Softball team faces FSW in FCSAA D1 Championship semifinals tonight

The Eastern Florida State College softball team will play No. 1 seed Florida Southwestern in the semifinals of the FCSAA D1 Softball Championships Thursday night.

The Titans come in as the No. 5 seed and defeated Indian River State College in the quarterfinals 4-1. It was the first time this season the Titans beat The River, now they face a Bucs team that also went 4-0 against the Titans this season.

Florida Southwestern advanced to the semifinals with a 5-1 victory against Seminole State College. The Bucs come into the matchup 52-5 on the season and the No. 1 team in the final NJCAA Division I National poll.

Like the Titans, the Bucs jumped out to an early lead with a home run in the first inning as Stephanie Basso hit the first of her two home runs in the game to power Florida Southwestern.

For Eastern Florida State College it was Annalyn Duncan who hit the two-run home run in the first inning to get the Titans going.

The Titans also got a big performance from starting pitcher Avery Velazquez in the quarterfinals as she allowed one run and struck out eight in the win. It marked the second straight year that Eastern Florida State College has beaten a higher seeded team to start the tournament.

Eastern Florida State College comes into the contest with 42 wins this season.

The last time the two teams met in the FCSAA Championships was in a B semifinal game back in 2024. That matchup was a back and forth affair with the Titans pulling off the upset 12-11.

The game will begin at 7 p.m. and admission is $12. Fans can also watch the game live online at the FCSAA Digital Network.

The winner of tonight's game will advance to the championship game on Friday afternoon. The loser will go into the B Championship bracket and play again at 1 p.m. Friday.