Softball to Face Reigning C-USA Tournament Champions Middle Tennessee

Florida Atlantic vs. Middle Tennessee
Game Details	April 13-14 \| 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
Middle Tennessee Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University softball team (17-21, 4-8 C-USA) will receive a visit from Middle Tennessee (23-17, 7-4 C-USA) for a three-game series. FAU will commence the series on Saturday for a 4 p.m. doubleheader and will cap off play on Sunday with a 1 p.m. matchup. Live stats from each of the games can be found here and live video will be accessible here.

Game Notes:
Week 10 FAU vs. Middle Tennessee

Series History:
Series Record: 30-9 (FAU)
The Owls and Blue Raiders squared off for the first time on March 24, 2000 at the Georgia Tech "Buzz" Classic, which resulted in a 2-1 victory for FAU. These two teams would start playing regular series when FAU joined the Sun Belt in 2007, with the Owls taking a hold of the inaugural series, two-games-to-one. The Owls had a 12-game winning streak over the Blue Raiders from 2013 to 2017. Besides 2012, these two teams have faced off in a yearly conference series since 2007.

Last Time Out:
Middle Tennessee had FAU's number last season at the 2018 C-USA Tournament. In their first meeting in Charlotte, the Blue Raiders sailed away with a 7-5 victory. FAU bounced back after the loss, as both teams would square off again in the championship game. Although FAU was the C-USA regular-season champion, Middle Tennessee would clinch the C-USA Tournament Championship and an automatic NCAA regional bid by a score of 7-6.

Eyeing Middle Tennessee:
The Blue Raiders are coming off a historical season as the 2018 C-USA Tournament champion with a 39-22 (11-11 C-USA) record, which was a feat they previously had not achieved in 17 years. Returners Summer Burgess and Lexi Cushing clinched spots on the C-USA Second Team, while Amber Baldwin was an All-Freshman Team choice. The defending tournament champs are 23-17 (7-4 C-USA) and are coming off a split series with UAB, as their Sunday game was cancelled. In the beginning of the season, Middle Tennessee clinched quality non-conference wins over Grand Canyon (7-5), Iowa (8-6) and South Florida (2-1). Burgess is the leader of the offense, batting .348 with 49 hits, 11 RBI and four doubles. Sydney Heath (.337) and Claire Smith (.315) are also hitting above .300. Lexi Cushing also leads the team with 11 home runs, which is tied for the most in C-USA. Baldwin has picked up where she left off from her freshman season, posting a 2.85 ERA with 43 strikeouts, while freshman Kailey Ahlstrom has a 2.84 ERA and 56 Ks.

FAU vs. FIU Recap:
The Owls went 1-2 against the Panthers this past weekend. FAU took game one by a score of 5-2. The game was knotted up until the bottom of the sixth inning when Madisyn Palmer delivered a clutch two-run single. The Owls kept the momentum going in the second game by going up 5-0, but blew the hefty lead, dropping the game, 11-9. The game was tied 6-6 going into the top of the seventh, but FIU scored five runs in the frame and the Owls needed to march across more than three runs to keep the game going. With the series on the line on Sunday, the Owls were unable to score any runs until the seventh inning. The Panthers took the game, 5-2, despite a late rally by the Owls.

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

Up Next
FAU will be making a trip to UTEP for a three-game series next weekend. The Owls will be back in town on April 27 to face Charlotte for Senior Day in a 4/6 p.m. doubleheader. To purchase tickets, visit the Ticketmaster page or call 1-866-FAU-OWLS.

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