Softball to Host Final Home Series of Season Against Charlotte

Florida Atlantic vs. Charlotte
Series Details	April 27-28 \| Boca Raton, Fla. \| FAU Softball Stadium
Series Coverage	Live Video: FAUsports.tv Radio: N/A Live Stats: Sidearm Stats Twitter: @fauowlssoftball Instagram: @owls_softball
Florida Atlantic Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule
Charlotte Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University softball team (18-26, 5-13 C-USA) will receive a visit from Charlotte (14-30, 5-12 C-USA) for an important Conference USA series this weekend. Senior Day festivities will start approximately 15 minutes before Saturday's doubleheader at 4 p.m., as the Owls will honor six graduating seniors. The Owls will close out the homestand against the 49ers on Sunday at 1 p.m. Live stats for each of the games will be available here, while live video is accessible here.

Game Notes:

FAU vs. Charlotte

Series History:
Series Record: 13-3 (FAU)
The first meeting between the 49ers and Owls took place on March 27, 1998. There was a 16-year hiatus before the two teams would meet again in 2014, this time as C-USA foes. The Owls have taken a hold of each of the five series played.

Last Time Out:
Last season when the series was played in Charlotte, the 49ers took control of the first game by a score of 4-3. The Owls were able to bounce back in the second game with a 12-0 shutout victory and would claim the series on Sunday with another shutout, 4-0 despite being outhit by the 49ers.

Eyeing Charlotte:
Charlotte finished tenth in C-USA to miss out on the C-USA Tournament with a 18-32 record (9-15 C-USA). The 49ers finished the 2018 season eighth in batting average (.271), ninth in ERA (3.68) and ninth in fielding percentage (.957) in C-USA. Kiersten Berrier is the leading returner at the plate after batting .296 with 47 hits and eight RBI during her junior campaign, while Carson Pace led the way in the circle after posting a 4.24 ERA with 22 strikeouts.

The 49ers were projected to finish 11th in the C-USA Preseason poll this season. Charlotte is 14-30 (5-12 C-USA), but is coming off a two-game sweep of FIU last weekend. Sophomore Katie Manring is heating it up at the plate for the 49ers, batting .344 with a league-leading 14 home runs. Bailey Vannoy (.333), Berrier (.318), Spenser Gray (.306) and Emma Ocker (.304) are also batting above .300, as the 49ers are ranked fourth in the conference in team batting average (.290). Pitching has been the achilleas heel for the 49ers, as Charlotte ranks 11th in C-USA in ERA with 6.21. Senior Lauren Riley is leading the way in the circle with a 5.55 ERA with 24 strikeouts.

FAU at UTEP Recap:
It was a tough road trip for the Owls in El Paso, Texas, as FAU was swept by the Miners for the first time in program history. In the first game, the Owls jumped out with a 3-1 lead, but eight runs scored off of six hits and three errors in the bottom of the fourth for UTEP was tough to rally back from. Despite a two-run home run hammered by Mia Olson in the fifth inning, the Owls dropped the contest, 9-5. In game two, the Owls had four errors and troubles finding a rhythm at the plate, which led to a shutout victory for UTEP, 8-0. The Owls were looking to avoid the sweep on Saturday, but a four-run inning for UTEP in the fourth frame ultimately led to a 6-4 loss for FAU.

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

Up Next:
The Owls will take the trek to Huntington, West Virginia to take on Marshall for the final C-USA series of the 2019 season next weekend. Listen to the call of the game on WMUL-FM 88.1.

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