The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Softball Travels to Charlotte for Conference USA Set
4/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
UAB Blazers (26-14, 10-4 C-USA) at Charlotte 49ers (21-20, 7-8 C-USA)
Saturday, April 18 | 2 p.m. CT | Fox Sports: Regional Coverage
Saturday, April 18 | 4:30 p.m. CT
Sunday, April 19 | 11 a.m. CT
Charlotte, N.C. | D.L. Phillips Complex
Coverage: Live Video | Live Stats | Twitter | Game Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB softball team will continue its 2015 Conference USA slate with a trip to Charlotte, N.C. to face the Charlotte 49ers in a three-game weekend set.
The two teams will open the series with a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday, and will wrap up the series with game three at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday.
Game one of the doubleheader on Saturday will be televised by Fox Sports and will be available on various regional stations. Ron Thulin will handle the play-by-play duties, while Brittany Mack will serve as the analyst.
UAB (26-14, 10-4 C-USA) is playing in its sixth Conference USA series of the season after posting series sweeps against North Texas and UTEP, a series win over Louisiana Tech, a split at UTSA and its lone series loss at FIU.
Charlotte (21-20, 7-8 C-USA) has conference series wins over Middle Tennessee, Marshall and Louisiana Tech, but has dropped a series to UTSA and was swept by Florida Atlantic. The 49ers have a 13-6 record at home this season, and have won each of the two conference series they have played at D.L. Phillips Complex this season.
Charlotte will provide live video for game three, as well as live stats for all three games over the course of the weekend.
UAB Among National Statistical Leaders
Entering the week, UAB finds itself highly ranked nationally in multiple categories. Leading the group is Caitlin Attfield, whose .500 batting average entering the week ranked seventh in the country.
With 12 sacrifice bunts this season, JoJo Fallen finds herself among national statistical leaders. According to the NCAA's national statistical rankings, Fallen's mark of 0.32 sacrifice bunts per game places 16th nationally.
As a team, UAB checks into the national statistical leaders with a .974 fielding percentage entering this week, a mark which places 21st in the nation.
Scouting Charlotte
The UAB softball team holds a 16-5 all-time series advantage against the 49ers. The two teams met for a series in Birmingham last season, with the Blazers taking two run-rule victories en route to the series win.
Right-hander Lexi Betancourt has tossed 179.1 innings this season, a mark that ranks second in Conference USA. The redshirt junior has struck out 183 batters over that span, and is 15-13 with a 2.69 ERA and six complete-game shutouts this season.
The 49ers are led at the plate by Chelsea Lisikatos, who is batting .311 with 10 home runs and 27 runs batted in. Natalie Capone leads the team in batting average with a .318 clip, while Courtney Carroll has a team-best .420 on-base percentage. 
Rounding out the team offensively is Haley Pace, who is batting .289 with seven home runs and 24 runs batted in, as well as Jessica Plemmons, who has driven in a team-high 29 runs with a .299 average and five home runs.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account, @UABathletics. For an in-depth look into the UAB softball program, follow @uabsoftball on Twitter.
