GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Embry-Riddle (10-10) vs. Concordia (Mich.) (2-4)
DATE: Wednesday, March 18, 2015
CITY: Daytona Beach, Fla.
SITE: Daytona State College Softball Complex
FIRST PITCH: 10 a.m. EDT
LIVE STATS: ERAU Gameday Network

ABOUT EMBRY-RIDDLE
The Blue and Gold split a doubleheader against visiting Columbia (S.C.) last Wednesday at the City Center Sports Complex in Port Orange. The Fighting Koalas took a 5-1 victory in game one before the Eagle bats came to life for an 11-0 five-inning win in game two.

ERAU is hitting .248 as a team with an on-base percentage of .346 and a slugging percentage of .345. The Eagles have hit five home runs and are a perfect 30-for-30 in the stolen base department. Embry-Riddle's pitchers have a 4.18 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 127.1 innings of work.

Anna Battison leads the team in batting average (.351), hits (20), on-base percentage (.464), runs scored (16) and stolen bases (13). Robi Zimmerman is batting .294 with three of ERAU's five home runs and has driven in a team-leading 17 runs. In the circle, Taylor Cowan has been effective in six relief appearances, tossing 17 innings with a 1-0 record and a 3.29 ERA, while Zimmerman is 4-5 with a 3.84 ERA in 10 starts and Raquelli Bianco is 5-5 with a 4.78 ERA in 10 starts.

ABOUT CONCORDIA (MICH.)
The Cardinals hold a 2-4 record on the season and will be playing two games on Tuesday in Winter Haven prior to making the trip to Daytona Beach. CU has played doubleheaders against Sun Conference members Thomas and Warner, splitting with the Royals and dropping both games to the Night Hawks.

As a team, Columbia is hitting .289, slugging .409 and has an on-base percentage of .331. CU has hit three home runs and is 8-for-9 in stolen bases. The Cardinals' pitching staff has a 6.88 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched.

Cheyenne Brierley leads the team with a .500 batting average and four RBIs, while Rachel Morris is hitting .429 and Angela Martin is batting .364. Corrina Rotondo has a 1-2 record and 4.22 ERA with a team-leading 13 strikeouts in 21.1 innings of work.

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.

CANADIAN THIEF
Sophomore catcher Anna Battison, a native of Tsawwassen, B.C., has made the most of her move to the leadoff spot this season. After going 5-for-10 on the basepaths in 2014, Battison has been impossible to throw out this season, with 13 steals in 13 attempts. Her 13 steals are the 12th-most by a player in the NAIA this season. She needs just two more steals to equal Sarah Huey's single-season record of 15 stolen bases set in 2013.

Battison's 13 stolen bases are a major of part of ERAU's 30 steals as a team, which ranks 29th in the NAIA. The Blue and Gold also have the most stolen bases in the nation among teams that have not been caught stealing this year.

RECORD-SETTING ROBI
Robi Zimmerman is putting her name at the top of a number of the program's all-time leader lists. As a three-year starter at first base and pitcher, Zimmerman is among the top 10 in the following categories:

Games
Games played - 100 (1st)
Games started - 96 (1st)

Hitting
Runs batted in - 65 (1st)
Walks - 30 (1st)
At-bats - 280 (T-1st)
Home runs - 9 (T-1st)
Doubles - 20 (2nd)
Sacrifice flies - 4 (2nd)
Hits - 83 (3rd)
Total bases - 130 (3rd)
Slugging percentage - .464 (4th)
On-base percentage - .364 (6th)
Batting average - .296 (7th)
Runs scored - 25 (7th)
Hit by pitch - 2 (T-8th)
Sacrifice bunts - 8 (9th)

Pitching
Saves - 3 (1st)
Appearances - 63 (1st)
Starts - 52 (1st)
Complete games - 29 (1st)
Innings pitched - 294.0 (1st)
Strikeouts - 153 (2nd)
ERA - 4.17 (2nd)
Oppenents batting average - .316 (2nd)
Walks/7 inn. - 2.69 (2nd)
Strikeouts/7 inn. - 3.64 (2nd)
Wins - 19 (2nd)
Shutouts - 1 (3rd)

Fielding
Assists - 105 (3rd)
Fielding percentage - .963 (5th)
Putouts - 129 (T-5th)

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." This season, Barraco is hitting .260 and leads the team with six doubles to go along with 13 RBIs and 11 runs scored.

DUAL THREATS
Robi Zimmerman has contributed at the plate and in the circle in each of her two seasons at Embry-Riddle. This season, Zimmerman is hitting .294 with three home runs and 17 RBIs, while also holding a 3.84 ERA and leading the staff with 39 strikeouts.

The Blue and Gold have another dual-threat athlete this year in Raquelli Bianco who will split time between the pitching circle and first base. This year, Bianco has registered 14 hits, including four doubles and two triples, and has 11 RBIs, while holding a 5-5 record with a 4.78 ERA and two shutouts.

Taylor Cowan has developed into a third dual threat for ERAU, leading the team in ERA (3.29) and batting average against (.238) in 17 innings of relief work while collecting 10 hits and six RBIs at the plate.

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. The Blue and Gold have continued that winning tradition in 2015 at the Daytona State College Softball Complex, Embry-Riddle softball's temporary home field. The Blue and Gold are 8-6 at the DSC field and 1-1 at the Port Orange City Center Sports Complex, making ERAU's overall program record at home 31-18, good for a .633 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.