CLEARWATER, Fla. – After seeing its 10-game winning streak come to an end at the Spring Break Classic, the FGCU softball team hits the road for the first time in 2016 beginning with a neutral contest against Central Michigan. The doubleheader against the Chippewas is slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch at Eddie C. Moore Park. 

THE GREEN AND BLUE
FGCU split its four games at the Spring Break Classic, with both wins coming Friday. Against Ball State, the Eagles turned a 1-0 deficit into a 9-3 victory. Louie Ross (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida S. Baker HS) went 2-for-3 from the plate with four RBIs including a bases clearing double. Kelsey Huff (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer HS) scored three runs in the win, recording three hits from the top of the order. In a dramatic nightcap against Stony Brook, the Eagles scored six runs in the final two innings to earn a 12-11 walk off win on a Ross bases loaded single to left.

In an attempt to win its 11th-straight game, FGCU fell 3-2 to Ball State. Taylor Wade (Pace, Fla./Pace HS) was perfect through three innings, but a two-run home run in the eighth proved to be the difference in the contest. Facing their first ranked opponent of the season, the Eagles fell 6-1 to No. 21/25 to Notre Dame.

The Green and Blue bring an 11-7 record into the game against Central Michigan while boasting an offense with four batters tallying 10 or more RBIs this season, led by Racquel Fournet (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Preparatory School). Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast HS) carries a 1.66 ERA along with a 3-2 record, leading a staff with a team ERA of 2.72. Ashley Dobson (Wheatfield, Ind./Tallahassee Community College/Kankakee Valley HS) and Gabbee Draney (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep HS) also have three wins this season while Wade has compiled a pair of victories.

SCOUTING THE CHIPPEWAS
At 5-9, Central Michigan has lost five of its last seven games heading into Tuesday. The Chippewas do have a top 25 win, defeating No. 9 Arizona 4-1. With five batters hitting at a .300 clip or better, Central Michigan is hitting .273 as a team. Chelsea DeLamielleure leads the team with a .389 average along with three home runs. CarolAnn Sexauer and Katelyn Rentschler have each driven in nine runs.

In the circle, Central Michigan has relied on Rachael Knapp through the beginning stages of the 2016 season. Knapp is 4-4 with a 3.19 ERA through 52.2 innings of work. Meanwhile, Hanna Warren is 0-4 with a 6.46 ERA as a sophomore.

Tuesday marks the first-ever meeting between FGCU and Central Michigan.

UP NEXT
The schedule doesn't get any easier for FGCU as the Eagles face four teams fresh off of an NCAA Tournament appearance. At the UCF Spring Fling, the Eagles will meet Indiana State, Utah, Lehigh along with UCF.

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 .677 (523-249-3). 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.