NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In search of its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2012, the FGCU softball team opens the 2017 ASUN Tournament as the No. 4 seed and will face the hosts and No. 5 seed Lipscomb. The rematch of the regular season finale will take place Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and the winner will advance to face the top-seeded USC Upstate Spartans Thursday.

The tournament is a double-elimination tournament with the loser of tomorrow's contest facing the loser of UNF and Jacksonville. 

All games of the 2017 ASUN Softball Championships will be broadcast on ESPN3 and live stats will also be available through LipscombSports.com.

THE GREEN AND BLUE
This year's Eagles look to avenge a heartbreaking loss in the tournament final last year in front of their home crowd. FGCU fell 5-1 late against USC Upstate, with the Green and Blue looking to force an extra game. Making their fifth appearance in the ASUN Tournament, FGCU has made two finals appearances to date.

FGCU enters the tournament with a 26-28 record and an 8-9 mark in ASUN play. The Eagles, who were in danger of being the odd team odd just a few weeks back, won four of their next six contests to climb to fourth in the conference standings at years end.

Led by First Team All-Conference selection Kelsey Huff (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer HS) and Second Team honorees Racquel Fournet (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Preparatory School) and Bri Innamorato (Mullica Hill, N.J./Bishop Eustace HS), FGCU will look to the bats to back up what has been a solid pitching staff this season.

Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast HS) has once again been formidable in the circle, posting a 15-9 record along with a 2.21 ERA. Taylor Wade (Pace, Fla./Pace HS) is in the midst of her best season as an Eagle, with nine wins behind a 2.80 ERA including a complete game shutout against Lipscomb the last time out.

Huff sets the tone for FGCU offensively with a .380 average and six triples. The junior has also driven in 19 runs this season while stealing 26 bases. Behind her, Fournet has recorded 39 RBIs to lead the team while also walking and ASUN-most 36 times this season as opponents attempt to neutralize the dangerous lefty.

Innamorato provided a necessary spark for FGCU, hitting .545 last weekend against the Bisons to earn ASUN Player of the Week honors. The utility player has 29 RBIs this season to go along with her .281 average and two home runs.

ASUN HISTORY
While the Eagles have played fewer games all-time in the ASUN Tournament, the Green and Blue are one of the more successful. FGCU has played 14 games in the conference tournament, only UNF has played fewer (7) but the Eagles are 8-6 all-time in ASUN Tournament games. The .571 winning percentage trails only USC Upstate (.600).

Entering as the No. 4 seed, FGCU will have work to do in order to win the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Historically, No. 4 seeds are 46-50 all-time, but such seeds have the third-highest winning percentage behind only the top two seeds. No. 1 seeds are 85-26 (.765) all-time while No. 2 seeds enter with a 59-43 (.578) record.

Historically, No. 3 seeds have performed the worst, entering with a 24-50 (.324) record.  

TOUGH PATH AHEAD
Regardless who comes out of the ASUN Tournament as champions, the winner will not have an easy path. Of the six teams in the field, five have RPIs in the Top 90. USC Upstate, the defending tournament champions, enters the tournament positioned #41 in the latest RPI with Kennesaw State not far behind at #46.

The hosts Lipscomb, who only a few weeks ago were within the Top 40, come in at #50 with UNF at #81. FGCU comes into the tournament at #86.
Jacksonville completes the field, entering at #120.

A LOOK AT THE BOOK
A number of Eagles have made their mark in a very short period of time. A career .363 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.

Fournet's 30 doubles are good for fifth all-time as well, while also sitting third in Division I history.

Randolph's 1.81 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	.363
6.	Kelsey Carpenter	2012-15	.359
7.	Lauran Ziegler	2009-10	.356
8.	Courtney Platt	2008-11	.355
9.	Jessica Gary	2007-10	.342
10.	Chelsea Zgrabik	2012-14	.333

 
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	30
6.	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	1.81
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 BISONS
This will be FGCU's second look at Lipscomb in less than a week but the first time these two teams will meet in the ASUN Tournament. FGCU trails the all-time series 10-15 but took 2-of-3 from Lipscomb just last week in Fort Myers.

The trio of Caitlin Plocheck, Destinee Brewer, and Kasey Gibson continue to lead the Bisons offensively, each with averages above .300. Plocheck leads Lipscomb not only with her .344 average, but also with 16 doubles, nine home runs and 32 RBIs. Meanwhile, Peyton Ward has stolen a team-high 20 bases.

In the circle, Lipscomb looks to Mandy Jordan and McCarley Thomas to lead the way. Thomas was able to silence the Eagles last weekend, but FGCU did get to Jordan who comes into the tournament with a 22-10 record and a 1.48 ERA. Thomas meanwhile is 12-8 with a 2.42 ERA.

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 (570-296-3). 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.