March 28, 2005

It's 44 games down, 24 to go for the FAU softball team in the 2005 regular season.

After opening their Atlantic Sun Conference schedule on Friday, things get really serious this week as the Owls (20-24, 1-1 A-Sun) begin a series of 12 games in eight days with a Tuesday doubleheader against UCF in Orlando. The Golden Knights are undoubtedly the Owls' main threat to their eight-year domination of the A-Sun and will be looking for revenge after being knocked out of the conference tournament by the Owls last season.

Thursday will see the Owls host Belmont in more A-Sun action and then on Friday the Owls leave for a five-day trip to North Carolina. Final Four-crazed Chapel Hill will be the first stop for the Owls as they compete in the Tar Heel Invitational on Saturday and Sunday. Other teams competing along with the Owls and the Tar Heels will be Lipscomb and Liberty.

Looking back on last week, the Owls split their two doubleheaders with Wisconsin and Lipscomb. Junior Jessica Sachs led FAU offensively on the week, going 6-for-14 with three RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases. Pitching-wise, sophomores Meghan Doonan and Ashley Greene continued their fine play of late.

Let's take a look at the Owls' opponents for this upcoming week (all records and statistics as of March 28, 2005):

UCF Golden Knights (28-18-1, 1-1 A-Sun) - Tuesday, March 29, 2005, 2 & 4 p.m. @ UCF Complex
To anyone who follows college softball, two words come to mind when you think of UCF softball: Stephanie Best. The senior shortstop is the two-time defending A-Sun Player-of-the-Year and has been selected in both of the recent drafts held by the two professional fastpitch organizations, the National Pro Fastpitch League and the Ladies Pro Fastpitch Association. Best is hitting .352 this season for the Golden Knights and leads the team in hits (45), runs (33), RBI (39), home runs (18) and slugging percentage (.813). UCF has upset victories over Washington and Georgia Tech this season and opened their A-Sun schedule just as the Owls did with a split against Lipscomb.
All-time series: FAU leads 9-2.
Last meeting: FAU won 1-0 in the A-Sun Tournament championship game on 5/15/04.

Belmont Bruins (8-14, 0-0 A-Sun) - Thursday, March 31, 2005, 6 & 8 p.m. @ FAU Field
The Bruins head to Boca Raton on Thursday to open their 2005 A-Sun campaign. Heading into Tuesday's visit to Tennessee State, the Bruins have lost eight of 12 after winning three of their first five games this season. Erin Mullen leads the way offensively for Belmont. The sophomore outfielder, who was named to the A-Sun All-Freshmen team in 2004, is hitting .391 with four homers, eight doubles and 17 RBI. She has almost twice as many bases (47) as any other Bruin and is slugging. 734. The Bruins pitching staff, with their 5.03 ERA and .309 opponent's batting average, is the main reason why they have lost 14 games this season.
All-time series: FAU leads 6-0.
Last meeting: FAU won 8-1 on 3/26/04.

Lipscomb Bisons (14-13, 2-2 A-Sun) - Saturday, April 2, 2005, 2 p.m @ Tar Heel Invitational
On Saturday, for the second time in nine days, the Bisons and the Owls will face off in Chapel Hill. The two teams split their A-Sun doubleheader on Friday of last week with FAU taking game one 6-0 and Lipscomb winning game two 1-0. Junior right-hander Sara Meek is working on back-to-back complete-game shutouts, while Leigh Little is hitting a solid .382 on the year.
All-time series: Tied at 2-2.
Last meeting: Lipscomb won 1-0 on 3/15/05.

North Carolina Tar Heels (20-14, 2-4 ACC) - Saturday, April 3, 2005, 7 p.m. @ Tar Heel Invitational
The Owls will look to take their win streak over UNC to five when the two teams meet Saturday at the Tar Heel Invitational. Sophomore Marissa May (.348) leads the team in average while two of the Heels' three starters have ERAs under 2.00. Heading into Tuesday's doubleheader with South Carolina, UNC is only 7-12 in the month of March, although their schedule during that span has included games against ranked teams Georgia Tech, California, Michigan, Fresno State and Florida State.
All-time series: FAU leads 7-2.
Last meeting: FAU won 1-0 on 3/6/04.

Liberty Flames (9-15, 1-1 Big South) - Sunday, April 4, 2005, 11:30 a.m. @ Tar Heel Invitational
Coach Paul Wetmore returns six starters from a team that went a miserable 19-44 in 2004. Things look up for Wetland however as two freshmen lead the Flames in hitting this season. Jessica Moore leads the team with a superb .486 average, 10 home runs and 24 RBI, while fellow youngster Shannon McKain is second with a .316 average, three homers and 17 RBI. Pitching may still be an issue with both starters ERAs above 3.00.
All-time series: FAU leads 2-1.
Last meeting: Liberty won 3-1 on 3/22/03.

Live statistics will be available for selected games at wwww.fausports.com.