Bucs begin state softball tournament play Friday
Suncoast Conference Champion Florida SouthWestern State begins postseason play Friday in the NJCAA District 8 FCSAA State Tournament at Dodgertown in Vero Beach.
The Buccaneers (47-12) are ranked fourth overall for the softball tournament that concludes on Sunday.
The Bucs’ first-round matchup against Florida State College (33-16) of Jacksonville starts at 11 a.m. FSW will then play either Eastern Florida State (24-28) or Gulf Coast State (31-16) at 4 p.m. Friday in the winner’s or loser’s backet.
The tournament is a 16-team, double-elimination format. The two teams remaining at the end of the tournament advance to the NJCAA Division I Softball Championship in St. George, Utah (May 18-21, 2016).
The Bucs secured their first-ever Suncoast Conference Championship with a 19-1 mark in conference play in their inaugural season. The Bucs also won 25 of their last 26 games to close the regular season.
Through games played on Tuesday, the Bucs lead the nation in stolen bases (248) and are fourth in triples (30), but also rank in the top 60 nationally in multiple categories, including hits (24th, 519), runs (25th, 406), RBI (32nd, 340), home runs (52nd, 37), doubles (56th, 79) and batting average (58th, .337).
During the regular season, FSW led the conference in triples and stolen bases, while also finishing in the top five in hits (2nd), runs (3rd), doubles (4th) and RBI (4th).