FORT MYERS, Fla. –  The #25 FGCU softball team (13-0) will hit the road for the first time this season and head to Tallahassee, Fla., as the Eagles commence a three-day tournament squaring up against Hofstra (8-4), and a pair of nationally ranked opponents in #6 Oregon (14-3) and #13 host Florida State (12-4) in the FSU Unconquered Invitational.

The Eagles will open the tournament Friday morning at 10 a.m. against Hofstra and will end the day with the final contest of evening when they face the Ducks at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday, FGCU is slated to play the Seminoles at 12:30 p.m., followed by Oregon at 5:30 p.m.  The Eagle's final game will be on Sunday against Hofstra at 9 a.m.
The complete tournament schedule can be found by clicking here.

FGCU has won 13 straight games to open up the 2018 campaign and it has not gone unnoticed. On Tuesday, the Eagles vaulted into Fastpitch News' Top-25 rankings right in at #25. FGCU becomes the second ASUN member in the poll as USC Upstate (13-0) ranks at #22. To view the complete poll, click here.

Pitching has spearheaded the Green and Blue's program-record start as the rotation boasts an ERA below 1.00, led by Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast HS)  with a 0.88 ERA. As a collective group, FGCU leads the nation in team ERA posting a 0.49 average in 92 innings. Newcomer Taylor Bauman (Jacksonville, Fla./Atlantic Coast HS)  has been a key factor in close games for FGCU, as last week she set the program single-season record with seven saves in just 10 games. In addition, Marissa Mesiemore (Bushnell, Fla./South Sumter HS) leads the Eagles with six wins in the circle, with no defeats.

At the plate, six batters for FGCU have turned in a BA of .300 or better, led by senior Natalie Lopez (Miami, Fla./Westminster Christian HS), who is currently batting .500 in 10 games. Ashley Swiderski (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) has displayed her power with a team-high three homers and Brooke Clemens (West Rotunda, Fla./Lemon Bay HS/Florida) leads the squad with 10 RBI.

SCOUTING THE PRIDE
Hofstra last hit the diamond on Feb.20 in the UCF Invite where it went 2-2, collecting wins over Texas A&M and fellow ASUN foe UNF. In the circle for the pride, Sara Cornell has been a strikeout machine, fanning 73 batters in just 59 innings of work while holding a 1.31 ERA.

On offense, Hofstra has tallied 11 multi-base hits, including eight doubles and two home runs. Brittany Allocca leads the squad with a .343 BA along with a team-leading nine RBI.

This will be the sixth and seventh meetings between both programs as FGCU trails the all-time series 3-2.

SCOUTING THE SEMINOLES
The host Seminoles have won their last four of five games entering the weekend, despite dropping four spots in the rankings to #13. In the circle, FSU features a pair of pitchers with 6-2 records in Meghan King and Kylee Hanson. The rotation as a group has cumulated a 1.43 ERA and have held opponents to a .146 BA.  

Florida State's offense features five players hitting over .300, led by Jessie Warren at .449 as she also leads a quartet of Seminoles who have recorded double-digit RBI with 25 herself in addition to eight homers. In total, FSU's offense has manufactured 131 hits en route to the 32nd best BA in the nation at .320.

FGCU will be looking for its first win against the Seminoles as the Eagles trail the all-time series 0-5.

SCOUTING THE DUCKS
The #6 Oregon Ducks are riding a four-game winning streak and are coming fresh off a sweep of USF in Tampa, Fla. In the circle for the Ducks, they feature four pitchers, led by Megan Kleist who is 5-2 with a 1.08 ERA. The staff holds a subzero ERA (0.95) and have held batters to a .168 average.

Overall at the plate, Oregon packs a heavy punch as its offense holds a combined .340 BA. The Ducks are propelled by Jenna Lilley who is batting .481, tallying 25 hits with 18 RBI. In total, Oregon has manufactured over 140 hits, including 20 doubles and 24 home runs en route to the 15th best offense in the nation.

This will be the first meeting between FGCU and Oregon.

LAST TIME OUT
FGCU claimed its second tournament of the season with a walk-off win over UConn this past Sunday in its first extra innings game of the season. FGCU struck first in its half of the second inning after Brittany McGuire (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./Ponte Vedra HS) singled to right to set up Bri Bennett (Jacksonville, Fla./Mandarin HS/Lake Sumter) as the junior laced her first triple of the year to the left-center wall to put FGCU up in front 1-0.

After the Huskies pushed a runner across in the sixth, the game would head into extras as FGCU capitalized in the eighth. With Ahnie Jumper (Clewiston, Fla./Plantation American Heritage) pinch running for McGuire on second, the freshman advanced to third on a passed ball putting the pressure on UConn. Shortly after, Bennett hit a tapper to the pitcher as Jumper raced down 60 feet, beating the throw and sending FGCU home with its 13th win.

UP NEXT
After its Tallahassee trip, FGCU will head west to Los Angeles, Calif., taking on two games with UC Santa Barbara on Mar. 7, followed by the Loyola Marymount Tournament from Mar. 8-10.

 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 586-298-3 (.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