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Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Softball Receives No. 1 Seed
5/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 12, 2002
BOCA RATON, FL - One day removed from its sixth consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament championship, the Florida Atlantic University softball team learned Sunday evening it will be one of just eight number one seeds as the NCAA Division I Softball Tournament gets underway this Thursday. FAU (60-11) will face Chattanooga in an opening round game in Tallahassee, FL.
The Lady Owls are part of a six-team regional being hosted by Florida State. The no. 1 seed is the highest enjoyed by FAU. Its previous high was a no. 3 seed last year at the same regional hosted by FSU.
Other teams at the regional include no. 2 Alabama, no. 3 FSU, no. 4 Auburn, and no. 5 Georgia Tech. The site is one of eight across the nation that field a total of 48 teams. The winners of the double-elimination regionals will advance to the Women's College World Series May 23-27 in Oklahoma City, OK.
The 2002 season has been the most successful to date for Florida Atlantic, which began its softball program in 1995. The team's 60 wins are three more than the previous team record of 57 set in 2000. The team has also been ranked as high as no. 10 in the national poll four times this season.
FAU has been led by senior Nikki Myers, who owns a 35-6 record this season with a 0.63 ERA. Freshmen Candice Freel is 25-5 with a 1.12 ERA. At the plate, Myers leads the team with a .374 batting average. Heather Wright and Ninya Ybarra have also hit .368 and .305, respectively.
"It's an honor for the national committee to look at us and think we deserve a number-one seed," said FAU head coach Joan Joyce. "We're in pretty strong company in being considered one of the top eight teams in the nation."
FAU's match-up with Chattanooga (42-13) will be the fifth in the all-time series with both teams winning two games. Coincidentally, former Lady Owl Chris Sutcliffe is now an assistant coach with the Lady Mocs. Sutcliffe completed a standout four-year career last season as she ranks near the top in nearly all of FAU's pitching categories.
The FAU-Chattanooga game will begin at 12:30pm Thursday. Alabama will face Georgia Tech at 3:00pm with FSU taking on Auburn at 5:30pm. The remaining game on the first day will be at 8:00pm and will feature the loser of the FAU-Chattanooga game versus the loser of the Alabama-Georgia Tech game.
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