FGCU catcher Neely Peterson returns to Gainesville for NCAA Tournament

Author: Zach Oliveri
Published: Updated:

The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles have soared into The Swamp. The FGCU softball team took the field at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville Thursday afternoon ahead of their first Regional game of the NCAA Tournament against the Florida Gators.

Catcher Neely Peterson’s walk-off home run in the Atlantic Sun Softball Championships propelled the Eagles to Gainesville and back in the NCAA Tournament.

“I would be lying if I said I haven’t watched it 10 plus times,” Peterson said. “It’s just amazing. It makes me smile.”

It’s fitting that Peterson’s home run helped get the Eagles to Gainesville. She played junior college softball six miles from Pressly Stadium at Santa Fe College.

“That completely changed the course of you know my softball career,” Peterson explained. “Coming out of Colorado state, I was kind of ready to give it up.”

When Peterson joined the Saints in 2021, the transition was a challenge at first.

“There’s a really big stigma around JUCO you know,” Peterson said. “If you go JUCO you’re not good or whatever. And that was something kind of had to deal with because I thought it was true. But you go JUCO and you realize those kids are better you know they got the dog mentality they want it more. So that was the biggest fear it was what people say what people think. But it really taught me to not care.”

At Santa Fe, Peterson rediscovered her passion for softball.

“I found two coaches that saw the potential that I had,” Peterson said. “And they let me play the game how I play the game and that helped make me fall in love with it.”

Now, Peterson is excited to return to Gainesville and play in the NCAA Tournament.

“I love my time there so hopefully I can go keep writing my story there,” Peterson said.

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