Women’s Softball

Coach’s Corner

Year: 2008 | 2007 | 2006

Sept. 25

In a round robin tournament at UCF, FCCJ went 1–1–1 in its first three games. The Stars looked good in the first fall competition against college teams, with a number of players making contributions.

In game one, Miami Dade opened the game with back–to–back extra base hits followed by a walk and an error to allow the Sharks to go to a four–run lead. However, the Stars came right back in the home half of the first. Tara Richardson was hit by a pitch before being forced out on Alona Personius’ ground out, but Kate Vanderham’s two–out double scored Personius. Brittany Eppley then singled, allowing Vanderham to score and cutting the lead in half. In the third, Lotte Holvast reached first on a fielder’s choice, stole second and scored on Personius’ double. In the fourth, the Stars tied the score as Eppley led off with a walk and moved to second on Kortney Passmore’s sacrifice. The sacrifice was misplayed, allowing the run to score. Chrystal Chesser settled down on the mound to allow only one more hit through the next three innings while striking out two. Brittany Eppley threw the last two innings allowing only one runner and striking out two. The game ended in five innings due to the time limit before the Stars had a chance to take the lead as the team was putting runners on base every inning.

Game two was a reversal as the Stars scored one in the first and second innings to take a 2–0 lead on D2 powerhouse Valdosta State. Lotte Holvast and Jessica Anderson scored the runs as Kate Vanderham and Kat Cameron had the RBIs. Jamie Brooker pitched the first four innings allowing three runs, one earned on four hits. Vanderham threw the fifth and six, allowing no base runners while striking out one.

The final game of the day was against Rollins College. In what was a pitchers duel through the first five innings but Vanderham prevailed as she allowed only one hit for the only Rollins base runner. The Stars broke through in the bottom of the fifth with two outs to score three runs. Jamie Brooker doubled and Chrystal Chesser was walked to bring Kat Cameron to the plate. She singled to score pinch runner, Haylie DeWitt, then Lotte Holvast reached on an error to bring in the second run and Tara Richardson’s single plated the final run of the inning. Chesser came in to finish the game and gave up one run on a two–out walk and a double. Time ran out before the seventh inning could be completed.

The team was supposed to have played at UNF the day before but the games were rained out and will be played Monday, September 29. The Stars return to action Friday and Saturday against Jacksonville University and will be home Saturday afternoon for a double header against the Jacksonville Bandits 18U travel team.

Aug. 21

Returning Star Lotte Holvast recently helped lead her Dutch National 20U team to the European championships. The tournament featured fifteen teams from all across Europe and was held in Germany. Holvast lead off for the Dutch playing both second base and centerfield. Her team came out of the loser’s bracket to defeat Italy 4–3 in the finals. Holvast earned second team all–conference honors last year and will be one of six sophomores looking to lead the team to a great season in 2009.

June 3

Freshman, Kate Vanderham added one final honor from the 2008 season when she was named to the NFCA All–American third team as an outfielder.

Congratulations to the following incoming freshmen for post–season honors in softball:

• Jessica Anderson from South Lake was named All–Lake County first team;
• Brittany Eppley from Bishop Kenny, Jamie Brooker from West Nassau, Crystal Chesser from Clay and Jessica Byrd from Interlachen were all named All–State.

Sophomore Sam Barnes from Mandarin High School was recently named to the NJCAA Academic All–American team.

May 23

Congratulations to Meike Witteveen and Kate Vanderham who continue to rack up post–season honors. Vanderham was named NFCA First Team All–Region and Witteveen was named to the second team. Additionally, Vanderham, a freshman from Brookesville Hernando High, Brookesville, Fla., was named second team NJCAA All–American in the Utility position thus recognizing her contributions both on the mound and in centerfield. Her offensive numbers were impressive indeed as she was one of the state and national leaders all season in home runs and RBIs and hit close to .400 for the year. She was also in the national top 20 in ERA throughout the season.

Player Awards

Meike Witteveen	Kate Vanderham

Pictured are Meike Witteveen and Kate Vanderham who earned All–Conference, All–State, and All–State Tournament recognition for the Stars. Both girls are up for All–American honors, also. Additionally, Witteveen, a sophomore, was named team MVP and was the recipient of the prestigious President’s Award, given each year to the outstanding student–athlete at FCCJ. Vanderham, a freshman, returns and is expected to lead the team next year to an even better season. View other softball athletic award winners.

State Tournament

vs. Brevard Community College

FCCJ opened the tournament with a 3–0 win over Brevard Community College (BCC), the number three team out of the southern conference. The Stars had finished second in the always tough Mid–Florida Conference. Kate Vanderham picked up the shutout victory on the mound while the Stars were spectacular on defense, led by all–state performer, shortstop Meike Witteveen. FCCJ turned three double plays on the infield and Witteveen made four diving plays to keep Brevard off the board. FCCJ picked up two in the first inning with Witteveen and Amber Pederson scoring on two–out RBI singles by Amanda deLancellotti and Ashlee Revell. The team added one more in the fifth as Lotte Holvast led off with a single then stole second and third. Vanderham singled to pick up the third RBI. BCC put two runners on in the seventh but Vanderham got two ground balls to end the game.

vs. Miami Dade College

After a spectacular performance in the noon game against BCC the Stars were back on the field for the 5 p.m. start against the Sharks of Miami Dade and did not resemble their earlier form at all. The team took the early lead as Lotte Holvast scored in the first after singling, stealing second and then moving to third on an error. She scored on a sacrifice fly. Starter Ashlyn Kimberly gave up a couple of hits in the first and was relieved by Kate Vanderham with the score 3–1 and no outs. Dade picked up one more run. FCCJ came right back with two runs but then could not stop the Sharks who scored with a combination of hits and porous defense. The loss drops the team into the loser’s bracket

vs. Seminole Community College

The Stars squared off Saturday morning with a conference foe, the Seminole Community College (SCC) Raiders. Kate Vanderham got the start for FCCJ and walked the lead off batter who moved to second on a passed ball, was bunted to third and scored on another passed ball. That was all SCC would score until the fourth. FCCJ answered right back in the home half of the first as Meike Witteveen doubled to start the game. She moved to third on Lotte Hovast’s sacrifice bunt. Amber Pederson drew a walk and stole second, and both runners scored on Kate Vanderham’s single. Sam Barnes led off the second with a single and moved to second as the throw got away in the infield. Kat Cameron singled to put runners on the corners and Witteveen singled in Barnes. SCC got back in the game in the fourth when a bloop hit fell on the right field line barely eluding a diving Barnes and scoring runners who had reached on a single and a hit batter. The Stars answered back in the sixth with two runs when deLancellotti singled. Kassie Crews came in to pinch run and moved up on a pitch in the dirt. Ashlee Revell followed with a walk and both runners moved up on Barnes’ sacrifice bunt. Brigette Kirschmer then followed with one of her two singles for one RBI and Cameron also had an RBI single. Witteveen followed up with her third of four hits in the game to load the bases but the team was unable to get the hit to break the game open so took a two–run lead into the seventh. SCC got back–to–back singles to start the seventh and both runners advanced on a bunt. A single plated one run and put runners on the corners and brought Ashlyn Kimberly to the mound. A walk loaded the bases. The next hitter lined the ball to center fielder Vanderham who made a great throw home that was mishandled allowing the tying run to score. FCCJ went quietly in the seventh but Kimberly threw a 1–2–3 eighth to put the Stars in position to win. Cameron started the inning with a single and Witteveen followed up with a single of her own. Holvast bunted and beat it out to load the bases with no outs. Following a strike out and ground out the bases were still loaded with two outs when deLancellotti was hit with a pitch on an 0–2 count to end the game.

vs. Indian River Community College

The Stars softball season ended with a wild game with Indian River Community College. In a game much closer than the final score indicated, FCCJ lost a hard fought battle. The score was 7–6 after five innings but the River seemed to single just out of reach of a Stars defensive player too many times and they were able to run against the Stars defense. Kate Vanderham tried to single–handedly keep the team in the game as she went 3–3 with two home runs and five RBI. FCCJ closed the season with a 40–23 record. Meike Witteveen and Kate Vanderham both were named to the all–tournament team.

Next year will bring a whole new look to the field as the team will return five players but an athletic recruiting class including at least 15 newcomers brings an infusion of excitement and intensity to the 2008–09 Stars.

April 26

In a late season match up with Tallahassee Community College that was a tune–up for both teams going into the state tournament, the Stars came out very flat, losing badly in both contests. It marked the final home game for 11 sophomores who are all on track to graduate this spring or summer. Also, eight of the 11 have signed to play at four–year schools. Hopefully, the team will regain it’s earlier form for the State Championships in Auburndale May 2–4.

All–Conference Selections

Congratulations to the following players who were named All–Conference for FCCJ:

• Meike Witteveen and Kate Vanderham were named first team All–Conference.
• Kat Cameron and Amber Pederson were named second team All–Conference in spite out hitting all other competitors in their categories. Lotte Holvast, Amanda deLancellotti and Ashlyn Kimberly were also named second team All–Conference.
• Gaining recognition in the honorable mention category were Ashley Howard, Ashlee Revell and Kasey Fagan.

In a strange turn of events the Stars had only two girls make first team in spite of their second place finish while the fourth place team placed 5 players on the first team. The team will now set its sights on the State tournament in Auburndale on May 2–4.

April 17

The softball team traveled to Daytona Beach Community College (DBCC) to take on the Falcons who were just behind the Stars in the conference standings for a doubleheader that would determine the second place team in the conference. The ladies needed a split to clinch the second spot. Game one saw a continuation of the offensive woes as the Stars did not get on the board until the sixth inning when Kate Vanderham had a two–out single and scored on Amanda deLancellotti’s home run. By then the Stars were down 7–0 as the Falcons came out swinging the bats. They chased starter Bree MacIntyre in the third inning after DBCC had put up three runs on eight hits. Jana Owen came in and shut the door in the third but then gave up five runs over the final three innings on seven hits.

Fortunately, the team was able to regroup in game two getting on the board in the first as Lotte Holvast singled with one out and stole second. She scored on Kate Vanderham’s single. Vanderham was on the mound and DBCC answered right back with a two–out solo home run in their half of the first. The Falcons took the lead in the third on four singles and one FCCJ error to go up 4–1. Ashlee Revell led off the fourth with a deep blast, hitting the palm tree behind the fence in straightaway centerfield. Ashley Howard singled, then reached second on an error and one out later Meike Witteveen singled to move her to third. Lotte Holvast reached on a bunt to load the bases but the second out of the inning was an infield ground ball forcing Howard out at the plate but Vanderham delivered a 3 RBI double to give the lead back to the Stars. Ashlyn Kimberly took the mound for FCCJ and held DBCC scoreless through the sixth. In the top of the seventh Revell singled and moved to second as the ball was misplayed with one out. Kat Cameron hit a double with two outs to give the Stars a little insurance which they would need as after closing the door on the Falcons bats Kimberly walked the lead off hitter in the bottom of the seventh. She retired the next hitter but another walk followed putting the tying runs on base. Vanderham re–entered from her spot in centerfield. A passed ball moved the two runners up with DBCC’s most dangerous hitter Airen Payne at the plate. Vanderham got a key strike out there then ended the game on a pop–up to second base to clinch the second spot for the Stars and actually drop the Falcons to fourth in the conference.

April 10

Unfortunately, the offensive drought for the Stars continues and got even worse as the Stars lost two on the road and four in a row to Lake City. Game one saw a wasted effort of a brilliant pitching performance by Kate Vanderham as the freshman allowed no earned runs on only three hits but FCCJ managed only 4 hits and none with runners on.

Game two saw a few early scoring chances for the Stars but a lack of clutch hitting saw the team shutout in back–to–back games for the first time all season.

The team has a week off to find it’s focus before finishing the conference season in Daytona in what looks to be a battle for second place. The team will conclude the regular season at home on April 26 in a state tournament tune–up with Tallahassee Community College. The team has once again qualified for the State tournament and is not playing for seeding and hopefully regaining earlier momentum.

April 8

The softball team continued it’s hitting woes in the battle for first place in the conference to Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) Saints and the lack of timely hits caused the team to lose twice ensuring SFCC the conference championship. Both games were 2–1 games going into the sixth innings but in each game the Saints got a big home run to give them a comfortable margin of victory.

April 3

Game one in the conference sweep of the St. Johns River Community College (SJRCC) Vikings was a continuation of Tuesday’s offensive efforts as the Stars managed only six hits and couldn’t pick up a two–out hit to get on the board. Fortunately, Kate Vanderham was on her game and allowed only two hits while striking out three. The Stars got the only run they would need when Lotte Holvast had a one–out single and stole second. She moved to third on Kat Cameron’s single and scored on another single from Amber Pederson.

Game two was a complete reversal as the Stars scored two in the first on Vanderham’s two–run home run after Ashlyn Kimberly had retired the side in the first on three weak ground balls. However, control became a problem and three walks were sandwiched around a strikeout to load the bases for the Vikings. Bree MacIntyre came in to pitch and a wild pitch plated one run. Then a ground out was followed by a single and SJRCC had tied the game. The Vikings got two more in the third after a walk was followed by a home run. FCCJ came roaring back in the fourth recording seven hits in the inning along with one Viking error to take an 8–4 lead. The visitors answered right back in the fifth on two hits and two walks to pull within a run of the Stars. FCCJ couldn’t answer and Vanderham came back to the mound to try to quiet SJRCC. After retiring the first two hitters, a walk was followed by a bloop single which was misplayed to the fence allowing a run to score and the batter to reach third. A base hit followed to let the Vikings regain the lead 9–8. In the home half of the seventh Cameron reached on an error with one out and Pederson was hit by a pitch to move runners to first and second. After a ground out Ashlee Revell smacked a two–out double to tie the game. Vanderham settled down on the mound striking out four in the last three innings until the Stars could win it in the ninth. Cameron started things again with a one–out single and moved to third on Pederson’s double to the fence. Meike Witteveen’s infield single loaded the bases for Revell who came through once again with a deep sacrifice fly to centerfield to give the Stars a 4–0 week in conference with three of the wins coming in extra innings. This extends the team’s win streak to nine games as they prepare to host Santa Fe who is currently just ahead of FCCJ in the conference race.

April 1

The Stars took a hard fought double header sweep against conference opponent Central Florida Community College (CFCC) Patriots on the road in Ocala Tuesday. The hot bats from the previous week had cooled off and the Stars had to escape several jams before scoring four in the tenth inning in game one. Winning pitcher Kate Vanderham allowed only six hits while striking out five in the victory. In the bottom of the sixth, a single and two infield errors loaded the bases with one out but Vanderham got a strike out and a ground out to end the threat. Vanderham scored the game’s first run as she was on second in the tiebreak to start the tenth. She scored from second on a wild pitch and Amanda deLancellotti walked to keep the inning going. After a popped up bunt attempt Ashley Howard reached on an error and Lotte Holvast followed with a single to load the bases. Sam Barnes came in to pinch hit and delivered a double to left centerfield to score all three runners and give the team breathing room in the bottom of the tenth.

Game two was much of the same as it was scoreless until the Patriots scored an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth against winning pitcher, Ashlyn Kimberly who limited CFCC to five hits while striking out five. Amber Pederson led off the seventh inning with a single and moved to second on Meike Witteveen’s bunt. Following a fly out, Vanderham came to the plate and was down 0–2 when she smashed a double to the fence to tie the game. FCCJ shut down the Patriots in the bottom of the seventh and after a scoreless eighth, Pederson doubled to start the ninth inning and moved up on Witteveen’s single; however, Pederson was thrown out at the plate on the ensuing ground ball, leaving runners at first and second. A ground ball moved both runners up and they scored on deLancellotti’s single to provide the final margin of victory. Kimberly retired the side in order to end the game.

March 29

FCCJ knocked off nationally rated Georgia Perimeter Jaguars at home in two well–played games. Game one saw Kate Vanderham pick up the win while Jana Owen tossed three scoreless innings for the save. Vanderham also had three hits and all three RBIs while Meike Witteveen and Kat Cameron each had two hits.

In game two the Stars took a one–run lead but a two–run fourth temporarily put the Jaguars on top against starter Bree MacIntyre who allowed only three hits in four innings. The Stars came right back to tie the game in their half of the fourth and scored two in the sixth to give the win to Ashlyn Kimberly who threw the final three innings, allowing no runners and striking out five. Lindsey Palulis did the most damage with two RBIs in the game.

March 27

FCCJ played some of it’s best ball of the year against conference rival Seminole Community College Raiders on Thursday. In game one Kate Vanderham picked up the win allowing an unearned run in the first then shutting down the Raiders the rest of the way allowing only four hits while striking out nine. Amanda deLancellotti led the offense with two hits including a home run. Also with two hits were Amber Pederson – with a double and two runs scored – Meike Witteveen and Kate Vanderham.

Game two had a bad start as Seminole hit a two run home run in the first but FCCJ’s Vanderham answered with a three–run shot in the bottom of the first to put the Stars on top for good. Ashlyn Kimberly settled down to pick up the win allowing no more hits the rest of the way. The Stars added four more in the third then ended the game with three in the bottom of the fifth for the sweep. Witteveen added two more hits while Lindsey Palulis went 2–2 and Ashley Howard had two big two–out RBIs producing hits in the third and fifth innings. In the fifth she doubled and Kat Cameron followed with the game ending single.

March 25

FCCJ came out flat against the Daytona Beach Community College (DBCC) Falcons Tuesday night and a couple of defensive miscues were followed by a barrage of Falcon hits to put the guests up 11–0 after just two innings. Bree MacIntyre came in to pitch in the second, got two outs to end the inning and shut down the Falcon bats the rest of the way allowing no hits and only one walk over the last three innings. She also recorded two strike outs and accounted for the Stars only run with a solo home run.

The second game saw a better start as Ashlyn Kimberly came out in control on the mound and kept the Falcon bats quiet through the first six innings. FCCJ used a steady barrage offensively to amass a 7–0 lead through six by scoring two in the second, third and fourth innings while tacking on one more in the sixth. However, despite having several chances the Stars could not get the eighth run to invoke the mercy rule. It almost came back to haunt the team as DBCC had a solid double then two bloops with one out in the seventh to keep their hopes alive. Two solid singles cut the lead to 7–2, then Airen Payne followed a strike out with a two–out three–run home run to cut the deficit to 7–5, but Kimberly was able to retire Jennifer McKenny on a ground ball to shortstop Meike Witteveen to finally end the game. Ashlee Revell led the FCCJ offense, going 4–4 with two RBI, while Kate Vanderham was two for three with a double and an RBI. Amanda deLancellotti also had an RBI double and Ashley Howard was 2–3 with an RBI.

This doubleheader puts the Stars in second place, at 8–4 in conference at the midway point behind Santa Fe and ahead of third place Daytona who is 6–6. FCCJ will be home again Thursday against Seminole Community College.

March 19

The Stars split a home doubleheader with the Trojans from Seminole State College (SSC) from Oklahoma Wednesday night. The home team dropped game one but rallied back for a split in game two.

Starter Kate Vanderham had an unexpected bout of wildness to open the first game, loading the bases on two hit batsmen, a walk that was followed by a double, and two infield ground outs to put a four spot up. The visitors added one more in the second but that was all as Vanderham settled down allowing no runs and no hits in the third. Bree MacIntyre came in relief the final four innings, allowing no runs while walking only one, allowing three hits and striking out four batters. FCCJ got one back in the second on Amanda deLancellotti’s one–out single, followed by Kasey Fagan’s single and a throwing error on a Lindsey Palulis ground ball to allow deLancellotti to score. The Stars would add three more in the fifth as Palulis got her first of two hits in the game. She was forced out at second but Kat Cameron added a single, also one of two for the contest and Amber Pederson followed with another single. A ground–out led to a run being scored and all other runners moving up and scoring on back–to–back singles by Ashlee Revell and Kate Vanderham. The Stars went down in order in the sixth but Cameron led off the seventh with a single and was picked off of first when she slipped after taking her lead. Pederson followed with a single and moved to second on Meike Witteveen’s ground out but was left there as the game ended.

Game two saw a better start as Ashlyn Kimberly struck out two of the first three hitters shutting down SSC in order and the Stars picked up one run as Pederson singled, was sacrificed to second, then scored on Vanderham’s two single. The Trojans came right back with three of their own on four hits and a hit batter. The inning ended when right fielder Lotte Holvast threw a perfect strike to Kat Cameron at the plate. The Stars answered right back with two runs on a two–out rally as Cameron singled, Holvast walked and both moved up on a wild pitch. Pederson’s two–out single tied the game. Kimberly came back with a strong third inning, striking out the side with a single sandwiched in. She also threw a scoreless fourth before giving way to Jana Owen for the last three. Revell led off the fifth with a double and moved to third on a ground out. deLancellotti singled for the RBI and Fagan followed with another single moving deLancellotti to third. Brigette Kirschmer’s ground ball was good for an RBI and a two–run lead which Owen made stand up, allowing only one hit over the last three innings.

The Stars are off for the weekend and return home with conference games Tuesday and Thursday against Daytona and Seminole.

March 18

The FCCJ Stars swept a home conference doubleheader from the Lake City Community College (LCCC) Timberwolves on Tuesday, winning the first one easily by a 9–1 score and having to battle to take game two with a score of 6–4.

In game one, winning pitcher Kate Vanderham was in complete control as she allowed only one hit through four innings. She left the game after getting hit in the elbow during an at bat and Jana Owen came in to finish off the Timberwolves. The Stars scored two in the first as Amber Pederson opened the game with a double then moved to third on Meike Witteveen’s single. Pederson scored on an errant throw by Lake City’s catcher and Witteveen moved to second on the play. Ashlee Revell’s deep drive to center was caught but advanced Witteveen to third where she scored on Amanda deLancellotti’s two out–single, which was the first of her four RBIs on the game. FCCJ added two more in the third as Revell led off with a walk and scored an out later on deLancellotti’s line drive home run to center field. The ladies opened things up in the fourth with four more runs as Kat Cameron led off with a single which was followed by three more singles by Pederson, Witteveen and Revell. Revell’s scored two runs. Vanderham was hit by a pitch to reload the bases, and back–to–back sacrifice flies by deLancellotti and Kasey Fagan ended the scoring there. FCCJ gave up one run in the fifth so had to come to bat one more time. Ashley Howard led things off with a single and was followed by Cameron’s single. A bunt and a throwing error ended game one by the mercy rule.

Game two was a closer contest as LCCC’s bats came alive early. The Wolves scored in the first on a bloop single, then a line drive single to right which was misplayed and scored the first run. Winning pitcher, Ashlyn Kimberly escaped there with no further damage and the Stars answered right back with three in their half. The first two hitters were retired but Revell singled and deLancellotti doubled; both scored on Kasey Fagan’s blast over the center field fence. However, LCCC came right back with two of their own on a single, a walk and a two–out–double to tie the game. They took a temporary lead with a solo home run in the top of the third but back came the Stars. Pederson singled and stole second; Revell added another single for the day. Both moved up on a fly out for the second out of the inning when the Wolves opted to walk Fagan. Ashley Howard battled to a full count and then drove the ball into the left center gap for two RBIs. FCCJ added an insurance run in the sixth as Fagan ripped a single to the third baseman and was pinch run for by Brigette Kirschmer. Kirschmer alertly tagged on a foul ball to the left to move to second and advanced to third on an infield pinch hit by Vanderham, which was thrown away allowing Kirschmer to score. The Stars would need the insurance as Lake City came back in the seventh to load the bases with no outs on two singles and a walk but Kimberly battled out of it inducing a short fly to right and to infield pop ups to preserve the conference sweep.

March 13

The FCCJ Stars concluded their road odyssey by dropping two games at conference rival Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) in Gainesville. In their seventh day of playing in eight days, the Stars just could not muster enough offense to take a victory. Kate Vanderham tossed a four–hitter in a losing effort for the Stars, with both runs being unearned. Kasey Fagan’s solo home run that tied the game in the fifth provided all of the offense.

Game two started in similar fashion with neither team doing much with the bats. SFCC picked up one in the third on a double and a two out single, but FCCJ answered right back in the fourth as Amanda deLancellotti had a one–out–double then scored on Ashlee Revell’s single to the fence. Ashley Howard followed with a double to the right center gap but FCCJ could only manage one run in that outburst. The bottom of the sixth proved to be the undoing for FCCJ starting pitcher Ashlyn Kimberly as a lead off double was followed by a hit batter and a walk, then a pinch hit grand slam to essentially put the game away. An error and two more singles put two more on the board until Jana Owen came in to end the inning. Revell doubled to start the seventh and scored on Lotte Holvast’s single but that was all the Stars would manage as they move to 25–12 on the season and 5–3 in the conference.

March 11

The Stars concluded their marathon road trip in Palatka against conference foe St Johns River Community College (SJRCC). Playing their sixth day in a row the ladies got off to a good start scoring two in the first as Amber Pederson opened the game with a walk and moved to third on Kate Vanderham’s single. Vanderham stole second and both runners scored on Amanda deLancellotti’s double. The Vikings scored once in the third on two errors but FCCJ answered right back with three in the top of the fourth. However, SJRCC would not go quietly and answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the fourth. Kasey Fagan answered that with a solo home run to put the Stars back on top by four. Vanderham allowed one more run in the seventh but held on for the win. She allowed only six hits in the game.

Game two was a tight affair in which the Stars had to rally from behind after giving up an unearned run in the first and second innings. Lotte Holvast had a one–out walk in the third and scored on Amber Pederson’s drive over the center field fence. Meike Witteveen reached next on one of her three hits in the game and was followed up by a Vanderham single. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch but an infield fly out left them there with two outs. However, a Fagan walk was followed by Ashlee Revell’s deep drive over the right fielder’s head to plate two more runs. The Vikings came back with a solo run in the bottom of the third but Ashlyn Kimberly finished with four scoreless innings to preserve the win. She allowed only four hits in the contest.

The team moves to 25–10 on the season with a big conference match up coming Thursday at Santa Fe Community College.

March 10

The road weary Stars dropped game one to the Raiders of Seminole Community College (SCC) despite a tremendous pitching performance by freshman Kate Vanderham. FCCJ finally broke the scoreless tie in the sixth on Amanda deLancellotti’s ground ball but they left the bases loaded that inning. The ladies were one out away from preserving the victory but an error on an infield dribbler allowed the tying run to score and SCC was able to win the game in the bottom of the eighth. However, game two was somewhat of a reversal of fortune.

The Stars took a 1–0 lead in the fifth inning but a two–out single by SCC tied the game. Center fielder Kate Vanderham made a great throw home on the play and catcher Kat Cameron clearly applied the tag out in front of the plate but the umpire inexplicable called the runner safe and a double followed to put Seminole up 2–1. It looked like the Stars would go quietly in the seventh as the first two–hitter went down easily but deLancellotti battled from behind to work to 3–2 count when she drove the payoff pitch deep over the left field fence to tie the game. The eighth and ninth innings were scoreless and FCCJ’s Meike Witteveen started on second to open the tenth inning. She advanced to third on Vanderham’s deep fly out and scored on deLancellotti’s sacrifice fly. After mishandling SCC’s bunt to open the home half, Ashlyn Kimberly pitched out of the second and third with no outs jam. Kimberly got the first out on a comebacker to the mound and induced an infield pop out. After intentionally walked SCC’s Larkins, SCC’s three–hitter got a short fly to center field to seal the victory. This moves the Stars to 3–1 in conference.

March 7–9

NFCA Lead Off Classic

The Stars traveled to Panama City for the invitation–only NFCA Lead Off Classic to face some of the best competition in the nation March 7–9. The ladies came out on fire Friday defeating #3 ranked Chattanooga State 2–0 behind Kate Vanderham’s dominating four hit shutout. Amanda deLancellotti had two hits and both RBI in the victory over the Tigers.

They followed up with Ashlyn Kimberly’s even more dominating performance against #2 ranked Parkland College. The sophomore allowed only four hits while striking out nine in the game. FCCJ pounded 11 hits out in the game but stranded 10 runners until Brigette Kirschmer’s two–out, bases loaded line drive single ended the game.

Unfortunately, the Stars never played as well the rest of the tournament as the defense uncharacteristically fell apart in a 10–6 loss to Gulf Coast, a 7–6 loss to Blinn College and a tournament ending 9–3 loss to Central Alabama.

Due to a rain out the previous week, the softball team will become road warriors having to head out of Panama City Sunday night and go to Sanford to play the Seminole Raiders Monday, and then go to Palatka Tuesday to take on St John’s River Community College.

March 6

FCCJ opened conference with two wins over the Patriots of Central Florida Community College (CFCC) at home in two games that were closer than expected. Bree MacIntyre came into the ten inning win on the mound in the eighth to finish the game and get the win. CFCC jumped out to a 2–0 lead through the second capitalizing on a couple of miscues from the FCCJ defense. The Stars came back to take the lead with single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings but could not hold the lead and had to go extra frames for the win. CFCC picked up two in the eighth but Kate Vanderham’s two–out double tied the game to keep the Stars alive. The ninth was scoreless and the game moved to the tiebreaker format in the tenth where the Patriots picked up a run; however, the Stars scored two after an Amber Pederson bunt moved Kat Cameron to third, Meike Witteveen reached on a bunt and Cameron was able to score the tying run on the play. Vanderham followed up with a double to move Witteveen to third where she scored the winning run on Amanda deLancellotti’s sacrifice fly.

Game two saw the Stars fall behind again on a single run in the second inning but used a three–run fifth to take the lead and tacked on an insurance run in the sixth. Cameron and Witteveen both had two hits in that game and Vanderham picked up the complete game victory. She limited CFCC to three hits on the night.

March 1

The FCCJ winning streak was snapped in a game one loss to the Brevard Community College (BCC) Titans. The Stars stranded some runners early while Ashlyn Kimberly was in control on the mound. A 0–0 tie was snapped in the fifth inning with a two–out walk, then a misplay of a routine single scored a run, and a two–out hit put BCC up 2–0. The error marred an otherwise flawless defensive effort as the Stars turned three double plays among many defensive gems. FCCJ came back in the bottom of the sixth to load the bases with no outs when Ashlee Revell smashed a drive to left center field. A fine play by the Titans center fielder turned the sure double into a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 2–1, then an FCCJ base running blunder on an infield fly by the next hitter resulted in a double play ending the threat. BCC picked up a single run in the seventh. The Stars put two runners on base in the seventh but the final two hitters were retired easily.

Game two was another exciting match up featuring great defense by FCCJ. The Stars jumped out to a two–run lead in the first on the hitting and base running of Meike Witteveen and Kate Vanderham but BCC came right back to tie the game in the second. Brevard took the lead in the fifth as Vanderham struck out the hitter on a change up but in a bad break the ball hit the front of the plate bouncing high over the catcher’s head. A fielder’s choice and a two–out bloop single resulted in the go ahead run coming across. In what was a very spirited game, the Stars fought back as Kasey Fagan led off with a single in the sixth that was followed by Ashlee Revell’s blast to center field for a two–run home run and the final margin of victory. Vanderham threw a complete game to record the victory. Witteveen made a game–saving play on a line drive smash in the seventh that seemed destined for the left center field gap, but the sophomore shortstop came out of nowhere to knock the ball down and force the lead runner at second. Following those theatrics the last two batters went down quietly.

The team resumes action Tuesday starting conference play at Seminole Community College.

Feb. 29

The softball team swept Lake Sumter Community College at home Friday afternoon winning the first game 12–1 in five innings and game two by a 10–3 margin. Ashlyn Kimberly picked up the win in game one allowing only two hits while Bree MacIntyre came on for a one–two–three final inning on the mound. Meike Witteveen led the offensive onslaught going 3–3 with one RBI and two runs scored. Kala Crosby also had three hits, scored two and knocked one in, and Kasey Fagan had two hits including a home run and three RBIs. FCCJ scored five in the first, added two in the second, three in the third and two in the fourth to get on the board in every inning.

Game two was a continuation as Kate Vanderham’s three run home run in the first put the Stars on top to stay. She also picked up the victory allowing one run on two hits through four innings while Jana Owen pitched the last three innings. Witteveen continued with a hot bat going 2–2 while scoring two runs and knocking in another two. Vanderham finished the game 2–3 with four RBIs while Ashlee Revell picked up her first home run of the year while going two for three. Sam Barnes also contributed two hits in the game.

Feb. 25

FCCJ swept a doubleheader from the Mariners of Coastal Georgia (CGC) by 7–4 and 7–3 margins. In game one, an error was followed by a home run to give CGC the early lead but the Stars came right back with one of their own as Meike Witteveen had the first of her three singles and stole second, allowing her to score on Ashlee Revell’s two–out double. The ladies added two more in the bottom of the second as Amanda deLancellotti led off with a double, was bunted to third and scored on Kat Cameron’s single. Cameron moved up to second on an infield out and scored on Amber Pederson’s infield single. Coastal knotted the score in the top of the third but in the bottom of the fourth deLancellotti hit a home run to give the Stars the lead back. However the Mariner’s would not go quietly as misplayed flyball for a double scored on a two–out bloop that fell just over the heads of the FCCJ infield to once again tie the score. In the home half of the fifth Witteveen singled again and scored on Kate Vanderham’s two–run home run. The Stars added an insurance run the bottom of the sixth as Pederson reached first with a two–out walk, stole second and scored on Witteveen’s hit. Bree MacIntyre came in for starter and winning pitcher Ashlyn Kimberly to throw a three up, three down seventh inning and earn the save.

In game two the Stars scored one in the first as Pederson and Witteveen again combined to score a run and FCCJ never looked back adding two more in the second and four in the fifth. The Stars took advantage of wildness by the Coastal Georgia pitcher as the team drew nine walks and had four hit batters in combination with six base hits to provide the scoring. DeLancellotti and Pederson had two hits apiece in the nightcap and deLancellotti added another double and two more RBIs. Kasey Fagan drew two walks, and added a single and a double for one RBI as well. The Stars return to action Friday and Saturday at home against lake Sumter and Brevard Community Colleges.

Feb. 21

Bree MacIntyre threw a two–hitter with four strike outs to lead the Stars to victory against Elmira College, a four year school out of New York. MacIntyre shut down the soaring Eagles through six innings when she was relieved by Jana Owen. Owen had trouble finding the zone in the steady rain and walked the bases loaded with one out when MacIntyre came back in. The first hitter fouled several pitches in a full count to work a walk and tie the game. MacIntyre got a medium fly ball to left fielder Sam Barnes on the next pitch and Barnes threw a perfect strike home to catcher Lindsey Palulis who blocked the plate and put a good tag on the runner. Ashlee Revell pinch–hit with one out in the seventh and singled. Lotte Holvast came in to pinch run, stole second, moved to third on Amber Pederson’s deep fly to right and scored on Meike Witteveen’s double over the left fielder’s head. Pederson was two for four in the game with a double. Kasey Fagan accounted for the first run with a solo home run in the second inning. Some poor at bats with runners on kept the game close to set up the last inning heroics. Game two was rained out.

FCCAA Softball Coaches’ Poll

Feb. 19

The FCCAA Softball Coaches’ Poll, with number of first place votes in parentheses, 2008 record, previous ranking and total points in voting by FCCAA softball coaches.

Rank	Team	2008 Record	Total Points	Previous Rank
1.	Santa Fe (18)	15–1–1	196	1
2.	Indian River (1)	12–3	156	2
3.	Chipola (1)	11–2	153	3
4.	Gulf Coast	6–0	143	4
5.	FCCJ	12–5	109	5
6.	Daytona Beach	14–5	101	8
7.	St. Petersburg	8–8–1	53	7
8.	Tallahassee	8–4	51	9
9.	Brevard	9–7	48	6
10.	Pensacola	7–4	36	10

FCCAA Softball Player of the Week

Feb. 19

Florida Community College at Jacksonville’s Kate Vanderham is this week’s FCCAA Softball Player of the Week. Vanderham, a freshman from Brooksville, Fla., batted .458 (11 of 24) during a tough four–day, eight–game stretch for the Stars. Playing three games against teams ranked in the NJCAA Preseason Poll, she scored five runs with two doubles, three home runs and eight RBI. Vanderham hit safely in all eight games and was also 2–for–2 in stolen base attempts. Her two–run homer against No. 14 Wallace State–Hanceville propelled FCCJ to a 3–1 victory on Feb. 16. When she wasn’t playing errorless ball in center field, she was busy posting a 2–0 record (0.00 ERA) on the mound.

Feb. 15–17

FCCJ Stars place second in the Ringor Invitational Tournament

The Stars started the Ringor Invitational Tournament off in a sour fashion losing to Louisburg College of North Carolina (LCNC) 4–9. The Stars were up 4–0 to the LCNC Hurricanes, a 2007 national tournament participant, behind the pitching of Bree MacIntyre; however, in the sixth inning the wheels fell off. The inning started with a bloop single and infield single, followed by a mishandled bunt and a solid single to right center field to cut the lead in half. It took two pitching changes to finally end the inning in which FCCJ gave up 9 runs. There were three errors and three walks during the nightmarish sixth.

Fortunately, the team bounced right back in the next contest against nationally ranked Georgia Perimeter College (GPC). The team fell behind 3–0 but tied the game in the fifth behind doubles by Kat Cameron — who had one RBI — and Meike Witteveen — who had two RBIs. Ashlee Revell singled to start the bottom of the sixth and was pinch run for by Lotte Holvast who promptly stole second base. She was moved to third on a single by Kate Vanderham and scored on Ashley Howard’s single to provide the winning margin.

The team continued pool play Saturday morning with an easy 12–0 victory over Georgia Military College. Vanderham and MacIntyre combined on the shutout while the offensive fireworks were provided by Revell with three hits and two hits each by Amber Pederson, Ashley Howard and Bree MacIntyre. Vanderham and Kasey Fagan had back–to–back home runs in the eight–run third inning. Brigette Kirschmer came off the bench to contribute a double and Sydney Buser had a single in her first at bat of the season.

The victory qualified the Stars for the Gold bracket of championship play where they opened with perennial national power Wallace State Community College (WSCC). Kimberly kept the hard hitting WSCC Lions off balance allowing only a single run in the third. The Stars got all they would need in the first inning as Witteveen doubled and scored on two illegal pitches. That also contributed to Revell’s walk which was followed by Vanderham’s line drive home run to put the team up 3–0.

Sunday morning’s semifinal was a pitcher’s duel with Vanderham taking the victory in a 2–1 win. She also helped herself with a first inning RBI. Witteveen and Pederson had two hits each in the victory with Pederson accounting for the other RBI.

Unfortunately, the team seemed to have a let down in the championship game rematch with GPC. An error in the first inning led to two unearned runs against starter Kimberly. Another miscue led to another unearned run in the fifth. FCCJ answered back with one in the bottom of the fifth but runners were stranded and that was all the offense the Stars would muster. Jana Owen relieved in the sixth and was the victim of another error leading to two more runs in the top of the seventh for the GMC Jaguars. Pederson had three hits in the contest while Witteveen added two. That wrapped up a 5–3, four day road trip.

The Stars finally make their debut at home on Feb. 21 against Elmira College out of New York with a 3 p.m. start.

Feb. 14

FCCJ split a pair of games on the road against Coastal Georgia Community College on Thursday. The Mariners took a 2–0 lead in the fourth with starter and losing pitcher Ashlyn Kimberly who only gave up five hits in the contest. The Stars scored one in the fifth and tied the game in the sixth on Bree MacIntyre’s two–out double, but in the tiebreak FCCJ failed to push across a run in the eighth and a one–out double by Hubbard ended the game in the bottom of the inning.

The Stars bats still failed to come to life in game two but the team parlayed four hits into four runs and Jana Owen recorded 10 strike outs to record the victory. Kate Vanderham’s home run in the sixth gave the team a needed insurance run as the score was 3–2 after four. This was the start of a four day road trip that will see the team participate in the 24–team Ringor Classic in Aiken, S.C. The field of teams there include four nationally ranked teams from the NJCAA preseason national poll.

Feb. 3

Triple Crown Tournament

FCCJ finished with a 4–1 record in the Triple Crown Tournament held Feb. 1–3 in St. Augustine. The Stars defeated South Florida Community College (SFCC) 8–0, Middle Georgia College (MGC) 6–2, Northwood University (NU) 7–5, and Pasco Hernando Community College (PHCC) 5–0. The lone loss was a 0–7 defeat to Pensacola Junior College (PJC) in a game that was much closer than the score indicated as FCCJ was victimized by some very questionable calls that lead to PJC’s first five runs. Ashlyn Kimberly threw the shutout against PHCC and combined in the other shutout with Jana Owen. Kimberly also picked up a save against Northwood. Bree MacIntyre picked up a win and a save on the mound, and Owen recorded the victory against MGC. Offensive leaders throughout the weekend for the Stars were: Meike Witteveen who went 10–12 with six runs scored, three stolen bases and one RBI; Kate Vanderham, 8–16, with three doubles, one home run and nine RBI; Amber Pederson, 7–15, with three runs scored and one RBI; and Ashley Howard, 6–13, with a double, a run scored and one RBI. Kasey Fagan had two home runs and Amanda deLancellotti also had a home run over the weekend, and freshman Kat Cameron saw her first action of the season after a back injury and was 3–6 for the tournament. After a break the softball team will take the field again on February 14 at Coastal Georgia college and continue on from there to the Ringor Classic, a 24–team tournament in Aiken, S.C.

Jan. 26

FCCJ swept host Lake Sumter Community College (LSCC) to extend to a three game win streak on Saturday. The Stars scored two in the first as Amber Pederson led off the game with a walk, moved to second and scored on Ashlee Revell’s ground ball. Amanda deLancellotti singled with two outs for the second run. Ashlyn Kimberly again got the start for the Stars and gave up a run in the second on a two–out bloop, but she was only able to go three innings. Bree MacIntyre came in and held the Lakers off, giving up only two singles in the next three innings and the score held. FCCJ got some much needed insurance in the top of the seventh as Brigette Kirschmer led off with a single and was moved to second on MacIntyre’s bunt. Amber Pederson and Meike Witteveen had back–to–back singles to score a run, then Kasey Fagan’s two–out double was good for two RBIs. Lake Sumter tried to answer back in the seventh when after one out they got back–to–back doubles, but MacIntyre was able to get a ground out and a strike out to end the threat and preserve the victory.

Game two was another nail biter as FCCJ wasted a good scoring opportunity in the first but was able to score two in the third as Ashley Howard led off with a single, moved to third on two ground outs and scored on Revell’s two–out double. She then scored on winning pitcher Kate Vanderham’s single. She had a no–hitter going into the fourth but a one–out walk was followed by a home run to knot the score at two. FCCJ stranded four runners in the next three innings but again used a big seventh to break the tie. Back–to–back singles again from Pederson and Witteveen started the inning and they were advanced to second and third by a bunt. Vanderham’s ground out was good for an RBI, then Fagan singled for an RBI. That was followed by Lindsey Palulis RBI single, a walk to MacIntyre, a ground out and then a two–out double by Howard for the final two RBIs of the inning. Once again the Lakers would not go quietly as a one–out single was followed by a strike out then a double but Vanderham helped herself out backing up third as the errant relay throw got away but the batter was thrown out at third by Vanderham. The left–handed freshman goes to 2–0 on the season with two complete games. The Stars will be in action this coming weekend at Treaty Park in St Augustine in the Triple Crown college classic.

Jan. 25

FCCJ lost the season opener to Brevard Community College (BCC) 0–3. FCCJ stranded quite a few runners early and BCC capitalized on it’s only scoring opportunity with a two–out, three run rally. Starting pitcher Ashlyn Kimberly was in command through four innings but had to come out with some tightness in her pitching arm. Jana Owen had a perfect fifth but a double followed by a two–out single, then a bloop single that the FCCJ outfielder threw away trying to throw a runner out at third resulted in another run, then a final run was added on a single. Freshmen Kate Vanderham and Amber Pederson both had doubles for the Stars.

Game two saw a much more positive outcome as the Stars bats came alive and backed the pitching of Vanderham who earned her first collegiate victory on the mound with a complete game victory. She shutout the Titans through five then a lead off single, an error, and a passed ball led to two runs being scored. FCCJ had taken a three run lead in the fourth on Meike Witteveen’s bases loaded double and added one more in the sixth as Kassie Crews led off and reached on an error, was moved to second on Sam Barnes’ sacrifice bunt, moved to third on Witteveen’s infield single, and then scored on Pederson’s perfectly executed squeeze. Amanda deLancellotti capped off the scoring in the seventh with a monster home run to left field. DeLancellotti, Witteveen and Vanderham all had two hits in the contest. Vanderham added another double as well.