Syracuse head coach Leigh Ross said she would relish the opportunity to play in front of a national audience. She’d take full advantage of the chance to make herself known to the entire country.

‘I know for me, if I was a player, I’d really want to show off,’ she said. ‘I’d want to really give my best performance and let them see what I’m all about.’

And as the players prepare for arguably the biggest day in program history, those words reverberate in their heads.

Wednesday marks the first time in school history that Syracuse softball (23-17, 7-4 Big East) will play in a nationally televised game. ESPNU will carry both games of the Orange’s doubleheader with Louisville (27-15, 6-5) live from Ulmer Stadium in Kentucky at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. These are the only Big East softball games to be broadcast on the network this season.

The television atmosphere is an unfamiliar experience for nearly every player on the SU roster. Whether they like it or not, nerves will play a major role in the first few innings of play.

That holds especially true for freshman Veronica Grant. As the leadoff hitter on the visiting Orange, Grant will be the first to step into the batter’s box and the limelight Wednesday. She turned to her mother for support when trying to deal with that level of pressure.

‘She sent me a few Bible passages, and that helps me keep a peaceful mind,’ Grant said. ‘So I brought those with me, and I’m going to read it on the plane and probably before we play.’

Ross can repeat the message of ‘it’s just another game’ as much as she wants, but this time it doesn’t apply.

Except to sophomore Lisaira Daniels.

Daniels, a transfer from Georgia, has grown accustomed to playing in front of a television audience. Last year in Athens, Ga., she played the final seven games of the season on either ESPN or ESPN2 as the Bulldogs made a run to the NCAA Women’s College World Series.

But she still remembers the butterflies that she felt the first time playing in front of the cameras.

‘(I thought), first of all, I’m a freshman. Second of all, I’m starting, now they are making cameras involved and it’s going to be on ESPN,’ Daniels said. ‘… So yeah, of course I was freaking out.’

Daniels hopes that the pressure won’t affect the way her teammates play. Wednesday gives the team a chance to spread the Syracuse name across the country from a softball standpoint. After all, the team is just three years removed from a 21-31 season in which it started 2-13. This year’s team sits third in the Big East standings, only one game out of second place.

Ross sees the chance to play on ESPNU as a way to help build the program in the future. It isn’t often that prospects in the western half of the country can watch SU play, so a big-time performance tomorrow can leave an imprint in their minds come signing time.

‘It will be nice for us to represent Syracuse on a national level,’ she said. ‘I think it says (people) are starting to recognize where our program has gone and where it’s going. … I know for me it will be really good because I can make sure all of the recruits I have on my e-mail list know to watch us.’

Still, Ross knows it can’t be all business tomorrow on the field. She told her players to go out and have fun when they play and to simply enjoy the opportunity.

Words she may live by during the fourth inning of tomorrow’s game. As part of ESPNU’s coverage, Ross will conduct a live interview from down on the field. Not sure what to say, she asked a friend what she should do during her moment in the spotlight.

Said Ross: ‘He said to cuss like a sailor and make it memorable.’

mjcohe02@syr.edu

Published on April 19, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Michael: mjcohe02@syr.edu | @Michael_Cohen13