UNDER ARMOUR INVITATIONAL TOWSON SCHEDULE
Friday, March 3: Towson vs. Fort Wayne, 11:30 a.m.	LIVE STATS
Friday, March 3, Towson vs. Western Michigan, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 4: Towson vs. Ball State, 12:30 p.m.	LIVE STATS
Saturday, March 4: Towson at South Florida, 5:30 p.m.	LIVE STATS
Sunday, March 5: Towson vs. Penn, 9 a.m.
Note: There are no live stats for the Western Michigan or Penn games

TOWSON, Md. – Towson University sophomore Nicole Stockinger is thriving at the plate through three weeks for the Tigers.
 
Stockinger has been a pleasant surprise for the Tigers this season. She's one of three players with a team-high 14 hits along with senior Holiday Cahill and freshman Madison Wilson. In addition to her .350 batting average, Stockinger leads Towson with five doubles.
 
She ended last weekend's Carolina Classic with a bang by blasting her first home run of the season during the Tigers' 8-0 victory over Miami (Ohio). Stockinger had a memorable weekend in the Tar Heel state as she compiled a .445 average.
 
She wasn't bad last year with a .269 average and five homers. However, there's something different about her this season. Stockinger's game also benefitted from her playing with her travel team, the Olney Cougars, this past summer along with teammates Megan Dejter and Bailey Boyd.
 
"My confidence is higher especially with a year of experience under me and being here before," Stockinger said. "I know what to expect. I've also been more aggressive at the plate as well."
 
As Towson (6-7 overall) prepares to play five games in the Under Armour Invitational hosted by the University of South Florida, Stockinger carries a modest three-game hitting streak into the weekend. The Tigers will play Fort Wayne and Western Michigan on Friday. They will meet Ball State and USF on Saturday and conclude the weekend against Penn on Sunday.
 
"We're not satisfied with the position that we are in, so we are working hard every day at practice to get to where we want to be," Stockinger said. "We do believe that playing tough teams off the bat at the beginning of the season is going to be good for us because facing top pitchers will help us later down the road and it'll be beneficial for us. We're excited to play this weekend."
 
Growing up with older siblings who were passionate about sports was a nice thing for Stockinger, who no choice but to continue the family tradition. Stockinger started playing softball when she was 6 years old. Her brother Jake played baseball and her sister played softball. Backyard sporting events were always happening for the Stockinger family.
 
"It runs in our family," Stockinger said. "I learned a lot from them. I also played travel baseball with all boys. Growing up playing with all boys made me not fear a certain opponent or be intimidated by how old somebody is. I was always the youngest, but it helped me be confident in myself."
 
A sports management major, Stockinger is an emerging leader at Towson. She's a L.E.a.D. Tiger and a member of SAAC.
 
"I love it a lot," said Stockinger when she was asked about her time at Towson. "It's been more than I expected. Towson's close to home and my parents get to come to a lot of my games which is nice."
 
Here's a look at Towson's competition this weekend:
 
A Look At Fort Wayne
Members of the Summit League, Fort Wayne (2-10 overall) enters the tournament with consecutive victories. Fort Wayne softball team swept the final day of the Black & Orange Challenge, defeating Marist 1-0 on Caitlyn DeLong's walk-off single, before defeating host Mercer 4-3. DeLong led the way for the Mastodons on the day going 3 for 7 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs. The Mastodons top hitters this season have been Lauren Watson (.324) and Kelly Pevely (.303). They have combined for 22 hits and Pevely leads Fort Wayne with three home runs.
 
A Look At Western Michigan
Members of the Mid-Atlantic Conference, Western Michigan is 6-5 overall. They are on a two- game winning streak since playing University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Fairleigh Dickenson University this past weekend in the Chattanooga Frost Classic. Western Michigan closed out the tournament with a 13-3 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday. The Broncos top hitters are Kelsea Cichocki (.469) and Skyler Sobeski (.400).
 
A Look At Ball State
Members of the Mid-American Conference, Ball State is 3-11 overall. Ball State closed play in the Citrus Classic I with losses to Georgia Southern (4-3) and Liberty (2-1, 5 inn.) Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals top hitters throughout the past couple of weeks have been Janae Hogg (.359), Kennedy Wynn (.333), and Maddy Labrador (.320). Another player to look out for is Rachel Houck who has 12 RBI's and 12 runs scored.
 
A Look At South Florida 
Members of the American Atlantic Conference, South Florida is 9-5. They started off this season with three consecutive wins. The Bulls dropped a 12-1 decision to Ole Miss, before rebounding for a 6-3 victory over Stetson to wrap up their weekend at the Hatter Invitational. The top hitters for the Bulls are Astin Donovan (.448) and Kristen Wyckoff (.381) who was also just named to the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll after posting a .400 average over a five-game span.
 
A Look At Penn
Members of the Ivy League, the Quakers are opening their season, Penn was 23-21 last season. Penn is one of two Ivy League programs to return multiple First Team All-Ivy honorees in senior outfielder Leah Allen and senior pitcher Alexis Sargent. Allen is the Penn record holder with 24 career home runs after posting five during her junior campaign. She also tallied a Penn single-season record five triples and an Ivy League-best 41 runs batted in a year ago. Sargent started 24 contests in the circle for the Quakers, leading the Ivy League with a 2.29 earned run average and 124 strikeouts en route to 12 wins.
 
Up Next
Towson will host the Towson Invitational with Morgan State, Princeton and Binghamton. The Tigers will face Morgan State in a doubleheader on Friday, March 10. First-pitch is 2 p.m.