_­­FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU softball team prepares for its third consecutive tournament at the FGCU Softball Complex with the Battle at the Beach Sponsored by Four Points by Sheraton. The Eagles (3-5) will face Oakland (1-5) and Sacred Heart (0-0) during the four-day tournament, beginning Thursday.

In addition to the weekend of action, Friday also marks FGCU softball's Think Pink game. Fans are encouraged to wear pink for the team's annual Pinkout. Shirts are also on sale at the game, available at $10 for short-sleeve and $15 for long-sleeve. All proceeds go toward the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  

Ticket prices are $7 for adults and $5 for youth. Season tickets meanwhile are $39 for adults and $29 for youth. For those interested in purchasing single-game or season tickets, contact the FGCU ticket office at 239-590-7145 or visit FGCUTickets.com.

The Eagles begin the weekend with a contest against Oakland Thursday at 6 p.m. Following neutral site games between the Pioneers and Golden Grizzlies both Friday and Saturday, FGCU faces each team once to conclude both days. FGCU and Sacred Heart then wrap up the tournament Sunday at 10 a.m.

THE GREEN AND BLUE
FGCU earned two wins last weekend at the FGCU/Four Points by Sheraton Invitational. The Eagles opened the second weekend of the season with an 8-7 loss to defending Colonial champions Hofstra before bouncing back to beat Saint Louis 5-4 in extra innings later in the evening.

In the Eagles' lone game Saturday, the Green and Blue survived a late surge from Southern Illinois, defeating the Salukis 6-5.

Louie Ross (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida S. Baker HS) hit .625 with a double and an RBI while drawing a pair of walks to lead FGCU at the plate. Meanwhile, Racquel Fournet (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Preparatory School) hit her first career home run in the win against SIU while driving in four. Fournet also added an RBI against Hofstra.

LuLu Newmark (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Bowling Green/American Heritage HS) celebrated her first home run as an Eagle, sending a 1-1 pitch over the fence in right against Saint Louis. Jeanie Verderese (Jacksonville, Fla./Creekside HS) later plated the game-winning run against the Billikens on a single to left in the eighth.

Gabbee Draney (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep HS) went 1-1 and also earned a save over the weekend. Draney finished with a 2.47 ERA, striking out five batters over 5.2 innings. Ashley Dobson (Wheatfield, Ind./Tallahassee Community College/Kankakee Valley HS) picked up the other win for FGCU, tossing 7.1 innings with five strikeouts.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN GRIZZLIES
The Golden Grizzlies are off to a 1-5 start in 2016 after winning the Horizon League in 2015. Oakland finished last year 27-24 and are picked to successfully defend its title year. The second tournament team to make it to the 2015 NCAA Tournament on the Eagles schedule, Oakland returns just one position player from its championship team in Sarah Hartley. With the losses, the Golden Grizzlies added 10 players, including eight freshmen for 2016.

A Second Team All-Horizon League selection, Hartley is hitting .316 with four RBIs to open the season. Mikayela Marciniak drove in six runs through the first six games of the season on top of her .300 average.

Oakland has fallen victim to the long ball, conceding nine home runs in six games while only hitting two. In the circle, Haley Zemmer (1-2) has had the most success early on, allowing five earned runs through 14.1 innings of work. Kaley Waalkes (0-2) earned two starts for the Golden Grizzlies and carries a 12.71 ERA into the weekend.

After dropping the first-ever meeting in 2014 by a 2-1 final, the Eagles have won three-straight against the Golden Grizzlies. Last season, FGCU defeated Oakland 9-1, 8-0 and 4-3 all at the FGCU Softball Complex.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Sacred Heart kicks off its 2016 season in Fort Myers following a 14-30 2015 campaign. The Pioneers were picked to finish seventh in the annual Northeast Conference Preseason poll, after finishing in the same spot last season. Sacred Heart does return 19 players from last season, including Lauren Delgadillo who finished her freshmen season batting .257 with nine doubles. Hannah Ford and Kelyn Fillmore are the top returning RBI-producers, finishing with 14 and 13 respectively.

Jamie Carlson (8-13 in 2015) returns to lead a young pitching staff that only lost one member due to graduation. Carlson tossed 133 innings as a junior while striking out 166 batters. Adrianna Mallory (2-5) also returns for the Pioneers in the circle. Mallory threw 60 innings, ending the year with a 2.92 ERA.

FGCU and Sacred Heart will meet for the first time on Friday.

UP NEXT
The Eagles host one final tournament as the calendar turns to March. From March 4 to March 5, FGCU plays Ball State, Stony Brook and Notre Dame in the FGCU/Four Points by Sheraton Spring Break Classic.

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 .673 (515-247-3). 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.