Tony D’Angelo

Contributing Writer

Florida Southern’s Softball program is rolling in the right direction, having won 12 straight, and 17 of their first 24 games.

Many players deserve credit for this quick start to the season, none more than first baseman Priscilla Gonzalez.

She was awarded the SSC Player-of-the-Week Award on Feb. 24, primarily due to her success at the plate against Flagler and Western Ontario.

In those four games, the Lady Mocs won three of them, with her going 10-for-13 with four RBI.

“I’ve never gotten one of these awards before. I’m very happy, honored and blessed to represent the softball team and win the award,” Gonzalez said.

When asked about her current hot-streak of hitting, Gonzalez admitted she’s usually too involved in the heat of the game to notice.

However, she alluded to seeing the ball very well when Western Ontario was in town.

Gonzalez is new to the team this year, having transferred from Seminole State College.

During her sophomore year at Seminole, she had a team-high .401 batting average and 35 RBI’s. This year, she has been everything FSC Head Coach Chris Bellotto could hope for, having started this season with a .403 batting average and team-best 16 RBI’s.

Bellotto attributes most of her success to work ethic and tenacity.

“Priscilla is a very hard worker. She is the type to come to the field early and stay late,” Bellotto said.

Gonzalez’s presence in the middle of the order has been invaluable.

However, Bellotto agrees she has added elements to the team which cannot be seen on paper.

Being an older player transferring from a successful program, she has been a beneficial influence for younger players on and off the field through positivity and self-discipline.

“Priscilla is a leader by example and a calm presence. She does a great job on and off the field and is quietly confident,” s Bellotto said.

Currently, the Lady Mocs are resting at third in the SSC, with a 4-2 record overall.

This could significantly change, since 12 of their final 13 regular season games will be conference matchups.

This final stretch is arguably the most important part of their season, and the team feels confident after their recent trend of winning softball.

When asked about upcoming individual and team related goals, Gonzalez chose to focus on what she can control, rather than wins and losses.

Individually, she wants to focus on minimalizing mental errors at first base and work through rough patches she may face at the plate.

“Our team goals are to communicate on and off the field, in addition to continue persevering through rough innings and not showing signs of defeat,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez and the rest of the Lady Mocs look to keep their momentum rolling.

They will host three games this week, two of which are against the University of Tampa, who are currently first in the SSC.

 

Photo via of fscmocs.com