Softball Begins Home Conference Play Against UAB

Florida Atlantic vs. UAB
Game Details	March 23-24 \| Boca Raton, Fla. \| FAU Softball Stadium
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
UAB Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University softball team (14-13) will return to FAU Softball Stadium this weekend for the second week of Conference USA play against UAB (9-18). FAU will face the Blazers on Saturday for a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. and cap off the series on Sunday at noon. Live stats for all of the games will be available here and live video can be accessed at cusa.tv.

Game Notes:

FAU vs. UAB

Series History:
Series Record: 4-2 (FAU)
These teams met for the first time on March 15, 2014, which coincided with FAU's first season in C-USA. The Owls lost the first meeting in Birmingham, 4-3, and would later lose the series, 2-1. FAU has had the advantage in the last three meetings though, which have each taken place at the C-USA Tournament. The Owls have outscored the Blazers 22-4 in the last three matchups.

Last Time Out:
The Owls saw the Blazers at the 2018 C-USA Tournament semifinals and with FAU's 5-1 victory, the Owls advanced to the championship title game. Mia Olson hammered two home runs in the game and picked up her ninth win in the circle with a complete game five-hitter.

Eyeing UAB:
The Blazers posted a 26-32-1 record (15-8-1 in conference) in 2018 and finished the regular season in second behind FAU's 12th conference championship. UAB was the second seed in the C-USA tournament and lost in the first round to Middle Tennessee, 11-6. The Blazers bounced back against Louisiana Tech with a 4-3 win, but fell to FAU 5-1 to be eliminated from the tournament. UAB is currently 9-18 (0-6 in conference) and has dropped nine out of the last 10 games. The Blazers have gotten non-conference wins against opponents, such as Samford (6-1), Furman (11-4) and Louisiana Monroe (12-11), but are coming off the past two weekends having been swept by C-USA opponents UTSA and Louisiana Tech. UAB is leading the league in batting average with .305, but is toward the bottom in ERA with 5.35. Freshman Faith Hegh leads the team in batting average and is second overall in C-USA, batting .411 with 30 hits. Sarah Cespedes is the leader in the circle, posting a 4.48 ERA with 31 strikeouts in her first collegiate season. Natalie Erwin (IF) was also an All-Conference Preseason Team selection, and is batting .339 with 21 hits, seven RBI and three home runs.

FAU at Southern Miss:
The Owls started Conference USA play with a series win over Southern Miss to keep their series winning streak alive against the Golden Eagles. After last weekend, FAU has never lost any of its four series against Southern Miss. In game one, the Owls ran away with the 3-1 victory thanks to a two-run home run by Olson and outstanding pitching by Kelsey Morrison and Olson, who made her first career save. The Owls clinched the series after a 5-3 come-from-behind win in game two, where Skylar Whitty captured her fourth win in the circle. On Sunday, the Owls were unable to capture the sweep after being held to two hits, which were both delivered by Jolie Duffner, who broke Abby Trahan's no-hitter. The Owls fell 2-0, but still posted the series win and a 14-13 record going into week two of conference play.

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

Up Next:
FAU will be back on the road for a three-game series at WKU. The Owls will commence the series with a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. and will close out play on Sunday at 2 p.m. Live stats can be accessed here and the live stream can be viewed here. The Owls will return home the weekend of April 6 to take on in-state foe FIU for a three-game series. For ticket information, visit the Ticketmaster page or call 1-866-FAU-OWLS.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jolie Duffner

Kelsey Morrison

Mia Olson

Skylar Whitty

Upcoming Events

Florida Atlantic University Athletics