MIAMI – The FIU softball team travels to Alabama this weekend to take on UAB in a three-game Conference USA series beginning on Friday, March 24 at 6 p.m. ET.
 
The Panthers and Blazers are slated to conclude the series with single games on Saturday, March 25 (2 p.m.) and Sunday, March 26 (1 p.m.). 
 
This weekend marks the second of four road Conference USA series for the Panthers in 2023 – after traveling to Charlotte during the opening weekend of conference action.
 
All three games of the FIU-UAB series will be broadcast live on Conference USA TV. 
 
Links for all three games as well as live stat links for the weekend are below.
 
C-USA TV LIVE STREAM LINKS
Friday, March 24 – Game 1 – 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 25 – Game 2 – 2 p.m.
Sunday, March 26 – Game 3 – 1 p.m.
 
LIVE STAT LINK (ALL THREE GAMES)
FIU at UAB – Live Stats (Password: uabblazers)
 
PANTHERS HEAD TO BIRMINGHAM FOR THREE-GAME SET
FIU (15-15, 2-4) head to Birmingham this weekend for a critical Conference USA series at UAB beginning Friday evening at 6 p.m.
 
The Panthers and Blazers will also play single games on Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).
 
SCOUTING UAB
The Blazers (13-16, 2-4) enter this weekend's action having dropped three of their last four games overall.  UAB dropped a 12-0 (5 inning) decision at Alabama on Wednesday in its most recent action, which followed losing two of three games last weekend to Middle Tennessee State.
 
The Blazers are hitting .259 overall as a team – which ranks eighth among Conference USA leaders.
 
UAB has a 3.39 team earned run average - which sits sixth among league leaders.  Opponents are hitting .287 against Blazer pitching this season.
 
ELLA WHITNEY BREAKS FIU RECORD FOR CONSECUTIVE HITS
FIU freshman Ella Whitney put together a FIU record consecutive hit streak that spanned eight at bats after she went a perfect 4-for-4 in back-to-back games at Charlotte (3/11) and vs. Louisiana Tech (3/17).
 
The eight consecutive hits shattered previous the FIU program record of six consecutive at bats with a hit, which had been accomplished five times previously by four different players – most recently in 2005 by Tabitha Embry and Brook Ruiz.
 
CONSECUTIVE HITS
Ella Whitney (2023)                  8
Tabitha Embry (2005)               6
Brook Ruiz (2005)                      6
Stephanie Wolter (2003)         6
Crystal Boyer (2000)                 6
Stephani Wolter (2000)            6
 
PANTHERS HEATING UP AT THE PLATE
Entering this weekend's action vs. UAB, the Panthers boast a team batting average of .283 – which is the fourth-best total in Conference USA.
 
The Panthers have recorded double-digit hit totals in a total of 10 games through the first 30 this season – including three of the last six overall.
 
The Panthers finished with 13 hits in their 9-2 victory over Kansas City on Feb. 10 – at the time their highest total in the last 64 games. 
 
FIU bested that effort with 14 knocks in its 10-2 win over Oakland on Feb. 25 – its highest total in a 77-game stretch.
 
The Panthers also posted 13 knocks against Louisiana Tech on March 17.
 
SWIPING BAGS
FIU's improved team speed has been evident during the non-conference season as the Panthers currently rank second in Conference USA and No. 30 nationally in stolen bases per game with an average of 2.03 per contest.
 
The Panthers have stolen a total of 61 bases through the opening 30 games of the season and have only been caught nine times. 
 
FIU recently had a stretch snapped which saw it steal 20 consecutive bases without being thrown out on Friday, March 10 vs. Charlotte.
 
Sophomore Ashton Lansdell ranks ninth nationally and first in Conference USA with 21 steals – she has only been thrown out once this season. 
 
Freshman Makayla Navarro ranks 44th nationally and fifth among conference leaders with 16 swipes on 17 attempts.
 
Eleven different players have stolen at least one base for the Panthers this season.
 
Overall, FIU has posted at least one stolen base in 24 of 30 games this season – including 12 of the last 14 overall.
 
The Panthers have posted multiple steals in a total of 18 contests this season.
 
FIU swiped a season-high six bases twice this season – vs. Kansas City (Feb. 10) and Holy Cross (March 7).
 
DON'T RUN
FIU freshman catcher Isabella Perez has already established herself as a problem for opposing baserunners – she is currently ranked No. 4 in the nation for most runners caught stealing with 11.
 
The backstop opened her collegiate career by tossing out five of the first six baserunners who attempted to steal against her.
 
Entering this weekend's action, Perez has tossed out 11-of-21 would-be base stealers.
 
BIRLING TOSSES COMPLETE-GAME SHUTOUT VS. LA TECH
Junior pitcher Sydney Birling posted her first complete-game shutout as a Panther to lead the FIU softball team to a 1-0 victory over Louisiana Tech in the second game of a three-game conference series on March 18.
 
Birling (3-4) limited the Lady Techsters to five hits and no runs over the full seven innings.  She walked two.
 
ELLA WHITNEY HAS A DAY VS. CHARLOTTE
Freshman Ella Whitney posted a season-best four hits in the Panthers' come-from-behind victory over Charlotte on March 11.
 
Whitney also tabbed three RBI in the win, including gave the Panthers an early 1-0 lead with a run-scoring single in the second and the final run of the contest with a single that scored Carmen Perez to make it 5-3.
 
ISABELLA PEREZ SWINGING A HOT STICK
Freshman catcher Isabella Perez has been a key run producer for the Panthers with 14 RBI over the last 13 games. 
 
Perez has tabbed at least one RBI in seven of the last 13 games overall and has posted multiple RBI in six of those contests.
 
FRESHMAN MEGAN KRUGER TOSSES FIRST NO-HITTER SINCE 2016
Freshman Megan Kruger tossed the first no hitter for the FIU softball team since the 2016 season as the Panthers rolled to an 8-0 victory in five innings over Stonehill College on March 3.
 
Kruger's no hitter was the first for FIU since March 5, 2016 when Megan Kuglemann pulled it off vs. Florida A&M – a span of 329 games.
 
OPENING WITH LEADOFF JACKS
Sophomore Ashton Lansdell opened games in back-to-back days with leadoff home runs at The Spring Games on Feb. 25 and 26.  She currently leads the Panthers with five homers – which also ranks fourth among C-USA leaders and 57^th nationally.
 
Lansdell led off the Panthers' 10-2 win over Oakland (Feb. 25) with a shot over the left field wall, before replicating the effort the following afternoon to open the game vs. Siena (Feb. 26).
 
WHAT IS BACK/NEW FOR FIU
The Panthers features a total of 11 newcomers on this season's roster, including eight freshmen.  FIU returns 10 letterwinners from the 2022 squad and lost a total of 16 players.
 
UP NEXT
FIU is back on its home diamond next weekend as it battles UTSA in a three-game set at Felsberg Field in Miami beginning on Friday, March 31 at 6 p.m. ET.
 
All three games of the FIU-UTSA series will be aired live on Conference USA TV.
 
TICKETS
For more information on FIU Softball season and individual tickets, including student ticketing, call 305-FIU-GAME or visit the FIU Athletics Online Ticket Office.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (@FIUSoftball), Twitter (@FIUSoftball), and Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSoftball) for all the latest FIU Softball news.