FORT MYERS, Fla. – Entering the final weekend of non-conference play, the FGCU softball team begins a stretch of seven games in four days at the FGCU Softball Complex. The week starts with a doubleheader against Green Bay Wednesday at 3 p.m. before welcoming Purdue and Iowa State to Southwest Florida from Thursday through Saturday.

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 GREEN AND BLUE
FGCU finished its Spring Break trip 3-4 to bring its overall record to 14-11. After splitting a doubleheader against Central Michigan, the Eagles traveled to Orlando for the UCF Spring Fling. The Eagles met with No. 25 UCF twice, falling 8-0 in the opener but battled to a 5-3 loss on the second day. FGCU picked up wins over Indiana State (5-1) and Lehigh (2-0) behind impressive pitching performances from Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast HS). The freshman now has a team-best six wins to go along with her 1.34 ERA.

Kelsey Huff (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer HS) improved her average to .422 while Makensie McAvoy (Plant City, Fla./Plant City HS) hit yet another triple this season, bring her total to four, good for fourth in the nation. Racquel Fournet (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Preparatory School) stumbled briefly, but still maintains a .408 average with a team-leading 23 RBIs. Brittany McGuire (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./Ponte Vedra HS) hit a pair of home runs at UCF and now has six RBIs on the season.

SCOUTING THE PHOENIX
Green Bay is in the midst of a long road stretch, playing 18 games in 11 days. Green Bay is 3-11 so far on the trip. The Phoenix conclude the road stand with their arrival in Fort Myers, and enter Tuesday's contest with Maine at 7-17 overall.  Allie Taylor leads the offense hitting .315 with four home runs and 10 RBIs. She's aided by Acacia Tupa's .277 average with four doubles and seven RBIs.

In the circle Bailey Smaney carries a 3-2 record, conceding just one home run in more than 40 innings of work. Meanwhile, Sara Simonar and Katie Rossmann are winless on the year.

Wednesday marks the first meeting between the Eagles and Phoenix.

SCOUTING THE BOILERMAKERS
Purdue faces New Mexico State and Florida Atlantic prior to traveling to Fort Myers. The Boilermakers enter the week at 13-10 after dropping three of four games at the UCF Spring Fling. Katie Harrison tops a list of four Boilermakers hitting better than .320 this season, Harrison is hitting .383 with four home runs and 14 RBIs this season, leading the team in all three categories. Kristen Hoppman meanwhile is batting .361 with a pair of doubles and home runs.

In the circle, Purdue relies on Lilly Fecho, who begins the week 10-4 with a 1.80 ERA. Fecho has 114 strikeouts against 27 walks through 89.2 innings of work. Alongside Fecho is Maddie Damon, who is 3-5 in 2016 with a 4.10 ERA.

The Eagles are winless against Purdue, losing all three previous meetings. Most recently, FGCU lost 10-2 and 3-1 last season at the FGCU Softball Complex.

SCOUTING THE CYCLONES
Iowa State is hitting .296 while recording a 12-11 record. Having lost seven of its last eight games, Iowa State is hoping to build momentum before beginning Big 12 play. Utilizing speed and patience, Cathlin Bingham and Brittany Gomez pace the Cyclones. Bingham has drawn 13 walks this season while batting .390 with 10 RBIs. Gomez meanwhile is 14-for-15 in stolen base attempts along with her .368 average. Aly Cappaert leads the team with 22 RBIs.

Emma Hylen has proven to be the ace of the Cyclone staff with a 5-3 record and a 1.57 ERA. While Hylen won't strike out many batters, she limits opponents to a .197 average. Savannah Sanders has tossed 69.1 innings this season with a 5-5 record but has posted a 3.43 ERA.

The Eagles won the only prior meeting between the two programs. In 2013, FGCU defeated Iowa State 7-6.

UP NEXT
Atlantic Sun play begins against the defending champions, USC Upstate. The Eagles and Spartans begin their three-game series with a doubleheader Friday March 25 in Spartanburg, S.C.

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 (526-253-3). 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.