A week of relaxation, fun in the sun and NCAA Tournament brackets getting busted all happened during Eastern’s spring break.

However, for Eastern’ spring sports, the athletes didn’t get a break from their schedules.

With teams scattered all across the country – softball and head coach Kim Schuette in San Jose, Calif., and Cookeville, Tenn., and baseball and both tennis squads traveling south – Eastern’s spring athletes were busy during the break.

Here are the top three individual Eastern performances from spring break.

1. Denee’ Menzione – Softball’s third baseman did her best power-hitter impersonation, hitting four home runs during the team’s trip to California. The freshman from Darien has made it clear she is the replacement for Rachel Karos at the hot corner. However, her power numbers didn’t translate into wins for Eastern. The Panthers compiled a 2-8 record during the break.

2. Natalie Martin – The sophomore from Canada, along with junior Sandra Sasidharan, are currently 12-0 in singles for the women’s tennis team. Martin, who did not play last year, is making up for it this season, with her stellar play at No. 2 singles. Martin won her two singles matches last week, and also won both her No. 1 doubles matches with partner Hayley Homburg.

3. Richie Derbak – Eastern’s starting second baseman is also making his mark on the mound for Panther baseball. The freshman from Lebanon is second on the team in hitting (.333) and has eight RBIs. He came up big in Eastern’s 7-5 win against the College of Charleston, recording an RBI and picking up his first career win. On the mound, Derbak is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA and one save.

Softball head coach Kim Schuette. (File photo/The Daily Eastern News)

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