MIAMI SHORES, Fla.—The Barry Buccaneers, fresh off their first national ranking of the year and a sweep of Nova Southeastern, play their second Sunshine State Conference softball series this week when they travel up to Boca Raton, Fla., to take on the Lynn Fighting Knights this Saturday and Sunday.
After sweeping the Sharks, the Bucs (27-9, 11-4 SSC) are currently in first in the conference, two games in the loss column over Rollins and Tampa, who are tied for second at 12-6. The Tars face Florida Tech this weekend, while the Spartans have their bye.
Barry jumped into the NFCA National Poll this week for the first time this year. The Bucs are ranked 21
st.
The Bucs' lineup is currently third in the league in batting at .316 and averages 5.4 runs per game. Dee Espinosa and Megan Copeland continue to lead the Bucs in most offensive categories. Copeland is batting .402 (7th in the league) and has scored 33 runs and stolen 21 bases. Espinosa is batting .404 (6th in the league) and leads the conference with 17 doubles and a .798 slugging percentage. She also has eight homers and 41 RBI to rank among the league leaders.
The Buccaneer pitching staff, led by freshman Haley Wiseman, is fifth in the conference with a 2.38 ERA. Wiseman is 13-5 with a 2.28 ERA. She has 116 strikeouts in 113.2 innings. She picked up two wins in the Bucs' sweep of the Sharks. Senior Taylor Sabol is 9-4 with a 2.64 ERA. She twirled her first career no-hitter in the Bucs' 8-1 win over the Sharks. Kristina Pazienza is 5-0 with a team-best 2.01 ERA in 38.1 innings.
The Knights (19-17, 9-6 SSC) are fifth in the conference in batting (.285) and seventh in pitching (3.18). Senior Christina Carvatta leads the Knights with a .344 average. Sophomore Sara Vasquez (.339) has 12 stolen bases and 20 runs scored. Fellow sophomore Leanna Wright (.319) has also scored 20 and leads the team with 27 RBI. Senior Cherise McEnery leads the team with seven homers, two more than Wright, and has knocked in 21.
Missy Montgomery leads the pitching staff, having made 23 of their 36 starts. She is 12-5 with a 2.79 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 125.2 innings.
Barry owns a commanding 46-14 lead in the all-time series, including 20-4 since 2006 and 18-9 at the McCusker Sports Complex.
The games will be broadcast live on the Knights Video Network and can also be seen through the Buccaneer Broadcasting Network, powered by Stretch Internet. Saturday's doubleheader begins at 1:00 pm, with the finale on Sunday at 12:00 noon.
