KENNESAW, Ga. – With a slim one game lead over Stetson for what would be the final spot in the ASUN Championships, the FGCU softball team continues its longest road stand of the season at Kennesaw State this weekend. The vital conference series against the Owls is set to begin Saturday at 1 p.m. with a doubleheader with the finale also scheduled for 1 p.m.

Every game is scheduled to be streamed on ASUN.tv with live stats available through Kennesaw State.

THE GREEN AND BLUE
Following the bye week in the conference schedule, the Eagles went on the road to kick off a season-long 10-game road trip with a doubleheader at FIU. The Eagles held early leads in both contests but ultimately fell 3-1 in the opener and 4-1 in the finale.

Brittany McGuire (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./Ponte Vedra HS) homered to open the scoring in the opener and scored on an error to put the Eagles in front in the nightcap.

Kelsey Huff (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer HS) continues to set the tone for FGCU, as she has done all season. The junior is hitting .401 this season with 30 runs scored and six triples. Natalie Lopez (Miami, Fla./Westminster Christian HS) and Racquel Fournet (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Preparatory School) both follow with averages well above .300. Fournet has hit a team-high 13 doubles while also driving in 36 RBIs.

In the circle, Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast HS) will look to continue her impressive season, bringing a 2.40 ERA and 12 wins into the weekend.  

A LOOK AT THE BOOK
A number of Eagles have made their mark in a very short period of time. A career .368 batter through three seasons, Huff holds the highest career batting average amongst players that played their entire career at the Division I level. Overall, the junior sits fifth all-time in program history. Four spots behind Huff, Fournet's .346 average is good for ninth in the history of the program.

Fournet's 29 doubles are good for fifth all-time as well, while also sitting third in Division I history.

Randolph's 1.84 ERA puts her fifth in FGCU history, however, the left-hander holds the lowest ERA in Division I history.

FGCU Career Records (FGCU transitioned to Division I in 2007-2008)
Batting Average

	Name	Years	Avg.
1.	Carmen Paez	2007-08	.430
2.	Jessica Carter	2007-09	.427
3.	Ashley Cecil	2003-05	.425
4.	Cheyenne Jenks	2006-09	.381
5.	Kelsey Huff	2015-17	.368
6.	Kelsey Carpenter	2012-15	.359
7.	Lauran Ziegler	2009-10	.356
8.	Courtney Platt	2008-11	.355
9.	Racquel Fournet	2016-17	.346
10.	Jessica Gary	2007-10	.342

 
Doubles

	Name	Years	2Bs
1.	Courtney Platt	2008-11	49
	Cheyenne Jenks	2006-09	49
3.	Jessica Rouse	2004-07	38
4.	Kelsey Carpenter	2012-15	32
5.	Racquel Fournet	2016-17	29
	Jessica Carter	2007-09	29
7.	Louie Ross	2012-16	28
	Desiree Miller	2012-16	28
9.	Kirsten Bembnowski	2011-14	27
	Blaire Toleman	2003-05	27

 
Earned Run Average

	Name	Years	ERA
1.	Kelly Powe	2004-05	0.87
2.	Sarah Backe	2006-07	1.18
3.	Rachael Edinger	2006-08	1.29
4.	Annie Voyles	2004-05	1.53
5.	Riley Randolph	2016-17	1.84
6.	Dana Frantz	2006-09	2.10
7.	Catherine McDaniel	2009-11	2.16
8.	Shelby Morgan	2012-15	2.33
9.	Christine Beck	2003-06	2.34
10.	Stephanie Sullivan	2010-11	2.56

 
SCOUTING THE OWLS
Kennesaw State (31-14, 7-5) comes into the weekend two games out of first place, trailing USC Upstate. The Owls have been strong at home, posting a 21-9 record at Bailey Park. Noelle Winkles and Courtney Sutter pace the Kennesaw State batting order with averages of .382 and .381 respectively. The duo has combined for 18 home runs, 28 doubles, and 77 RBIs this season to help the Owls outscore opponents 251-177. On the bases, Hannah Thomason has stolen 29 bases on 30 attempts to lead KSU.

Alley Cutting has been the ace of the staff this year with a 2.38 ERA to accompany her 15 wins. Logan Viers is not far behind, posting 12 wins thanks to an identical 2.38 ERA.

The Eagles have had the better of the Owls over the first 26 meetings. FGCU is 18-8 against Kennesaw State, including a 4-1 record last season that saw the Green and Blue claim two wins in the ASUN Tournament.

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 recently enters his 15th 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 .669 (561-286-3). 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.