JACKSONVILLE, ALA. — The FIU softball team (24-9, 7-2 CUSA) will look to continue its strong season on Friday night at 7 p.m. in the opener of a three-game series against Jacksonville State (21-12, 4-5 CUSA) at Jana McGinnis Field.

All three games will be aired on ESPN+.

The Panthers, winners of 17 of their past 19 games overall, enter this weekend having won three-consecutive weekends to open Conference USA play, which is something the program hasn't done since joining the league in 2014. 

On top of that, FIU produced its first conference series sweep since May 2023 against Kennesaw State two weeks ago.

With their 3-2 series-clinching win over New Mexico State this past Sunday, FIU captured its 11th come-from-behind victory on the season, and it was the sixth time the Panthers have scored the game-winning run in the sixth  inning or later.

Strong pitching has helped contribute to FIU's strong start. This past weekend, Megan Kruger (5-1) twirled her fourth complete game of the season to clinch the series, and she has a 3.69 ERA on the season.

Kennedy Byrd (10-5), who was named the CUSA Pitcher of the Week on March 17, became just the fourth Panther to pitch a solo, seven-inning no-hit shutout in FIU's 7-0 win over Kennesaw State on March 16. She has a 3.23 ERA with 10 complete games on the season.

In addition to those two, Brooke McNichols is 7-3 with a 2.29 ERA on the season, and Caity Patterson is 2-0 over 18 innings of work.

Clutch offensive plays have also highlighted the team's winning ways, including Paige Miller's game-tying, two-run single with two outs in the sixth inning against New Mexico State on March 23, Bailey Grossenbacher's two-run, game-winning home run in the sixth inning on March 21 against New Mexico State, and a walk-off home run from Janelle Martinez in the eighth inning of a 6-5 win over Middle Tennessee on March 9. The blast from Martinez followed a two-out, game-tying home run from Grossenbacher in the bottom of the seventh.

FIU NATIONAL LEADERS (TOP 50)
Team
Stolen bases - 8th, 86 (1st in CUSA)
Stolen bases per game - 9th, 2.61 (1st in CUSA)
W/L percentage - 39th, .727 (2nd in CUSA)
Shutouts - 47th, 6 (4th in CUSA)

Kennedy Byrd
Innings pitched - 10th, 108.1 (2nd in CUSA)
Complete games - 19th, 10 (1st in CUSA)
Shutouts - 23rd, 3 (3rd in CUSA)
Wins - 37th, 10 (3rd in CUSA)

Kally Meredith
Total stolen bases - 4th, 28 (1st in CUSA)
Stolen base percentage - 7th, .966 (1st in CUSA)
Stolen bases per game - 7th, .85 (1st in CUSA)

Collier Peaden
Total stolen bases - 47th, 15 (3rd in CUSA)

OPPONENT OUTLOOK
Jacksonville State, which defeated Samford 9-0 in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday, is 21-12 overall and 4-5 in conference play, and three of those losses have come to nationally-ranked, CUSA-best Liberty (28-6, 8-0). 

The Gamecocks are hitting .288 as a team, which includes three regulars batting over .300 - Emma Elrod (.391, 35 runs, nine doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 20 RBIs), Morgan Nowakowski (.356, 16 runs, five doubles, one triple, one home run, 23 RBIs) and Kailey Martin (.320, 17 runs, five doubles, nine home runs, 35 RBIs). Martin and Elrod have combined for 17 of the team's 27 home runs. 

In the circle, Jacksonville State features a four-pitcher attack, led by Jordan Eslinger, who is 4-2 with a 1.79 ERA and 17 strikeouts. Kat Carter leads the team in appearances and features a 7-3 record, a 2.21 ERA and 61 strikeouts over 69.2 innings. Jaliyah Holmes is second on the team in strikeouts with 54.

UP NEXT
FIU, which sits in second place in the CUSA standings behind Liberty, will conclude this weekend's action against Jacksonville State with matchups on Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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