MIAMI (March 7, 2014) – In its inaugural season as a member of Conference USA, the FIU softball team (14-6, 0-0 C-USA), opens its first league series this weekend, hosting the Charlotte 49ers for a three-game set. The Panthers and 49ers will square off in a double-header on Saturday, with first pitch times scheduled for 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The final game of the series will be at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Keeping up with the Panthers
This weekend's game will be webcasted through FIUsports.com. Fans can click
HERE to access the link or select 'live events' under the on demand tab of the website. Live stats will be available at first-pitch, and fans can also keep up-to-date with the action by following @FIUSoftball on Twitter.
Panthers in the C-USA Rankings
FIU is having a strong showing in its first season in C-USA. In the rankings, junior
Krystal Garcia is tied for fourth in home runs with four, while freshman
Stephanie Texeira is third in on-base percentage (.535) and fourth in batting average (.439). Leading the way for the Panthers is sophomore
Corinne Jenkins, whose eight wins places her atop the conference with East Carolina's Sarah Christian. Jenkins is off to the best start for an FIU pitcher in over a decade, with her 6-0 start being the first time an FIU pitcher has started the season 6-0 in as long. Also cracking the top four is senior
Bre Kaye, who is a perfect 8-for-8 in stolen bases.
Little League Day
On all Saturday's during conference play, the FIU softball team will be hosting Little League Day. During the four home-series in March and April, a local little league team will have the chance to run onto the field with the Panthers during pre-game introductions and the National Anthem. This weekend, FIU welcomes Weston Explosion to the FIU Softball Stadium. Players will also be available for postgame autographs directly outside the main stadium gate.
Felsburg Field Dedication
Before Sunday's series-finale, the field at the newly renovated softball stadium will be dedicated in the memory of Michael Felsberg, a former student-athlete at FIU who was a long-time supporter of the softball program, as well as a member of the cross country and track and field teams. He graduated in 2003 with a 3.94 GPA and also accumulated three Male Athletic Spirit Awards in 2001, 2002 and 2003. The day after his college graduation in 2003, Felsberg was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the USMC. He died at the age of 27 during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Scouting Charlotte (8-8, 0-0 C-USA)
Following a mid-week game against Western Carolina, reigning C-USA hitter of the Week Jessica Plemmons and the 49ers come to Miami losers of their last two games. Charlotte is led by Jackie Kleinsmith, whose .429 batting average is good for fifth in the league, two spots below Texeira. She and teammate Samantha Slades are tied for third in C-USA in RBI with 19 apiece, while Lexi Betancourt's seven wins puts her in the top three for C-USA, too.
Series History
This will be the first game in series history for FIU and Charlotte.
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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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 Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium.
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer 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 is worlds ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission and enrolls nearly 48,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. More than 140,000 alumni live and work in South Florida. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
