Greenville, S.C. – The threat of heavy rain on Friday will delay the start of Furman softball's Paladin Classic at Pepsi Stadium, it was announced on Thursday morning.
 
The tournament, which features the Paladins, Akron, and South Dakota, was scheduled to begin with a pair of games on Friday. Due to a forecast that calls for steady rain throughout Friday, play will begin at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Sunday's schedule has been adjusted to add an extra game between the Zips and Coyotes at 10 a.m. Furman's pair of games on Sunday have been moved back to 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.
 
The Paladins return home with a 9-5 record after going 2-2 at Coastal Carolina's Battle at the Beach this past weekend in Conway, S.C. Furman opened tournament play with an impressive 13-8 win over ACC member Louisville before falling to Bowling Green. On Sunday, the Paladins bounced back with a 5-3 victory over the Falcons prior to an 8-2 loss versus the host Chanticleers in the final game of the weekend.
 
Preseason All-Southern Conference selections Ashlee Lykins, Sylvia Burroughs, and Kiley Perry have led the Furman offense in the first two weeks of the season. Lykins has batted a team-best .362 with a pair of triples and six stolen bases while Burroughs is hitting .333 with five doubles, a homer, and 10 runs batted in. Perry leads the Paladins with three homers and 15 RBIs so far.
 
Furman's pitching staff has proven to have outstanding depth, led by senior righthander Sierra Tufts. The Chula Vista, Calif., native is 5-1 with a 2.40 ERA in her first seven starts and has limited opponents to a .224 batting average over 35 innings of work. Junior Lauralee Scott has posted a 2-0 record and 1.88 ERA in seven appearances while fellow junior Emme Buzhardt has totaled five saves and fashioned a 3.61 ERA in a team-high nine outings.
 
Live statistics will be available for all 12 games this weekend via StatBroadcast.com. Furman's games on Sunday versus the Zips and Coyotes are slated to be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
The Tournament Field
 
Akron
Akron has started the season at 2-7 against a challenging schedule. The Zips went 1-4 at the USC Upstate Tournament in Spartanburg, S.C., last weekend dropping two games to both nationally-ranked Kentucky and Monmouth. Akron picked up its lone win of the weekend versus the host Spartans. Furman is 3-5 all-time versus Akron and claimed a 4-0 decision in the last meeting during the 2016 campaign.
 
South Dakota
The Coyotes are 8-7 entering this weekend after winning 4-of-5 games last week at Texas A&M-Commerce's tournament. South Dakota, picked third in the Summit League's preseason poll, claimed a 10-6 victory over the Paladins in the only previous meeting between the schools in 2022 at Pepsi Stadium.
 
PALADIN CLASSIC SCHEDULE
Saturday
11:30 – Akron vs. South Dakota* (Live Stats)
2:00 – Akron at Furman* (Live Stats)
4:30 – South Dakota at Furman* (Live Stats)
Sunday
10:00 – South Dakota vs. Akron* (Live Stats)
12:30 – South Dakota at Furman* ESPN+ (Live Stats)
3:00 – Akron at Furman* ESPN+ (Live Stats)
 
* – designated home team