THREE TEAM RACE FOR THE TOP
Entering the final weekend of conference play, three teams are vying for the No. 1 seed for The American Softball Championship that will take play May 8-11 in Wichita, Kansas. Florida Atlantic and Charlotte both sit at 18-6, but the 49ers will take on third place North Texas, who hold a 17-7 record entering the final weekend of play. The two teams will play in Charlotte, while Florida Atlantic will host fourth place Tulsa.
JACKSON LEADS THE NATION
East Carolina’s Emma Jackson enters the final weekend of regular season with an NCAA leading 23 doubles hit on the season. She is averaging .45 doubles per game – also the top mark in the NCAA this season. As a team, East Carolina is ranked 8th in the country with 84 doubles on the season.
MIDDLE OF THE STANDINGS VYING FOR SEEDING
While the top three teams will battle it out for No. 1-3 seeds and the bottom two seeds are set, five teams will battle for seeds 4-8. Tulsa, Wichita State, East Carolina, UAB and South Florida are all competing for the middle seeds. East Carolina and UAB will take each other on in an important series as both teams sit at 12-12 in conference play this season. The two teams will play in Greenville.
BARBER SITS ‘EM DOWN
Wichita State’s Chloe Barber continues to be a force in the circle for the Shockers. For a second time in three games, Barber struck out 14 batters in a game. She enters the weekend second in the nation in strikeouts per inning at 10.8.
AMERICAN IN THE RPI
The American features three team in the Top 50 of the NCAA RPI rankings as of May 2, while one other is sits just outside. Charlotte currently leads The American in the RPI at 28, followed by Florida Atlantic (40), Wichita State (49) and South Florida (51). Tulsa (60), North Texas (73) and East Carolina (81) are all in the Top 100 in the RPI rankings.
FRIDAY, MAY 3
UAB at East Carolina* (ESPN+)_______________________ 5 p.m.
North Texas at Charlotte* (ESPN+)___________________ 6 p.m.
Tulsa at Florida Atlantic* (ESPN+)____________________ 6 p.m.
Memphis at Wichita State* (ESPN+)__________________ 7 p.m.
South Florida at UTSA* (ESPN+)______________________ 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 4
North Texas at Charlotte* (ESPN+)___________________ 1 p.m.
UAB at East Carolina* (ESPN+)_______________________ 2 p.m.
Tulsa at Florida Atlantic* (ESPN+)____________________ 2 p.m.
South Florida at UTSA* (ESPN+)______________________ 2 p.m.
Memphis at Wichita State* (ESPN+)__________________ 7 p.m.
SUNDAY, MAY 5
Tulsa at Florida Atlantic* (ESPN+)____________________ 12 p.m.
UAB at East Carolina* (ESPN+)_______________________ 12 p.m.
North Texas at Charlotte* (ESPN+)___________________ 12 p.m.
South Florida at UTSA* (ESPN+)______________________ 2 p.m.
Memphis at Wichita State* (ESPN+)__________________ 5 p.m.
All times ET and subject to change
* American Athletic Conference
