Furman Softball Invitational Gets Underway Friday At Pepsi Stadium - Furman University (2024)

Paladins Open Tournament Versus IUPUI Friday Night

Greenville, S.C. –Furman softball opens its home schedule this weekend when it hosts Georgetown, IUPUI, Lipscomb, and Towson in the 2024 Furman Invitational at Pepsi Stadium.

The tournament begins with four games on Friday, including the Paladins entertaining IUPUI in the home opener at 7 p.m. Five games are scheduled for Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m., and the weekend concludes with three more games on Sunday. Admission is free to all games at Pepsi Stadium.

The Paladins (4-1), in their third season under the leadership of head coach Stacey Johnson-Whitfield, captured four wins this past weekend at Boseman Field in Wilmington, N.C., to notch their best start since 2002. Furman earned a 4-1 victory over North Dakota State and 6-3 triumph versus DePaul on Friday before topping Northern Kentucky, 5-2, and UNC Wilmington, 3-1, on Saturday night. UNCW took a 3-2 victory over the Paladins in Sunday's weekend finale.

Furman's pitching staff posted a 1.65 earned run average and .231 opponents' batting average over five games in Wilmington. Senior Sierra Tufts went 2-0 with a 1.14 ERA in two starts while junior Lauralee Scott earned two victories in relief and did not allow a run in seven innings of work. Junior Emme Buzhardt (0-1, 1.24 ERA, 3 SVs) suffered the loss on Sunday but registered saves in each of Furman's first three wins to grab the early national lead in saves.

Preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year Kiley Perry, Chrissy Fleming, and Ainsley Yoshizumi recorded home runs at the UNCW Tournament while senior Hannah Poole batted .444 with a couple of doubles and three runs batted in.

Live statistics will be available for all 12 games this weekend via StatBroadcast.com. Furman's Friday season opener versus IUPUI and Saturday matchups against both Towson and Georgetown will be streamed live on ESPN+.

The Tournament Field

Georgetown
The Hoyas, picked eighth in the Big East preseason poll, arrive in Greenville at 1-4 on the season after opening the season with five games in Fort Myers, Fla., this past weekend. Georgetown dropped a pair of games to Louisville and fell to Boston College and host FGCU before downing LIU, 9-6, on Sunday. Furman holds a 4-2 lead in the all-time series versus Georgetown and claimed a 3-2 victory over the Hoyas in Jacksonville, Fla., last February.

IUPUI
The IUPUI Jaguars were tabbed to finish sixth in the Horizon League in preseason voting by the league's head coaches. On the opening weekend of the season, IUPUI posted a 1-3 record in tournament play in Starkville, Miss. The Jaguars opened the season with a 2-1 victory over UAB before falling twice to Mississippi State and once to the Blazers. Furman has never faced IUPUI on the diamond.

Lipscomb
Lipscomb began its season by going 1-3 at the University of Arizona's Candrea Classic in Tucson, Ariz. The Bisons, picked 11th in the Atlantic Sun Conference, dropped games to Northern Colorado and the host Wildcats on the opening day of the tournament before topping Northern Colorado on Saturday. Lipscomb closed the tournament with a 12-2 loss to North Texas on Sunday. Furman and Lipscomb have met four times previously with each team claiming a pair of victories. The last meeting, a 5-2 Lipscomb win, came in Tallahassee, Fla., during the 2017 season.

Towson
The Tigers, picked fifth in the 12-team CAA, come to Greenville at 1-3 on the season after opening the year at USC Upstate's tournament last weekend. Towson fell to Loyola Chicago, Toledo, and USC Upstate but rolled to a 10-1 victory over South Carolina State for its first win of 2024. Furman holds a 5-3 lead in the all-time series versus Towson, but the Tigers edged the Paladins, 4-2, in the Furman Invitational last February.

FURMAN INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday
11:30 – Lipscomb vs. Georgetown* (Live Stats)
2:00 – Towson vs. Lipscomb* (Live Stats)
4:30 – Georgetown vs. IUPUI* (Live Stats)
7:00 – IUPUI at Furman* (Live Stats)
Saturday
9:00 – Lipscomb vs. Towson* (Live Stats)
11:30 – IUPUI vs. Lipscomb* (Live Stats)
2:00 – Georgetown vs. IUPUI* (Live Stats)
4:30 – Towson at Furman* (Live Stats)
7:00 – Georgetown at Furman* (Live Stats)
Sunday
9:00 – IUPUI vs. Towson* (Live Stats)
11:30 – Georgetown vs. Towson* (Live Stats)
2:00 – Lipscomb at Furman* (Live Stats)

* – designated home team