IRVING, Texas (January 18, 2018) – Following its record-breaking 46-win season, FIU landed
Shannon Saile (Land O'Lakes, Florida / Land O'Lakes HS) as the 2018 Conference USA Preseason Pitcher of the Year, while she and rising junior
Jackie Schoff (Bradenton, Florida / Lakewood Ranch HS) landed on the Preseason All-Conference Team.
Defending tournament champion Louisiana Tech was picked to finish first by the league's head coaches, with FIU a close second, despite having more first-place votes than the Lady Techsters.
Saile is a year removed from Conference USA Freshman of the Year, First-Team All-C-USA and All-Freshman recognition. In her 31 starts in 2017, the newcomer topped league arms with a 1.51 ERA, a .151 opponent batting average, 3.49 hits allowed per game, four saves, and 8.1 strikeouts per seven innings. Her eight shutouts, the most among the country's freshman, tied the conference lead, while her 240 strikeouts were good for second, tying the school's single-season record.
Schoff, who was the first FIU outfielder to land on the Conference USA First-Team, led team and tied for second in C-USA with 53 runs scored, finishing second in the league in runs scored per game (1.04), ending up 15th in the country in that category (one of 17 players in the nation to average more than a run scored per game played). She led FIU with a .439 batting average, third-best in Conference USA and eighth-best in the NCAA. Her .503 on-base percentage was second on the team, fourth in the league and 40th in the country. Schoff racked up 72 hits to lead FIU, the fourth player in program history to eclipse 70 hits in a season, fourth-most in C-USA and 54th in the nation.
FIU set the school record for wins (46), win percentage (.754) and fewest losses (15) in a season en route to its third Postseason appearance.
The 2018 Conference USA Softball Championship will be hosted by Charlotte from May 9-12 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The championship's eight-team field will include the top three teams (by winning percentage) in the East Division standings and top three squads in the West Division standings, as well as two Wild Card teams from either division.
FIU will host the FIU Classic to start the 2018 campaign, starting with a game against St. John's at 1:30 p.m. on February 9.
2018 Preseason All-Conference Team
Pitcher: Shannon Saile, FIU, So.
Pitcher: Haley Wiseman, Charlotte, Sr.
Pitcher: Krystal De La Cruz, Louisiana Tech, Jr.
Catcher: *Taylor McCord, Marshall, Sr.
Catcher: *Alex Miller, Florida Atlantic, Sr.
Catcher: Marilyn Rizzato, Louisiana Tech, So.
Infielder: Haley Pace, Charlotte, Sr.
Infielder: *Emily Lochten, Florida Atlantic, Sr.
Infielder: Elicia D'Orazio, Marshall, Sr.
Infielder: Cortney Smith, UTEP, Jr.
Infielder: Grace Beatty, Charlotte, Sr.
Outfielder: *Precious Birdsong, Middle Tennessee, Sr.
Outfielder: Jackie Schoff, FIU, Jr.
Outfielder: Madisyn Palmer, Florida Atlantic, Jr.
Outfielder: Morgan Turkoly, Louisiana Tech, Jr.
DP/Utility: Lacy Gregory, North Texas, So.
*Repeat Selections
*Repeat Selections
2018 Preseason Player of the Year
Emily Lochten, Florida Atlantic, Sr.
2018 Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Shannon Saile, FIU, So.
Preseason Poll (First-Place Votes)
1. Louisiana Tech (4)
2. FIU (7)
3. Florida Atlantic
4. Charlotte
5. Marshall
6. UAB
7. WKU
8. North Texas
9. Southern Miss
10. UTSA
11. Middle Tennessee
12. UTEP
For softball ticket information, contact the FIU Ticket Office at 305-FIU-GAME or log onto
www.FIUSports.com.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUSoftball) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSoftball) for all the latest FIU softball news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Google+ (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
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