ORLANDO, Fla. – Following a split against Central Michigan to open the longest road stand of the season, the FGCU softball team faces an NCAA Tournament-experienced field at the UCF Spring Fling beginning Thursday. The Eagles are scheduled to meet No. 25 UCF, Lehigh, Indiana State and Utah, which received votes in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball poll.

Live stats for all games will be provided by UCF and can be found by visiting ucfknights.com. The Eagles Spring Fling slate starts with a contest against the No. 25 Knights Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Friday, the Green and Blue will meet Indiana State, a team coming off of their first NCAA Tournament appearance, along with another contest with UCF. On the final day of the Spring Fling, FGCU faces Lehigh, a 40-win team from 2015, as well as the Utes of Utah.

THE GREEN AND BLUE
The Eagles split a doubleheader with Central Michigan Tuesday in what proved to be a day for the pitchers. FGCU trailed 1-0 heading into the third, but RBI singles from Makensie McAvoy (Plant City, Fla./Plant City HS) and Racquel Fournet (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Preparatory School) gave the Eagles a brief 2-1 lead. The Chippewas bounced back against Ashley Dobson (Wheatfield, Ind./Tallahassee Community College/Kankakee Valley HS) who struck out four in 4.2 innings. The senior allowed a two-out, two-run double as Central Michigan would go on to win 3-2.

The big inning would elude both teams in the second game, as FGCU scored on a pair of passed balls. Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast HS) meanwhile worked 6.1 innings, striking out five batters to keep the Chippewas in check. FGCU closed out the 2-1 securing the split as the two teams tallied 11 hits and 14 stranded runners.

SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
UCF marks the second ranked opponent in as many weeks for FGCU. Checking in at No. 25 in the NFCA Coaches Poll with a 14-8 record, the Knights have once again relied on a strong pitching staff in 2016. Led by Shelby Turnier, a 2015 Top 10 finalist for the USA Softball Player of the Year Award and a Top 50 "Watch List" selection in 2016, the Knights have limited opponents to a .226 average. Turnier enters with a 6-8 record and a 2.87 ERA, a year after posting a 0.87 ERA and a 25-8 record. Now a senior, Turnier has already struck out 99 batters in 87.2 innings while walking only 46. In addition to Turnier, the Knights also have Jamie Ujvari on staff as well as Manami Calixto. Both pitchers are 4-0 on the season to assist the Knights achieve six shutouts.

Not to be overlooked, the Knights offense is led by Jessica Ujvari's six doubles, four home runs and 15 RBIs. Ujvari also boasts a team-best .394 average. Willow Kalinen and Linnea Goodman provide some speed in the Knights lineup, with the duo stealing 11 bases on 14 attempts. Goodman has also tallied two triples with hitting .353 this season.

The Eagles and Knights have met once prior to this weekend. In 2012, FGCU fell 2-1 to the Knights in Orlando.

SCOUTING THE SYCAMORES
Indiana State earned the automatic bid in 2015 by winning the Missouri Valley Tournament, marking the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. At 3-9 in 2016, the Sycamores are off to a slow start this year. The lineup is anchored by Brooke Riemenschneider, who is hitting .481 with six doubles and seven RBIs. Indiana State has hit only two home runs, one off the bat of Shaye Barton who has driven in six runs.

Abby Klopp and Bailey Benefiel make up the Indiana State pitching staff. Klopp at 2-4 has worked fewer innings (37) but maintains a better ERA (2.27) heading into the weekend. Meanwhile Benefiel enters with a 1-5 record and a 9.52 ERA through 42.2 innings of work.

Friday will be the first meeting between FGCU and Indiana State.

SCOUTING THE MOUTAIN HAWKS
After winning 40 games last season, Lehigh is off to a 7-3 start, including a 6-1 mark in neutral contests. A high-powered offense, the Mountain Hawks are hitting .315 as a team with six home runs and 61 RBIs. Morgan Decker has provided the majority of the power, hitting four home runs along with her .571 average and 17 RBIs. Six additional players carry averages of .300 or better including Alexis Watanabe who leads the team with six stolen bases.

In the circle, Lehigh uses both Christine Campbell and Emily Sorem. Campbell is 5-1 with a 3.53 ERA with one shutout and three complete games. Sorem meanwhile is 2-2 with a 3.92 ERA in four starts.

FGCU and Lehigh will meet for the first time Saturday.

SCOUTING THE UTES
The Utes are receiving votes in the latest USA Softball Poll. Utah is 12-5 this season, with four of its losses coming to teams in the Top 25 including No. 1 Florida. Another dangerous offense, the Utes enter with a team average of .310 along with 14 home runs. Anissa Urtez and Delilah Pacheco are both hitting better than .400, with 18 total RBIs. Kristen Stewart has driven in a team-leading 14 runs while Hannah Flippen has hit four home runs to lead the Utes.

With a 1.87 team ERA, Utah's pitching staff has been just an impressive. Katie Donovan headlines with a 6-3 record and 1.59 ERA. Hailey Hilburn carries a matching 1.59 ERA along with an unblemished 3-0 mark. Miranda Viramontes, meanwhile enters with a 3-2 record along with a 2.35 ERA.

In the only previous meeting between FGCU and Utah, the Eagles came away with a 2-0 win in 2012 at the FGCU Softball Complex.

UP NEXT
The Eagles don't stay away from home long, returning to Southwest Florida to play seven games in four days. FGCU meets Green Bay for a doubleheader Wednesday before hosting both Iowa State and Purdue from Thursday to Saturday.

FOLLOW ALONG
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.
 
COACH DEIROS
The founding father of FGCU softball, David Deiros enters his 14th 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 .676 (524-250-3). The 2015 Eagles finished with a 23-30 record and wins over Atlantic 10, Southland, AAC and ACC opponents. 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.
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.