TCC Softball begins pursuit of FCSAA Championship
One on one with head softball coach Patti Townsend
NOTE: For intermediate updates from the NJCAA Region 8B/FCSAA Gulf District Tournament, follow TCC Athletics on Twitter @TCCeagles.
PENSACOLA, Fla. (May 3, 2014) – Wire to wire, they were the best team in the Panhandle Conference. They ended the season as the No. 1 team in the state of Florida. Now, the task at hand for Tallahassee Community College's softball team is to win the next three days of its 2014 season.
The FCSAA No. 1/NJCAA No. 5 Eagles (34-11) open the NJCAA Region 8B/FCSAA Gulf District Softball Tournament at 3 p.m. eastern Saturday against Hillsborough Community College (29-28), the No. 4 seed from the Suncoast Conference. Win or lose, Tallahassee will play at 8 p.m. eastern – in a winner's bracket semifinal or an elimination game – against either FCSAA No. 9 Chipola College or No. 10 State College of Florida.
All tournament games will be streamed live by Panhandle Sports Broadcasting.
Mid-week floods in the Pensacola area took Friday's original start date of the board and pushed the entire event back one day. The extra day will make it a full three-week layoff for the Eagles, who last played on April 12 when they clinched their first Panhandle Conference championship since 1998 with a win at Gulf Coast State College.
The winner of the eight-team, double-elimination tournament will advance to the NJCAA Division I Softball Tournament in St. George, Utah. Tallahassee is looking to claim its second region championship in four seasons and third in the last seven, albeit under a different set of circumstances than its previous two title runs.
In 2008 and 2011, Tallahassee entered postseason play as the Panhandle Conference's No. 4 seed. The Eagles came through the loser's bracket to win their first region championship under head coach Patti Townsend. Whey they captured the crown three years ago, they stormed through the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record.
Hillsborough, however, is no stranger to playing tournament spoiler – just last year it knocked off PC Champion Gulf Coast State College in the opening round. And while they have lost eight of their last 12 games, the Hawks' overall resume looks the part of a dangerous team – they have three wins, including a sweep one week ago, against FCSAA No. 2/NJCAA No. 1 Indian River State College and swept a doubleheader against No. 4 College of Central Florida in February.
Also lurking in the eight-team bracket is FCSAA No. 3/NJCAA No. 10 Polk State College, champions of the Suncoast Conference, and FCSAA No. 7 Northwest Florida State College.
Tallahassee boasts a lineup featuring ten all-PC players, headlined by PC Pitcher of the Year Mariah Rivera (17-5, 1.59 ERA). Fellow first-team all-conference pitcher Ashley Dobson (16-5, 1.82), however, is expected to get the start in the Eagles' tournament opener.
Offensively, the Eagles have posted a .318 batting average and seven of the nine starters have batted .300 or higher, led by first-team all-conference outfielder Te Reo Powhiri Matautia (.370, 3 HR, 32 RBI). A trio of fellow first-teamers – first baseman Alexis Huss (.366, 10, 42), catcher Brianna Murillo (.343, 7, 29) and third baseman Brenda Santana (.338, 8, 33) – provided the power in the Tallahassee lineup.
Tournament play will continue on Sunday and culminate with the championship round at 11 a.m. eastern Monday.