Softball to Commence 25th season at First Pitch Classic

Friday, February 8

Boca Raton, Fla.

6 PM

Florida Atlantic

No. 6/7 Georgia

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2/7/2019 1:06:00 PM | Softball

Tournament Central

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University softball team will kick off the 2019 season this weekend as the host of the annual FAU "First Pitch" Classic. FAU will be playing in five games over the span of three days at FAU Softball Stadium. There will be five other schools participating in the tournament: Georgia, St. John's, Virginia, Indiana and Bethune-Cookman. The Owls will face No. 6 Georgia for the home-opener on Friday at 6 p.m., followed by playing St. John's at 8:15 p.m. Live stats for all of the games can be found hereand live video for FAU games can be accessed here.

There will be many familiar faces in the FAU dugout, as the team returns six starters from its Conference USA regular season championship-winning squad. The Owls welcome nine newcomers, with several of them looking to make an immediate impact on the field. FAU is projected to finish second in the conference after receiving three first-place votes, which put the team behind Louisiana Tech, who racked up nine first-place nods by the C-USA coaches.

Preview of Positions
Pitchers:
Pitching is the biggest question mark going into the 2019 season. The Owls have lost the arm of Tatum Buckley, who went 16-11 last season and recorded a 2.25 ERA, 122 strikeouts and 19 complete games. Buckley was also named C-USA Second Team as a pitcher last season and was a three-time NFCA All-Region selection. Senior Mia Olson, who was named to the C-USA Preseason Team as a pitcher, will be leading the way in the circle. Olson captured a 9-7 record last season, while recording a 2.64 ERA, 69 strikeouts and six complete games over 140.2 innings pitched.

The Owls also have returner Kelsey Morrison (19 appearances, 4.67 ERA and 19 strikeouts) as well as sophomores Kara Lokeinsky and Sloan Hammons who both saw time in the circle during their first-year campaigns. Skylar Whitty, a 6-4 freshman from Callahan, Florida, could see a lot of time on the pitching mound in her inaugural season with the Owls. FAU also has Abigail Morgan, a 6-0 freshman from Monticello, Florida, who can pitch and play first base.

Catchers:
Catching is also a question mark going into the program's 25th season. The Owls lost Alex Miller, who accounted for majority of the starts behind the plate during her four years as an Owl. Miller batted .268 and recorded 41 hits, 10 RBI and a .989 fielding percentage. Kaitlyn Burke will look to take over as the starting catcher. Burke acquired some experience at catcher last season when substituting for Miller and logged a .238 batting average in conference play. The Owls have returner Christina Deibel and freshmen Angela Agurkis and Danielle Pasquarello, who will all be available for catching duties as well.

Infielders:
The infield will look quite different this season without four-year starting shortstop Emily Lochten, who led the team in almost every offensive category each of her four seasons as an Owl. At FAU, Lochten was a four-time C-USA selection (three First Team and one Second Team selection), a member of the C-USA All-Freshman Team and a two-time NFCA All-South Region selection. Lochten will be replaced by senior Samantha Lageyre, who has been accustomed to moving around to different positions on the team. Lageyre brought the fire to the plate toward the end of last season, recording a hit in 10 of the team's last 11 games and earning a spot on the C-USA All-Tournament Team after hitting .429 over the weekend.

Senior Lauren Whitt will be the starting first baseman after committing just one error last season (.997 fielding percentage) and Carolyn Rosa is projected to be the starting second baseman after spending most of last season entering games as a pinch runner. Jolie Duffner will round out the infield at third base after batting .305 in conference play. The team also brings in freshmen infielders Maya Amm, Tyler Colby and Myah Murray, who will be available off the bench.

Outfielders:
The outfield is another experienced unit going into the 2019 season. Madisyn Palmer, who will stay in center field, was a C-USA Preseason Team selection and a C-USA First-Team selection last season after batting .387 and accumulating 72 hits, 25 RBI and 48 stolen bases. Palmer needs just 14 more stolen bases during her senior campaign to become the all-time leader in school history. Joining Palmer will be Fayth Davis in right field, who missed the 2018 season due to injury. Left field could be shared by junior Sami Williams and freshman Ashleigh Jennings, who will be battling for the starting job. Danielle Bieberle, an Indian River State transfer, will also be an available option in the outfield.

Spectators may purchase a tournament for $20/pass. The pass allows all fans to attend each of the 15 games over the weekend for the flat rate. When purchasing a tournament pass, there is an option to pick it up at will call or receive the tickets through email. To purchase a tournament pass, visit the Ticketmaster page or call 1-866-FAU-OWLS.