By: Robbie Lastella
FAU Softball (41-14) is set to play in their first regional matchup since 2016, on Friday at 2:30 pm EST against South Alabama (32-18-1) from Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on the campus of the University of Florida.
The Owls are coming in off a tough defeat against Wichita State, one in which many thought would have ended their season, but now they are in as an at-large bid behind 41 wins, an RPI of 41, and a series win over Charlotte. With that, they are ready to make some noise with an extended opportunity as the underdog and that is something Owls pitcher Trinity Schlotterbeck mentioned the team is looking forward to.
“I think now we are the underdog, we were not favored to win, we were the lucky team to get into the regional, now we go out with something to prove instead of being that number one seed who has to fear the loss or the one who has something that gets taken away from them, now we get to go take it from somebody else,” Schlotterbeck said.
South Alabama comes in off a loss as well, losing 4-3 to Texas State in the Sun Belt conference championship semi-finals, however also earning an at-large bid behind five Top 25 wins, four road wins over SEC opponents, and an RPI of 31.
This game could potentially feature a pitching duel as Olivia Lackie will most likely to take the circle for South Alabama, coming in with a 23-8 record, 1.42 ERA, over 226.2 IP, but is coming off a loss in a conference finals matchup where she pitched 7.1 innings, gave up 7 hits, allowed 4 ER, walked 5 and struck out 6. She was her dominating self at times, but the TXST bats were consistent and battled all game until they broke through late. What makes Lackie so difficult usually, is the fact she’s normally so effective no matter how deep into the game it is, according to Justin McLeod, associate editor for D1 Softball.
“She’s a workhorse and overpowering pitcher. She has good velocity and good movement, and she doesn’t lose any of that in the late innings. It was a 14 inning game she threw against Louisiana Monroe in conference play earlier this year and she threw every pitch, and she’s effective no matter how deep into the game she is, she also works really well in pressure moments, like a regional. Lackey went into 3 different SEC stadiums this season and beat the SEC team, I’m not gonna say she’s unflappable, but she’s close to it,” McLeod said.
For FAU, it will most likely be Trinity Schlotterbeck toeing the circle and she will also be looking to bounce back from a tough outing against Wichita State, a game in which she was unable to make it past the 2nd inning, allowing 4ER and walking 3. She’s been a pillar of consistency normally on the year for FAU, nodding a 2.66 ERA on the year, pitching to an 18-8 record over 137IP. It was an uncharacteristic performance for Schlotterbeck, and going forward according to her its not something she will dwell on, rather grow from.
“I think you just take it as any other game, any other loss, its just a learning experience. You just grow from it, take what you can and go out there and give 100% like we usually do,”- Schlotterbeck said.
This game is going to come down to which team is going to be able to break through offensively, and the Owls ability to grind out at bats, eventually finding a way on base through any means necessary is going to be critical for the Owls in this one, as Lackie has only allowed 20 XBH all year, so if the Owls can hit patiently it may help them find success. Although Lackie may allow some base hits and get in some jams, it’s not normal for her, so for FAU to beat her, it’s going to require them to beat her on her merits, according to McLeod.
“FAU, to beat somebody like Lackie is going to have to beat her on the merits, they’re going to have to just prepare and hit her, there’s not something with Lackie to exploit, it’s not oh if you wear her down, it’s not oh get on base and make her make mistakes, that might happen but that’s not a regular part of her MO, they are going to have to time up the right pitches, have the right game plan, things like that, it is possible, it is do-able, but it’s a tough test to start off the postseason,” McLeod said.
The Owls left 7 RISP against Wichita State and in this upcoming matchup, combining patient hitting with the ability to come through in the clutch, would be huge factors to help them make a dent against the Jaguars ace. AAC Rookie of the year Kiley Channell went 1 for 3 and drove in a run against Wichita State, and while a big game from her at the plate would go a long way, a team effort of consistency could be what wears Lackie down.
For FAU, their last regional matchup in 2016 ended in unfortunate fashion, going 1-2 in their regional, losing to UCF in games 1 & 3 and beating Alabama State in game 2, but not advancing to the next round. The Owls will be looking to start this regional off on the right foot Friday afternoon with a victory over South Alabama, the game will air on ESPN+.