General Mar 16, 2023

Mocs Minutes: Several Home Events On the Schedule for Homecoming Weekend

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Opponents: Bentley & Washburn
Dates | Times: March 16, 2023 | 3:00 PM / March 20, 2023 | 3:00 PM
Location: Lakeland, Fla. | Wynee Warden Tennis Center
Records: #20 Florida Southern 11-3, 1-3 SSC | Bentley 3-3, 0-0 NE10 | Washburn 7-2, 1-0 MIAA
No. 20 Florida Southern moved into the top 20 of national rankings yesterday with an eight-match win streak heading into the week's matchups. Most recently, the Mocs beat Thomas Jefferson University 4-3 yesterday for their 11th win of the season and eighth in a row. Chris Fok Kow and Matteo Feggi moved up to a No. 6 doubles ranking after winning the two previous doubles courts over ranked opponents. FSC won the doubles point yesterday and continued the success into singles with half of the courts to the Mocs. It has been a busy competition time for the Mocs and they will have Bentley and Washburn to face before returning to SSC play.
Bentley will continue its spring break trip as they beat Ohio Northern on Tuesday with a 7-0 score before a 6-1 loss to St. Mary's yesterday. The Falcons will take on the Mocs this afternoon with a 3-3 overall record and yet to take on conference opponents halfway through March. Bentley has not faced a nationally ranked doubles pairing yet and has a few mid-court athletes with a current win streak. FSC will be the Falcons' last opponent before returning home.
Washburn will travel to Lakeland with an impressive record, despite a most recent 6-1 loss against No. 1 Saint Leo yesterday. Losing the doubles point, Washburn had a single victory at #3 court in three sets and took two other courts to a third set tiebreak. The Ichabods have a number of ranked players, including singles players Tim Hammes (58th), Sbestian Pjontek (70th), and three doubles pairing rankings.
HISTORY: The Mocs have faced the Falcons five times in their history, the most recent being a 9-0 victory at home in 2013. This will be the first meeting in ten years for the teams. Against Washburn, another first in many years with only two previous matchups, both going to the Mocs and a 6-3 FSC victory last time out in 2014.

Opponents: Bentley, #36 Nebraska-Kearney & #5 Nova Southeastern
Dates | Times: March 16, 2023 | 3:00 PM / March 17, 2023 | 3:00 PM / March 19, 2023 | 10:00 AM
Locations: Lakeland, Fla. | Wynee Warden Tennis Center / Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | NSU Tennis Center at Rollins Hills
Records: #29 Florida Southern 9-2, 2-2 SSC | Bentley 4-10, 3-6 NE10 | #36 Nebraska-Kearney 8-7, 0-2 MIAA | #5 Nova Southeastern 9-1, 2-0 SSC
No. 29 Florida Southern dropped out of the top 25 in national rankings but has maintained a fantastic record. After starting the season 0-2, the Mocs have won nine straight matches. Most recently, the Mocs won a 4-3 nailbiter against IUP Crimson Hawks on Tuesday, after shutting out most of their previous opponents. FSC will take on the Falcons before resuming conference play with very difficult SSC opponents, with a nationally ranked University of Nebraska snuck in before SSC play. The pairing of Maxima Ellenberg and Laura Vetter is now ranked 21st in the nation who has an 8-3 pairing record this season.
Bentley will travel to Lakeland to take on Florida Southern as part of its spring break trip to Florida. Most recently, the Falcons beat Scranton 7-0 on Tuesday before a 7-0 loss to St. Mary's yesterday. Bentley has struggled on the road, with the only road victory the win against Scranton on Tuesday.
No. 36 Nebraska-Kearney will take on the Mocs on Friday with a current seven-match losing streak to handle. The Lopers will take on Niagara before the visit to Lakeland but some of those losses have come in their Indoor season against very tough competition. Nebraska-Kearney is top 40 in the nation according to the latest ITA rankings.
No. 5 Nova Southeastern will host Florida Southern in a nationally ranked SSC battle on Sunday with both national and conference implications. The Sharks have won five straight matches, including a 5-2 win over No. 7 Wayne State and 4-1 win over No. 13 AUM in the last week. Their only loss this season was a 4-3 defeat by No. 1 Keiser University, defending NAIA national champions. NSU has had big wins against top SSC opponents, and a win against No. 5 Flagler last month.
HISTORY: Mocs have faced Bentley five previous times, winning all five, and the most recent a 9-0 win in 2013. Against the Sharks, Mocs hold a narrow 17-15 overall record in their matchups, the last being a 6-1 loss against NSU last year. The matchup against the Lopers will be the first meeting between the two teams.

Meet: River City Relays
Date: March 16, 2023
Location: Jacksonville, Fla. | Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium
The Florida Southern men's and women's track teams return to action Thursday evening at the River City Relays in Jacksonville, Fla. The Moccasins have not competed since March 3 and have been focusing on training over the Spring Break week.
The Florida Southern women will compete in two events Thursday including the 1500m and 5000m. Junior Jinia Johnson will be the lone Moc in the 1500m while five Moccasins will see action in the 5K including sophomore Emma Mussante, junior Ellie Fluman, sophomore Mya Stam, junior Brooke Brennan and junior Emery Roth.
The Florida Southern men will take on four events including the 1500m, 3000m steeplechase, 5000m and 10000m. Senior Alex Guy, junior Bryson Yamnitz and freshman Anthony Matthew will compete in the 1500m while freshman Caleb Brady will make his steeplechase debut. Junior Owen Allen will be the lone FSC representative in the 5K while a pair of freshmen will compete in their first collegiate 10K. Christian Giller and Chris Colavita will take on the long-distance race.

Opponents: #13 Mercy & #21 Bentley
Dates | Times: March 16, 2023 | 7:00 PM / March 18, 2023 | 11:00 AM
Location: Lakeland, Fla. | Berend Field
Records: #2 Florida Southern 7-0, 0-0 SSC | #13 Mercy 3-2, 0-0 ECC | #22 Bentley 3-1, 0-0 NE10
No. 2 Florida Southern continues to host top-25 opponents with No. 13 Mercy coming to town after the Moccasins held on to defeat No. 6 Pace 14-12 on March 12 to improve to 7-0. The Mocs saw a late surge from the Setters, but Florida Southern used pace to outpace the Setters in the final 30 seconds. Jackie Stoller led the Mocs with six points from five goals and one assist while Madison Tare finished with three goals and two assists for five points. Rylie Rittberg picked up her fifth win of the year in goal after making 11 saves between the pipes to keep the Mocs ahead.
Stoller is the team leader in goals (18), assists (13) as well as points (31) to help lead the Mocs from the front. Five other Mocs have scored over 10 goals this season in Hailey Daleo(17), Giana Murphy (14), Madison Tare (14), Lizzy Lynch (13), and Abby McFerren (13), while Ellie Griffin and Sammy Gorrasi are close behind with nine goals apiece. Between the pipes, Rittberg is the leader with a 5-0 record and 35 saves on 110 shots faced in 257:44 minutes of action.
Florida Southern as a team averages 17.0 goals per game while holding opponents to 10.9 per game. The Mocs carry a .873 clip for shots on goal into the contest, while locking down opponents to .719. FSC has converted on 23 of 40 attempts of free position shots while scoring 16 goals player-up.
No. 13 Mercy arrives to Berend Field with a 3-2 record after a week off. The Mavericks defeated Bloomsburg (RV) 15-9 in their last outing on March 8. This season, Mercy has defeated Franklin Pierce (17-9), No. 16 Assumption (13-11), and Bloomsburg (15-9), while falling to #4 Le Moyne (12-8), and No. 6 Adelphi (9-5).
As a team, the Mavs average 11.6 goals per game and hold opponents to a mere 10 goals per game through five games. Leena Moussa is the team leader in goals (14) as well as points (15) while Jaclyn Grzelaczyk paces the team in assists with eight to sit second in total points (13) thanks to five goals as well. Kaitlyn Grzelaczyk is second on the team in goals with 10. The Mavs have seen both 'Olivia's' play in goal this season. Olivia Maute has played in all five games, sitting at 2-2, with a 9.71 goals against average with a .414 save percentage on 79 shots faced in 210 minutes. Olivia LaMonica has played 90 minutes this season and is 1-0 with 10.67 GAA and .333 save percentage.
HISTORY: The third ever meeting between the two programs, Florida Southern is 2-0 against Mercy with the two meetings coming in 2012 (9-8 FSC) and 2018 (19-12 FSC). The latest meeting, March 10, 2018, both programs were ranked inside the top-10 with Florida Southern as the No. 1 team and Mercy the 9th-ranked program.
No. 21 Bentley is on a three-game win streak after dropping the season opener 17-3 to West Chester, the Falcons have ripped off three straight: 15-6 over American International, 15-7 over Southern Connecticut State, and 21-9 over Franklin Pierce. Maeve Johnson is the leader for Bentley in goals (15) as well as points (19), with Amanda Davis second on the team with 11 goals. Ashlee Wargo is 3-0 in goal in four games played while Maya Rose is 0-1 in two games. Wargo sits at 8.08 GAA with a .432 save percentage while Rose is at 15.48 GAA and .222 save percentage.
The Falcons average 13.5 goals per game as a team, a slight edge over its opponents of 12.8.
HISTORY: This is the first ever meeting against Bentley in program history.

Opponent: #2 Tampa
Dates | Times: March 17, 2023 | 6:00 PM / March 18, 2023 | 1:00 PM & 4:00 PM
Location: Lakeland, Fla. | Henley Field
Records: #19 Florida Southern 16-5, 3-0 SSC | #2 Tampa 17-4, 6-0 SSC
No. 19 Florida Southern entered the top 25 of the latest NCBWA rankings with an incredible record and a 14-game winning streak that was snapped in last night's game. The Mocs won the series against IUP with back-to-back wins on Monday and Tuesday but a game three loss yesterday with a 13-7 IUP win. On Monday, Mocs had four home runs, each a solo shot, that would be enough for a 4-3 win over the Crimson Hawks. A tough battle for game two on Tuesday led to a walk off RBI single by Mitch Donofrio that would be the winning shot in a 10-9 Moccasin victory. Unable to get in a groove in game three led to IUP racking up the runs and FSC unable to rally with a 13-7 loss.
The Mocs have continued to improve at the plate this season with a .321 batting average that is third-best in the conference. With a whopping 39 home runs this season, Florida Southern leads the SSC and fourth in the nation among Division II programs. Averaging 1.86 homers a game, FSC is sixth-best in NCAA in that category. Other top 25 rankings include triples (17th with eight), 20th with a 0.527 slugging percentage, and 12th with total hits (250). Earlier this week, Jeff Liquori was named the SSC Player of the Week after last week's performance. Liquori is tied with Drew Cavanaugh with eight homers on the team and tied for first in the conference. Liquori and Bryce Safferwich lead the conference in hits with 35, and Liqouri the league leader in runs scored (29) and RBI (31).
On the mound, Florida Southern saw lots of bullpen action this past week with first-time appearances by Zach Smith and Ryan Magdic. Among starters, Aric McAtee leads with a 2.35 ERA and only six earned runs in his 23 innings. Nathan Madej has a team-high four wins and 50 strikeouts, a conference-high and sixth in the nation among Division II pitchers. As a team, the Mocs have 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings average, 20th in the nation, and top 50 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.27).
No. 2 Tampa has continued to lead the conference and most of the nation this season with a 17-4 record. In conference play, Tampa swept Palm Beach Atlantic and Embry-Riddle to lead the conference standings. The Spartans outscored the Eagles 23-7 over the Tampa sweep before a 6-3 loss against No. 22 Valdosta State on Tuesday. UT had a slight 2-0 lead in a low-hitting affair and pitching duel for the two teams. The Blazers had six runs in the top of the eighth, enough for the win as Tampa was unable to rally.
At the plate, the Spartans are led by E.J. Cumbo with a .412 batting average. UT has a combined .337 batting average and .428 on-base percentage. Despite only 16 home runs, compared to Florida Southern's 39, Tampa has 92 walks and 30 stolen bases. Nearly every member of the starting lineup is batting over .300 and several with high .300's. J.D. Urso leads the conference in doubles with 12, and he's behind Liquori in RBI with 28. Jordan Lala leads the conference with 13 stolen bases.
On the mound, UT is led by starters Eli Thurmond with a 1.39 ERA in his 32.1 innings pitched. Michael Paul is right behind with six starts and 31.2 innings and a 3.98 ERA. Paul leads with 35 strikeouts on the team as Alex Canney and Skylar Gonzalez have split appearances as a starter and reliever. Combined, the team has a 2.97 ERA and has given up 15 home runs.
HISTORY: The Florida Southern-Tampa rivalry dates back to 1957 and winning tradition for both programs and a combined 17 national championships. FSC leads Division II with nine national championships, and Tampa is right behind with eight. In last year's conference series in Tampa, it was the Mocs who upset the top-ranked Spartans 2-1, including a 5-0 shutout in game one. Game two was a tough 4-3 walk-off win for UT, but Mocs rebounded with a 7-2 win and series victory. Overall, the Mocs lead the series 115-109.

Opponent: #3 Tampa
Dates | Times: March 17, 2023 | 6:00 PM / March 18, 2023 | 1:00 PM & 3:00 PM
Location: Tampa, Fla. | Naimoli Family Softball Field
Records: Florida Southern 13-10, 5-4 SSC | #3 Tampa 18-1, 6-0 SSC
Florida Southern softball concluded their 16-game home stretch as they jumped back into Sunshine State Conference play this weekend traveling to #3 University of Tampa in a three-game series. The Moccasins earned a non-conference doubleheader split to close out the 16-game home stretch against Hillsdale College. The Moccasins defeated the Chargers in game one 7-3 before falling in game two 4-2.
As a team FSC is sixth in the conference and the Mocs are on a one game losing streak after falling 4-2 to the Chargers. After last night's split the Mocs only have one more home and away non-conference doubleheader before focusing solely on SSC action.
Junior Taylor Thomas is leading the way supporting a .434 batting average overall. Skyler Ralstin batting a .349 and then senior Jessica Bryson batting a .309 followed by senior Kelsey Peck to finish out the batters hitting in the 300s with a .304. Thomas is totaling 33 hits, 12 runs, nine doubles, one homerun and 18 RBIs. Ralstin has gone 22-for-63 with 12 runs, three doubles, and 11 RBIs. Junior Mel Rogers is leading FSC from the circle with five wins and one loss and a 2.66 ERA appearing in 11 games. The right-handed pitcher has 28 strikeouts on the season, allowing 14 earned runs. Junior Ashley Blessin has started in 12 games pitching eight complete games with the most strikeouts sending 40 batters back to the dugout.
No. 3 Tampa is currently ranked third in the NFCA national ranking and is the top team in the SSC. The Spartans are on a three game winning streak with most recent wins coming against Bloomsburg on Monday with a 2-1, 10-0 win after splitting with the #11 Valdosta State Blazers.
The Spartans are led by Mariah Galhouse batting an impressive .462 from the plate going 24-for-52, with 25 RBIs and three homers. Camryn Wineinger also has hit three dingers on the season while bagging a .478 going 22-for-46 with 20 runs, four doubles, and 21 RBIs. Senior Mariah Galhouse is leading the circle owning a 7-1 record with one save, pitching four complete games and striking out 33 batters.
HISTORY: This will be the 133 meeting between the Mocs and Spartans with the FSC having 77 wins over Tampa.

Opponent: Flagler
Date | Time: March 17, 2023 | 7:00 PM
Location: Lakeland, Fla. | Berend Field
Records: #18 Florida Southern 5-2, 0-0 SSC | Flagler 2-7, 0-0 PBC
No. 18 Florida Southern closes out its six-game homestand Friday night under the lights on St. Patrick's Day versus Flagler. The Moccasins are seeking their fourth-straight victory before heading into Sunshine State Conference play.
Senior Nick Shannon was named to the USILA NCAA Division II Team of the Week for his efforts versus Clark and Young Harris. The honor was the first for the Mocs this season and the first of Shannon's career. Shannon led a defensive unit that allowed just 7.50 goals per contest last week as the Moccasins defeated Clark 22-9 before knocking off Young Harris 26-6. Shannon posted seven caused turnovers over the two games and now leads the SSC in caused turnovers per contest while ranking second in the entire NCAA Division II.
Senior Sean Nolan continues to etch his name into the FSC record book as he recently became the record holder for career points at FSC to add to his career hat tricks record which he set earlier this season. He is also working his way towards the career goals scored record and now sits just 12 goals behind the career leader Dane Sorensen (2012-15).
As a team, the Moccasins rank high in several statistical categories within NCAA Division II. FSC leads the country in caused turnovers per contest (15.71), ground balls per contest (47.71), points per contest (31.0) and scoring offense (20.0). The Mocs also rank second in the nation is assists per contest (11.0) and total points (217) while ranking inside the top ten in scoring margin (3rd, 10.57), total ground balls (5th, 334), total assists (6th, 77), man-up offense (7th, 0.519) and opponent clear percentage (8th, 0.747). Senior Nick Shannon ranks second in the NCAA in caused turnovers per contest (3.00) while freshman Jacob Czyz ranks 12th in the country in ground balls per game (7.14).
Nolan leads the offensive attack for the Mocs as he ranks second in the Sunshine State Conference with 3.29 goals per game after 23 goals over the first seven games of the season. He also leads the SSC in points per contest (5.14) while ranking second in assists per contest (1.86). Sophomore Matt Flammenspeck is nipping at Nolan heels for the goal scoring leader on the team as he has 22 goals this season, just one behind Nolan. Flammenspeck ranks third in the SSC in goals per contest (3.14) as well. Freshman Nolan Tighe (14), graduate student Jay Minor (12) and junior Brendan Glasser (10) all have double-digit goals this season. Nolan leads the team with 13 assists while graduate student Andrew Medeiros and Minor have each handed out 10 assists this season. At the face off, it has been Czyz handling most of duties as he has gone 85-of-168 (.506) while fellow freshman Luke Henricksen has won 28-of-47 this season (.596). Czyz also leads the team in ground balls this season with 50 (7.14 per contest).
Defensively, Shannon has caused a team-best 21 turnovers this season while scooping up 23 ground balls to rank tied for second on the squad. Senior Zac Fitzgerald ranks second on the team with 12 caused turnovers while graduate student Craig Connor ranks third with 10. Five goalkeepers have seen action for the Mocs this season with graduate student Maxwell Freestone and junior Michael Simone seeing the majority of the action. Freestone has a 2-2 record this season with a 12.23 goals against average. Freestone has made 47 saves in 220-plus minutes of action. Simone has started the last three contests and has a perfect 3-0 record with a 6.23 goals against average in 144-plus minutes of action. He has 24 saves and has seen action in six of the seven contests this season.
Flagler has lost six of its last seven contests this season with the lone win in the stretch coming versus Mount Olive at home, 14-11. The Saints have faced seven of the eight SSC men's lacrosse teams this season and Friday's contest complete the series versus the SSC. The Saints are currently 1-6 in those contests with the lone win being a 18-10 victory over Palm Beach Atlantic.
Freshman Trace McDonald leads the scoring for the Saints as he has scored 17 goals through nine games this season. Sophomore Tyler Douglass (16), junior Logan Tobias (14) and redshirt sophomore Antanas Mikuzis (11) all have double-digit goals this season. McDonald also leads the team in assists with 15 while Douglass is his next highest teammate with nine helpers this season. Senior Jake Griffin handles the majority of the face offs for the Saints and has won 57-of-103 (.553) while leading the team in ground balls with 33.
Freshman Ori Imirie is the lone Saint with double-digit caused turnovers as he has 10 this season to lead the defensive unit. Senior Thomas Pritchard and sophomore Blake Gonzalez sit just outside double-digits with nine CTs each. The Saints have used four different goalkeepers this season with senior Nate Lehr seeing the majority of the action. Lehr is 1-6 on the season with a 12.81 goals against average over 449-plus minutes of action. He has made 95 saves while allowing 96 goals.
HISTORY: Friday's contest will be just the second meeting with the Saints as they are in just their second full season as an NCAA Division II program. The Mocs defeated Flagler 22-4 last season on the road.

Opponents: Stevenson & St. Johns River
Date | Times: March 18, 2023 | 10:00 AM & 2:00 PM
Location: Lakeland, Fla. | Judy and Joe P. Ruthven Beach Volleyball Courts
Records: Florida Southern 4-9 | Stevenson 11-2 | St. Johns River 3-1
Florida Southern returns home for its second to last home match of the season playing host to Stevenson and St. Johns River Community College. FSC is coming off an 0-2 tri-match against #15 FIU and Palm Beach Atlantic where the Mocs fell in straight five to the national ranked Panthers before taking one paring against the sailfish to close out the dual.
The No.4 duo of Hayley St. Martin and Christina Ramazio was the lone win for the Mocs against PBA defeating the Sailfish pairing of Julia Golichowski and Natalie Skopalova 21-19, 21-19. Against the #15 Panthers, the No. 3 pairing of Sarah Crocker and Ashli Mckenny rallied with FIU taking a set but falling 21-19, 8-21, 11-15.
Stevenson are currently on a one game losing streak after falling against the Lions in a tri-match at Saint Leo and waiting to play against Eckerd College. Prior to the loss, Stevenson was on a four game win streak defeating Palm Beach State 3-2, Lake Sumter 4-1, Warner 4-1, and Webber International 4-1.
In the No, 1 pairing of Rileigh Kimball and Miranda Mueck they are 6-3 overall, followed by No. 2 pairing with the most wins a duo going 8-1, and then Nicolette Fuglestad and Makala Thompson who is the No.3 pair at 6-3.
St. Johns River is currently 3-1 in the early season for the Vikings as they are on a one game losing streak falling to Palm Beach State in straight sets. Prior to the loss St. John had not lost yet this time, defeating Lake Sumter 3-2 and State College of Florida in back-to-back wins with a 4-1 and 3-2 score.
HISTORY: This is going to be the sixth meeting between FSC and Stevenson as the Mocs have a 5-0 lead, while this is only the second meeting against St. John River and the Mocs defeated the Vikings in 2020 in all five pairings.

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Players Mentioned

Matteo Feggi: 6' 4"; Sophomore

Chris Fok Kow: 6' 1"; Junior

#55 Jessica Bryson: OF; 5' 2"; Senior

#4 Kelsey Peck: SS; 5' 9"; Senior

#1 Skyler Ralstin: OF; 5' 8"; Junior

#18 Mel Rogers: P; 5' 6"; Senior

#18 Sarah Crocker: 5' 10"; Junior

#4 Hayley St. Martin: 5' 10"; Sophomore

#13 Ashli McKenny: 5' 7"; Freshman

#1 Christina Ramazio: 5' 5"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Matteo Feggi
: 6' 4"; Sophomore

Chris Fok Kow
: 6' 1"; Junior

#55 Jessica Bryson
: 5' 2"; Senior
: OF

#4 Kelsey Peck
: 5' 9"; Senior
: SS

#1 Skyler Ralstin
: 5' 8"; Junior
: OF

#18 Mel Rogers
: 5' 6"; Senior
: P

#18 Sarah Crocker
: 5' 10"; Junior

#4 Hayley St. Martin
: 5' 10"; Sophomore

#13 Ashli McKenny
: 5' 7"; Freshman

#1 Christina Ramazio
: 5' 5"; Freshman

Florida Southern College

Scoreboard

Mocs Minutes: Several Home Events On the Schedule for Homecoming Weekend

Players Mentioned

Matteo Feggi

Chris Fok Kow

#55 Jessica Bryson

#4 Kelsey Peck

#1 Skyler Ralstin

#18 Mel Rogers

#18 Sarah Crocker

#4 Hayley St. Martin

#13 Ashli McKenny

#1 Christina Ramazio

Players Mentioned

Matteo Feggi

Chris Fok Kow

#55 Jessica Bryson

#4 Kelsey Peck

#1 Skyler Ralstin

#18 Mel Rogers

#18 Sarah Crocker

#4 Hayley St. Martin

#13 Ashli McKenny

#1 Christina Ramazio

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