Game Preview - Eagles welcome No. 2 Northwest Florida for first conference game of the season
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - MARCH 11 2025 - The Tallahassee State College softball team will look to open conference play this week starting with reigning Panhandle champions Northwest Florida State College on Wednesday, Mar. 12. The meeting will take place as a double-header matchup at the TSC Softball Complex.
The Eagles (18-15) will see their toughest challenge yet in the Raiders (34-2), who are currently ranked No. 2 in the nation by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) as of March 3. They also sit at No. 2 among Division I programs in the Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA). Northwest Florida is just below Florida Southwestern in both polls, as the Buccaneers are currently undefeated this season.
Northwest Florida possesses the most offensive firepower in the nation at the moment. They lead the NJCAA in hits (371), extra-base hits (142), and runs scored (357) while posting the second-best team batting average (.409) and on-base percentage (.502). Their plate discipline shines through, having drawn the most walks out of any team and having one of the lowest strikeout totals in the country.
The Eagles themselves are currently on a seven-game winning streak, most recently grinding out hard-fought wins against Lake Sumter State College - who is ranked No. 22 across NJCAA DII programs - and completing back-to-back shutouts versus Thomas University (JV).
Several Eagles have shown out in recent games. Freshman Aubrey Alonso is on a seven-game hitting streak and recorded home runs in both games with the Nighthawks. Freshman Mallory Collier earned her seventh career home run in game one with the Lakehawks and leads the Eagles in many offensive categories, most notably batting average (.396) and slugging (.698). Sophomore pitcher Laci Prescott has earned three more wins over the past two weeks, striking out 11 batters in her four appearances.
Both teams have seen players receive honors throughout the season. Mallory Collier earned FCSAA Player of the Week honors in Week 5 for her standout performance at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, where she batted .705 with five home runs knocked in just five games. She was named to the NFCA All-Tournament team after the spectacular finish.
Northwest Florida's Hailey Henry, Sister Arnold and Mallory Baker have also been recipients of FCSAA Weekly Awards: Arnold received Player of the Week recognition in Week 2 while Henry received the honor in both Week 4 and Week 6. Baker received Pitcher of the Week in Week 2. Additionally, Arnold was named NJCAA Player of the Week for her offensive performance in the opening weeks of the season.
Tallahassee State and Northwest Florida met five times last season with the Raiders taking the victory in every game. The Eagles played them close in several games however, only losing 3-2 in their first meeting and 5-3 in the fourth meeting, proving they can compete with the team who reached the NJCAA DI World Series last season.
"I think to win the Panhandle conference and to compete in the Panhandle conference, you have to be offensive," said TSC Head Coach Brynn Baca. "If you want to beat anybody in our conference, you ought to outhit them. We're just going to play that offensive game."
Tallahassee State College will take on Northwest Florida on Wednesday, Mar. 12 at 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM ET at the TSC Softball Complex. Both games will be streamed live on the TSC Athletics website here.
Credits:
Writer: Maddy Branning
Photograoher: Hannah Sander