FORT MYERS, Fla. – After splitting six games with the preseason top-two teams, the FGCU softball team returns home to face the current top-two teams in the Atlantic Sun over a two-week span. The Eagles continue their tough stretch against the Stetson Hatters in a three-game series beginning Saturday with a doubleheader at 2 p.m. The series then wraps up Sunday with a 2 p.m. first pitch and will be broadcast on ASun.TV.

Of the final 17 games, 12 will take place at the FGCU Softball Complex beginning with this weekend's series. The Eagles have three A-Sun series remaining on the schedule at home where they have won 13 of 25 games. The Eagles currently sit in fourth place in the Atlantic Sun with a 3-3 record in conference play and a 19-19 record overall.

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.

LAST TIME OUT
FGCU looked for its second-straight series victory to open A-Sun play but the Bisons of Lipscomb held firm in Nashville. The Eagles took the opener from the Bisons 9-2 behind a stellar pitching performance from Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast HS) and some timely hits by Louie Ross (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida S. Baker HS) and Racquel Fournet (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Preparatory School). As the Green and Blue aimed for a sweep, the Eagle offense would struggle to end the day. FGCU tallied one hit in the second-end of the opening doubleheader, falling 9-0 to Lipscomb.

In the finale of the series, the Bisons scored four runs in the fifth to put the Eagles behind 6-0. A Bri Innamorato (Mullica Hill, N.J./Bishop Eustace HS) single gave FGCU its first run of the game but it would be the only run.

Fournet continues to lead the league though her average fell slightly to .375. She also sits second in the A-Sun with 35 RBIs. Randolph meanwhile is second in the conference with a 1.83 ERA.

Ross and Kelsey Huff (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer HS) reside in the top 10 of the A-Sun in terms of batting average. Ross sits fourth in the conference with a .359 average while Huff is batting .346.

SCOUTING THE HATTERS
Stetson sits atop the Atlantic Sun at 26-16 overall and 5-3 in conference play. The Hatters are one of three teams with three losses this season (FGCU and UNF) in a conference where first place and last place are separated by less than four games.

Stetson jumped to the top of the A-Sun after sweeping USC Upstate in a two-game series. Jessie Tenbroeck leads the Hatters with a .356 average along with three doubles, two home runs and 15 RBIs. Ashly Smith has driven in a team-high 30 RBIs on five doubles, two triples and four home runs. While the Hatters have played more games than anyone else in the A-Sun, they are also the most patient, drawing 141 walks this season. USC Upstate is second in the conference with 113 walks.

Brooke Hutto is second in the A-Sun with 12 wins and fifth in the conference with a 2.23 ERA. Hutto has three shutouts this season in 106.2 innings but has walked 46 batters in that time. Tori Perkins carries an 8-3 mark into the weekend with a 3.04 ERA. Perkins also has three shutouts in seven complete games over 71.1 innings.

Stetson and FGCU first met in 2004, with the Hatters sweeping a doubleheader in DeLand. After a brief hiatus, the rivalry gathered steam in 2008 when FGCU and Stetson began meeting as conference foes. After splitting the first eight meetings as A-Sun opponents, the Eagles won five in a row from 2012 to 2013. When the two met in the 2013 A-Sun Championships, the Hatters claimed a 14-6 win and have since won eight-straight. FGCU trails the all-time series 9-15.

UP NEXT
FGCU remains at home to face Kennesaw State next weekend. Beginning with a doubleheader April 16 at 2 p.m., the Eagles and Owls will battle for position in a hotly contested Atlantic Sun.

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 (531-261-3). 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.