The sweet sounds of bats cracking and cleat spikes hitting the dirt have returned.Baseball is back, and Florida Southwestern has returned after a historic 2025 season.The Bucs made it to Grand Junction, Colorado, for the first time in program history, but an early exit left them with a bit of a sour taste.FSW baseball head coach Zac Cole said, “I think internally the feeling is that we want to get back to Grand Junction and make a run there and compete for a national championship. Not just get there but get there and make some noise.”FSW comes in at No. 3 in the JUCO D1 preseason rankings, their highest rank in program history.To make the spotlight even brighter, the Bucs were scheduled to open the season at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, where they would have been a part of the first-ever JUCO regular-season games at a Major League Baseball stadium.Unfortunately, the tournament was canceled due to the approaching winter storm. But regardless, the expectations are sky high for this program, and they’re eager to reach that standard.Cole said, “We’re very humbled to be ranked number three in the country to start the season, but they’re either going to be right or they’re going to be wrong with that preseason number three ranking and it’s our job to go out there and prove whether that’s the right ranking or the wrong ranking and the only way you do that is on the baseball field.”It all gets underway this Saturday at noon.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

The sweet sounds of bats cracking and cleat spikes hitting the dirt have returned.

Baseball is back, and Florida Southwestern has returned after a historic 2025 season.

The Bucs made it to Grand Junction, Colorado, for the first time in program history, but an early exit left them with a bit of a sour taste.

FSW baseball head coach Zac Cole said, “I think internally the feeling is that we want to get back to Grand Junction and make a run there and compete for a national championship. Not just get there but get there and make some noise.”

FSW comes in at No. 3 in the JUCO D1 preseason rankings, their highest rank in program history.

To make the spotlight even brighter, the Bucs were scheduled to open the season at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, where they would have been a part of the first-ever JUCO regular-season games at a Major League Baseball stadium.

Unfortunately, the tournament was canceled due to the approaching winter storm. But regardless, the expectations are sky high for this program, and they’re eager to reach that standard.

Cole said, “We’re very humbled to be ranked number three in the country to start the season, but they’re either going to be right or they’re going to be wrong with that preseason number three ranking and it’s our job to go out there and prove whether that’s the right ranking or the wrong ranking and the only way you do that is on the baseball field.”

It all gets underway this Saturday at noon.

DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.