After two weekends of winning records to begin the season, the FIU softball program heads west to Fort Myers, to play five more games this weekend in the FGCU/Four Points Softball Invitational. The Panthers take on Wisconsin and Rutgers Friday morning, Boston College and Hofstra on Saturday afternoon and host FGCU on Sunday afternoon.
 
FIU is off to an 8-3 start on the season, tied for the most wins of any Conference USA program to date. Earlier this season, the Panthers logged a seven-game winning streak.
 
All time, the Panthers are 1-1 all-time against Boston College, 13-7 against the host Eagles, 1-0 all-time versus Hofstra, 2-4 against Rutgers and 5-4 against Wisconsin.
 
Sophomore Jackie Schoff (Bradenton, Florida / Lakewood Ranch HS) got a hit or scored a run or both in the Panthers' five games at the Aquafina Invitational last weekend, hosted by the University of Florida, as the team went 3-2.  Twice she recorded a three-hit game over the weekend, giving her four games with three-or-more hits. She was perfect in stolen bases, swiping five without being caught and walked in four of the five games. She has set a new personal best by reaching base in 16-straight games, going back to last season. She has scored a run in all but two FIU games this season (team is 0-2 when she does not cross home plate). For the season, Schoff leads the team (and conference) with 19 hits and 16 runs scored. Her .528 batting average is second in the league and .605 on-base percentage is third.
 
Sophomore pitcher Abby Summers (Weston, Missouri) appeared in three of five FIU games, grabbing a win and a save as the Panthers were in the midst of a seven-game win streak from week one to week two. She did not allow a hit in her first two outings, which included entering a 3-1 game against Big 10 opponent Maryland on Friday morning. She later tossed five shutout frames in an 8-0 win over Florida A&M on Saturday, striking out five and scattering four hits and three walks in the victory. Summers leads FIU with a 3-0 record and 1.34 ERA, adding that save. She has 16 strikeouts to eight walks in 15.2 innings overall, as opponents bat just .196 against her so far this season.
 
Live stats will be available for the week, with links posted at FIUSports.com. FIU will play in Orlando, at the Citrus Classic II next weekend.  
 

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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/.