Experienced Softball Team Ready to Go
Talk to Eastern Florida softball head coach Ed Yanes about his 2016 team and it's a good bet he'll emphasize its experience.
After all the Titans have nine sophomores on the 15-player roster. The experience is immediately noticeable in practices running smoother and faster and hopefully leads to Eastern Florida's 12th straight appearance in the NJCAA Region 8/Florida College System Activities Association postseason tournament.
Eastern Florida needs to finish in the top four in the five-team Southern Conference to be one of 16 of the 27 Region 8/FCSAA teams advancing to the tournament.
And while Yanes certainly won't refuse the invitation should the Titans finish second, third or fourth, he and his staff as always are preparing his players to finish first.
That the staff can count on the experienced sophomores to help achieve that is a definite plus.
"They know what to expect each and every day at practice," Yanes said. "Our expectations obviously are higher. We hope we have the right tools and the right combination of players.
"We have a good nucleus. Looking at the roster, it looks pretty solid.
Returnees for the Titans are catcher Taylor Zitiello, leftfielder Mackenzie Soughers, pitcher Alexa Snyder, second baseman Katie Darrah, outfielder Sarah Hart, outfielder/shortstop Natasha Kistler, outfielder Rosie Lyard, third baseman Carly Nichols and first baseman Hannah Roberts.
Also returning are assistant coaches Bob Yanczewski, who begins his 14th season, former Titan Kim Overbey and Cat McDaniel.
"I have probably the best assistant coach in the country, bar none in Bob Yanczewski," said Yanes. "He's been volunteering in the sport of softball for more than 40 years. I can't speak highly enough of him. Without him this program doesn't run.
"Coach K is the consummate professional out here," Yanes said of Overbey. "Comes early and leaves late. Kim works extensively with the pitchers and catchers, as well as all aspects of the game.
"Cat is an Eau Gallie High and Florida Gulf Coast University graduate who set numerous records at both programs. She does an outstanding job with our pitchers as well as bringing the knowledge of what it takes to compete at the Division I level."
Freshmen are pitchers Morgan Payne and Karli Smith, third baseman Savannah Alley, catcher/outfielder Josephine Mora, outfielder Marylin Szemanski, and infielder Tamara Warren.
The Titans open the season with six games at the Junior College Kickoff Classic and Showcase in Clearwater this weekend. They debut at home on the Palm Bay Campus on Feb. 9 with a 4 and 6 p.m. doubleheader against Daytona State College. Admission is free.
The Titans begin Southern Conference competition on Sunday, March 6 against Miami Dade College. New this season is a four-game conference tournament to be played April 2-3 at Palm Beach State College in Lake Worth.
Even though six conference games will be played after the tournament, the event is designed to serve as a tie-breaker to determine tournament eligibility and seeding at season's end.
All told the Titans face a 54-game schedule. Big things are expected.
"I personally expect that we are going to be a lot better than last year and have higher expectations," Zitiello said.
"The strength of our team is experience. A team can always get better. Our hitting is pretty strong. Our defense is strong. Our pitching is getting better."
Soughers also is optimistic about what lies ahead.
"The confidence level of this team is a lot stronger and a lot higher. I think everyone has bonded. Having a lot of sophomores definitely helps.
"We have confidence in each other. It's going to take all of us coming together. Any given day anyone can beat anyone else. I think it's who wants to play and who wants to win."
And that begins at the top.
"If I'm playing pick-up sticks against my daughter I'm going to win," Yanes said.
Won-loss records aside there is another set of numbers of which Yanes is more proud: Softball had the highest team cumulative GPA – 3.3 - among the college's nine programs for the previous academic year and five players achieved a 4.0 for the spring semester.
"These kids come to school for the right reason," Yanes said. "That's one of the successes they have. They do a phenomenal job. We like to build off that each year."
NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: Mark DeCotis, Athletic Communications
Office: 321-433-5700 Cell: 321-759-4540 Email: decotism@easternflorida.edu