Softball to Play Stetson, Host 13th Annual Strike Out Cancer Tournament

Florida Atlantic vs. Stetson/@ Strike Out Cancer Tournament
Game Details	Feb. 23-24 \| Boca Raton, Fla. \| FAU Softball Stadium \| Tournament Central
Game Coverage	Live Video: FAUsports.tv Radio: N/A Live Stats: Sidearm Stats Twitter: @fauowlssoftball Instagram: @owls_softball
Florida Atlantic Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule
Stetson Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule
Florida Gulf Coast Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule
UConn Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University softball team (3-7) will play Stetson in a doubleheader on Friday and round out the weekend at FAU Softball Stadium to host the 13th annual Strike Out Cancer Tournament. First pitch for FAU's matchup against Stetson (2-5) is at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. in Clermont, Florida. UConn and Florida Gulf Coast will be in Boca Raton for the tournament. Live stats for the games can be found here and live video for the tournament games can be accessed here.

Game Schedule:

Day	Time	Opponent	Live Stats	Video/TV
Friday, Feb. 22	2 p.m.	Stetson	Stats	N/A
	4 p.m.	Stetson	Stats	N/A
Saturday, Feb. 23	2 p.m.	Florida Gulf Coast	Stats	Video
	4:30 p.m.	UConn	Stats	Video
Sunday, Feb. 24	1 p.m.	UConn	Stats	Video

Game Notes

Stetson, Strike Out Cancer Tournament Game Notes

Eyeing the Competition:
Stetson (Friday at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.)
All-time series: 34-16
Former conference foe Stetson softball is led by longtime head coach Frank Griffin, who in his 22 previous seasons has directed the Hatters to two A-Sun championships (2007, 2014) and NCAA Regional Appearances and captured the A-Sun Coach of the Year title in 2001. The Hatters finished 26-25 last season, losing to Lipscomb in their second game in the conference tournament. Stetson returns Ashly Smith, who led the team in batting average last season (.385) and Tori Perkins, who lead the way in ERA (2.90). The Hatters welcome seven newcomers and are projected to finish eighth in the conference. The last time the Owls and the Hatters squared off was in May 2008 and resulted in a 5-2 loss for FAU in Deland, Florida.

Florida Gulf Coast (Saturday at 2 p.m.)
All-time series: 6-4
Head coach David Deiros was the founding father of FGCU softball and has guided the Eagles to a 612-314-3 record in his 16 previous seasons. The Eagles finished 39-17 (12-6 in conference) last season and had its season come to an end following a 6-3 loss in 10 innings to USC Upstate in the 2018 ASUN Championship. FGCU was projected to finish second in the Preseason All-Conference Poll and Riley Randolph (P) and Racquel Fournet (IF) were named to the preseason team. The Eagles received votes in the first USA Today/NFCA top 25 poll but fell off after starting the season 5-4. In the last matchup against these two teams on April 11, 2018, FAU won the first game of the doubleheader, 5-4, but fell in the second game, 4-1, at FAU Softball Stadium.

UConn (Saturday at 4:30 p.m., Sunday at 1 p.m.)
All-time series: 7-2
UConn is led by fifth-year head coach Jen McIntyre. The Huskies finished 20-35 (5-16 in conference) last season and eighth in the conference. UConn is led by returners, such as Briana Marcelino (.276 batting average, 12 RBI) and Jill Stockley (10-14, 2.40 ERA). The Huskies are projected to finish eighth in the conference again this season and the last time they matchup with the Owls resulted in a 5-0 win for FAU at home in February 2017.

FAU at St. Pete/Clearwater Invitational Recap:
Each of the Owls' five opponents over the weekend were ranked in the USA Today/NCFA and ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate top 25 polls. On Friday, the Owls failed to register a hit against No. 3 Oklahoma, ultimately falling to the Sooners, 4-0. In the next game, FAU's troubles at the plate continued, falling to the Longhorns, 5-1. On Saturday, FAU did not register a hit against No. 19/22 Oregon to take the 2-0 loss. Mia Olson would hit the first homerun for the Owls in the 2019 season in the next game against No. 23/25 James Madison, but that was all the Owls could manage against the Dukes, falling 6-1. The Owls registered 11 hits against No. 1/2 Florida State on the final day of the invite, but costly errors in the seventh inning made a comeback harder to come by, ultimately losing to the Seminoles, 10-5. Although the Owls dropped all five games on the weekend, they witnessed some of the toughest competition they will face all season.

Social Media:
For live updates during each game and for other FAU softball news, follow along on Twitter (@fauowlssoftball), Instagram (@Owls_softball) and Facebook.

Up Next:

FAU travel to the University of North Carolina for the Carolina Classic next weekend. The Owls will be back the weekend of March 8 to host the Parent's Weekend Tournament. A tournament pass may be purchased for $20, which will allow fans to attend all of the games at the tournament. Fans have the option of receiving tickets through email or will-call. To purchase a tournament pass, visit the Ticketmaster page or call 1-866-FAU-OWLS.

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