Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Owls Draw Florida in Gainesville Regional
5/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 14, 2006
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Destination Oklahoma City starts in Gainesville for the Florida Atlantic University softball team.
On the road to the Sooner State and the 2006 Women's College World Series, the Owls' journey begins in the Sunshine State, facing the University of Florida (42-23) in the first round of the NCAA Softball Championships. Florida Atlantic is designated the unofficial no. 4 seed for the Gainesville Regional, as the hosts were the last team to be seeded nationally, receiving the no. 16 seed overall and thus the top seed for the regional.
"We are very excited to be going to the Gainesville Regional," stated head coach Joan Joyce. "This weekend's play will be very competitive, as it may possibly be the most balanced regional of the 16. We don't have the likes of a UCLA, and we are going in with a lot of confidence after winning the Atlantic Sun title on Saturday."
Joining the Owls and the Gators will be the USF Bulls (47-23) and the University of North Carolina (48-17), who make up the rest of the four-team double-elimination bracket. Florida Atlantic has already faced the Tar Heels and UF earlier this season, during a time when the Owls were struggling physically and mentally.
"We were a different team when we last played North Carolina and Florida," interjected Joyce. "We were battling a lot of injuries and still had a lot of players, especially the freshmen, learning the game at the college level. As we have gotten healthy and matured this season, our play has drastically improved. Our players are really ready to face this challenge."
Florida Atlantic played first-round foe UF on Feb. 24 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., falling by a count of 9-1 in five innings. The Gators scored seven runs in the first inning of that game before freshman pitcher Kathryn Stauffer (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) came in and threw 3 2/3 innings of relief and allowed just two more runs while striking out five.
Stauffer struck out five more in a complete game against North Carolina on March 18, as the Owls fell by a count of 2-1 in the Parents' Weekend Tournament at FAU Softball Stadium. First Team All-ACC pitcher Crystal Cox struck out 15 batters for UNC, with the teams battling to a 1-1 tie into the fifth inning.
"This is a great starting point in the tournament for us," noted Joyce. "The location and opponents help to take away fears of the unknown. Our fans and parents will be able to easily travel to support us, and since we have already played Florida, UNC and teams of a similar caliber, our players will know what to expect when we step onto the field."
Overall, Florida Atlantic played eight teams this season that qualified for the NCAA championships, going 4-6 in 10 games. The Owls hold victories over qualifiers Missouri State, Auburn and Massachusetts (twice).
Play in the Gainesville Regional starts on Friday with the USF-UNC game at 2:30 p.m. and the FAU-UF contest at 5:00. The regional champion moves on to face the winner of the Los Angeles Regional, which features no. 1 UCLA.
All of FAU's games at the Gainesville Regional can heard via streaming audio on www.fausports.com.
Gainesville Regional Schedule
Friday, May 19
Game 1, 2:30 p.m. - USF (47-23) vs. North Carolina (48-17)
Game 2, 5:00 p.m. - Florida Atlantic (33-23) vs. Florida (42-23)
Saturday, May 20
Game 3, 12:00 noon - Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
Game 4, 2:30 p.m. - Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2
Game 5, 5:00 p.m. - Winner of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 3
Sunday, May 21
Game 6, 12:00 noon - Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 3
Game 7, 2:30 p.m. - Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 3 (if necessary)
