Softball team ready to open conference season

The Eastern Florida State College softball team will open the conference season this weekend with a round robin at Palm Beach State College.

"I am a big fan of it, gives us a little bit of a tournament-type format which we really didn't see all season. It preps us for postseason and the state tournament," Eastern Florida State College softball coach Jim Beitia said. "Our first 30 games we played with the understanding that we were preparing for conference play, we weren't really focused on the numbers of wins and losses, we focused on getting better. We played a whole lot of different lineups to get people in different spots with the understanding that come conference time, those who deserve to play, will play."

The Titans will play Indian River State College and Miami-Dade on Saturday and then face Broward College and Palm Beach State College on Sunday.

"I think this year will be even tougher than last year was, I think it is going to come down to the final week of the season," Beitia said.

The Titans made the state tournament for the 15th straight season last year, finishing in second place to conference champion Indian River State College.

Eastern Florida State College will be back at Titan Softball Complex Tuesday night against St. Louis Community College. The doubleheader begins at 4 p.m. and admission is free.