Bucs jump to No. 13 in nation
Riding the longest winning streak of any Junior College, NCAA D-I or D-II, or NAIA school in Florida, the Florida SouthWestern State College softball team rose to No. 13 in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Softball Rankings released on Wednesday.
The Buccaneers (44-11), currently in first place in the Suncoast Conference with a 17-1 record, received 40 points in the poll to move up two spots from No. 15 last week.
The Bucs, having won 22 games in a row, were ranked No. 4 in this week’s NJCAA Region 8 Coaches’ Poll and are the lone Suncoast Conference team and one of four Region 8 teams appearing in the national rankings. Central Florida comes in at No. 2, Indian River State is ranked No. 3 and Northwest Florida State holds the No. 5 spot.
Through games played on Monday, the Bucs lead the nation in stolen bases (226) and are tied for second in triples (27), but they also rank in the top 65 nationally in multiple categories, including runs (19th, 362), hits (20th, 476), RBI (28th, 299), doubles (t-45th, 71), home runs (46th, 33) and batting average (62nd, .331).
The Bucs return to action at City of Palms Park on Saturday when they host State College of Florida in the final home doubleheader of the season. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.