On paper, Florida SouthWestern State College's Marta Fuentes has collected 64 hits this season, of which only eight have been of the extra-base variety. But in reality, one could argue that Fuentes is among the nation's best in taking extra bases, thanks to the fact that she currently leads the NJCAA in steals with 47.

Basically, once she gets to first base, she almost automatically has her sights set on second.

"Offensively, my game plan is pretty simple," Fuentes said. "Find a way to get to first base and then do whatever it takes to get to second. Once that happens, I have a lot of confidence that my teammates are going to find a way to get me home."



The strategy has paid off for Fuentes, who is hitting .444 and has also drawn 18 walks. Once on base, she is a constant threat to go and is seldom caught. She has only been thrown out twice this season.

"We have a lot of team speed, and it's a big part of our offense," said Fuentes, who has helped lead FSW to wins in 34 of its past 35 games. "When you put yourself in scoring position, it puts a lot of pressure on the other team. No question it causes our opponent's to play tight."

That strategy has been working well for Fuentes since the sophomore enrolled at Florida SouthWestern State last year. The Orlando native and Freedom High School alumna had a sensational first season, hitting .405 and earning first-team All-Suncoast Conference honors as well as a second-team all-state selection. Fuentes had an explosive postseason, earning a spot on the FCSAA All-Tournament team after helping the Buccaneers to a second-place finish in the state tournament and a berth in the national championship tournament.



During her rookie season, she stole 55 bases and scored 69 runs in helping pace FSW to a 53-16 final record.

Despite the stellar season posted by the Buccaneers in 2016, Fuentes believes this year's edition is even better.

"We have good players at every position and have a really good bench," she said. "Last year, we were pretty good, but this year's team just seems to have a different feel to it. We just go out and treat every game and every opponent the same way. We don't seem to have any highs or lows. We just expect to play well, and we expect to win."

A quick glance at the FSW stat sheet reflects that attitude.

The Buccaneers, 45-4 and ranked third nationally, are hitting .376 as a team. Nine players have scored 20 or more runs this season. The team features not one -- but two -- top-tier pitchers in All-American ace Courtney Gettins (21-0, 1.00 ERA, 150 Ks in 139.1 innings) and freshman Giovanna Watts (17-2, 1.19 ERA) and also has some pop in the lineup in catcher Molly Roark (.380, 7 HRs, 39 RBIs) and third baseman Mikenzie Vaughan (.356, 14 extra-base hits, 45 RBIs). Solid in the field, FSW is committing less than an error per game and fielding at a .366 clip.

But there is no question that it is on the base paths that Fuentes and her teammates excel. Of the 156 teams and more than 3000 players at the Division I junior college level, Florida SouthWestern (202) trails just state rival Chipola (247) in team steals; individually, Fuentes leads the nation in stolen bases, while teammates Riley Russell ranks third (44) and Mikayla Werahiko (35) ranks ninth.

Putting pressure on the other team is something that has evolved naturally, according to Fuentes.

"We have a lot of team speed, and when you have it, it makes sense to make it a big part of your offense," she said. "I don't think [FSW head coach Robert Lamurri] is afraid to send any player at any time. When you play that style, it is difficult for anyone to defend."

The stat sheet also backs that notion. Sixteen different players have stolen bases this season for Florida SouthWestern, and seven players are on pace to finish with 10 or more steals. With a high team batting average, good eyes at the plate (144 walks), and that type of productivity stealing bases, FSW is averaging more than seven runs a game and has a run differential of plus-5.62 runs per game.

Still Fuentes concedes the Buccaneers' 34-game winning streak that came to an end this week against Polk State, as well as its regular season domination, will mean nothing when the postseason starts. Only the state tournament champion and runner-up advances to the national tournament, which is a considerable achievement when one realizes that six of the national current top 20 teams reside inside Florida's borders.

Florida SouthWestern will have to navigate a state tournament that includes No. 2 Chipola (43-2), No. 5 Central Florida (36-9), No. 8 Seminole State (37-4), No. 11 Daytona (26-10), and No. 14 Northwest Florida (32-10) in order to advance.

"We have so many good teams in this state and it is never an easy task to get out of the state tournament," said Fuentes, who has signed to played with George Washington University next season.

We just keep taking it one game at a time and one opponent at a time and see where it takes us.