MIAMI (March 16, 2015) – Fresh off a series win at Middle Tennessee over the weekend, the FIU softball team (18-11, 3-3 C-USA) takes a pause from its Conference USA slate to play a pair on Tuesday night against the UMass Lowell Riverhawks. First pitch from Felsberg Field at FIU Softball Stadium is slated for 5 p.m.
 
Stay Connected
For those unable to attend Tuesday's double header, FIUsports.com will be streaming both games, pending weather, in addition to providing live stats.
 
Stream: Click here
Livestats: Gametracker and StatBroadcast
Twitter: Click here
 
Last Time Out
The Panthers had another eventful weekend, with the weather again playing a factor on FIU's scheduled double header. With a double header scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon, FIU and Middle Tennessee were able to salvage just one of the two slated for the day, with first pitch not getting underway until 10:37 p.m. ET.
 
An 8-0, five inning blanking opened the Panthers' league slate on the road, with sophomore Gabby Spallone solidifying the Panthers' offense, matching her career single-game record of two doubles, which accounted for three RBI. In all, she had a perfect night at the plate (3-for-3). Sophomore Ashley Leon also grabbed two hits in three attempts. Despite scoring three runs, sophomore Stephanie Texeira never tallied an official at bat, as the slugger was walked all three times she stepped in the box.
 
 Junior Corinne Jenkins hurled two more wins over the weekend, upping her total to 11, the second highest figure in the league. Following her shutout on Saturday night, she pitched the rubber match and was able to pick up timely outs to keep FIU's victory in tact despite not recording a single strikeout during the game. Freshman Ashley Belans picked up another multi-hit game on Sunday, while Leon drove in two RBI for her first-career multi-RBI game.
 
Texeira walked seven times during the weekend, as pitchers are becoming reluctant to pitch to her. On one of four legitimate chances to make contact, she blasted her team-leading seventh round-tripper.
 
Tex vs. the Nation
Stephanie Texeira finds herself in the nation's top 10 in three different categories, highlighted by her No. 4 ranking in on-base percentage (.667), which is also first in Conference USA, in addition to having the 17^th-best batting average in all of NCAA Div. I softball (.517), which is good for third in the league. She finds herself ranked seventh in walks, averaging just over one walk-per-game, the second most in her conference.
 
 
Walk This Way
With opposing pitchers unable to tame the bat of Texeira, the only solution as of late has been to walk the sophomore first baseman. In the month of March alone, she has been walked two-or-more times in seven of the team's last eight games. Three times in this time frame she has three walks in as many plate appearances. Michigan State intentionally put her on two-straight times on March 1, while it has been a free pass in 17 of her last 26 plate appearances.
 
Three of a Kind
Gator Rebhan had a long and successful career as the founder of the Miami Stingrays organization before being appointed FIU's fourth head softball coach. With several Stingrays players on the Panthers' current roster, three of them (Stephanie Texeira, Gabby Spallone and Dominique Grossman) have already belted at least one home run through FIU's first 29 games. Of the 15 home runs the Panthers have hit this season, 66 percent of them have come from the bats of proud Stringray alumnae.
 
Some Numbers to Consider
07 – With her home run on Sunday, Stephanie Texeira further solidified her name in the Panthers' record book, as she is currently tied for seventh all-time in program history with 18 home runs. Just five bombs separate her from a top three spot.
 
11 – Junior hurler Corinne Jenkins' team-leading 11 victories this season makes her the the 25^th-winningest pitcher in Div. I softball currently, as she trails just Jordan Dixon for the league lead in wins, as well.
 
56 – Aleima Lopez is having a standout season behind the plate, having already tossed out nine runners this season. In addition, she's no easy out at the plate, as the junior is the fifth-toughest out in the league, which is good for 56^th nationally.
 
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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/.