Panthers’ infielder primed to boune back from injury

By Lisell Waterman/Staff Writer

 

After being injured last season and unable to play, infielder Eddie Silva found a silver lining in the experience.

“It allowed me to open my eyes, to not take things for granted,” said Silva. “It made me want to come out here with everything I have because you never know when the game can be taken from you.”

Due to an arm injury, the infielder was restricted to 13 games. Despite this Silva hit a home run and three RBI.

This season the third-baseman will be playing as a red-shirted junior.

“I don’t like to think of my stats while I play. Instead, I just play with everything I got,” said the red-shirt junior. “Whatever happens, happens.”

The infielder’s first-ever collegiate hit was a triple against Tennessee during his freshman year.

“That was amazing, my parents have it in a video,” said Silva. “I was not expecting it to be honest. It just hung up there; I thought he was going to catch it. I saw the outfielders dive for it and when they dropped it, I just kept running.”

His freshman year he had a batting average of .227 in a total of 45 games played with a slugging percentage of .311 with 119 at-bats and 5 doubles, one triple, one home run and 11 RBIs.

The infielder’s highest batting average is .293 in the season of his sophomore year with a total of 57 games played and a slugging percentage of .401 with 222 at-bats and 18 doubles, 2 home runs and 29 RBIs.

The third baseman’s sophomore year recorded a .354 on-base percentage, with a .960 fielding percentage.

“I set some goals up for my average and RBIs. I set these up, so I can get to where I need to go,” said the Silva. “To get the team where we need to be.”

Silva started playing baseball when he was four years-old and fell in love with the sport. Being great and making his family proud is why he inspires to do more.

“To see them smile after a game, it’s the best feeling,” said the infielder. “Being out here with these guys helps out a lot too.”

The team’s strongest feature are their arms, according to Silva.

“We’re young but we definitely have some guys that can throw,” said the senior.

Whenever the third-baseman needs to focus, he makes sure to take a breather and relax. He likes to keep his mind clear when he’s up at the plate, finding it easier to focus on the ball.

Even after his surgery, #28 continues to impress the crowd and those around him.

“I think Eddie Silva has gotten better since last year, not only as a baseball player but his mindset is a little different,” said Head Coach Mervyl Melendez. “Good evidence of that was this past weekend … He felt a little bit more comfortable with our philosophy; with the way, he needs to play the game. He saw good results.”

The FIU baseball team will play against Florida A&M on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m., at the FIU Baseball Stadium.