ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College softball team begins its 2017 campaign with a home doubleheader against the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford on Thursday, March 30. The first game of the non-conference twin bill is slated to begin at 3:00 p.m. at Eldridge Park Stadium. 

COUNTING ON CARLIN: One of the two seniors on this year's squad is utility player Emily Carlin '17. Not only will be she asked to provide veteran leadership in the dugout, but the Riverside, California, native possesses one of the best bats in the Empire 8 Conference, as evidenced by her three consecutive E8 All-Conference Second Team awards. She ranks second all-time in program history in home runs with 11 and owns a .310 career batting average. Perhaps just as impressive is her career strikeout-to-walk ratio; Carlin has struck out only 21 times in her previous three seasons and has been issued 20 free passes.

MOVING MADDY: A key factor for the Elmira offense will be the speed of outfielder Maddy Johnson '19. The Rome, Pennsylvania, native recorded 12 stolen bases a season ago, the seventh-most in a single season by a Soaring Eagle, and was caught stealing only once. When you add this speed to her team-high .418 batting average in 2016, Johnson became one of the biggest offensive threats in the Empire 8 Conference, despite her freshman status. Now a year wiser, the Elmira faithful are expecting big things from Johnson in 2017.

SEASON OPENERS: Elmira has tasted significant success in season-opening games over the past decade. In the last 10 seasons, the Soaring Eagles are 8-2 in such games. In the past two years, EC has swept both ends of its doubleheaders to kick off the season, including 6-1 and 10-4 victories over Hilbert College at Eldridge Park in 2016.

SCOUTING PITT-BRADFORD: The Panthers enter Thursday's contest with seven losses in their last eight games. Following these recent struggles, their record sits at 5-11 overall. Pitt-Bradford's most recent outing was a doubleheader against No. 5-ranked St. John Fisher College on March 26. Pitt-Bradford dropped the first game, 10-1, in five innings and lost the second tilt, 17-3. One of their main struggles has been their inability to score runs, as the Panthers have scored three-plus runs just four times this year and have been shutout on three occasions. Despite the struggles at the plate, sophomore outfielder Grace Dadzaa has provided some pop at the top of the lineup. The lefty owns a .360 batting average and has scored a team-leading 14 runs. Dadzaa's speed has been a major part of the Pitt-Bradford offensive attack, as she has swiped a team-leading seven bags on eight tries. On the mound, junior Cassidy Lewis has tossed three complete games and paces the club with 30.1 innings pitched, 13 strikeouts, and a 3.00 ERA.

SERIES HISTORY: Elmira and Pitt-Bradford meet for just the third and fourth times time Thursday. The Soaring Eagles own a perfect 2-0 record in the previous two matchups. EC won both games in a doubleheader on April 19, 2003, besting the Panthers 2-0 in the first contest and 3-1 in the nightcap.

LOOKING AHEAD: Elmira opens Empire 8 Conference play with a doubleheader at nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College on Saturday, April 1. The first pitch for the opening bout with the No. 5 Cardinals is slated for 1:00 p.m.