Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Week Off Greets Owls Before Stretch Run
4/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 25, 2006
BOCA RATON, FL - Winners of nine of its last 10 games, the Florida Atlantic University softball team now has firmly in its grasp a berth into the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships.
The reward for the Owls? A one-week reprieve from the playing field before facing North Florida in the final conference doubleheader of the year on Monday, May 1 at 6:00 p.m. at FAU Softball Stadium.
The goals now in their focus? The A-Sun regular season title and the no. 1 seed for the tournament.
The ultimate prize? Florida Atlantic's ninth A-Sun tournament title and seventh berth into the NCAA Softball Championships.
The quest for the top seed in the tournament became a little easier over the weekend but still is an upward battle for Florida Atlantic. The Owls (26-22, 13-5 A-Sun) recorded three wins in four conference outings last week, while Stetson (12-4 A-Sun) went 4-2 in conference play and was shocked on Sunday in a sweep by East Tennessee State (4-10 A-Sun), a team that FAU swept by a combined score of 20-3 just 12 days ago.
Florida Atlantic and Stetson, along with Campbell (12-8) and Mercer (10-6), have already earned invites to the tournament. While one loss separates the Owls from the Hatters, Florida Atlantic needs to make up two games in order to earn the no. 1 seed.
FAU dropped two one-run games in DeLand on April 8, giving Stetson the advantage in the tiebreaker. Those two losses, along with Mercer's split with the Hatters, also put the Owls at a disadvantage in the battle for the no. 2 seed with the Bears.
The Owls are preparing for the stretch run by playing some of their best ball of the year. Among the recent accomplishments for Florida Atlantic was a no-hitter thrown by freshman Kathryn Stauffer (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) against Mercer on April 22 and a come-from-behind 7-6 win in 11 innings at Jacksonville on April 23.
FAU is batting .341 as a team in the last 10 games and more than doubled its opponents for hits and runs during that stretch. In addition, opponents are batting just .197 and scoring less than three runs per game over that period.
Florida Atlantic will close the regular season on May 3 at home with Florida International. With just three games in the next 16 days leading up to the A-Sun tournament, every game will be important as the Owls build momentum towards a final Atlantic Sun title.
Tickets for the A-Sun Softball Championships are now on sale. Fans can call 1-866-FAU-OWLS for tickets and more information.