Ocala, FL-- A trio of sophomores who helped the College of Central Florida softball program to its best finish in school history recently decided their next steps as student-athletes.
Amy Szymanowski (Florida State), Jessica Nathan (Florida A&M) and Alora Thompson (Columbus State) signed national letter-of-intents on Thursday.
Szymanowski, who has rewritten the school record book at CF, has brought more than just numbers to the program.
"She's our leader and has really been a sparkplug," CF coach Kevin Fagan said. "I don't think there has ever been a player who has made more of an impact on the (softball program at CF) than Amy… She been great for us."
Szymanowski holds numerous school records and is also a leader on defense at catcher.
On Thursday against FSC-Jacksonville, Szymanowski broke her own-single season school record with her 17th home run. The sophomore from Land O'Lakes Sunlake also set the single-season record for most runs scored with 45 after plating three against FSC-Jacksonville. Szymanowski also holds the career records for most home runs (33) and most runs scored (87).
This season in Mid-Florida Conference play, Szymanowski's batting average and on-base percentage are both over 100 points higher than in the non-conference season.
"She has come up big when we needed her the most," Fagan said.
Nathan, a sophomore second baseman out of Gainesville P.K. Yonge, earned second-team All-Conference honors as a freshman and has continued her stellar play this time around.
"She's a great athlete who is very explosive," Fagan said. "She's had a great sophomore year and we look for her to be a first-team All-Conference pick. She deserves it."
Nathan, who earned FCSAA Player of the Week honors earlier this season, also has a tremendous .970 fielding percentage to go with a strong season at the plate.
Thompson, a sophomore outfielder from Dunnellon High School, played off-and-on for Fagan throughout youth league and high school ball.
"She's a great person and she will be a great addition to Columbus State's program," Fagan said of Thompson, who has two home runs as a sophomore.