by Malcolm Butler
While many college softball players are spending the bulk of their early summer on vacations and trying to get a little R&R, a quartet of Louisiana Tech Bulldogs are playing in the Florida Gulf Coast League.
Senior Alexis Gilio, junior Alannah Rogers, red-shirt freshman Allie Furr and newcomer red-shirt freshman Addison Snyder have been in Bradenton, Florida since the middle of June, competing with other collegiate softball players in the developmental league.
Gilio, Rogers and Furr were all on the Tech team this past season while Snyder recently signed paperwork as she will enroll this fall after playing her true freshman year at Cal State Fullerton.
The nine-team league is comprised of a 25-game schedule.
Furr plays for the Rodeo, while Rogers and Gilio play for the Slice, and Snyder for the Rivermocs. Furr, Gilio and Snyder all made the all-star teams from their respective squads.
Tech head coach Josh Taylor said the ability to compete and work over the month-long period is instrumental in the players development.
“The FGCL is a vital tool for our players to continue to work on their development and get valuable at bats before coming back to Ruston for the fall,” said Taylor. “We are grateful that this league exists and our players have options to continue to get better facing great competition over the summer.”
Rogers is coming off her sophomore campaign that saw her emerge as the Bulldogs leadoff hitter where the Surprise, Arizona, native batted .278 with 23 runs and 23 RBI. Her three-run home run helped lift Tech to a 5-3 win over UL-Lafayette, snapping a more than two-decade long losing streak to the Ragin Cajuns.
“This summer was a great opportunity to go out of my comfort zone and try to push my limits,” said Rogers. “I came out here getting so many live reps that can help me grow for next season, which I was so happy about because I know I wouldn’t get that same experience if I wasn’t in the league. I was thankful to play and meet so many different individuals from other colleges that helped me learn and continue to grow my love for the game.”
Rogers is hitting .320 with 16 hits, three doubles, three home runs, 12 runs and 15 RBI for the Slice while striking out just five times in 62 at bats.
Gilio is coming off a first-team all-conference campaign in 2024 for Tech where she hit .383 with 64 hits, 30 runs, 22 RBI and 14 stolen bases. She was also named all-region and all-state in her initial season in a Tech uniform after transferring from BYU.
“This summer has been an amazing experience,” said Gilio. “It’s been super helpful to my game seeing live pitching and getting live reps every day. Usually it’s hard over the summer to be able to get game-like reps, but in Florida we get them every day! This summer league has been a great way to play loose and work on specific things I’ve needed to work on.
“It’s also been so cool to meet and play with girls from colleges all over the country. We’ve been able to get to know one another and learn from each other. It truly feels like I’m on vacation every day playing softball and living fifteen minutes away from the beach.”
Gilio ranks among the league leaders this summer in the entire FGCL in hits (29 – T3rd), doubles (8 – 3rd), on-base percentage (.473 – T1st), runs (22-T4th), batting average (.426 – 9th), and stolen bases (11 – 1st).
Furr redshirted the past year for Tech after tearing her ACL at the end of her senior year at Cedar Creek High School. She said the opportunity to play this summer was critical to her regaining her confidence after missing the entire last year.
“Playing in the FGCL this summer was a big confidence booster for me,” said Furr. “Playing at a high level against other collegiate athletes has helped me regain my confidence in myself and my knee after my injury last year. I grew so much as an athlete in just a month and found my love for the game again.”
Furr batted .392 with 20 hits in 51 at bats along with 11 runs scored and four stolen bases for the Rodeo.
Snyder batted .372 with 16 hits (2 doubles), 13 RBI and five runs scored. She batted .643 (9-14) with runners in scoring position.
