Thursday, March 26, 2009

FORT MEYERS, Fla. - All Cheyenne Jenks wants to do is play, whether she's digging a volleyball out of the sand, setting up a spike indoors or ripping a rise ball over the fence. All the Florida Gulf Coast University softball team can do is play, prohibited from participating in the postseason as the school's athletic programs continue their rapid ascent from Division II independent to Division I powerhouse in the Atlantic Sun conference.

For the moment, that makes Jenks and FGCU softball a perfect match -- because the moment is all either has.

Meet the best player and the best team you won't get a chance to see in the NCAA tournament.

The Eagles enter the final weekend in March with a 33-5 record. They are unranked in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 but have had a home in the Ultimate College Softball poll for a few weeks. And while even its proponents wouldn't describe the Atlantic Sun as an established softball power, Florida Gulf Coast has stepped outside its small-conference home to register eye-catching wins this season against DePaul, BYU, Hawaii, Hofstra, Massachusetts, Mississippi State and Oregon State.

Despite losing the top pitcher from the team that went 48-16 last season, FGCU's first in Division I, the Eagles are preying on even major-conference competition with an offense that's averaging 8.2 runs per game this season. Leading the way is Jenks, a senior third baseman who is hitting .485 with 17 home runs, 55 RBIs and a 1.686 OPS.

"I tell her this all the time, and it's true, I see her at practice every day and I think she can hit every pitch," coach David Deiros said. "She's a see-the-ball, hit-the-ball [hitter]. Her eye-hand coordination is very good. She's very strong. She's able to go ahead and pick up changes of speed and make adjustments. So her natural ability and what she's worked on to become a better hitter are evident."