TIFTON — Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College softball makes its first appearance for competitive games on the diamond today.

The Fillies are playing in the JUCO Showcase Kick Off in Clearwater, Fla., today and Saturday. Two games, against Eastern Florida State and Central Florida, will be this afternoon. They will get an early start Saturday against Gulf Coast State and Santa Fe, with the first game set for 11 a.m. All of the opponents are from the Sunshine State.

ABAC was 30-22 in 2017, but there are few similarities between that team and the one head coach Jen Martinez will lead this year.

Martinez describes the Fillies as essentially being “a whole new squad.”

She is not far off.

More than 10 players are gone from last year’s roster and Martinez is mixing many new freshmen with a handful of veterans.

Among the returnees are Taylor Corbett and Lizzie Massingill.

Martinez described Corbett as an “all-around great athlete.”

Corbett, who had been a catcher and third baseman at Tift County High, was switched to middle infield at ABAC. Martinez said you would never know she had not played there before.

According to National Junior College Athletic Association stats, Corbett hit .261 in 2017, driving in 20 runs and scoring 25. She hit 11 doubles and a home run, with as many strikeouts (five) as steals.

Massingill will be the top pitcher coming back to the staff, after Kameron Coggins transferred to Valdosta State.

Massingill went 13-7 in the circle, striking out 108 batters and recording an earned run average of 3.15.

Martinez also has a returnee of sorts in Erin Jackson. Jackson was on the roster last year, but did not play. She is expected to be one of the starting outfielders for the Fillies. Outfielder Taylor Mock is the only other listed sophomore on the roster.

Supporting these players are a number of talented freshmen.

Aspen Barker, said Martinez, will be one of the team’s middle infielders. ABAC will additionally have Harley Paulk, an infielder who transferred from Valdosta State.

Martinez said Ashley Weesner was “a great all-around catcher.”

Weesner’s technique has really stood out to Martinez, who said she called a great game behind the plate.

With so much youth in the lineup, ABAC fans may wonder how quickly the Fillies will be able to adjust to playing at the collegiate level. Martinez assures several players have picked up the game quickly. The team’s fall schedule featured many four-year schools and she believes the tougher opponents have been beneficial to their learning curve.

Power was a major feature for the Fillies’ offense a year ago, with the team socking six home runs and 92 extra-base hits.

In contrast, Martinez said she believes, “We’ll have more of a speed team.” She said she had three slap-hitters in the lineup and their focus would be more on base hits and timely hitting.

Following this weekend’s series, ABAC will be back at Gulf Coast for two more days of contests Feb. 3-4. They won’t play before a home crowd until Feb. 6, when they face off with Thomas University’s junior varsity squad.

Martinez said the Florida games would give them time to prep for being at home.

The Fillies have plenty of games against conference teams in 2018 and the showdown for the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) is extra tight.

Like in baseball, said Martinez, only the top four teams qualify for the GCAA year-end showdown.

“We have a good chance of placing in the top four,” she said. “It’s going to be a dogfight.”

She expects their top opponents to be Georgia Highlands and Georgia Military College. GMC has won the league’s last two championships.