As you could imagine softball is all about heart, determination, and the desire to be a champion. Unfortunately the Titans of St. Petersburg College came up short during their 2022 season falling to the eventual champion and conference foe Florida Southwestern State during the post season. However, the Titans had alot to be proud of and led by Coach Breanna Myers this team was talented and will certainly be back but, first let's look back at some of the moments that made this team special.
It began in January when the Titans hosted the JUCO Kickoff Tournament on their home field of Eddie C. Moore Complex. SPC squared off against Gulf Coast State College and Pensacola State College in doubleheader action to open the season dropping both games (4-2/5-2 respectively). The Titans responded the next day blowing out South Georgia State College 9-1 in which the Titans scored 9 runs off 13 hits with no errors. Catcher Jade Frank was the Titan of the day earning 4 at bats, 2 runs off 3 hits and a pair of RBI's. Second baseman Sierra Snook had a great day too also scoring 2 runs with 3 hits and an RBI. Veteran Sophomore Shelby Jones had a great day too on the mound pitching for the Titans. Jones through 5 innings gave up 5 hits and just 1 run but, delivered 4 strikeouts. The Titans finished the weekend by dropping both doubleheaders on Sunday to head into the month of February at 2-4.
The Titans had an up and down stretch in the month of February finishing 7-9 with tough losses to Santa Fe College and the College of Central Florida. However, SPC had great wins against St. Johns River State College (10-4), Seminole State College of Florida (10-4), Florida State College of Jacksonville (9-1) and Lake Sumter College (12-3/5 innings). In the game against Lake Sumter, the Titans scored 12 runs off 13 hits as first baseman Jade Frank highlighted the day as the sophomore 3 runs off 2 hits with a couple of RBI's. Isabella Huff, Madison Wells, Jade Frank, Abigail Dickson, and Amanda Ware also earned RBI's in the Titans drubbing of the Hawks. Pitcher Shelby Jones was also a key component of SPC's victory as Jones recorded 5 strikeouts with a record at that time of (4-6). At 9-13 the Titans were preparing for the conference schedule which featured some of best the FCSAA has to offer in Polk State College, State College of Florida, Hillsborough Community College, and Florida Southwestern State College.
Heading into the March with the conference schedule looming the Titans had a couple of non-conference games to add to their win total. The Titans were riding on 5 game win streak to start the month against Oakland CC, St. Johns River State, Tallahassee State. However it was in game 2 of their matchup with Tallahassee State where that streak was snapped as the Eagles split the series by beating the Titans 7-5. Both teams traded runs early scoring 3 a piece after the first inning as the Eagles added 2 more in the second. The Titans then answered back in the third scoring 2 of their own to tie the game at 5 a piece. The game was tight but a mistake by SPC gave the Eagles 2 more in the top of the seventh to eventually seal the victory.
That loss for the Titans would set them up on a 9 game win streak in which during that span SPC was outscoring their opponents 70-23. The Titans hammered Lake Region State College of North Dakota 10-2 in back to back games against Lake Region ending both games early in 5 innings. Shortly thereafter they traveled down to Fort Myers to City of Palms Park for a conference tournament in which they won the first game against the Bucs of Florida Southwestern 5-0 but, had their streak snapped at the hands of the Eagles of Polk State 7-3. The Titans finished the month 5-1 and things were only getting more intense as the season's end drew near.
In the final home stretch, the Titans finished the month of April 6-6 and with a 34-22 record heading into the postseason the Titans were determined to make a statement winning their final regular season games on the road against Polk State. They then turned their attention to the FCSAA Softball Tournament with a chance to win the state championship. The Titans lost game 1 to College of Central Florida 7-4 after taking the lead at one point 4-3. This dropped St. Petersburg College into the losers bracket with a chance to still compete. The Titans did just that defeated Miami Dade in a close game 3-2 against the Sharks. The Titans scored 3 runs off 8 hits with SPC getting the necessary runs in the bottom of the 7th to advance. Things didn't get any easier as the Titans post season was brought to a close by a team that they hadn't beaten since March 19th in Florida Southwestern. The Buccaneers shutout the Titans 12-0 to eliminate them and eventually go on to win the state title. St. Petersburg College finished 35-24 and alot to play for in 2023.
Coach Myers and her squad had plenty to be happy about this season despite coming up short. We have seen this team compete with a passion and grit that makes them tough. They certainly will be back next year ready to prove that they are one of the best in the country and 2023 will be here before you know it.
