Sophomore infielder’s dream is to ‘make it to the big leagues’

Heather O’Dell // Contributing Writer

It was the bottom of the fourth inning, bases were loaded, and FIU was down by one. Facing Southern Miss’ starting pitcher Walker Powell, sophomore infielder Eddie Silva walked up to the plate, determined to score for the Panthers.

He swung twice and missed contact with the ball. After the umpire yelled ‘strike two’, the crowd grew quiet as the pitcher set up for his next pitch.

Silva swung on his last attempt, and the ball clanked off the bat, flying toward the left field for a three-run home run putting the Panthers in a 7-5 lead.

“My experience playing baseball at FIU has been awesome,” Silva said as he recalled some highlights from last season. “We had average seasons my freshman and sophomore years; I’m hoping this year has a lot to offer and we make it further than usual.”

With a record of 28-29, Silva and the rest of the baseball team are taking a different approach this season. Silva said he continues to stay active and practice in the offseason as well as fueling his body properly with healthy foods.

“The practices have been really organized and we get a lot of work in,” Silva said. “One of our main focuses is being aggressive and getting after it each and every day.”

Silva has been playing baseball since he was 4 years old. With a dedication to any sport comes a lot of sacrifices. But Silva said he doesn’t regret becoming so involved with baseball and has hopes of getting drafted in 2017.

“It has been my dream ever since I was a kid to make it to the big leagues,” Silva said while laughing.

Silva’s family and friends have been influential parts in his baseball career, according to the infielder. He said his father, Erik Silva, pushes Silva to succeed through tough love.

“It’s my job to push my son to be the best he can be,” Erik Silva said. “We all love him and go to every game; we are his biggest fans.”

Silva said that through the support of his family, he has been able to continue to do what he loves, which is to play baseball.

“My family and friends are everything to me,” he said. “If I have a bad game, they’re the first ones to get on me and that’s why I love them.”

Through the continuous support from his family, teamwork and practice, Silva said he hopes to accomplish great things this season with the FIU baseball team.

“As a team we have one goal, and that’s making it to Omaha,” he said.