BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – The Fairleigh Dickinson softball team is set to open its 2021 conference season this weekend with a four-game series against LIU. The teams will play doubleheaders over two days, with the first pair of games being played on Saturday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and the second set on Sunday at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.

Series Info
FDU (0-2, 0-0 NEC) at LIU (2-2, 2-2 NEC)
Game 1: Saturday, March 27 at 1:00 p.m. – LIU Softball Complex
Game 2: Saturday, March 27 at 3:00 p.m. – LIU Softball Complex
Game 3: Sunday, March 28 at 12:00 p.m. – LIU Softball Complex
Game 4: Sunday, March 28 at 2:00 p.m. – LIU Softball Complex
No spectators will be permitted throughout the 2020-21 season
Coverage: Watch | Live Stats
In-Game Updates: @FDUKnightsSB

All-Time Series
LIU leads 33-6
Streak…W1
First Meeting…4/14/01 (LIU 10, FDU 0)
Last Meeting…4/28/18 (FDU 2, LIU 1)

NEC Season Format and Preseason Poll
There will be a 32-game conference schedule that will be played in a round-robin (four-game series) format over eight weeks from March 20-May 9. The NEC will only have four teams qualify for a double-elimination NEC Championship that will take place from May 13-15. FDU was predicted to finish seventh in the NEC Preseason Poll.

Scouting the Sharks
LIU (2-2, 2-2 NEC) opened the year with two losses to Sacred Heart, but bounced back with two wins in the final two games of the series against the Pioneers. LIU is led by senior Ciara Granado who leads the team in RBI's with five and belted a home run against Sacred Heart. Freshman Dallas Andrews has also provided an instant spark in the Sharks lineup as she is hitting .714 through seven at-bats and has drove in two runs. Graduate student Patricia Griffin has also homered and has two RBI's. On the mound, LIU is paced by graduate student Tallie Woodson, who has a 1.02 ERA through 13.2 innings and has only allowed two runs, to go along with 14 strikeouts.
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Scouting the Knights
FDU (0-2) opened the 2021 campaign with a pair of losses to Stony Brook on Thursday afternoon. The Knights lost game one 9-0 and game two 8-0. Graduate student Madison Emerson led the FDU offense with two bases hits and drew three walks, to reach base in all five plate appearances against the Seawolves. Emerson started all 16 games and led the team with a .348 batting average, an OPS of .910, 16 hits, and 24 total bases last year. Junior Alayna Savaglio started game two on the bump for the Knights and pitched five innings, allowing four runs and recorded seven strikeouts. Junior Riley De Laval and sophomore Savannah Thornell also registered hits in the losses to Stony Brook. Junior Courtney Mahoney started the first game on the bump. Last season before COVID shut the season down, the Knights were 4-12 and were rounding out non-conference action.  
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Coach Foye's Thoughts
"It was a great feeling to be back on the field with the team after such a long layoff," stated coach Foye. "We didn't get the results we were looking for but we worked hard and battled."

"We had some great performances by Maddie who has picked up where she left off last year on the offensive side of the ball and Alayna was unbelievable for us on the mound in our 2nd game. She had Stony Brook off balance for her 5 innings of work and she will only get better as the season goes on."

"We have some work to do but I am confident that we will be better this weekend vs LIU who is one of the top teams in our conference."

What's Next
After this weekend's series against LIU, the Knights will welcome Central Connecticut State to the FDU Softball Field for a weekend series against the Blue Devils beginning Saturday at 1 p.m.