GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Embry-Riddle (18-18, 3-7) vs. Ave Maria (21-19, 5-3)
DATE: Friday, April 17, 2015
CITY: Daytona Beach, Fla.
VENUE: Embry-Riddle Softball Stadium
FIRST PITCH: 9:30 a.m. EDT
LIVE STATS: ERAU Gameday Network

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Embry-Riddle (18-18, 3-7) vs. Northwood (14-20-1, 0-10)
DATE: Saturday, April 18, 2015
CITY: Daytona Beach, Fla.
VENUE: Embry-Riddle Softball Stadium
FIRST PITCH: 10 a.m. EDT
LIVE STATS: ERAU Gameday Network

ABOUT EMBRY-RIDDLE
The Eagles sit in seventh place in The Sun Conference with a 3-7 record after splitting a doubleheader with St. Thomas earlier this week. The Blue and Gold scored nine runs in the first inning of game one which proved to be the only scoring in a 9-0 win. STU came back to take game two, 4-0.

ERAU is hitting .254 as a team with an on-base percentage of .346 and a slugging percentage of .349. The Eagles have hit 11 home runs and are 48-for-49 in the stolen base department. Embry-Riddle's pitchers have a 3.44 ERA with 148 strikeouts in 226 innings of work.

Anna Battison, who is likely out for the season after suffering an injury on April 2, leads the team in batting average (.363), on-base percentage (.458), runs scored (20) and stolen bases (22). Kailah Rain leads the Eagles in hits (34) and ranks behind Battison in batting average (.340), hits (31) and stolen bases (8), while Robi Zimmerman leads the team with four home runs and 21 RBIs.

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 Raquelli Bianco is 11-7 with a 3.48 ERA and six shutouts in 18 starts and Zimmerman is 6-11 with a 3.42 ERA in 18 starts.

ABOUT AVE MARIA
The Gyrenes are 21-19 on the season and 5-3 in conference play. AMU owns an 4-4 record in true road games and has won three straight, including a doubleheader sweep of Northwood last weekend.

As a team, Ave Maria is hitting .277, slugging .378 and has an on-base percentage of .355. AMU has hit 11 home runs and is 76-for-92 in stolen bases. The Gyrene pitching staff has a 3.82 ERA with 187 strikeouts in 264 innings pitched.

Kingsley Avery leads the team in batting average (.491), on-base percentage (.520), slugging percentage (.672), hits (57), stolen bases (27) and runs scored (34), while Cheyenne Benson has a .336 batting average and a team-leading 26 RBIs. Alyssa Colding leads the team with three home runs and has driven in 23 runs.

Benson is also the team's ace, owning a 9-10 record and a 2.22 ERA with 82 strikeouts, which leads the conference, while Emily Lemin is 7-8 with a 4.78 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 15 starts.

ABOUT NORTHWOOD
The Seahawks are 14-20-1 on the season and 0-10 in conference play. NU owns an 0-6 record in true road games and has lost 12 straight games.

As a team, Northwood is hitting .270, slugging .337 and has an on-base percentage of .326. NU has hit 10 home runs and is 19-for-26 in stolen bases. The Seahawk pitching staff has a 3.27 ERA with 110 strikeouts in 243.1 innings pitched.

Cassidy Miller leads the team in all major offensive categories, including batting average (.363), on-base percentage (.425), slugging percentage (.593), hits (41), doubles (5), home runs (7), RBIs (21) and runs scored (23). Alex Hartley is batting .349 and has scored 11 times, while Shanah Thomas has a team-leading 10 stolen bases in 13 attempts.

Anne Diercks is 5-8 with a 2.57 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 95.1 innings pitched and Nicole Granitto is 5-7 with a 4.68 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 67.1 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 of their home games at Daytona State College while the new baseball/softball facilities are completed.

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 22 steals in 22 attempts. Her 22 steals are the 21st-most by a player in the NAIA this season.

On March 18, Battison surpassed Sarah Huey's record of 15 steals to become the single-season record-holder in the stolen base department. Just over two weeks later on April 2, Battison registered the 27th steal of her career, tying her with Huey for the program's all-time mark.

Battison's 22 stolen bases are a major of part of ERAU's 48 steals as a team, which ranks 47th in the NAIA.

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 leads the team with nine doubles to go along with 19 RBIs and 18 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 .234 with four home runs and 21 RBIs, while also owning a 3.42 ERA and leading the staff with 71 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 25 hits, including seven doubles, three triples and three home runs, and has 19 RBIs and 20 runs scored, while holding an 11-7 record with a 3.48 ERA and six shutouts.

Taylor Cowan has developed into a third dual threat for ERAU, leading the team batting average against (.238) with a 3.29 ERA in 17 innings of relief work while collecting 19 hits and 13 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 14-7 at the DSC field, 1-1 at the Port Orange City Center Sports Complex, and 0-1 at Bobcat Softball Field, making ERAU's overall program record at home 37-20, good for a .649 winning percentage.

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 - 116 (1st)
Games started - 112 (1st)

Hitting
Home runs - 10 (1st)
Runs batted in - 69 (1st)
Walks - 37 (1st)
At-bats - 323 (2nd)
Doubles - 21 (2nd)
Total bases - 141 (2nd)
Sacrifice flies - 4 (T-2nd)
Hits - 90 (4th)
Slugging percentage - .437 (5th)
Hit by pitch - 3 (T-5th)
On-base percentage - .354 (7th)
Runs scored - 32 (6th)
Batting average - .279 (10th)
Sacrifice bunts - 8 (9th)

Pitching
Saves - 3 (1st)
Appearances - 71 (1st)
Starts - 60 (1st)
Complete games - 36 (1st)
Innings pitched - 341.2 (1st)
Strikeouts - 185 (2nd)
Opponents' batting average - .309 (2nd)
Wins - 21 (2nd)
ERA - 4.00 (3rd)
Walks/7 inn. - 2.66 (3rd)
Strikeouts/7 inn. - 3.79 (3rd)
Shutouts - 1 (3rd)

Fielding
Assists - 129 (2nd)
Fielding percentage - .970 (3rd)
Putouts - 167 (5th)

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.