MIAMI (Feb. 12, 2015) – After opening its season on the road for the first time since 2001, the FIU softball team (4-2) returns home to host the FIU Invitational this weekend, which will feature four teams, including Purdue, Memphis and LIU Brooklyn. First pitch for the Panthers is tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. versus Memphis, while a 7 p.m. meeting with Purdue will close out the first day of the tournament. A complete tournament schedule can be found here.
 
Stay Connected
For those unable to attend this weekend's tournament, FIUsports.com will be streaming FIU's games on both Friday and Sunday. Games on Saturday will not be streamed, but fans are encouraged to follow along on Twitter or Gametracker.
 
Stream: Click here
Livestats: Gametracker and StatBroadcast
Twitter: Click here
 
Catching Up
The Panthers opened their season on the road for the first time since 2001, taking place in the inaugural Sand Dollar Classic, hosted by the city of Gulf Shores, Ala. The 12-team tournament featured teams from across the country, including the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide. FIU went 4-2 in its opening week of action.
 
FIU posted wins against Houston (7-1), Lamar (4-3), Eastern Kentucky (4-1) and Houston Baptist (7-0) during the tournament. The Panthers dropped a late-inning affair with the McNeese State Cowgirls (4-3) and fell to No. 3 Alabama, 11-2, in five innings.
 
Sophomore Stephanie Texeira led the way for the Panthers in terms of run production over the weekend, posting a tournament-high 12 RBI to go along with two home runs. In all, she batted .600 with five of her nine hits going for extra bases.
 
Junior Corinne Jenkins went a perfect 4-0 over the weekend, collecting 21 strikeouts in 24.1 innings of work. It's the second-straight season she has finished opening weekend without a blemish to her record.
 
B1G Success
Last year, the Panthers had significant success against the Big Ten, as FIU went 4-1 against current B1G member schools, including a 3-1 win over then-No. 19 Minnesota. The Panthers will play a pair this weekend versus Purdue.
 
Hitting for Volume
FIU is the only school in Conference USA's 12-member league to have multiple players rank in the top five for hitting. Miami natives Ashley Leon and Stephanie Texeira each find themselves in the league's top five for hits so far this season. Leon is tied for No. 1 spot in C-USA with 10 hits, while Texeira's nine ranks fifth.
 
Just One, Not Two
Junior Corinne Jenkins needs one more win to have 35 career victories with the Panthers, which will move the Sarasota, Fla., native into a three-way tie for fifth place in program history for wins in a career.
 
Fast as Lightening Leon
FIU needed to replace its speed after losing Bre Kaye following the 2014 season. Sophomore and Auburn transfer Ashley Leon has filled that void and then some. Through six games, she already has four stolen bases, including a straight steal of home, something that was not done once for the Panthers in 2014.
 
A Few Numbers to Consider
02 - On two occasions this season, slugger Stephanie Texeira has blasted a first inning home run. In her first at bat of the season, she belted a two-run home run versus the Houston Cougars. Two games later, she also hit a first at bat home run against the McNeese State Cowgirls.
 
03 - The FIU softball program is three wins away from reaching 550 wins over the team's 18-year history. With six games to be played this weekend at the FIU Invitational, the Panthers have their eyes on eclipsing 550 this weekend.
 
28- Stephanie Texeira has reached base safely in 28-straight games, dating back to last season.
 
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)
 
#####
 
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/.