GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Embry-Riddle (16-16, 1-5) at Southeastern (28-9, 4-0)
DATE: Thursday, April 9, 2015
CITY: Lakeland, Fla.
FIRST PITCH: 2 p.m. EDT
LIVE STATS: ERAU Gameday Network

ABOUT EMBRY-RIDDLE
The Blue and Gold have been off for nearly a week since splitting a road doubleheader at NCAA II Palm Beach Atlantic on April 2. The Eagles used a six-run fifth inning to come from behind for an 8-4 win in game two after the Sailfish won the first game, 3-0.

ERAU is hitting .254 as a team with an on-base percentage of .343 and a slugging percentage of .360. The Eagles have hit 11 home runs and are a perfect 43-for-44 in the stolen base department. Embry-Riddle's pitchers have a 3.62 ERA with 132 strikeouts in 201 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), hits (33), on-base percentage (.458), runs scored (20) and stolen bases (22). Kailah Rain ranks behind Battison in batting average (.318), hits (28) and stolen bases (6), 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 Zimmerman is 6-9 with a 3.49 ERA in 16 starts and Raquelli Bianco is 9-7 with a 3.82 ERA and five shutouts in 16 starts.

ABOUT SOUTHEASTERN
The Fire are 28-9 on the season and 4-0 in conference play, having swept doubleheaders against Webber International and Ave Maria. SEU has won five straight and 17 of its last 19 contests.

As a team, Southeastern is hitting .354, slugging .514 and has an on-base percentage of .420. SEU has hit 30 home runs and is 102-for-121 in stolen bases. The Fire pitching staff has a 2.81 ERA with 126 strikeouts in 236.1 innings pitched. Nationally, Southeastern ranks third in the NAIA in stolen bases, 10th in run scored and 16th in batting average.

Anna Martin leads the team with a .458 batting average and has hit seven home runs and driven in 30 runs. Cat Maldonado ranks sixth in the NAIA with 12 home runs and 15th with 41 RBIs while hitting .427 with a team-leading 50 hits. Bri Girardin leads the Fire with 20 stolen bases and Brittany Lacasse is tops on the club with 40 runs scored, the 16th-highest total in the country.

Susan Hinks leads the pitching staff with a 14-5 record, ranking sixth in the nation in wins, with a 2.44 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 103.1 innings pitched. Maldonado is 6-0 with a 2.77 ERA and Emily Bryant is 5-1 with a 3.09 ERA.

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 all 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 12th-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 43 steals as a team, which ranks 38th 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 is hitting .238 and leads the team with nine doubles to go along with 17 RBIs and 16 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 .241 with four home runs and 21 RBIs, while also owning a 3.49 ERA and leading the staff with 63 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 23 hits, including seven doubles, three triples and three home runs, and has 18 RBIs, while holding a 9-7 record with a 3.82 ERA and five 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 15 hits and nine 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 13-7 at the DSC field and 1-1 at the Port Orange City Center Sports Complex, making ERAU's overall program record at home 36-19, good for a .655 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 - 112 (1st)
Games started - 108 (1st)

Hitting
Home runs - 10 (1st)
Runs batted in - 69 (1st)
Walks - 35 (1st)
At-bats - 312 (T-1st)
Doubles - 21 (2nd)
Total bases - 139 (2nd)
Sacrifice flies - 4 (T-2nd)
Hits - 88 (T-3rd)
Slugging percentage - .446 (5th)
Hit by pitch - 3 (T-5th)
On-base percentage - .356 (6th)
Runs scored - 30 (T-6th)
Batting average - .282 (T-8th)
Sacrifice bunts - 8 (9th)

Pitching
Saves - 3 (1st)
Appearances - 69 (1st)
Starts - 58 (1st)
Complete games - 35 (1st)
Innings pitched - 331.2 (1st)
Strikeouts - 177 (2nd)
Opponents' batting average - .309 (2nd)
Wins - 21 (2nd)
ERA - 4.03 (3rd)
Walks/7 inn. - 2.60 (3rd)
Strikeouts/7 inn. - 3.78 (3rd)
Shutouts - 1 (3rd)

Fielding
Assists - 120 (2nd)
Fielding percentage - .969 (4th)
Putouts - 160 (6th)

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.