GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Embry-Riddle (0-0) vs. NCAA II Lee (2-0)
DATE: Sunday, February 8, 2015
CITY: St. Augustine, Fla.
SITE: Flagler Field
FIRST PITCH: 12 p.m. EST
LIVE STATS: ERAU Gameday Network
Embry-Riddle (0-0) vs. NCAA II No. 2 Valdosta State (3-1)
DATE: Sunday, February 8, 2015
CITY: St. Augustine, Fla.
SITE: Flagler Field
FIRST PITCH: 4:30 p.m. EST
LIVE STATS: ERAU Gameday Network
ABOUT EMBRY-RIDDLE
The Blue and Gold will be playing its first games of the 2015 season on Sunday as part of a tournament hosted by NCAA II Flagler. Sunday's games against Lee and Valdosta State will be the first games under new Head Coach Kelsi Dunne. The Eagles won their first Sun Conference regular season championship in 2014 and return seven players from a year ago.
ABOUT LEE
Lee opened up the season on Jan. 31 with a pair of victories over Hiwassee College, a member of the NCCAA. The Flames easily won both games in five innings, taking the opener by a 33-0 score and the second game by a 12-0 final.
Lee will also face NCAA II Barton in a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 7, and NCAA II Flagler in a single game at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8 prior to facing ERAU.
After picking up two dominant victories in its season-opening doubleheader, Lee has a number of players with impressive offensive statistics. Leigh Beatenbough leads the team with a perfect batting average at 3-for-3 with a double, four runs scored and five RBIs. Beatenbough is also 1-0 in the circle with three hitless innings pitched. Dominique Hannah is 5-for-6 with two doubles and leads the team with seven RBIs, while Amanda Lynn is also 5-for-6 with a triple and leads the team with six runs scored. Angie Hughes is 1-0 after pitching a five-inning perfect game with nine strikeouts.
ABOUT VALDOSTA STATE
The Blazers took part in a tournament at Georgia College & State last weekend where they swept NCAA II Columbus State in a doubleheader and split a pair of games with NCAA II GCSU. VSU got a walk-off home run from Courtney Albritton to complete the sweep of Columbus State, taking those games by scores of 11-0 and 5-4. Against Georgia College & State, the Blazers lost 3-2 before coming back with an 8-5 win.
Prior to facing Embry-Riddle, VSU will play Flagler and Barton on Saturday, Feb. 7, and take on the Saints again on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. just before the matchup with ERAU.
Albritton leads the Blazers with a .571 batting average, .684 on-base percentage, 1.000 slugging percentage, two home runs, seven runs scored and four RBIs. Jennifer Phillips is hitting .455 with a double and three RBIs and Fran Johnson is batting .300 with a double and three RBIs. In the circle, Caitlyn Calhoun is 1-1 with a 1.62 ERA, tossing a pair of complete games. Huntyre Elling and Maci Fletcher are each 1-0 for the Blazers.
NEW FACES, NEW PLACES
The 2015 edition of the Embry-Riddle softball team will look much different than the previous two seasons. ERAU has a new head coach in Kelsi Dunne, a new assistant coach in Monique White, and six of the 13 players are brand new this year. Besides the new faces, the Eagles will be playing most, and possibly all, of their home games at Daytona State College while the new baseball/softball facilities are completed. Embry-Riddle is hopeful that the construction will be completed in time for the Eagles to play their final two regular season doubleheaders at the ERAU Softball Complex, but that has not yet officially been determined.
SOLID AS A ROCK
Talia Barraco, the team's lone senior, was one of the most reliable players on the team in her first season at Embry-Riddle in 2014, earning her the nickname "Rock." Barraco was third on the team with a .343 batting average and led the Eagles with 24 RBIs. She also led the team in sacrifice bunts with 16 and was solid in the field, committing just six errors in 208 chances while playing third and first base.
DUAL THREATS
Robi Zimmerman has contributed at the plate and in the circle in each of her two seasons at Embry-Riddle. Last year, Zimmerman earned 10 wins with a 3.06 ERA as a pitcher while also collecting eight doubles and 14 RBIs at the plate.
The Blue and Gold have another dual-threat athlete this year in Raquelli Bianco who is expected to see time in the circle and at first base. Bianco had a 2.72 ERA in 54 innings last year while batting .429 with five doubles, three triples and home runs a year ago for Miami Dade College.
DEFENDING THE NEST
The Eagles have been tough to beat at home in the program's first two years of existence, compiling a 9-3 mark in 2013 and a 13-8 record in 2014. ERAU's two-year record at home is 22-11, good for a .667 winning percentage.
EAGLES FOURTH IN PRESEASON POLL
After winning The Sun Conference regular season championship in 2014, the Eagles have been picked to finish fourth in the league in 2015 in a preseason poll voted on by all nine TSC softball coaches. Prior to winning the regular season title last season, the Blue and Gold were picked to finish third in the preseason poll.
