Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Owls Softball Ready to Open Season
2/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 7, 2006
BOCA RATON, FL - With men's basketball coach Matt Doherty scheduled to throw out the first pitch on the 2006 season, the Florida Atlantic softball team will open its 12th season of play with the 2006 FAU Worth Invitational this weekend. The tournament is the first of five that the Owls will host during the regular season.
The Owls welcome Purdue, South Carolina, Pittsburgh, East Carolina and 2005 NCAA Super Regional qualifier Bethune-Cookman to FAU Stadium. The action starts Friday at 9 a.m. between Purdue and South Carolina.
FAU is scheduled to throw its first pitch Friday evening at 6 p.m. against BCC and battles ECU in the day's final game. Six more games will be played on Saturday, with championship play starting on Sunday at 9 a.m.
Friday, February 10th
9:00 am Purdue (L) vs South Carolina (D)
11:00 am South Carolina (D) vs Pittsburgh (N)
1:00 pm Pittsburgh (N) vs Purdue (L)
4:00 pm Bethune-Cookman (D) vs East Carolina (D)
6:00 pm Florida Atlantic (L) vs Bethune Cookman (D)
8:00 pm East Carolina (D) vs Florida Atlantic (L)
Saturday, February 11th
9:00 am Bethune-Cookman (L) vs Purdue (D)
11:00 am Purdue (D) vs East Carolina (L)
1:00 pm East Carolina (L) vs Pittsburgh (D)
4:00 pm South Carolina (L) vs Bethune-Cookman (L)
6:00 pm Pittsburgh (D) vs Florida Atlantic (N)
8:00 pm Florida Atlantic (N) vs South Carolina (L)
Sunday, February 12th
9:00 am 5 vs 6
11:00 am 3 vs 4
1:00 pm 1 vs 2
A DECADE OF DOMINANCE
Not 2005 National Champion Michigan. Not perennial SEC powerhouse LSU. Not Oklahoma, Notre Dame or Florida State. Not even 11-time WCWS winner UCLA can stake claim to this kind of success: the success that results in eight consecutive conference championships.
Florida Atlantic's softball program experienced that success during its first decade of NCAA competition. From 1997 to 2004, FAU claimed every Atlantic Sun softball championship, a record - regardless of sport - when compared to all sports sponsored by the conference. That run included the Owls making six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, also an A-Sun record.
The cornerstone for such success was established in 1994, when FAU hired Joan Joyce to build the university's newest athletic program. Besides Joyce, few knew that the 1995 season could be the groundwork for the most dominant program in the history of the A-Sun. Now, 11 years later, the accomplishments of FAU softball are nothing short of staggering.
Going back to the 2000 season, the Owls rank among the top 10 in the nation with 302 wins in six seasons, an average of 50 wins per year. Only perennial national powers like Arizona, Alabama and California have better win totals during that time. In addition, out of a potential 193 teams, FAU was one of just 17 to make the NCAA Tournament every year from 1999 to 2004.
In 11 seasons FAU has never had a losing record. The team has compiled 510 wins against just 248 losses, a winning percentage of .673. Three times in the past six years FAU has won 56 games or more. The first of those came in 2000, when the Owls posted a 57-17 record.
In 2002 FAU put together its best season ever with 62 wins. That total was tops in the nation. FAU was ranked as high as no. 10 nationally and was one of eight no. 1 seeds in NCAA Regional play that year.
In 2004 FAU went 56-18 and won its eighth A-Sun title. That win total was the third best in team history. FAU was the top seed heading into the conference championships for the sixth straight season. But winning the regular-season crown did not come easy, as it took one of the most dramatic nights in FAU history to do so.
That came on May 5, 2004, as the Owls hosted UCF in the final regular-season doubleheader of the year. FAU trailed the Golden Knights by one game and needed a sweep to preserve their streak of regular-season titles. In the first game FAU defeated UCF, 1-0, in 11 innings behind a 20-strikeout, no-hit performance by Candice Freel, the eventual A-Sun Pitcher of the Year. The Owls then came back to take game two, 1-0, and claim the no. 1 seed heading into the conference tournament.
The following week FAU hosted the A-Sun Championships and, for the first time since 1996, was defeated in the second round of the double-elimination tournament. That meant FAU would need three straight victories to keep its championship streak alive. Showing the heart of a true champion, the Owls defeated Troy and took a pair of games from UCF to capture the title and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
FAU's dominance in the A-Sun Championships began in 1997, when it swept all four games for its first tournament title. The Owls duplicated that feat the next four years. In all, FAU posted 23 consecutive wins at the A-Sun Championships from 1997 through the final day of the 2002 tournament. Overall, in 11 seasons FAU has posted a 184-50 record in A-Sun regular-season and postseason games, a winning percentage of .786.
A NEW ERA BEGINS
In 2005 FAU entered its second decade in the A-Sun and fell short of its quest to extend both streaks. After opening the tournament with two wins, the Owls, the no. 2 seed with a 14-6 mark in the regular season, suffered defeats at the hands of no. 1 seed Troy and in extra innings to eventual champion UCF.
FAU's 37-32 record last season was reflective of possibly the toughest schedule in the nation. The Owls opened 7-18 while battling the likes of Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia Tech and Michigan. On the season FAU played 24 games against 16 teams that qualified for the 2005 NCAA Tournament and recorded victories over Wisconsin, Massachusetts and UCF. The schedule spoke volumes about FAU's reputation nationally, as nine of those 16 teams made trips to Boca Raton to face the Owls.
This season FAU is poised to make one final run at the A-Sun title before moving to the Sun Belt Conference in 2007. The Owls have the talent to not only be a conference power this season but to again be one of the nation's elite programs.
Pursuit of postseason glory begins in the circle with junior Meghan Doonan (Wallingford, Conn.). The rightie (15-14, 2.30 ERA) led the Owls in wins, appearances (34), starts (28), complete games (17), innings pitched (191.2) and strikeouts (183) in 2005. She was named to the A-Sun All-Tournament team and allowed opponents to bat just .233 against her on the season. In conference play opponents hit just .192 against Doonan, thanks in part to her 73 strikeouts in 67.0 A-Sun innings.
Senior Danielle Arriaga (Miami, Fla.) will lead the Owls' attack offensively and defensively. A .282 batter in 2005, Arriaga finished second on the team with 115 assists. The shortstop earned Second-Team All-Conference honors for her performance, which included team highs for RBIs (13) and assists (48) in conference games.
Also among the key returnees is Arriaga's classmate Jessica Sachs (Chestnut Ridge, N.Y.), who started all 69 games in 2005. As a junior, Sachs led the team with 38 runs, seven stolen bases and 141 assists and finished second in hits with 61. She earned All-Tournament honors from the A-Sun for her six-hit, 12-assist performance and scored a team-high 12 runs in conference regular-season play.
The Owls are looking for greater contributions from some underclassmen, beginning with junior Jenna Lopez (Orangeburg, N.Y.). After starting 65 games in her freshman year, Lopez showed improvement statistically across the board with 39 hits, 25 runs and 14 RBIs in 68 starts as a sophomore. The speedster's six triples were tops on the team and placed her among the leaders in the NCAA; her five stolen bases were second-best on the team.
Sophomore Lauren Crandall (DeLand, Fla.) will be back following an A-Sun All-Freshman performance in which she contributed 18 runs, seven doubles and 19 RBIs. Joining Crandall will be classmate Melissa Moore (Miami, Fla.), who led the team with 14 sacrifice bunts. Moore did not commit a single error in 10 conference starts in the FAU infield.
Also looking to have an impact among the second-year players is Charlotte Baird (Hendersonville, Tenn.), who made 50 starts at catcher as a freshman and committed just four errors. Other returnees include junior Marlene Lopez (Orangeburg, N.Y.), junior pitcher Tara Grady (Prescott, Ariz.) and junior Maggie Banks (Savannah, Grand Cayman).
The talent pool among newcomers is strong as well. Seven freshmen and four juniors will challenge the 10 returnees for playing time. All 21 players will have the opportunity to contribute as the Owls make the run at a final A-Sun title in 2006.
