MIAMI SHORES, Fla.—After a nine-day layoff, the Barry Buccaneers will get back to softball action on Tuesday and Wednesday, Apr. 7-8 when they host the Nova Southeastern Sharks in a Sunshine State Conference series at Buccaneer Field.
The Buccaneers (24-9, 8-4 SSC) are tied for first place in the conference and have been receiving votes in the NFCA national poll. The Bucs had a 12-game winning streak, but have dropped four of their last six games to Rollins and Tampa, the two teams with which they are currently tied atop the standings. The Sharks (14-17, 2-10 SSC) are currently in the cellar of the league standings, but have won three of their last five overall.
The Bucs' lineup is currently third in the league in batting at .312 and averages 5.4 runs per game. Dee Espinosa and Megan Copeland continue to lead the Bucs in most offensive categories. Copeland is batting .409 (6th in the league) and has scored 30 runs and stolen 20 bases. Espinosa is batting .400 (8th in the league) and leads the conference with 17 doubles and an .800 slugging percentage. She also has seven homers and 36 RBI to rank among the league leaders.
The Buccaneer pitching staff, led by freshman Haley Wiseman, is fifth in the conference with a 2.54 ERA. Wiseman is 11-5 with a 2.46 ERA. She has 111 strikeouts in 99.2 innings. She twirled a four-hit shutout against Rollins to pick up her 11th win. Senior Taylor Sabol is 8-4 with a 2.85 ERA, while Kristina Pazienza is 5-0 with a team-best 2.01 ERA.
For the Sharks, the offense has struggled this season, despite hitting .281 (5th in the league). They have averaged just 3.58 runs per game. They are last in the conference in both doubles (25) and homers (5). Leadoff hitter Lorena Spaulding is now the league's leading hitter at .494. She is also third among all hitters in on-base percentage, reaching safely over half the time (.505). Katrina Ammons is fourth in on-base percentage (.490) and in the top 10 in both slugging (.598) and average (.390).
Starting pitcher Rebecca Thornton picked up her 11th victory of the year in the finale against Lynn, giving up just an unearned run on five hits. Those are 11 of the team's 14 wins, and she had a sparkling season earned run average of 2.22. Overall, the Sharks are last in the league with a 3.41 ERA and just 90 strikeouts in 209.1 innings.
The Bucs own a commanding 42-13 edge in the all-time series, though the Sharks pulled off the sweep at the Griffin Complex last year. It was Nova's first-ever sweep over the Bucs and just the second series win, so the Bucs will be looking for revenge this year. Prior to last season, the Bucs had won nine in a row.
Tuesday's first game starts at 6:00 pm, while Wednesday's doubleheader begins at 5:00 pm. All games will be carried on the Buccaneer Broadcasting Network, with Danny Rabinowitz handling the play calls.
