FORT MYERS, Fla. – After sweeping Oakland earlier in the week to maintain its perfect 8-0 record, the FGCU softball team will host its annual Four Points by Sheraton Invitational this weekend. The Eagles welcome Connecticut, Stony Brook, Wright State and Southern Illinois for the three-day tournament with action beginning at 10 a.m. Friday.

FGCU is slated to played UConn at 4:45 p.m. Friday, followed by Stony Brook at 7 p.m. On Saturday, the Eagles will take on Wright State at 4:45 and Southern Illinois at 7 p.m.

The Green and Blue close out the tournament against UConn on Sunday in a match slated for a noon start. 

The rest of the tournament schedule can be found by clicking here.

Ticket Information
Single game tickets and 18 entry Season Punch Cards are on sale now.  Single game tickets are good for all games occurring on a single day and are $7 for adults (age 13 and up) and $5 for youth (ages 3-12).

Tournament passes may also be purchased upon arrival at the FGCU Softball Complex.

The Season Punch Card costs only $59 and allows 18 entries into the Softball complex for any regular season home game. Punches can be used in any combination until the pass is exhausted. For those interested in purchasing tickets, contact the FGCU ticket office at 239-590-7145 or visit FGCUTickets.com.

GREENOUT
Saturday's games against Wright State (4:45 p.m.) and Southern Illinois (7:00 p.m.) is a green out and fans are encouraged to wear green to both games.

PINKOUT
Sunday's weekend finale against UConn (12 p.m.) is a pink out as 2017-18 'Beat Cancer' tee shirts will be sold throughout the day with all proceeds going towards the American Cancer Society.

The Eagles are off to a program-record 8-0 start – last season, the Eagles started their campaign 5-0 before suffering their first loss. Out of the gates, pitching has been at the forefront for FGCU, dominating its opponents to this point, in combination to holding top ranks in the country.

Through 56 innings in eight games, the Green and Blue's rotation boasts a 0.25 ERA which ranks only second in the nation behind Auburn (0.24). Marissa Mesiemore (Bushnell, Fla./South Sumter HS) (4-0) leads FGCU in wins with a 0.38 ERA while Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast HS)  is 3-0 and has struck out 18 batters in 18.2 innings of work. Coming in to shut the door has been Taylor Bauman (Jacksonville, Fla./Atlantic Coast HS) as the newcomer she is a perfect 6-0 in save opportunities.

SCOUTING UCONN
The Huskies come in with an overall 5-4 record after going 2-2 last weekend at the Coastal Carolina Invite. UConn, similar to the Eagles, have been spearheaded by its pitching staff. Through nine games, the Huskies have held opponents to a .192 BA and collectively as a whole, hold a 1.71 ERA. In 62 innings, UConn pitchers have struck out 65 batters, led my Marybeth Olson (2-1) with 21.

At the plate, the Huskies have tallied 13 total multi-base hits, including four homers. Emma Stanley leads the squad with .400 BA and 10 hits, while Ashlee Dahman has registered five RBI.

Head coach Jen McIntyre is in her fourth season with the Huskies.

FGCU is 3-0 all-time against UConn taking a pair from its last meeting back in 2014.

SCOUTING THE SEAWOLVES
Stony Brook will open its 2018 season in Friday's 2:30 pm game against Wright State. Last season, the Seawolves posted an 18-29 mark, going 9-7 in the America East Conference. The squad returns 14 letter winners as senior Chelsea Evans leads the ball club with more than 133 games played.

Irene Rivera led the Seawolves last year in RBI with 34 as Melissa Rahrich comes back into the circle after 47 appearances last season. She also led the program at the dish registering a team-best .363 BA.

Megan T. Bryant enters in her 18th season with Stony Brook.

The Eagles lead the all-time series 3-1. The two teams last met back in 2016 when the Eagles and Seawolves combined for 23 runs with FGCU taking the final, 12-11.

SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
Currently Wright State is 0-5 to start its 2018 campaign and feature a young lineup with nine total freshmen. Last season, the Raiders were one win away from entering the Horizon League Championship game after going 21-31 last year and 14-10 in the Horizon League. The Raiders have used three pitcher sin their rotation this year as Ashley Sharp leads the team in innings pitched with 16.2 through five games.

In 14 at-bats, Honnah Susor leads the squad with a .357 BA, tallying five hits and one double.

Laura Matthews enters into her first season with WSU after being named the head coach last fall.

This will be the first meeting between FGCU and Wright State.

SCOUTING THE SALUKIS
SIU is 4-4 on the year after splitting four games in Columbia, S.C., last weekend. The Salukis' lineup brings quite the offensive punch with a total of 52 hits including 11 doubles, 11 homers and one triple. Maddy Vermejan leads a trio of .300 plus hitters going .450 at the plate while Katelyn Massa leads the team with 11 RBI. Defensively, SIU boasts a .966 fielding percentage.

In the circle, Brianna Jones is 4-0 with a 2.03 ERA in six appearances, tossing four complete games.

The Salukis are led by Kerri Blaylock who has been with SIU for 27 years, 19 of them as the head coach.

FGCU leads the all-time series 2-1 as the Eagles took the last meeting back in 2016, 6-5.

LAST TIME OUT
FGCU kept its unblemished record intact this past Tuesday taking two games from Oakland with a 7-1 victory in game one, followed by a 5-4 nail biter win in game two. After three innings in game one, the Eagles held a 2-0 lead over the visiting side but the Golden Grizzlies would push a runner across in the fourth to make it a 2-1 ballgame. The very next inning, the Green and Blue's offense would break out with a five-run frame to eventually pull away.

In game two, after FGCU posted a four-run third inning, Oakland responded with a four-run fourth of its own to tie the contest. The tie would not last long as the Eagles broke up the 4-4 ballgame the very next inning thanks in part to Kelsey Huff (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer HS)'s RBI base hit up the middle.

Next weekend from Mar. 2-4, FGCU will head to Tallahassee, Fla., for the FSU Unconquered Invitational. In the tournament, the Eagles will face Hofstra, as well as #5 Oregon and #9 FSU.  

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 is in his 16th season as head coach. Hired in 2001 to build the program from the dirt up, Deiros has since guided the Eagles to a 581-298-3 (.661) overall mark, 12 seasons with a winning record, and eight campaigns with 35 wins. 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