Francis Marion University Athletics

FMU: 2-year returning starter....PBC All-Academic Team 2018....Started 40 of 44 games as a junior in 2018 (39 starts at 2B and one at DH)....6 multi-hit and 3 multi-RBI games....Registered a 6-game hitting streak....Ranked 11th in the PBC with 92 fielding assists....Played in 41 games with 38 starts (37 at 1B, 1 at DH) in 2017....Hit 2 homers and drove in 14 runs....4 multi-hit and 4 multi-RBI games in 2017....Transfer from D1 University at Albany (SUNY)....Will likely work at second or first base....A versatile athlete willing to do whatever it takes for the program to be successful....A friend of one of our current players so she had a leg up on the recruiting process and knew in detail what the university and softball program are each about.....Has high aspirations academically which adds yet another great student-athlete to our program....Will be joining her brother here in the Palmetto state as he will be a freshman at USC....Chi Alpha Sigma national college athlete honor society....Peach Belt Conference Presidential Honor Roll 2017, 2018....FMU Swamp Fox Athletic-Academic Honor Roll 2016 (fall), 2017 (spring, fall), 2018 (spring), 2019 (spring)....UA: In 2016, appeared in 10 games for Albany and batted .235 as the Great Danes went 33-17 and advanced to the America East Tournament championship game....Dean's List student.

PERSONAL:

• Born Jennifer Nicki Polak in Chicago, Ill.
• Graduate of Quincy Notre Dame High School, where she played for coach Eric Orne
• Two-year team captain
• Four-year varsity letterwinner
• Earned second-team All-State accolades as a senior after hitting .478
• Honorable mention All-State selection as a junior and a four-time Quincy Herald Whig All-Area pick
• Finished her career with a .412 batting average
• Member of her school’s National Honor Society and SADD Club
• Nickname is Jennie

PERSONAL FAVORITES: 

• As a child what you wanted to be when you grew up: Marine Biologist
• Favorite Superhero: Wonder Woman
• Favorite Athlete: Lauren Chamberlain
• Favorite Sports Team: Chicago Cubs
• Favorite Movie or TV Show: Titanic
• Favorite Food: Pizza or pasta
• Favorite Vacation Spot: I love to visit Boynton Beach, Fla.! My grandparents live there, so it’s always a fun-vacation filled with family time 
• Twitter Handle: jenniepolakk
• Instagram Account: jenniepolak
• Your Motivation Music: Anything upbeat
• Favorite Thing About FMU: Definitely the FMU Softball Stadium
• Favorite Off-Field Activity: I love to read and spend time with friends 
• Goals for Upcoming Season: Play hard and leave it all out on the field
• Interesting Notes: My dad played with the Yankees in 1989 (he posted a 17-19 record with 33 saves and a 2.94 ERA in six seasons in the Yankees farm system), my siblings and I have always named our bats growing up and we still do
• Brush With Greatness: I went to a USA softball game when I was younger and met all the players