MIAMI (March 11, 2016) -- The FIU Softball team will begin Conference USA play this weekend at Felsburg Field at the FIU Softball Stadium, hosting the Charlotte 49ers. The series will commence Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. and concludes Sunday at 12 p.m.

The Panthers, with a 14-10 record, started the week with a 7-3 win against East Carolina, followed by consecutive losses against No. 20/23 Notre Dame. Charlotte enters this weekend at 16-4, winning its last three games. The 49ers are receiving votes in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll.

FIU took two of three from Charlotte to conclude the 2015 regular season. The Panthers outscored the 49ers 20-8 in the three-game series in the Queen City in the first weekend of May.

FIU currently leads Conference USA with a .329 batting average, which ranks 31^st nationally, as of Thursday's NCAA statistics report. Senior Ashley Leon (Miami, Florida / Auburn University) holds the number two spot overall in C-USA with a .444 batting average. Leading the team in hits (32), Leon recorded a third of the hits (5) in two of the last three games played by the Panthers.

Freshman lead-off hitter Jackie Schoff (Bradenton, Florida / Lakewood Ranch HS) leads the team in with nine stolen bases and 21 runs scored. She recorded two steals during the three mid-week competitions, also registering four runs. The rookie left fielder recorded her first collegiate home run this week against the Fighting Irish Wednesday.

Freshman pitcher Megan Kugelmann (Merritt Island, Florida / Cocoa Beach HS) was named Conference USA Co-Pitcher of the Week for the second straight week and is ranked fifth in hits allowed per seven innings (3.14) in the NCAA.

For the visitors, the 49ers sit 16^th nationally in earned run average (1.93) for the season to date. Charlotte pitcher Haley Wiseman is tied for second nationally with four shutouts and is 22^nd in the NCAA with 9.4 strikeouts per seven innings. She has punched out 66 batters in just 49.1 innings pitched this season. The 49ers won their first 11 games of the year and defeated No. 16 Kentucky to aid in their seven votes in the coaches poll.
 
Following this series, the Panthers will conclude the six-game home stand by hosting Rutgers on Tuesday for a doubleheader starting at 5 p.m. FIU will play its first road Conference USA series at Western Kentucky next Saturday and Sunday.

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/.