FORT MYERS, Fla. – Posting a 19-14 record at home last season, the FGCU softball team opens its 2018 campaign at The Nest, hosting the FGCU Kickoff Classic sponsored by Four Points by Sheraton. The Eagles welcome LIU-Brooklyn, NC State, Georgetown and Ball State for the four-day tournament beginning Thursday. Memphis is also present, though will not face the Eagles. FGCU's first contest of the season is slated for 6 p.m. Thursday against LIU-Brooklyn.

The full tournament schedule can be found by visiting the schedule page.

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.

The Green and Blue
After consecutive trips to the ASUN Tournament Championship, the Eagles return 11 members from last season's 30-win ball club. The squad features a veteran lineup that includes eight seniors along with five juniors. Among the bunch, the Eagles return a couple of Preseason All-Conference selections in Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast HS) and Kelsey Huff (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer HS).

Randolph, who was named the ASUN's Freshman and Pitcher of the Year in 2016, finished last season with a 2.06 ERA and a team-high 18 wins in the circle. Now a senior, Huff has earned post-season accolades in each of her previous three seasons including a First Team All-Conference nod last season. Huff led the Eagles with a .363 average last season, hitting six triples and swiping 29 bases.

FGCU also brings back Natalie Lopez (Miami, Fla./Westminster Christian HS), who finished second on the team last season hitting .327 while boasting a .988 fielding percentage.

FGCU received 31 points in the preseason poll, behind reigning champions USC Upstate (43 points) and newly-crowned favorites Kennesaw State (46). The Spartans, who have won three-straight tournament titles and three of the previous four regular season crowns, claimed two first-place votes while the Owls received the final four.

Lipscomb completes the top-four in the preseason poll, with 29 points while UNF (23), Jacksonville (13) and the hosts of the 2018 ASUN Championships Stetson (11) round out the poll.

SCOUTING THE LIU BLACKBIRDS
LIU finished its 2017 season with a mark of 20-32, going 6-10 in the Northeast Conference (NEC). The Blackbirds return Victoria Zamora, who earned a nod on the NFCA All-Region Second Team last season. Zamora led the team in batting, hitting .380, runs scored (52), and hits (60). In addition, LIU brings back Gina Bond who was named Second Team All-ECAC and First Team All-NFCA. Bond notched a start in all 52 games last season in landed top five in 13 different categories.

In the circle, LIU's Erynn Sobieski and Tallie Woodson each had 17 or more starts. Sobieski led the pitching staff with a 4.24 ERA, going 10-13 in the circle, while tossing nine complete games.

The Blackbirds are led by head coach Roy Kortmann who enters into his 23^rd season at the helm.

The Eagles lead the all-time series 10-2 including four wins last season to kick off the 2017 season.

SCOUTING THE NC STATE WOLFPACK
NC State capped off its 2017 season going 18-38 overall with a 10-14 mark in ACC play. Jade Caraway is a key returner for NC State, hitting .389 with five triples while amassing 72 hits. Caraway garnered All-ACC Second-Team and All-Freshman Team plaudits. Another key starter for the Wolfpack is Cheyenne Balzer, who started all 56 games at first, hitting .267 with six home runs and posting a .984 fielding percentage.

In the circle, Brittany Nimmo leads a staff of four pitchers on the roster. In 2017, she appeared in 27 contests, making 17 starts going 5-12 with a 7.17 ERA.

NC State is led by head coach Shawn Rychcik who enters in his sixth season with the program.

FGCU lost the only prior meeting to the Wolfpack, an 8-2 decision in 2011.

SCOUTING THE GEORGETOWN HOYAS
After finishing the 2017 season 11-37 and 4-16 in the Big East, the Hoyas feature a young lineup with a combination of 15 freshmen and sophomores. Georgetown returns three of its four hitters who hit .300 or greater. Leading that pack is junior Mallory Belknap, who last year held a .375 batting average, tallying 64 hits and 10 RBI.

When it comes to pitching, two of Georgetown's top starters are back in the lineup for the Hoyas. Anna Brooks Pacha made 28 starts, collecting eight wins with a 4.51 ERA. Katie Vannicola notched 16 starts and recorded two saves.

The head coach for Georgetown is Pat Conlan who enters her 13^th season with the program.

FGCU has never lost to Georgetown, posting wins in each of the previous four meetings. The latest, a 2-0 win in 2014.

SCOUTING THE BALL STATE CARDINALS
Ball State brings a bolstered lineup to Fort Myers that features 14 of 17 letterwinners from the previous season. The Cardinals finished the 2017 season with a 30-28 overall record, going 14-10 in MAC action. Overall, one of Ball State's top hitters is First Team All-MAC selection Maddy Labrador. Now a senior, Labrador hit .305 at the plate, launched seven home runs while producing 24 RBI.

The Cardinals return their entire starting pitching rotation from 2017. Highlighting it is Carolyn Wilmes who went 13-12 in the circle, making 24 starts in 34 contests and led the team with 129 K's. Her counterpart Darcie Huber tossed 108.1 innings of work and led the rotation with a 2.26 ERA and was second on the team with nine wins.

Megan Bartlett enters in her third season as head coach of the Cardinals.

FGCU leads the all-time series 3-1 including a 3-1 win in Fort Myers last season.

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 16th season as head coach. Hired in 2001 to build the program from the dirt up, Deiros has since guided the Eagles to 12 seasons with a winning record, eight campaigns with 35 wins and a win percentage of .665 (573-298-3). 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.