Softball team hits road for key conference doubleheader

The Eastern Florida State College softball team will hit the road for a conference matchup against Seminole State College on Tuesday.

The Titans, who are ranked 18th in the latest NJCAA Division I poll, will play the No. 9 Seminole State College in a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.

Eastern Florida State College is coming off a couple of road wins at St. Petersburg College on Saturday and are 6-4 in the Citrus Conference.

Seminole State College is coming off a split with No. 6 Miami Dade College and is 10-2 at home this season.

The doubleheader will feature two of the top pitchers in the state as Avery Velazquez takes the ball for the Titans against Seminole State's Shaylen Byrd.

Velazquez leads the FCSAA with a 0.89 ERA and is second in wins with 13. The freshman has 89 strikeouts in 110 innings this season for the Titans.

Byrd is 7-2 this season with a 1.24 ERA which is fifth in the state as the Raiders are sixth in the state in team ERA with a 2.38 ERA.

Offensively, Seminole State College is hitting .327 as a team led by Izabell LaRoche who is hitting .354 in 25 games with five home runs and a team-leading 24 RBI.

Velazquez is also leading the Titans offensively, hitting .432 with four home runs and 30 RBI. Teammate Ashley Grieser is hitting .373 with seven doubles in 28 games this season.

The doubleheader begins at 2 p.m.