FORT MYERS, Fla – After winning a pair of games against Stony Brook (2-3) and Oakland (4-6) on the last day of the FGCU/Four Points by Sheraton Invitational Sunday, the FGCU softball team (6-9) will get a day off from the competition before hosting Oakland Tuesday, Feb. 24. The Eagles host the Golden Grizzles at The Nest once again for a doubleheader with scheduled start times of 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Green and Blues' offense surged with back-to-back wins in the FGCU/Four Points by Sheraton Invitational this past weekend to finish with a record of 2-3. After losing to Purdue twice and Bethune-Cookman in which FGCU mustered only eight runs in the first two days, the Eagles regained their offensive prowess in the last day of the tournament, amassing 19 total runs against Stony Brook and Oakland.
 
Senior outfielder Kelsey Carpenter (Oviedo, Fla./ Hagerty HS) leads the Eagles' offensive effort, batting .372 average with 11 runs and eight RBI through 15 contests this season. Sophomore Jeanie Verderese (Jacksonville, Fla./Creekside HS) has added significant contributions in the batting box for the Eagles with eight RBI and five runs scored on the season. Freshman Chandler Middlebrook (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./Ponte Vedra HS) provides the fireworks for the Eagles as the third baseman leads the team with a pair of home runs.
 
Senior Shelby Morgan (High Springs, Fla./Sante Fe HS) leads the Green and Blue's pitching staff with a 4.00 ERA in 28 innings pitched, allowed 16 runs while striking out 15. During the first game against Purdue this past weekend, the right hander put on a show in seven innings against the Boilermakers, allowing only one run while striking out two. However, Morgan was outdueled by Purdue's Lilly Fecho, who pitched nine innings, allowing a pair of runs while striking out 19, a Boilermaker strikeout record.
 
SCOUTING OAKLAND
The Golden Grizzlies finished the FGCU/Four Points by Sheraton Invitational with a record of 2-3 following a pair of wins against Stony Brook. Sarah Hartley leads the team in batting with a .424 batting average with 10 runs and 11 RBI. Sarah Cupp adds nine RBI while holding a batting average of .308 on the season.
 
Erin Kownacki leads the Golden Grizzlies' pitching staff with a 2-2 record and a team-best 2.62 ERA. Laura Pond stays right behind Kownacki with a 1-1 record and a 2.74 ERA. Pond started the game against FGCU this past Sunday, but was roughed up by the Eagles, allowing nine runs (three earned) and 14 hits in 5.1 innings.
 
NEXT UP
The Eagles will travel to Clearwater, Fla. for the Under Armour Invitational held from Friday, Feb. 27 until Sunday, Mar. 1. FGCU will face Georgia State, Villanova, Eastern Michigan, Maine and Illinois in the three-day event.
 
For up-to-the minute information on the FGCU softball program, follow on Twitter @FGCU_Softball and Instagram at fgcusoftball and stay tuned at FGCUAthletics.com.
 
The founding father of FGCU softball, David Deiros enters his 13th season as head coach. Hired in 2001 to build the program from the dirt up, Deiros has since guided the Eagles to 11 seasons with a winning record, eight campaigns with 35+ wins and a win percentage of  .692 (495-220-3). The 2014 Eagles finished with a 33-26-1 and wins over SEC, Big 10, Big East, and ACC opponents.  FGCU finished their season with an RPI ranking in the top-100 for the 3rd consecutive season and the 5th time in their seven years at Division I. Deiros is a former head coach at the 1998 Florida State Runner-up Lely High School in Naples and is the founding head coach of the 1999 District Champion/2001 Regional Runner-up Gulf Coast High School in Naples.