News Article

FSW Athletics Scholarship: Marta Fuentes 'Living a Dream'

May 5, 2016

Softball has opened new doors for Marta Fuentes.

She started playing at age 5 and grew up watching her brother play baseball in high school and college. At one point or another Marta has played every position on the field, but this season she covered second base for the Buccaneers.

FSW softball finished their season as the 2016 Suncoast Conference Champions, ranked No. 11 in the nation, with a 24-game winning streak, and clinched a spot in nationals at the FCSAA State Tournament in Vero Beach, Fla. They now travel to St. George, Utah, from May 18-21 to play in the NJCAA Division 1 Softball Tournament.

When previously asked about the team’s unexpected first-year success, Marta said: “I don’t think any of us expected it. We knew we were good, but we didn’t think we were that good. I really like how we all came together on the field.”

She had been apprehensive at first about signing to a brand new program, but she knew Coach Robert Iamurri’s reputation and was eventually sold on being a Buccaneer after a tour of the Thomas Edison Campus and City of Palms Park.

“I came to campus and fell in love,” she said.

Her family’s finances aren’t very strong, she explained, but they wanted her to go to college and play softball. Originally born in Puerto Rico, her family moved to Orlando when she was young. Last summer Puerto Rico invited her to play for its national team at the WBSC Junior Women’s Softball World Championship in Oklahoma City, OK.

Marta was one of four recipients of the FSW Athletics Scholarship, part of a matching agreement between the FSW Foundation and Suncoast Credit Union.

Once she completes her A.A. in General Studies at FSW, Marta wants to transfer to a Division 1 school to continue both her academic and athletic career. She was excited about the fact that this year’s softball team was able to set the bar for all others.

“This year was all about setting the standard and it’s really cool that our team got to do that,” she said.

Learn more about athletics at FSW by visiting www.fswbucs.com and find out how you can support FSW student-athletes at www.fsw.edu/foundation.

Last Updated: May 5, 2016