Nike Softball Showcase Space Coast Spring Games

Coach Cicolini enters her first season at the helm of the Fitchburg State Falcons softball program.

"Carissa's knowledge and excitement for softball stood out during the interview process," said Burke, "She will have an immediate impact on our softball team both on and off the field."

Most recently, Cicolini spent a season as the Assistant and Pitching Coach for the Dean College Bulldogs. While with the team, she was responsible for developing the team's pitchers. In just one season, she was able to bring the team's ERA down from 8.10 to 7.67. In her year with Dean, she coached two players who earned Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) All-Conference honors.

Coach Cicolini has spent time with the Concord Raiders Softball program as the Associate Head Coach for the past season. She has also spent many years working as an instructor of softball in multiple capacities all over Massachusetts.

"I would like to thank Athletic Director Matt Burke and the selection committee for this opportunity to be named Head Coach of the Falcons Softball program. I am extremely grateful for this next step in my coaching career," said coach Cicolini, "I look forward to begin working with a team full of young talent and veteran leadership in order to continue to build a competitive program and team culture, both on and off the field" Coach concluded.

Coach Cicolini was a four-year student-athlete at Eastern Nazarene College. A pitcher and an outfielder, she finished her career in the circle with a 5.98 ERA with 205 innings pitched and 123 strikeouts. At the plate, Cicolini hit for a .232 average with 59 hits, 30 RBIs, and 18 extra base hits (4 home runs, 14 doubles). Earning Cicolini Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) First Team All-Conference honors her sophomore season. She was also named team captain for her junior and senior seasons.

Cicolini earned her Bachelor's Degree in Child and Adolescent Psychology from Eastern Nazarene in 2016. She would go on to obtain a Master's Degree in Sports Management and Athletic Administration from Southern New Hampshire University in 2022.

Wesley Pollock comes to Florida National University with a wealth of coaching experience and tremendous success that spans over 25 years. His most recent on-field accomplishments were during the 2022 collegiate season in his first year in the role of Lead Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Ave Maria University. During his time there, he helped lead the Gyrenes to their first postseason Sun Conference appearance since 2017 where they finished fourth in the Conference. In addition, he helped lead them to the most Sun Conference wins in program history with 15.

Pollock ended the 2023 season 22-21 including a three-weekend stay at the USSSA Softball Complex where the Conquistadors went 11-4 in Viera, Fla. FNU’s players racked up multiple accolades under Pollock’s guidance from the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC). The Conquistadors had four First Team (Dakota Kulis, Megen Johnson, Yleisha Perez and Janessa Esquibel) and four Second Team All-CAC selections (Jona Goolsby, Bailey Fernandez, Tara McCaffery, and Ana De Oliveira Obando). From the USCAA, Conquistador softball had one Second Team All-American member (Perez) and two Honorable Mentions (Johnson and Ana De Oliveira Obando).

Pollock’s team remained atop the USCAA Coaches’ Poll and qualified for the CAC Championship Tournament ranked number two in the polls and as the second seed. In the classroom, FNU softball had eight USCAA All-Academic nominations and six NAIA Scholar-Athletes. With a team GPA of 3.53, Pollock’s Conquistadors were awarded NAIA Scholar Team honors.

Prior to Ave Maria, Pollock served a couple of coaching stints at Windermere Prep High School. In the 2021 season, he lead the Lady Lakers to a record-breaking season of 25-2, including winning the school’s first District and Regional Championships and a berth in the State Championship game where they finished as state runner-up. For his achievements, Coach Pollock was named the 2021 Florida Athletic Coaches Association High School Softball Coach of the Year. Other accomplishments include leading the Lady Lakers to back-to-back Foundation High School Tournament Championships in 2013 and 2014 and being ranked as high as the seventh-best high school team in Florida.

Pollock has also enjoyed great success at the Elite National Travel Club level with the Windermere Wildfire Travel Club. As the head coach, he has amassed over 700 wins, including five Florida State Championships, two Southeast Regional Championships, and over 60 tournament Championships during his 12-year career. He has also helped over 100 student-athletes receive college scholarships during his tenure as a head coach at the travel club and high school level. Pollock is also the head softball coach of the highly acclaimed WFSA Orlando Vice Team.

Coach Pollock and his family reside in both South and Eastern Florida. His son and two daughters have all graduated from college and post graduate studies in the fields of Law, Audiology, as well as Family and Marital Counseling. Both of Coach Pollock’s daughters played NCAA Division I college softball at the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Detroit Mercy, while his son played varsity high school baseball at Windermere Prep.

Kalnicky, a four-year standout shortstop at Lake Forest College (2018-21), joined Cornell’s softball staff as assistant coach in Summer 2023.

Kalnicky started 102 games during an impressive collegiate playing career, helping Lake Forest to a four-year record of 79-45, including a 44-8 mark in Midwest Conference play. The Bolingbrook, Ill., native was part of three MWC regular-season championships, one MWC Tournament title and two appearances in the NCAA Tournament (2018-19). The 2019 Foresters advanced to the Regional Final.

Kalnicky was named to the All-MWC Second Team as a freshman. She earned academic all-MWC honors all four years.

Kalnicky carried a career .329 batting average with 103 hits, 34 doubles, 10 home runs and 78 RBIs for the Foresters. She started every game she played.

Kalnicky earned a bachelor’s degree in business and politics from Lake Forest in 2021. She received a master’s in business administration from Cardinal Stritch in August 2023.

Kalnicky served as assistant softball coach for two years at NAIA’s Cardinal Stritch (2022-23). She was elevated to interim head coach during the final half of the team’s 2023 season.

A 2017 Plainfield High school graduate, Kalnicky was voted the Southwest Prairie Conference Player of the Year. She was a four-time all-conference performer and helped guide her team to the super regional as a sophomore.