Posted: Apr 11, 2016
Titans Wrap Up Softball Home Schedule on Tuesday against Indian River
With a new softball complex taking shape on Eastern Florida's Melbourne Campus, Tuesday's doubleheader could be the finale for the Palm Bay Campus field.
And what better way to bid farewell to the field the Titans have called home since the 1990s than a FCSAA Southern Conference match up with first place and unbeaten Indian River State.
Admission is free.
Indian River comes into Tuesday's 4 and 6 p.m. games with a 16-0 conference record and a 37-6 overall mark. Second-place Eastern Florida is 9-7 and 21-23 with three of the losses coming to Indian River by one run.
The Titans have clinched their 12thstraight appearance in the NJCAA District/FCSAA Tournament and are fighting to keep their second spot.
They hold the tiebreaker over third-place Miami Dade College (9-9) should the teams end up with identical records but fourth-place Palm Beach State (8-8) holds the tiebreaker over the Titans.
The top four conference finishers advance to the postseason.
"We fought hard all season to return to the state tournament," said Eastern Florida assistant coach Bob Yanczewski. "We've realized that goal and we want to make the most of the opportunity.
"Part of our approach is working on getting that timely hit and to leave fewer runners on base.
Those 2-1, 3-2 or 8-7 scores might look good in the paper but we know how many runners we could have scored with a timely hit or two."
Beyond Tuesday the Titans close the conference season with a Friday doubleheader at Broward College in Davie and play non-conference road games at St. Johns River and Seminole State.
"Those games are designed to keep us sharp between Broward and the state tournament," Yanczewski said. "We want to go into the tournament fresh but also need to stay competitive."
Sophomore Hannah Roberts and freshman Karli Smith lead the Titans offensively.
Smith is hitting a team-high .367 with a team-best .457 on base percentage and .661 slugging percentage, and team highs in total bases with 72, extra base hits with 19, home runs with six and runs batted in with 39.
She is tied with Roberts in doubles with 12.
Roberts has a team-best 46 hits and a team-best three triples.
Sophomore Rosie Lyard has a team-best 34 runs scored and six stolen bases.
Sophomore Alexa Snyder is 17-14 in the pitching circle with 124 strikeouts in 180 innings. She has a 2.64 earned run average.
NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: Mark DeCotis, Manager, Athletic Communications
Office: 321-433-5700 Cell: 321-759-4540 Email: decotism@easternflorida.edu