU! We love this school and athletics so very much! I hope more people can realize everything you mentioned! Very well written and truthful, Patrick. Thank you so much! We love you!!!! <3"
Even Borman and Frankwitt shared this blog post.
I even got compliments from Molly Miceli, the mother of former FGCU cheerleader, Lindsey Miceli, and Katie Jones, another former FGCU cheerleader.
Miceli: "Love it Patrick!! You have always been such a big supporter of the cheerleaders! Lindsey and I both think highly of you and your loyalty to the team."
Jones: "You are awesome, Patrick!!!!"
I have had the utmost privilege to meet, talk and motivate them to keep working hard to finish through the games that they are involved in. I have a lot of respect for the cheerleaders and every time I run into one, no matter if it's at the games or on campus, I would always give them a lot of credit and say this: "If you can run, jump, flip or do any form of gymnast moves, then you are considered an athlete."
It feels like they never get enough credit and that sometimes can be hurtful, but to me, they deserve a lot of credit for trying to get the fans hype and keeping the spirit alive and I give them a lot of praise for doing so.
Below are photos with me and some of the cheerleaders after the games from last year:
 |
| With Jessica Gorman (left) and Hayley Krizanovic (right) |
 |
| With former cheerleader Danielle Devito |
 |
| With team captain Caragan Phillips |
 |
| Back row from left to right: Braden Harsey, Brandon Roche and Evy Reynolds Middle Row from left to right: Danielle Devito, Lindsey Miceli, Madison Moody and Alexis Rankin Front row from left to right: Caragan Phillips, Makenzie Hanle, Zahra Fayad, Jamie Cohen and Ilyssa Alvarez |
 |
| With Braden Harsey |
 |
| With Talya Carness, Lindsey Kenney and Bailey Spenlau |
 |
| With Carness, Kenney, Spenlau and Hanle |
 |
| From left to right: Talya Carness, Lindsey Kenney, Bailey Spenlau, Makenzie Hanle, Brittany Borman and Jordan Paris |
 |
| With Brittany Borman |
 |
| With assistant coach Caleb Houston |
FGCU Softball: FGCU Softball Kickoff Classic Preview
"Right now in my career, it's like I'm having more fun than I've ever had, so it's kind of like, 'Man, I can't stop now." Jennie Finch (American softball player)
A new season come around the corner as the FGCU softball team prepares for their opening games. The Eagles open their season at the FGCU Softball Complex with the FGCU Softball Kickoff Classic sponsored by Four Points Sheraton. The Eagles welcome LIU-Brooklyn, Power 5 North Carolina State, Georgetown, Ball State and Memphis. The Eagles will not be playing Memphis in the tournament.
After going 30-30 last season, FGCU will lose eight players including former second baseman and team captain Jeanie Verderese and catcher Bree Tourtillott.
Coaching Staff Changes:
Head coach Dave Deiros enters his 16th season as head coach, but the rest of the coaching staff has changed as Erika Bennett and Lindsey Ubrun have departed. Bennett is now pitching coach for NJCAA Yavapai College, while Ubrun became head coach for Wagner College. Deiros managed to get Jamie Kertes and Jaime Edwards to join the coaching staff.
Kertes, a Bowling Green alum, last coached for Stony Brook University and will be working with the pitchers.
Edwards, a alum from Houston, last coached for NCAA DII West Texas A&M as a graduate assistant and will be working with fielding.
Returning Expectations:
Key returners for the Eagles include juniors Racquel Fournet and Riley Randolph and senior outfielder Kelsey Huff.
Fournet is returning to the outfield after playing her first two season as a first baseman at FGCU. The Windemere, Florida Native is coming off after being named to the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team and the A-SUN All-Academic Team last season. Fournet started all 60 games batting .299 with 49 hits, 16 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 41 RBIs.
Randolph is coming off an 18-11 record with a 2.06 ERA, 194 innings, 19 complete games (four shutouts), two saves and 160 strikeouts from last year. The former A-SUN Freshman and Pitcher of the Year was named to last year's A-SUN All-Tournament Team.
Huff, a native of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is coming off after starting and playing all 60 games with a .363 batting average, 77 hits, three doubles, six triples, 37 runs scored, 21 RBIs and 29 stolen bases while earning A-SUN All-Conference First Team honors.
Upcoming New Players:
With the eight players departures, including Verderese and pitcher Taylor Wade, Deiros managed to ink nine new players, four of which are college transfers, including junior catcher Bri Bennett from NJCAA Lake Sumter College and Brooke Clemens from Florida.
Scouting LIU-Brooklyn:
The Blackbirds return to face FGCU from last season. Last season, LIU was 20-32 with a 6-10 record in the Northeast Conference (NEC) and failing to make it to the postseason.
Four seniors have departed and five newcomers have committed to LIU.
Players to watch for prior to the season include junior catcher Samantha Offenback and senior pitcher Erynn Sobieski.
Offenback led the team offensively batting .319 with 29 hits, seven home runs and 24 RBIs last season.
Sobieski was 10-13 with a 4.32 ERA and 58 strikeouts.
Series History:
FGCU holds a 10-2 overall series record against LIU with their most recent wins being last year where the Eagles won 7-0, 8-0, 9-1 and 8-0. The Blackbirds last win over the Eagles was February 21, 2010 where they won 4-1.
During the 2016 season, FGCU and LIU were schedule to play during the FGCU/Four Points by Shearton Invitational, but the game was cancelled due to half of the team being sick.
Scouting NC State:
The Wolfpack are coming back after an 18-34 overall record with a 10-14 record in the ACC last season. They beat Louisville in the quarterfinals of the ACC Conference Tournament, but would fall to UNC in the semifinals.
The Wolfpack will lose three seniors, but have gained eight newcomers including transfer Angie Rizzi from LIU.
Sophomore pitcher Devin Wallace will be another player to look at. The transfer from Coastal Carolina is coming off a 6-4 record with a 3.57 ERA, 68.2 innings pitched and 63 strikeouts with the Chanticleers.
Offensively, junior catcher/infielder Cheyenne Balzer batted .267 with 43 hits, six home runs and 26 RBIs last season.
Sophomore outfielder Jade Caraway led the team with a .389 batting average and 72 hits. Caraway also added 12 stolen bases last season.
Series History:
This is the second meeting for both teams. The first meet was on February 11, 2011 where the Wolfpack were victorious, winning by a score of 8-2.
Scouting Georgetown:
The Hoyas are preparing for a new season after finishing 11-37 overall with a 4-16 record in the Big East Conference last season.
The Hoyas will lose four seniors, but gained seven newcomers including sophomore pitcher Isabelle Ortiz. Ortiz, a transfer out of St. Mary's College of California , made nine appearances for the Gaels and went 0-2 with a 3.29 ERA.
Offensively, sophomore Noelle Holiday batted .303 last season with with 40 hits, seven home runs, 26 RBIs and 11 runs scored.
Senior Theresa Kane batted .321 with 50 hits, 27 runs scored, 10 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.
Pitching wise, sophomore Anna Brooks Pacha pitched an 8-18 record with a 4.51 ERA, 152 innings and 174 strikeouts.
Series History:
FGCU is 4-0 against the Hoyas. Last time both teams met was on February 7, 2014, where FGCU won 2-0.
Scouting Ball State:
The Cardinals finished 30-28 last season with a 14-10 record in MAC Conference before falling in their conference tournament to Kent St. and Central Michigan.
The Cardinals will lose three seniors including home run leader Rachel Houck, who now joins the coaching staff, but have gained 10 newcomers including transfer Annie Robinson.
Robinson, a transfer from Coastal Carolina, sat out last season, and prior to signing with Ball State, Robinson batted .312 with 43 hits, 22 runs scored, 13 home runs and 34 RBIs for Chanticleers.
Offensively, senior infielder Maddy Labarador batted .305 last season with 51 hits, 33 runs scored, seven home runs and 24 RBIs.
Sophomore catcher Janae Hogg batted .296 last season with 53 hits, 13 runs scored, fve home runs and 28 RBIs.
Pitching wise, senior Carolyn Wilmes and sophomore Darcie Huber lead the way. Wilmes was 13-12 with a 3.72 ERA. She threw 137.1 innings with 129 strikeouts while Huber pitched a 9-8 record with a 2.26 ERA, 108.1 innings and 70 strikeouts.
Series History:
Quote Cited: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/jennie_finch
A new season come around the corner as the FGCU softball team prepares for their opening games. The Eagles open their season at the FGCU Softball Complex with the FGCU Softball Kickoff Classic sponsored by Four Points Sheraton. The Eagles welcome LIU-Brooklyn, Power 5 North Carolina State, Georgetown, Ball State and Memphis. The Eagles will not be playing Memphis in the tournament.
After going 30-30 last season, FGCU will lose eight players including former second baseman and team captain Jeanie Verderese and catcher Bree Tourtillott.
Coaching Staff Changes:
Head coach Dave Deiros enters his 16th season as head coach, but the rest of the coaching staff has changed as Erika Bennett and Lindsey Ubrun have departed. Bennett is now pitching coach for NJCAA Yavapai College, while Ubrun became head coach for Wagner College. Deiros managed to get Jamie Kertes and Jaime Edwards to join the coaching staff.
Kertes, a Bowling Green alum, last coached for Stony Brook University and will be working with the pitchers.
Edwards, a alum from Houston, last coached for NCAA DII West Texas A&M as a graduate assistant and will be working with fielding.
Returning Expectations:
Key returners for the Eagles include juniors Racquel Fournet and Riley Randolph and senior outfielder Kelsey Huff.
Fournet is returning to the outfield after playing her first two season as a first baseman at FGCU. The Windemere, Florida Native is coming off after being named to the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team and the A-SUN All-Academic Team last season. Fournet started all 60 games batting .299 with 49 hits, 16 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 41 RBIs.
Randolph is coming off an 18-11 record with a 2.06 ERA, 194 innings, 19 complete games (four shutouts), two saves and 160 strikeouts from last year. The former A-SUN Freshman and Pitcher of the Year was named to last year's A-SUN All-Tournament Team.
Huff, a native of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is coming off after starting and playing all 60 games with a .363 batting average, 77 hits, three doubles, six triples, 37 runs scored, 21 RBIs and 29 stolen bases while earning A-SUN All-Conference First Team honors.
Upcoming New Players:
With the eight players departures, including Verderese and pitcher Taylor Wade, Deiros managed to ink nine new players, four of which are college transfers, including junior catcher Bri Bennett from NJCAA Lake Sumter College and Brooke Clemens from Florida.
Scouting LIU-Brooklyn:
The Blackbirds return to face FGCU from last season. Last season, LIU was 20-32 with a 6-10 record in the Northeast Conference (NEC) and failing to make it to the postseason.
Four seniors have departed and five newcomers have committed to LIU.
Players to watch for prior to the season include junior catcher Samantha Offenback and senior pitcher Erynn Sobieski.
Offenback led the team offensively batting .319 with 29 hits, seven home runs and 24 RBIs last season.
Sobieski was 10-13 with a 4.32 ERA and 58 strikeouts.
Series History:
FGCU holds a 10-2 overall series record against LIU with their most recent wins being last year where the Eagles won 7-0, 8-0, 9-1 and 8-0. The Blackbirds last win over the Eagles was February 21, 2010 where they won 4-1.
During the 2016 season, FGCU and LIU were schedule to play during the FGCU/Four Points by Shearton Invitational, but the game was cancelled due to half of the team being sick.
Scouting NC State:
The Wolfpack are coming back after an 18-34 overall record with a 10-14 record in the ACC last season. They beat Louisville in the quarterfinals of the ACC Conference Tournament, but would fall to UNC in the semifinals.
The Wolfpack will lose three seniors, but have gained eight newcomers including transfer Angie Rizzi from LIU.
Sophomore pitcher Devin Wallace will be another player to look at. The transfer from Coastal Carolina is coming off a 6-4 record with a 3.57 ERA, 68.2 innings pitched and 63 strikeouts with the Chanticleers.
Offensively, junior catcher/infielder Cheyenne Balzer batted .267 with 43 hits, six home runs and 26 RBIs last season.
Sophomore outfielder Jade Caraway led the team with a .389 batting average and 72 hits. Caraway also added 12 stolen bases last season.
Series History:
This is the second meeting for both teams. The first meet was on February 11, 2011 where the Wolfpack were victorious, winning by a score of 8-2.
Scouting Georgetown:
The Hoyas are preparing for a new season after finishing 11-37 overall with a 4-16 record in the Big East Conference last season.
The Hoyas will lose four seniors, but gained seven newcomers including sophomore pitcher Isabelle Ortiz. Ortiz, a transfer out of St. Mary's College of California , made nine appearances for the Gaels and went 0-2 with a 3.29 ERA.
Offensively, sophomore Noelle Holiday batted .303 last season with with 40 hits, seven home runs, 26 RBIs and 11 runs scored.
Senior Theresa Kane batted .321 with 50 hits, 27 runs scored, 10 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.
Pitching wise, sophomore Anna Brooks Pacha pitched an 8-18 record with a 4.51 ERA, 152 innings and 174 strikeouts.
Series History:
FGCU is 4-0 against the Hoyas. Last time both teams met was on February 7, 2014, where FGCU won 2-0.
Scouting Ball State:
The Cardinals finished 30-28 last season with a 14-10 record in MAC Conference before falling in their conference tournament to Kent St. and Central Michigan.
The Cardinals will lose three seniors including home run leader Rachel Houck, who now joins the coaching staff, but have gained 10 newcomers including transfer Annie Robinson.
Robinson, a transfer from Coastal Carolina, sat out last season, and prior to signing with Ball State, Robinson batted .312 with 43 hits, 22 runs scored, 13 home runs and 34 RBIs for Chanticleers.
Offensively, senior infielder Maddy Labarador batted .305 last season with 51 hits, 33 runs scored, seven home runs and 24 RBIs.
Sophomore catcher Janae Hogg batted .296 last season with 53 hits, 13 runs scored, fve home runs and 28 RBIs.
Pitching wise, senior Carolyn Wilmes and sophomore Darcie Huber lead the way. Wilmes was 13-12 with a 3.72 ERA. She threw 137.1 innings with 129 strikeouts while Huber pitched a 9-8 record with a 2.26 ERA, 108.1 innings and 70 strikeouts.
Series History:
In all four games, FGCU is 3-1 against Ball State. Last time both teams met was on March 7, 2017 where FGCU won 3-1.
Ball State's only win against FGCU was on March 5, 2016 where the Cardinals beat the Eagles 3-2 in the FGCU Four Points by Sheraton Spring Break Classic.
Scouting Memphis:
Last season, the Tigers finished 29-27 with a 7-11 record in the AAC. They would win the quarterfinals of their conference tournament against USF before falling to Tulsa in the semifinals.
The Tigers lost five players: Calli Irwin, Hannah Harrell, Lindsay Crowdus, Lindsey Stickrod have graduated and junior Tyler Johnson has parted ways.
The Tigers managed to sign six freshman and signed five transfers (three from NJCAA, one from NCAA DI, one from NCAA DII).
Junior Regan Hadley batted .268 last season with 44 hits, three home runs and 25 RBIs.
Senior Kyler Trosclair-Klatt will likely be there speedster on baserunning. Trosclair-Klatt, last season, batted .394 and stolen 32 bases.
Pitching wise, senior Molly Smith will likely be the Tigers' ace. Smith was 11-12 last season with a 2.24 ERA and in 143.2 innings, she gave up 147 hits, 60 runs (46 earned), walked 33 batters and struck out 106 batters.
Series History:
Although the Eagles and the Tigers will not play against each other in the tournament, Memphis is 2-0 against FGCU overall. The last time both teams played was on February 13, 2016 where the Tigers won 6-0.
Ball State's only win against FGCU was on March 5, 2016 where the Cardinals beat the Eagles 3-2 in the FGCU Four Points by Sheraton Spring Break Classic.
Scouting Memphis:
Last season, the Tigers finished 29-27 with a 7-11 record in the AAC. They would win the quarterfinals of their conference tournament against USF before falling to Tulsa in the semifinals.
The Tigers lost five players: Calli Irwin, Hannah Harrell, Lindsay Crowdus, Lindsey Stickrod have graduated and junior Tyler Johnson has parted ways.
The Tigers managed to sign six freshman and signed five transfers (three from NJCAA, one from NCAA DI, one from NCAA DII).
Junior Regan Hadley batted .268 last season with 44 hits, three home runs and 25 RBIs.
Senior Kyler Trosclair-Klatt will likely be there speedster on baserunning. Trosclair-Klatt, last season, batted .394 and stolen 32 bases.
Pitching wise, senior Molly Smith will likely be the Tigers' ace. Smith was 11-12 last season with a 2.24 ERA and in 143.2 innings, she gave up 147 hits, 60 runs (46 earned), walked 33 batters and struck out 106 batters.
Series History:
Although the Eagles and the Tigers will not play against each other in the tournament, Memphis is 2-0 against FGCU overall. The last time both teams played was on February 13, 2016 where the Tigers won 6-0.
FGCU opens their season Thursday, February 8, 2018 against LIU at 6 PM. They will then face NC State on Friday, February 9 at 7 PM, Georgetown on Saturday, February 10 at 4:45 PM before finishing the tournament against Ball State at 1:30 PM on Sunday, February 11.
The opening game against LIU-Brooklyn is dubbed a Blue Out, encouraging fans to wear blue to that game.
In the game against Georgetown, it is dubbed a White Out, encouraging fans to wear white to the game.
The opening game against LIU-Brooklyn is dubbed a Blue Out, encouraging fans to wear blue to that game.
In the game against Georgetown, it is dubbed a White Out, encouraging fans to wear white to the game.
FCU WBB vs Ave Maria Recap
Once again, the FGCU women's basketball team took on another NAIA basketball team. No, it was not Southeastern University, although I would love a rematch with them. FGCU faced Ave Maria for the third time in program history and won by a score of 99-35.
Obviously, this game did not count for the Gyrenes (10-2) as it was an exhibition game for them, and it counted as a season game for the Eagles (10-2), but would not affect their RPI rankings. The game, to me, was a lite aftermath game after the Eagles upset #20 Kentucky 70-64 last Friday's game.
Five players reached double figures in points for the Eagles with sophomore Tytionia Adderly leading the way with her fourth career double-double. Adderly finished with 15 points (6-for-7 FG, 1-for-1 3FG, 2-for-3 FT), 13 rebounds (seven offensive, six defensive), one assist, one block and two steals.
Sophomore Nas Ulel had 10 points and five rebounds.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan had eight points, one rebound and one assist. Grandijan has 1,026 points after passing Courtney Chihill (1,016) for eighth place on the program's career scoring list in the Division-I era. Grandijan is 109 points away from passing FGCU basketball alumnus and current video coordinator Stephanie Haas (1,135).
Senior Erica Nelson had six points, one rebound, two assists and three steals.
Senior Rose Julien did not score any points, but contributed with two rebounds and one steal. Julien was getting extended rest after averaging 24 points in the last two games. Her streak of seven consecutive games with at least 10 points came to an end, and it also marked the first time in her FGCU career that she did not make at least one field goal.
Throughout the game, it was the bench that provided a lot of sparks for the game. Redshirt senior Jessica Cattani led the way with points for the whole team. Cattani, who came off the bench, scored 21 points (7-for-9 FG, 4-for-5 3FG, 3-for-5 FT) with one rebound, five assists and four steals. Her 21 points tied for a career-high.
Redshirt freshman Chandler Ryan and freshman Alyssa Blair both had a career and season-high 12 points each. Ryan also added four rebounds, one assist and four steals, while Blair added five rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka added five points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Freshman Liberty Brown and sophomore Samantha Kisiel contributed with five points each. Brown added one steal, while Kisiel added six rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Freshman Sheahen Dowling and redshirt senior China Dow also contributed off the bench. Dowling added three rebounds, one assist and two steals while Dow added three rebounds, four assists and one steal.
"Ty (Adderly) and Erica (Nelson) got us off to a great start. Their intensity - Erica was deflecting a lot of balls and really causing problems defensively and forcing turnovers," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "Ty I think had six offensive rebounds by the first media timeout, so I thought those two had great first halves. We were able to get a pretty big cushion and that allowed us to get a look at some kids who haven't played a lot during the year so far. I thought the bright spot was Cattani, who is a good player but hasn't played a lot because of injuries and not practicing a lot. I thought she had an excellent game and she led us in scoring today plus five assists, no turnovers, four steals. Just a complete game by Jess."
The only player on the Gyrenes that scored in double digits was sophomore Sarah Miller. Miller finished with 10 points and four rebounds.
Senior Jasmine Bateman finished with nine points, three rebounds, one assist and two steals.
A lot of fans were chanting "We want 100". Even the cheerleaders were chanting "We want 100", but unfortunately it did not happen. Even I was a little disappointed about it.
Legitimately, I didn't even stand up for 95% of the game. Since we were pummeling Ave Maria so badly, I just sat down, relaxed, stretched my legs out and watched the beating in hand.
Up next, FGCU will be on a brief road trip as they go against the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga (6-4) next Sunday at 1 P.M. before coming back home to compete and host in the FGCU Hilton Garden Inn Classic where they will welcome Akron, Harvard and SIU-Edwardsville.
"It's going to be really tough," Smesko said. "It's going to be at their place. I know they've beaten a couple BCS programs already. They're a top level mid-major. To go on the road and play them will be quite a challenge."
Obviously, this game did not count for the Gyrenes (10-2) as it was an exhibition game for them, and it counted as a season game for the Eagles (10-2), but would not affect their RPI rankings. The game, to me, was a lite aftermath game after the Eagles upset #20 Kentucky 70-64 last Friday's game.
Five players reached double figures in points for the Eagles with sophomore Tytionia Adderly leading the way with her fourth career double-double. Adderly finished with 15 points (6-for-7 FG, 1-for-1 3FG, 2-for-3 FT), 13 rebounds (seven offensive, six defensive), one assist, one block and two steals.
Sophomore Nas Ulel had 10 points and five rebounds.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan had eight points, one rebound and one assist. Grandijan has 1,026 points after passing Courtney Chihill (1,016) for eighth place on the program's career scoring list in the Division-I era. Grandijan is 109 points away from passing FGCU basketball alumnus and current video coordinator Stephanie Haas (1,135).
Senior Erica Nelson had six points, one rebound, two assists and three steals.
Senior Rose Julien did not score any points, but contributed with two rebounds and one steal. Julien was getting extended rest after averaging 24 points in the last two games. Her streak of seven consecutive games with at least 10 points came to an end, and it also marked the first time in her FGCU career that she did not make at least one field goal.
Redshirt freshman Chandler Ryan and freshman Alyssa Blair both had a career and season-high 12 points each. Ryan also added four rebounds, one assist and four steals, while Blair added five rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka added five points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Freshman Liberty Brown and sophomore Samantha Kisiel contributed with five points each. Brown added one steal, while Kisiel added six rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Freshman Sheahen Dowling and redshirt senior China Dow also contributed off the bench. Dowling added three rebounds, one assist and two steals while Dow added three rebounds, four assists and one steal.
"Ty (Adderly) and Erica (Nelson) got us off to a great start. Their intensity - Erica was deflecting a lot of balls and really causing problems defensively and forcing turnovers," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "Ty I think had six offensive rebounds by the first media timeout, so I thought those two had great first halves. We were able to get a pretty big cushion and that allowed us to get a look at some kids who haven't played a lot during the year so far. I thought the bright spot was Cattani, who is a good player but hasn't played a lot because of injuries and not practicing a lot. I thought she had an excellent game and she led us in scoring today plus five assists, no turnovers, four steals. Just a complete game by Jess."
The only player on the Gyrenes that scored in double digits was sophomore Sarah Miller. Miller finished with 10 points and four rebounds.
Senior Jasmine Bateman finished with nine points, three rebounds, one assist and two steals.
Legitimately, I didn't even stand up for 95% of the game. Since we were pummeling Ave Maria so badly, I just sat down, relaxed, stretched my legs out and watched the beating in hand.
Up next, FGCU will be on a brief road trip as they go against the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga (6-4) next Sunday at 1 P.M. before coming back home to compete and host in the FGCU Hilton Garden Inn Classic where they will welcome Akron, Harvard and SIU-Edwardsville.
"It's going to be really tough," Smesko said. "It's going to be at their place. I know they've beaten a couple BCS programs already. They're a top level mid-major. To go on the road and play them will be quite a challenge."
FGCU WBB vs. Kentucky Recap: Not One, But Two Top 25 Wins
What a game, what a game, what a game. The FGCU women's basketball team took on one of their toughest hurdles this season: #20/#23 Kentucky.
In front of 2,343 fans in attendance, the Eagles (9-2) fought tooth and talon against the Wildcats (8-2) as they won 70-64.
"This is a hard one to talk about at the end because the game had so many different segments in it," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "The first segment we started off rattled. We couldn't catch the ball, we couldn't dribble it. We were just a little on edge. I thought Lisa (Zderadicka) came in and really settled us down, got some easy baskets off attacks. I thought her coming and making the impact she did right when she got in the game helped everything just smooth out for us."
Prior to the game, redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan was recognized after scoring her 1,000th point in the game against NAIA Southeastern University.
I must say that Kentucky gave us one hell of a fight, but I give them a lot of props to them for fighting us tooth and nail. In the end, FGCU won and #20 Kentucky lost.
Earlier in the season, FGCU played two other top 25 teams in the nation. They beat then #21 Depaul (now unranked) 89-84 in overtime, but fell to then #8 Ohio State (now #12) by a score of 62-104 in the Play4Kay Shootout. If FGCU would've won against Ohio State, there would have been a good opportunity to be in the top 25.
In front of 2,343 fans in attendance, the Eagles (9-2) fought tooth and talon against the Wildcats (8-2) as they won 70-64.
"This is a hard one to talk about at the end because the game had so many different segments in it," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "The first segment we started off rattled. We couldn't catch the ball, we couldn't dribble it. We were just a little on edge. I thought Lisa (Zderadicka) came in and really settled us down, got some easy baskets off attacks. I thought her coming and making the impact she did right when she got in the game helped everything just smooth out for us."
Prior to the game, redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan was recognized after scoring her 1,000th point in the game against NAIA Southeastern University.
Senior Rose Julien led the team with 25 points (8-for-14 FG, 2-for-8 3FG, 5-for-7 FT), one rebound, three assists and one block, while classmate Erica Nelson scored eight points, three rebounds, one assist and two steals.
Sophomore Nas Ulel had four points, two rebounds and one assist, while classmate Tytionia Adderly had five points, 11 rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals.
Grandijan had eight points, seven rebounds, three assists and one steal. With Grandijan's eight points, the rare sixth-year senior passed Courtney Chihill (1,016) for the eighth most points in the Division-I era and now has 1,018 points.
"I feel like Gradinjan is one of the most underrated players that we've ever had in our program," Smesko said. "She's not a huge scorer. She's a great shooter, but she does so many other things for us that often go unnoticed. She plays great defense. She can guard multiple positions. She's our best screener and cutter. Even when she's not scoring, she's playing the most minutes because of all the other things she's doing for us."
"I feel like Gradinjan is one of the most underrated players that we've ever had in our program," Smesko said. "She's not a huge scorer. She's a great shooter, but she does so many other things for us that often go unnoticed. She plays great defense. She can guard multiple positions. She's our best screener and cutter. Even when she's not scoring, she's playing the most minutes because of all the other things she's doing for us."
Off the bench redshirt senior China Dow had nine points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal, while redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka had a season-high 13 points (6-for-8 FG), two rebounds, one assist and one steal. Dow and Zderadicka were the only subs that went in for the Eagles. Zderadicka needed 12 points to reach 600 in her NCAA career, and she now sits at 601. During the game, it was freshman Sheahen Dowling's birthday during the game.
I must say that Kentucky gave us one hell of a fight, but I give them a lot of props to them for fighting us tooth and nail. In the end, FGCU won and #20 Kentucky lost.
Up next, the women will recover with a lite game against NAIA Ave Maria at 2 PM on Sunday December 10 before traveling to Tennessee to face the University of Chattanooga on Sunday, December 17th at 1 PM.
FGCU WBB vs Southeastern Recap: The New Ms. 1,000
The FGCU women's basketball team (8-2) past NAIA Southeastern University (11-0) 76-66 on Tuesday in Alico Arena. With the win, FGCU is now 2-0 overall against Southeastern, which has five NCAA Division I transfers. Since they are an NAIA team, the game for Southeastern will be listed as an exhibition, and will count as a season game for FGCU, but it will not effect their RPI ranking.
"They're an exceptional team. I think they have an excellent opportunity to win the national championship in their division," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "They're not your typical non D-I. A lot of their roster is D-I transfers and some of them high D-I transfers. So, this was a really good team we played. I saw us do some good things, but there was also a lot of defensive breakdowns that we're going to need to fix. I thought our passing wasn't what it needed to be. I give them credit. They're aggressive. They're trapping, but we have to play stronger than what we showed at times today."
In the first quarter, after a steal from Tytionia Adderly, the Eagles would begin with 3-pointer from the hands of senior Rose Julien with an assist from fellow senior Erica Nelson. Following an Adderly rebound, Julien would hit a fastbreak layup with another assist from Nelson. With less than eight minutes left on the clock, the Fire would score a 3-pointer off the hands of junior Jaycee Coe, a transfer from Kentucky, with an assist from sophomore Marlena Schmidt, a transfer from West Virginia.
The Eagles would bring the lead back to five after a fastbreak layup from Adderly with an assist from redshirt senior China Dow. After senior Ana Richter drew a foul from Nelson, the Miami (OH) transfer would go to the line and score both free throws before the media timeout occurred.
After the media timeout, Julien would hit a layup for a successful and-one opportunity after being fouled by senior Anissa Toumi. Sophomore Nasrin Ulel, who played off the bench would hit the Eagles' second 3-pointer with an assist from Julien. Less than four minutes left, Adderly would hit a good layup with an assist from redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka, but a fastbreak layup from sophomore Trisha Jacobs cut the Eagles lead to eight. Two minutes later, junior Halee Printz, a transfer from Toledo, would hit a layup. With 28 seconds left, Nelson would hit the Eagles' third three of the game with an assist from redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan, the main story of this post, before the first quarter ended.
Going into the start of the second quarter, Richter would begin with a layup before Julien countered with a layup of her own with an assist from Nelson. Richter would add another layup with an assist from Toumi. Richter would attempt a layup, but Grandijan would stop her with a block.before junior Emma Karamovic shot a 3-pointer, with an assist from Richter, to cut the Eagles lead to four.
With 6:38 left on the clock, Julien would fire a three. Nelson would follow with a layup before both teams went back and forth with back-to-back layups from Nelson and High Point grad student Maja Michalska before Karamovic hit a three before the media timeout.
After Jacobs missed both free throws, Nelson would increase the Eagles lead with a 3-pointer with an assist from Zderadicka before Dow hit a layup.
With less than three minutes left before the end of the first half, Nelson would hit a jumper to make it 34-21 FGCU before Ulel was sent to the line to make one of her two free throws.
The moment everyone was waiting for came. Adderly would draw a foul caused by Schmidt and was sent to the free throw line. After missing the second free throw, Grandijan awaited her moment, grabbed the offensive rebound and made the layup she needed for her 1,000th point with 1:12 left before redshirt freshman Sarah Beth Richter made a layup with an assist from Karamovic. Coe would hit one final 3-pointer before the end of the first half.
During the halftime show, students and fans were shooting for $100 and I was 24 seconds away from winning until sophomore cross country runner Jan Figueroa took my opportunity away. Oh I was so upset that I kept saying to myself "I'll never win another halftime show."
Aside from that, going into the third quarter, Karamovice would hit a good jumper 15 seconds in, but Adderly would counter with an and-one with an assist from Nelson.
With 7:26 left, Grandijan would shoot her first three of the game with another assist from Nelson before Richter hit a layup of her own. Toumi would then hit a jumper before Printz hit a three to cut the Eagles lead to eight before a media timeout.
After the media timeout, Toumi would then get an and-one of her own after Adderly fouled her to cut the Eagle lead to five, but Julien would hit a layup with an assist from Dow.
After a Michalska layup, Grandijan would hit her second three of the game with an assist from Nelson. Richter would hit another layup with an assist from Coe, but Julien would counter with two successful free throws before hitting a layup with an assist from Adderly before the third quarter ended.
It all came down to one final quarter for both teams. Seven seconds in, the Fire would get a quick 3-pointer from Karamovic.
30 seconds later, Michalska would hit a layup before Ulel hit a layup of her own. Nelson would increase the Eagles lead back to 10 with a 3-pointer with an assist from Dow. Julien would go to the foul line and shoot two more successful free throws before Michalska drove in another layup.
20 seconds later, Richter would cut the Eagles' lead to eight with a layup before Julien countered with another layup with an assist from Dow.
With 6:25 left, Printz would hit another three with an assist from Schmidt before Grandijan countered with a three of her own with an assist from Dow. Dow would then hit a three with an assist from Zderadicka before a media timeout.
30 seconds after the media timeout, Nelson would hit a three with an assist from Grandijan to give the Eagles a 16-point lead before Karamovic hit a three of her own with an assist from Coe, who would hit another Fire three before a 30-second timeout.
Dow would hit a layup before Jacobs was fouled by Dow to hit two successful free throws, but Julien would hit two successful free throws after being fouled by Toumi. Toumi would be sent to the bench after fouling out.
From there, redshirt senior Jessica Cattani came in for Grandijan for the final minute of the game, in which Grandijan received a vibrant standing ovation for her game.
Freshmen Alyssa Blair and Sheahen Dowling and redshirt freshman Chandler Ryan would enter the game with Cattani as well as Zderadicka. Michalska would shoot one final 3-pointer for the Fire before the game ended.
Julien lead the way with a season-high 25 points (8-for-18 FG, 2-for-10 3FG, 7-for-7 FT), six rebounds, and one assist.
Nelson finished with 18 points (7-for-13 FG, 4-for-7 3FG), two rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
Dow, who started in place for Ulel, finished with seven points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
Adderly finished three points shy of a double-double as she finished with seven points, 10 rebounds (five offensive, five defensive, one assist, and four steals.
Grandijan finished with 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal. Grandijan became the 10th player in program history to join the 1,000 point club.
"We're really proud of what Taylor has accomplished in her time here," Smesko said Grandijan's 1,000th point. "She's been a very steady and great player for us. She's someone you can always count on. She plays both ends of the floor, and it was nice to hear the ovation she got when they announced her 1,000th point.
Off the bench, Ulel finished with eight points and two rebounds while Zderadicka contributed with three assists and a steal.
For the Fire, Karamovic led the team with 13 points and four rebounds.
Ana Richter finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.
Printz finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Coe finished with nine points an six rebounds.
Schmidt contributed with seven rebounds.
Off the Fire bench, Michalska had 11 points and two rebounds, Toumi had five points, an assist and a steal before fouling out, Jacobs had four points and three assists, and Sarah Beth Richter had two points.
To be honest, I thought that we were gonna easily beat them because they're an NAIA school, but they gave us a hell of fight.
I did talk to a few of the players afterwards and I told them that they fought really strong against us, and they were really appreciative. I mentioned when they faced the Martinique national team and blew them out, which I thought was pretty cool, but they told me that it was a waste of time. Even their fans agreed with that.
I guess when someone plays a national team from another country, they would expect a lot of hype, but sometimes it's not always cracked up as it seems to be. Maybe it was a waste of time because the Fire won 121-11. Now I could understand why it was a waste of time.
The Eagles will now prepare for one of their toughest challenges against #20/#23 Kentucky on Friday, December 8 at 7 P.M.
"They're an exceptional team. I think they have an excellent opportunity to win the national championship in their division," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "They're not your typical non D-I. A lot of their roster is D-I transfers and some of them high D-I transfers. So, this was a really good team we played. I saw us do some good things, but there was also a lot of defensive breakdowns that we're going to need to fix. I thought our passing wasn't what it needed to be. I give them credit. They're aggressive. They're trapping, but we have to play stronger than what we showed at times today."
In the first quarter, after a steal from Tytionia Adderly, the Eagles would begin with 3-pointer from the hands of senior Rose Julien with an assist from fellow senior Erica Nelson. Following an Adderly rebound, Julien would hit a fastbreak layup with another assist from Nelson. With less than eight minutes left on the clock, the Fire would score a 3-pointer off the hands of junior Jaycee Coe, a transfer from Kentucky, with an assist from sophomore Marlena Schmidt, a transfer from West Virginia.
The Eagles would bring the lead back to five after a fastbreak layup from Adderly with an assist from redshirt senior China Dow. After senior Ana Richter drew a foul from Nelson, the Miami (OH) transfer would go to the line and score both free throws before the media timeout occurred.
After the media timeout, Julien would hit a layup for a successful and-one opportunity after being fouled by senior Anissa Toumi. Sophomore Nasrin Ulel, who played off the bench would hit the Eagles' second 3-pointer with an assist from Julien. Less than four minutes left, Adderly would hit a good layup with an assist from redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka, but a fastbreak layup from sophomore Trisha Jacobs cut the Eagles lead to eight. Two minutes later, junior Halee Printz, a transfer from Toledo, would hit a layup. With 28 seconds left, Nelson would hit the Eagles' third three of the game with an assist from redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan, the main story of this post, before the first quarter ended.
Going into the start of the second quarter, Richter would begin with a layup before Julien countered with a layup of her own with an assist from Nelson. Richter would add another layup with an assist from Toumi. Richter would attempt a layup, but Grandijan would stop her with a block.before junior Emma Karamovic shot a 3-pointer, with an assist from Richter, to cut the Eagles lead to four.
With 6:38 left on the clock, Julien would fire a three. Nelson would follow with a layup before both teams went back and forth with back-to-back layups from Nelson and High Point grad student Maja Michalska before Karamovic hit a three before the media timeout.
After Jacobs missed both free throws, Nelson would increase the Eagles lead with a 3-pointer with an assist from Zderadicka before Dow hit a layup.
With less than three minutes left before the end of the first half, Nelson would hit a jumper to make it 34-21 FGCU before Ulel was sent to the line to make one of her two free throws.
The moment everyone was waiting for came. Adderly would draw a foul caused by Schmidt and was sent to the free throw line. After missing the second free throw, Grandijan awaited her moment, grabbed the offensive rebound and made the layup she needed for her 1,000th point with 1:12 left before redshirt freshman Sarah Beth Richter made a layup with an assist from Karamovic. Coe would hit one final 3-pointer before the end of the first half.
During the halftime show, students and fans were shooting for $100 and I was 24 seconds away from winning until sophomore cross country runner Jan Figueroa took my opportunity away. Oh I was so upset that I kept saying to myself "I'll never win another halftime show."
Aside from that, going into the third quarter, Karamovice would hit a good jumper 15 seconds in, but Adderly would counter with an and-one with an assist from Nelson.
With 7:26 left, Grandijan would shoot her first three of the game with another assist from Nelson before Richter hit a layup of her own. Toumi would then hit a jumper before Printz hit a three to cut the Eagles lead to eight before a media timeout.
After the media timeout, Toumi would then get an and-one of her own after Adderly fouled her to cut the Eagle lead to five, but Julien would hit a layup with an assist from Dow.
After a Michalska layup, Grandijan would hit her second three of the game with an assist from Nelson. Richter would hit another layup with an assist from Coe, but Julien would counter with two successful free throws before hitting a layup with an assist from Adderly before the third quarter ended.
It all came down to one final quarter for both teams. Seven seconds in, the Fire would get a quick 3-pointer from Karamovic.
30 seconds later, Michalska would hit a layup before Ulel hit a layup of her own. Nelson would increase the Eagles lead back to 10 with a 3-pointer with an assist from Dow. Julien would go to the foul line and shoot two more successful free throws before Michalska drove in another layup.
20 seconds later, Richter would cut the Eagles' lead to eight with a layup before Julien countered with another layup with an assist from Dow.
With 6:25 left, Printz would hit another three with an assist from Schmidt before Grandijan countered with a three of her own with an assist from Dow. Dow would then hit a three with an assist from Zderadicka before a media timeout.
30 seconds after the media timeout, Nelson would hit a three with an assist from Grandijan to give the Eagles a 16-point lead before Karamovic hit a three of her own with an assist from Coe, who would hit another Fire three before a 30-second timeout.
Dow would hit a layup before Jacobs was fouled by Dow to hit two successful free throws, but Julien would hit two successful free throws after being fouled by Toumi. Toumi would be sent to the bench after fouling out.
From there, redshirt senior Jessica Cattani came in for Grandijan for the final minute of the game, in which Grandijan received a vibrant standing ovation for her game.
Freshmen Alyssa Blair and Sheahen Dowling and redshirt freshman Chandler Ryan would enter the game with Cattani as well as Zderadicka. Michalska would shoot one final 3-pointer for the Fire before the game ended.
Julien lead the way with a season-high 25 points (8-for-18 FG, 2-for-10 3FG, 7-for-7 FT), six rebounds, and one assist.
Nelson finished with 18 points (7-for-13 FG, 4-for-7 3FG), two rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
Dow, who started in place for Ulel, finished with seven points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
Adderly finished three points shy of a double-double as she finished with seven points, 10 rebounds (five offensive, five defensive, one assist, and four steals.
Grandijan finished with 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal. Grandijan became the 10th player in program history to join the 1,000 point club.
"We're really proud of what Taylor has accomplished in her time here," Smesko said Grandijan's 1,000th point. "She's been a very steady and great player for us. She's someone you can always count on. She plays both ends of the floor, and it was nice to hear the ovation she got when they announced her 1,000th point.
Off the bench, Ulel finished with eight points and two rebounds while Zderadicka contributed with three assists and a steal.
For the Fire, Karamovic led the team with 13 points and four rebounds.
Ana Richter finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.
Printz finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Coe finished with nine points an six rebounds.
Schmidt contributed with seven rebounds.
Off the Fire bench, Michalska had 11 points and two rebounds, Toumi had five points, an assist and a steal before fouling out, Jacobs had four points and three assists, and Sarah Beth Richter had two points.
To be honest, I thought that we were gonna easily beat them because they're an NAIA school, but they gave us a hell of fight.
I did talk to a few of the players afterwards and I told them that they fought really strong against us, and they were really appreciative. I mentioned when they faced the Martinique national team and blew them out, which I thought was pretty cool, but they told me that it was a waste of time. Even their fans agreed with that.
I guess when someone plays a national team from another country, they would expect a lot of hype, but sometimes it's not always cracked up as it seems to be. Maybe it was a waste of time because the Fire won 121-11. Now I could understand why it was a waste of time.
The Eagles will now prepare for one of their toughest challenges against #20/#23 Kentucky on Friday, December 8 at 7 P.M.
FGCU WBB vs Southeastern University Preview
The FGCU women's basketball team (7-2) will square off against Southeastern University (11-0) on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. in Alico Arena. The game will count as a regular season matchup for the Eagles, but will be an exhibition for the Fire.
The matchup, which signifies the first home game for the Eagles since a season opening win over Illinois on Nov. 12, will mark the first meeting between the two teams since Jan. 25, 2003, which resulted in a 103-31 win for FGCU.
The matchup, which signifies the first home game for the Eagles since a season opening win over Illinois on Nov. 12, will mark the first meeting between the two teams since Jan. 25, 2003, which resulted in a 103-31 win for FGCU.
Last Time Out:
FGCU completed an eight-game road trip that spanned 19 days. During the trip, the Eagles ventured from Miami, Akron, Ohio, Loudonville, N.Y., Las Vegas, and Abilene, Texas where they produced a 6-2 record during the stretch that included a win over then #21 DePaul in the Play4Kay Showcase at Mandalay Bay. The team's two losses came to #8 Ohio State and Belmont, two teams that made the NCAA Tournament last year.
In the most recent game on the road, the Eagles played Abilene Christian and won by a score of 94-55.
In the most recent game on the road, the Eagles played Abilene Christian and won by a score of 94-55.
Tay-Grad Goes For 1,000:
The top storyline entering Tuesday's matchup will be on Taylor Gradinjan's pursuit of 1,000 career points. The sixth-year senior is currently just one point away from becoming just the 10th player in program history to reach the milestone and only the 9th player in the program's Division-I era. In the game against Abilene Christian, Grandijan had 18 points all from the 3-point line, placing her at 999 points. In addition, Grandijan is also 18 points away from passing Courtney Chihill (1,016, 2008-12) for 8th place on the program's Division-I career scoring list. Gradinjan is currently averaging 11.7 points over nine games this year.
The top storyline entering Tuesday's matchup will be on Taylor Gradinjan's pursuit of 1,000 career points. The sixth-year senior is currently just one point away from becoming just the 10th player in program history to reach the milestone and only the 9th player in the program's Division-I era. In the game against Abilene Christian, Grandijan had 18 points all from the 3-point line, placing her at 999 points. In addition, Grandijan is also 18 points away from passing Courtney Chihill (1,016, 2008-12) for 8th place on the program's Division-I career scoring list. Gradinjan is currently averaging 11.7 points over nine games this year.
Veteran Lineup:
Along with Gradinjan, seniors Rosemarie Julien and Erica Nelson and sophomores Nasrin Ulel and Tytionia Adderly have been a strong foundation for the starting lineup.
Julien leads the team in scoring at 13.1 PPG while shooting .404 from 3-point range. Julien had 10 points in the game against Abilene Christian.
Ulel is second on the team in scoring at 12.8 PPG. The sophomore guard exploded for a team-high 19 points on 5-for-9 shooting from 3-point range against Abilene Christian. She now has at least 17 points in five of nine games this year, including a career-high 28 in the team's win over FIU on Nov. 15.
Ulel is second on the team in scoring at 12.8 PPG. The sophomore guard exploded for a team-high 19 points on 5-for-9 shooting from 3-point range against Abilene Christian. She now has at least 17 points in five of nine games this year, including a career-high 28 in the team's win over FIU on Nov. 15.
Nelson leads the team in assists with 26 and is averaging 7.6 PPG. Against Abilene Christian, Nelson had eight points and three assists.
Adderly leads the team in rebounding at 7.9 RPG, while contributing 6.4 PPG. Adderly had nine points and seven rebounds against Abilene Christian.
Adderly leads the team in rebounding at 7.9 RPG, while contributing 6.4 PPG. Adderly had nine points and seven rebounds against Abilene Christian.
Bench Role:
The FGCU bench is led by redshirt senior China Dow and redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka,
Dow is averaging 11.2 PPG, which is fourth best on the team. Against Abilene Christian, the Louisville native had seven points.
Zderadicka checks in at 6.9 PPG and is tied with Nelson for the team-high in assists with 26. Zderadicka had five points and four assists against Abilene Christian.
Another bench player who has been coming on of late is redshirt freshman Chandler Ryan, who had a season-high 11 points in the win over Abilene Christian. Ryan is averaging just over 7 PPG over the past three outings.
Dow is averaging 11.2 PPG, which is fourth best on the team. Against Abilene Christian, the Louisville native had seven points.
Zderadicka checks in at 6.9 PPG and is tied with Nelson for the team-high in assists with 26. Zderadicka had five points and four assists against Abilene Christian.
Another bench player who has been coming on of late is redshirt freshman Chandler Ryan, who had a season-high 11 points in the win over Abilene Christian. Ryan is averaging just over 7 PPG over the past three outings.
Scouting Southeastern:
The Fire (11-0) enter Tuesday's game having won 35 consecutive regular season games dating back to Feb. 10, 2016. On top of that, they haven't lost a game in the state of Florida since Jan. 26, 2016 (Keiser University, 56-51).
The Fire are the two-time defending Sun Conference regular season and tournament champions, and have made the NAIA Division II National Tournament three consecutive seasons, including a quarterfinal appearance last year.
The Fire are the two-time defending Sun Conference regular season and tournament champions, and have made the NAIA Division II National Tournament three consecutive seasons, including a quarterfinal appearance last year.
Southeastern is currently ranked #3 in the nation in the NAIA Division II poll, and lead the NAIA Division II rankings in field goal percentage at 55.2 and rank second in 3-point shooting at 42.4 percent. They have shot 50 percent or better in nine of 11 games this year, including three above 60 percent. The Fire have won their 11 games by an average margin of 32.8 points. Defensively, they are third in the nation in field goal defense, holding opponents to 31.6 percent from the field and only one team has shot better than 37 percent against them this year - Northwestern College.
Furthermore, Southeastern has defeated ranked NAIA teams #13 Indiana University East (101-72), #17 Northwestern College (80-75), #20 Loyola University (80-63), RV Keiser (116-48) and RV Xavier University (60-39). They have scored 100 or more points four times this year, including three of the past four games. The Fire also played the Martinique National Team, winning by a score 121-11.
Southeastern is led by Tim Hays, who is in his second year at Southeastern. During Hays' time, the team has compiled a 39-1 record, and led the team to regular season and tournament championships in the Sun Conference last year and a trip to the NAIA quarterfinals.
He was previously a head coach at NCAA Division II Colorado Christian for six years, where he led them to a National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) national title in the 2011-12 season and berths in the NCAA Division II tournament in 2010-11 and 2014-15.
The Fire have five transfers from NCAA DI universities on the squad: senior Ana Richter (Miami (OH)), juniors Jaycee Coe (Kentucky) and Halee Printz (Toledo), sophomore Marlena Schmidt (West Virginia), and grad student Maja Michalska (High Point).
Richter leads the team offensively while averaging 22.9 points per game. In her most recent against Keiser, Richter had 25 points (10-for-10 FG, 5-for-6 FT).
Coe has also been a key factor on the offensive end for the Fire. Coe is averaging 14.7 points per game. The Kentucky transfer had 21 points against Keiser.
Schmidt is averaging 7.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. She had eight points and five rebounds against Keiser.
Printz averages 7.8 points and 5.7 assists per game. Printz had five points and four assists against Keiser.
Michalska is averaging 7.6 points and 2.3 assists per game. Michalska had eight points and two assists against Keiser.
Series History:
This will be the second time both teams will meet. In the first-ever meeting between FGCU and Southeastern in 2003, Jill Bair produced a career-high 28 points to lead FGCU to a 103-31 road victory.
The game was played during FGCU's first year of women's basketball, and the team's scoring output still stands as the program's ninth most in a single game.
The game will start at 4:30 P.M. and will air on ESPN3. It is also dubbed as tank top Tuesday, so marketing is encouraging fans and Dirty Birds to wear their white tank tops to the game.
He was previously a head coach at NCAA Division II Colorado Christian for six years, where he led them to a National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) national title in the 2011-12 season and berths in the NCAA Division II tournament in 2010-11 and 2014-15.
The Fire have five transfers from NCAA DI universities on the squad: senior Ana Richter (Miami (OH)), juniors Jaycee Coe (Kentucky) and Halee Printz (Toledo), sophomore Marlena Schmidt (West Virginia), and grad student Maja Michalska (High Point).
Richter leads the team offensively while averaging 22.9 points per game. In her most recent against Keiser, Richter had 25 points (10-for-10 FG, 5-for-6 FT).
Coe has also been a key factor on the offensive end for the Fire. Coe is averaging 14.7 points per game. The Kentucky transfer had 21 points against Keiser.
Schmidt is averaging 7.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. She had eight points and five rebounds against Keiser.
Printz averages 7.8 points and 5.7 assists per game. Printz had five points and four assists against Keiser.
Michalska is averaging 7.6 points and 2.3 assists per game. Michalska had eight points and two assists against Keiser.
Series History:
This will be the second time both teams will meet. In the first-ever meeting between FGCU and Southeastern in 2003, Jill Bair produced a career-high 28 points to lead FGCU to a 103-31 road victory.
The game was played during FGCU's first year of women's basketball, and the team's scoring output still stands as the program's ninth most in a single game.
The game will start at 4:30 P.M. and will air on ESPN3. It is also dubbed as tank top Tuesday, so marketing is encouraging fans and Dirty Birds to wear their white tank tops to the game.
FGCU WBB @ Abilene Christian Recap
There is a saying in Texas: "Everything is bigger in Texas." Of course for Abilene Christian, it was no big game for them to try and beat the FGCU women's basketball team. The Eagles (7-2) tamed and slaughtered the Wildcats by a score of 94-55.
"We shot the ball very well today," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "And we did a good job moving the ball to our open shooters. We look good when we share the ball."
In front of 1,103 fans, it made no difference for the Wildcats and catching up to the Eagles proved to be impossible. For FGCU, it was redemption after finishing fourth in the Play 4 Kay Shootout in Las Vegas. After a slow start in the first quarter ending by a score of 15-13, the Eagles went on a 33-15 run in the second quarter before the second half began, but it made no difference as Abilene could not catch up in the second half.
"We shot the ball very well today," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "And we did a good job moving the ball to our open shooters. We look good when we share the ball."
In front of 1,103 fans, it made no difference for the Wildcats and catching up to the Eagles proved to be impossible. For FGCU, it was redemption after finishing fourth in the Play 4 Kay Shootout in Las Vegas. After a slow start in the first quarter ending by a score of 15-13, the Eagles went on a 33-15 run in the second quarter before the second half began, but it made no difference as Abilene could not catch up in the second half.
Sophomore Nasrin "Nas" Ulel led the team with 19 points (7-for-11 FG, 5-for-9 3FG) and added two assists.
Senior Erica Nelson had eight points (3-for-4 FG, 2-for-3 3FG), five rebounds and three assists.
Senior Rose Julien had 10 points (3-for-8 FG, 2-for-7 3FG, 2-for-2 FT), one rebound, three assists and one steal.
Sophomore Tytionia Adderly had nine points, seven rebounds and two assists.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan had 18 points, all from behind the three point line. The Cudahy, Wisconsin native is now one point away from reaching the 1,000 point mark. With one more point, Grandijan will become the ninth player in the program's Division-I era with 1,000 points and only the 10th overall since the program started in 2002-03.
Personal Note:
Personal Note:
I guess when Smesko pulled Grandijan out, he was probably saving her to score her 1,000th point at home, which actually makes sense since the Dirty Birds would love to see that accolade.
Off the bench, redshirt senior China Dow had seven points, three rebounds and three assists, redshirt freshman Chandler Ryan had a season-high 11 points, one rebound, two assists and one steal, redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka had five points and four assists, freshman Sheahen Dowling had seven points and one assist.
Sophomore Samantha Kisiel and freshmen Alyssa Blair and Liberty Brown also contributed to the game. Kisiel added one rebound, Blair had two rebounds and two blocks and Brown added five rebounds.
The Eagles shot a program record-tying 22 3-pointers in the game. The performance tied for the third most in NCAA Division I single game history behind Sacramento State, who tallied 25 twice in the 2015-16 season.
Sunday's game, which was the first ever meeting between the two teams, marked the end of an eight-game road trip for FGCU. The team now returns home to face Southeastern University (11-0) on Tuesday at 4:30 pm, #22 Kentucky (7-1) on Friday at 7 p.m. and Ave Maria (10-0) next Sunday at 2 p.m.
The games against Southeastern and Ave Maria are dubbed as whiteouts while for Kentucky, it is a greenout.
The games against Southeastern and Ave Maria are dubbed as whiteouts while for Kentucky, it is a greenout.
FGCU MBB vs. Webber Recap: It wasn't a Game, It was Practice!
The FGCU men's basketball team took an initiative, in front of 3,100 fans in attendance, to face NAIA's Webber International University. The Eagles (6-2) struck down the Warriors (3-3) by a score of 115-61. Of course, the game did not count for Webber, as it was a exhibition for them. It did count as a season game for FGCU, but it did not effect their RPI ranking,
In the first half, the Eagles went ahead 27-0 before Webber got on the board with 11:58 left on the clock. FGCU, at the end of the first half, was ahead 63-21.
In the second half, Webber tried to mount a "comeback" with a six-point rally, but it was not even close to being strong enough to beat FGCU.
Seven Players for FGCU went into double digits throughout the game.
Senior guard Christian Terrell led the way with a double-double of 18 points (7-for-12 FG, 3-for-6 3FG, 1-for-2 FT) and 10 rebounds. The Jacksonville native added five assists, one block and one steal. With the 18 points, Terrell became the 8th FGCU player in program history to reach 1,000 points.
Redshirt junior guard Zach Johnson had 16 points (7-for-14 FG, 1-for-6 3FG, 1-for-2 FT), three rebounds, two assists and three steals.
Redshirt senior guard Brandon Goodwin, despite shooting 3-for-11, also had a double-double of 14 points and 10 assists. Goodwin also had two rebounds, one block and one steal.
Redshirt junior center Ricky Doyle had 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Sophomore forward Raysean Scott Jr. was once again short of a double-double. Scott finished with 10 points (5-for-5 FG), seven rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.
Off the bench, sophomore guard Christian Carlyle had 13 points (6-for-11 FG, 1-for-2 3FG), four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Redshirt senior forward Antravious Simmons was two points and two rebounds shy of a double-double as well. The Miami native finished with eight points (2-for-3 FG, 4-for-4 FT), eight rebounds and three assists.
Redshirt sophomore center Brady Ernst had seven points (3-for-3 FG, 1-for-4 FT), a career-high 11 rebounds and two assists.
Freshman guard Darnell Rogers had a season-high 11 points (4-for-6 FG, 3-for-4 3 FG) and two steals.
Other players that played and contributed to the game included redshirt senior guard Josh Ko, junior guard Dolan Mahoney and freshman guard Ryan McAdoo.
Ko had five points (2-for-7 FG, 1-for-2 3FG), two rebounds and one steal, Mahoney had two points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal and McAdoo scored his first career point at the free throw line and had one steal.
All twelve players that got into the game scored at least one point and had one foul or less.
Redshirt junior guard Dinero Mercurius and freshman forward Brian Thomas are still injured. Mercurius, who suffered a shoulder injury during the game against Denver, is set to return to action against Middle Tennessee December 2. Thomas, however, is out for another two weeks, so the timetable of his return is yet to be determined.
Redshirt junior forward Michael Gilmore is scheduled to make his official FGCU debut on December 16 at home against Oral Roberts.
Of course, I had to miss the whole first half because I had a three-hour night class that didn't get out until about 8:15 P.M. I was able to try and watch the whole first half during class (sneaky, I know). One of the senior cheerleaders, Zhara Fayad, was wondering where I was and was worried why I missed the entire first half of the game. Of course I explained it to her and to others that academics comes before athletics. As I was coming to Alico Arena, some students were already leaving because they figured it would be a blowout.
FGCU returns to action against Middle Tennessee in a rematch after MTU beat FGCU 85-72 in Tennessee, so hopefully redemption will be in favor for FGCU.
In the first half, the Eagles went ahead 27-0 before Webber got on the board with 11:58 left on the clock. FGCU, at the end of the first half, was ahead 63-21.
In the second half, Webber tried to mount a "comeback" with a six-point rally, but it was not even close to being strong enough to beat FGCU.
Seven Players for FGCU went into double digits throughout the game.
Senior guard Christian Terrell led the way with a double-double of 18 points (7-for-12 FG, 3-for-6 3FG, 1-for-2 FT) and 10 rebounds. The Jacksonville native added five assists, one block and one steal. With the 18 points, Terrell became the 8th FGCU player in program history to reach 1,000 points.
Redshirt junior guard Zach Johnson had 16 points (7-for-14 FG, 1-for-6 3FG, 1-for-2 FT), three rebounds, two assists and three steals.
Redshirt senior guard Brandon Goodwin, despite shooting 3-for-11, also had a double-double of 14 points and 10 assists. Goodwin also had two rebounds, one block and one steal.
Redshirt junior center Ricky Doyle had 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Sophomore forward Raysean Scott Jr. was once again short of a double-double. Scott finished with 10 points (5-for-5 FG), seven rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.
Off the bench, sophomore guard Christian Carlyle had 13 points (6-for-11 FG, 1-for-2 3FG), four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Redshirt senior forward Antravious Simmons was two points and two rebounds shy of a double-double as well. The Miami native finished with eight points (2-for-3 FG, 4-for-4 FT), eight rebounds and three assists.
Redshirt sophomore center Brady Ernst had seven points (3-for-3 FG, 1-for-4 FT), a career-high 11 rebounds and two assists.
Freshman guard Darnell Rogers had a season-high 11 points (4-for-6 FG, 3-for-4 3 FG) and two steals.
Other players that played and contributed to the game included redshirt senior guard Josh Ko, junior guard Dolan Mahoney and freshman guard Ryan McAdoo.
Ko had five points (2-for-7 FG, 1-for-2 3FG), two rebounds and one steal, Mahoney had two points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal and McAdoo scored his first career point at the free throw line and had one steal.
All twelve players that got into the game scored at least one point and had one foul or less.
Redshirt junior guard Dinero Mercurius and freshman forward Brian Thomas are still injured. Mercurius, who suffered a shoulder injury during the game against Denver, is set to return to action against Middle Tennessee December 2. Thomas, however, is out for another two weeks, so the timetable of his return is yet to be determined.
Redshirt junior forward Michael Gilmore is scheduled to make his official FGCU debut on December 16 at home against Oral Roberts.
Of course, I had to miss the whole first half because I had a three-hour night class that didn't get out until about 8:15 P.M. I was able to try and watch the whole first half during class (sneaky, I know). One of the senior cheerleaders, Zhara Fayad, was wondering where I was and was worried why I missed the entire first half of the game. Of course I explained it to her and to others that academics comes before athletics. As I was coming to Alico Arena, some students were already leaving because they figured it would be a blowout.
FGCU returns to action against Middle Tennessee in a rematch after MTU beat FGCU 85-72 in Tennessee, so hopefully redemption will be in favor for FGCU.
FGCU Men's Basketball: Homewood Suites FGCU Shootout Recap
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.
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.
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
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