MIAMI (February 8, 2017) -- With the days ticking down to the start of the 2017 season. FIU softball is putting the final touches on preparations before hosting the 2017 Felsberg Invitational Tournament this weekend.
 
The Panthers are coming off a 29-27 season, finishing with a level 12-12 mark in Conference USA. The Panthers outscored opponents by 54 total runs, and outpaced opponents by 28 runs in the second innings of games last year, lending to many early leads in games. FIU graduated an outfielder, starting pitcher and catcher, but nine new players, including three with junior college experience, allow the Panthers to reload heading into the season.
 
The infield will have stalwarts Ashley Leon and Stephanie Texeira on the right side, at second and first, respectively, so a new everyday shortstop and third baseman have to be found on the roster to solidify the defense on the infield. Sophomore Jackie Schoff will likely move from left to center in the outfield, and two open spots will be hotly contested as Head Coach Gator Rebhan tries to fill out his offensive and defensive lineup.
 
Texeira was named to the USA Softball Top 50 "Watch List" for the 2017 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award on February 1. A three-time All-Conference USA selection, Texeira was the third player in program history to be named First-Team All-South Region by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and has been on the Second-Team All-Conference USA honoree in all three seasons as a Panther. She has also appeared on the Preseason All-Conference Team three-straight seasons.
 
Poised to become the program's all-time career home run leader, Texeira is also second in program history in runs batted in and walks, while fourth in doubles and eighth in runs scored by a Panther with one year to go in her career.
 
Catching will be all new players in 2017, but the Panthers have brought in a pair of transfers, Julia Gilbert and Kassandra Castle to compete for playing time behind the plate this year. Both are excellent hitters, so the one that does not catch may still appear in the lineup as the designated player.
 
"We got some strong hitters, and more speed," said FIU Head Coach Gator Rebhan. "The defense is way ahead of what we were last year. At this point, I think overall the attitude, work ethic, athletic ability and athleticism are very good. That's promising."
 
Pitching will be the youngest position on the field, with a freshman, two sophomores and a junior taking care of the duties from within the circle. Returning are Megan Kugelmann and Abby Summers, fresh off of outstanding freshmen campaigns, but newcomer Shannon Saile appears to be a factor and could get a number of innings this season. Coach Rebhan favors the hot hand, and the competition between these three, along with veteran Rachel Dwyer, could be intense for competition for the innings.
 
"I think the pitching staff is going to be very strong," said Rebhan. "They are way ahead of our batters right now and before, it was never like that."
 
Kugelmann won seven games and threw two no-hitters for the Panthers last year, while leading the team with a 2.08 earned run average. Summers won a team-best 12 games last season. Dwyer posted a 2.67 ERA last year, with two wins in 13 appearances with the Panthers in 2016.
 
The schedule includes six teams that earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament last season. FIU hosts tournaments in the first and fifth weekends, with tournament weekends inside the state of Florida in between. The Panthers' four conference weekends will include hosting weekend series in the last two weeks of the regular season before the Conference USA Championship, at Southern Miss.
 
FIU is home to open the season Friday and Saturday at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. before Sunday games at 1 and 3 p.m. A full tournament preview will be announced ahead of the action in Miami later in the week.

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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports, and is a proud member of Conference USA. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and the FIU Football Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.