#TCCBaseball: Eagles soar to No. 1, Olson honored

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (February 9, 2016) – Tallahassee Community College’s baseball team was unranked in the NJCAA Region 8 Baseball Coaches’ Preseason Poll. Then came nine straight wins to start the season. 

Now, everyone in the state of Florida is chasing the Eagles. 

The Florida College System Activities Association released the first Region 8 regular season baseball coaches’ poll on Tuesday, and Tallahassee made the unlikely rise from unranked to No. 1. The Eagles received 15 of 25 first-place votes and 202 points in the voting, narrowly unseating preseason No. 1 and defending NJCAA champion Northwest Florida State College, who garnered seven first-place nods and 198 points. 

Chipola College received the three remaining first-place votes and gives the Panhandle Conference a sweep of the top three spots in the poll. 

Tallahassee caught the eyes of voters with its four-game sweep at Gulf Coast State College’s season-opening First Pitch Classic on January 29-30. There, the Eagles picked up two wins against both NJCAA No. 5 Chattahoochee Valley (Ala.) Community College and No. 11 Darton (Ga.) State College. 

After a 12-1 win at Florida State College at Jacksonville on February 2, the Eagles returned home and swept doubleheaders from Abraham Baldwin (Ga.) Agricultural College and East Georgia State College on Friday and Saturday, respectively, to run their win streak to nine. 

Voting was completed prior to Monday’s 8-7 loss at then-No. 8 Santa Fe College, the Eagles’ first setback of the season. 

Tallahassee will get an immediate shot at payback against new No. 5 Santa Fe when the teams play at Eagle Field at 4 p.m. Wednesday. 

Olson named Region 8 Baseball Pitcher of the Week 

Sophomore Craig Olson was named Region 8 Baseball Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday. 

Olson, a lefty out of Wilton Manors, Fla., has enjoyed a sensational start to the 2016 season, tossing consecutive two-hit shutouts against Chattahoochee Valley and East Georgia State. 

He came within two outs of a no-hitter in his season debut vs. Chattahoochee Valley, eventually settling for a two-hitter in Tallahassee’s 5-0 win in Panama City January 29. 

Last Saturday, he two-hit East Georgia State in the Eagles’ 1-0 victory. 

In 14 innings of work, Olson has allowed only four hits and three walks while striking out seven. 

#TCCSoftball slips in rankings 

Tallahassee Community College’s softball team fell five spots to No. 10 in the Region 8 Softball Coaches’ Poll on Tuesday. 

The Eagles opened the season with three wins in four games at the JUCO Kickoff Tournament and Showcase in Clearwater, Fla., including a victory over NJCAA (DII) No. 8 Illinois Central College, but fell twice at home on Saturday to new No. 1 College of Central Florida, 6-0 and 12-1. 

Tallahassee is one of four Panhandle Conference schools in the top ten, joining No. 3 Chipola, No. 5 Northwest Florida State and No. 6 Gulf Coast State. 

Tallahassee will host Abraham Baldwin in a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. Wednesday.