Softball’s Courtney Platt to be inducted into the ASUN Hall of Fame Class of 2024 – Eagle Media

FGCU’s softball program has been a dominant force in Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) competition for the past 16 years. The success was previously illustrated by the induction of two Eagles into the ASUN Hall of Fame. On May 30, Courtney Platt added her name to the list.

Platt found her passion in softball at a young age when her parents dragged her and her twin sister, Casey Platt, to her mother’s slowpitch league in Ohio. They watched her mother play from the dugout, making it an activity her entire family took part in.

“It’s something I’ve always held on to,” Platt said. “But being able to grow up with my family and do that. It has helped me to practice this sport for so long.”

Platt continued this passion at Gulf Coast High School, where she honed her skills. With her dominant playing style, she received numerous offers from various universities. The most notable came from FGCU Softball Head Coach David Deiros.

“I studied biology and saw that the focus FGCU has on preserving the environment really met all the goals I had in school,” Platt said. “The teammates and meeting coach Deiros, it was more of a family feeling. And that is exactly why I continued to live in this region.”

Deiros was familiar with the Gulf Coast High School softball program, having led the school to a district title in 1999 before moving on to coach at FGCU. This allowed him to get an up-close look at Platt’s skills and watch multiple games during her high school career. Her skills and proximity to FGCU made it an easy decision to recruit her to their roster.

“Courtney was the best player on the field,” Deiros said. “It didn’t matter what game she played and she’s all 6ft tall so she doesn’t look that imposing. Offensively, she is probably one of the best, if not the best, offensive players to come out of Collier County that year.”

In Platt’s first season with the Eagles, she immediately saw herself promoted to the starting lineup. Her skills were not in question as Deiros knew she had what it took to compete at the highest level. Many wondered if she could handle the pressure of competing at the college level in her freshman year.

FGCU’s recent move to NCAA Division I competition eased the pressure. Promotion excluded the Eagles from postseason competition for the next four years. A provision that many players would see as a disadvantage, Platt used it to strengthen her skills.

“It gave me the opportunity to play the best I could without the pressure of knowing we were going to make the postseason and without having to worry about screwing up,” Platt said.

Platt had a dominant freshman season as she started 61 of her 62 games. She was named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team, with her most impressive stats coming from her 13 runs and 41 walks on the season.

“Courtney breaking into that starting lineup from day one was pretty impressive because we were a stacked team in that regard,” Deiros said. “That was the team that finished 10th in the country during D-II (NCAA Division II).”

She built on this success in her sophomore season, when she was named to the NFCA South All-Region First Team and the Atlantic Sun All-Conference First Team. She scored 41 runs, 59 hits and a .563 on-base percentage.

While Platt took a step back in the overall stats during her junior season, she led her team with nine home runs and 40 walks. Her on-base percentage and slugging percentage both dropped during the season, but were still good enough to finish in the top three of the ASUN Conference.

Platt’s senior year was her best season with the Eagles as she led multiple categories in her team and the ASUN Conference. She had the highest batting average at .387, claimed a total of 93 bases and walked 57 times. With this performance, she was named Atlantic Sun Player of the Year and made the All-Conference First Team.

All the accolades would not go unnoticed as Platt was nominated to join the ASUN Hall of Fame class of 2024. She marked the seventh time an Eagle was nominated for the Hall of Fame and was the third to come out of the softball program.

“I was just blown away,” Platt said. “I still am; I can’t explain it in words. It was an amazing time playing there, and to hear that I have reached this level I will be forever grateful.”

After more than a decade away from the softball world, everything came back for Platt during the induction ceremony. This time she was able to share it with her husband, Alex Pohlman, and two sons, William and Ben Pohlman, who were not used to this side of their mother.

After that night, Platt’s name was cemented as one of the top softball players in the ASUN Conference. She helped build the FGCU softball program into the grassroots program it is today, helping the team achieve four dominant seasons before her playing eligibility ran out. As for the Eagles, they brought home their first ASUN title in 2012, a year after Platt hung up her cleats.

“I hope they (FGCU softball players) can realize how much I love the game,” Platt said. “It wasn’t just me and my performance. They were all people cheering us on. I hope they can see that I gave my best and that my love for the game was pure.”