Tournament Preview: The No. 3 University of North Georgia softball team will hit the road again as they travel down to the USSSA Space Coast Complex to participate in the Florida Tech Invitational this weekend.
Rankings: UNG is ranked No. 3 in the latest NFCA top 25 poll, announced Wednesday. Also ranked in the Southeast Region is No. 11 Carson-Newman and No. 18 Young Harris, while Newberry and Lenoir-Rhyne are each receiving votes
Nighthawks on the Web: Links for the weekend that are available can be found on the UNG softball team's schedule page at UNGAthletics.com. Fans can also follow the action through Twitter by following the softball team (@UNGSoftball).
Last Week: The Nighthawks went 3-0 in The Cottrell Foundation Loyal Blue Classic last week in a rain-shortened tournament.
Opponents: North Georgia will play Barry on Friday; Palm Beach Atlantic and No. 14 Florida Tech on Saturday; and Lynn and Converse on Sunday.
PBC Team Stats: Laken Chambers (0.30) and Kylee Smith (0.53) have the two lowest ERAs in the PBC while Abbie Crawford (2.42) is ninth in the league. Smith is tied for the league lead in wins (6) and is second in the PBC in strikeouts (59). The Nighthawk pitching staff leads the league in ERA (1.11), strikeouts (107) and earned runs allowed (16). North Georgia's offense currently sits in the middle of the pack in all the major offensive categories.
Scouting the Opponents: Barry is 7-7 on the year and are coming off of a three-game series of Palm Beach Atlantic in Sunshine State Conference action. The Buccaneers have a win over the current No. 1 team in the nation, Angelo State, back in the first week of the season. Palm Beach Atlantic is 5-7 after their three-game set with Barry in SSC action. The Sailfish defeated then-No. 2 Southern Arkansas in the second week of the season, 6-3, at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. Florida Tech is currently ranked No. 14 in the nation after winning the NFCA Leadoff Classic. They are 10-2 on the year and are coming off of a three-game sweep of Lynn in SSC action. Lynn is 9-6 on the season after being swept by the Panthers and splitting a doubleheader with Ave Maria earlier this week. The Fighting Knights won seven in a row prior to facing Florida Tech. Converse is 3-9 on the year coming into the tournament. The Valkyries were swept by Anderson in two five-inning games most recently
