BOCA RATON, Fla. – Coming off a week break, the FGCU softball team will travel across the state to face another C-USA foe for a second-straight week as the Eagles close their 2018 non-conference schedule facing the Owls.

THE GREEN AND BLUE
A two-time ASUN Player of the Week this season, Racquel Fournet (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Preparatory School) leads FGCU hitting .364 and has driven in a team-leading 27 runs to go along with five homers. In her 40 hits totaled, six have been good for doubles and four have gone for triples. Senior left fielder Kelsey Huff (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer HS) has swiped 17 bags this year for FGCU while hitting .312 at the dish this season and sits second behind Fournet in hits with 39.

Leading the rotation staff with 12 wins, Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast HS) boasts an ERA of 1.61 which ranks 49th in the nation. In her 109 innings worked, the junior ace has fanned 99 batters and has held the opposition to a .203 batting average. Marissa Mesiemore (Bushnell, Fla./South Sumter HS) enters the midweek tilt with nine wins as the entire pitching staff's 1.85 ERA comes in ranked 19th in the country.

A LOOK AT THE BOOK
A career .348 batter so far into her senior campaign, Huff holds the highest career batting average amongst players that played their entire career at the Division I level. Overall, the senior sits eighth all-time in program history. Two spots behind Huff, Fournet's .336 average is good for 10th in the history of the program.

In addition, Fournet has now moved into a tie for third with 38 doubles (six this season), tied second for the most in Division I history.

In the circle, Randolph's 1.72 ERA puts her fifth in FGCU history as she holds the lowest ERA in the program's 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 Carpenter	2012-15	.359
6.	Lauran Ziegler	2009-10	.356
7.	Courtney Platt	2008-11	.355
8.	Kelsey Huff	2015-18	.348
9.	Jessica Gary	2007-10	.342
10.	Racquel Fournet	2016-18	.336

Doubles 

	Name	Years	2Bs
1.	Courtney Platt	2008-11	49
2.	Cheyenne Jenks	2006-09	49
3.	Racquel Fournet	2016-18	38
4.	Jessica Rouse	2004-07	38
5.	Kelsey Carpenter	2012-15	32
6.	Jessica Carter	2007-09	29
7.	Louie Ross	2012-16	28
8.	Desiree Miller	2012-16	28
9.	Kirsten Bembnowski	2011-14	27
10.	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	2016-18	1.72
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

RPI WATCH
In this week's RPI poll, FGCU fell seven spots to #48 in the nation. The Green and Blue lead a total of four ASUN members that landed a spot in the top-71 as Kennesaw State (49), Lipscomb (52), and USC Upstate (71) rounded out the top-71. As of now, the ASUN is rated the eighth-best conference in the country. At the conclusion of the 2017 season, the ASUN boasted the 5th highest conference RPI, at one point being ranked as high as 4th in the nation.

To view the complete RPI rankings, click here.  For a detailed list of the conference RPI rankings, click here.

SCOUTING THE OWLS
FAU, who was picked to finish third in the C-USA, is currently is 21-10, 9-6 as the Owls are one game back from being atop their league standings. At the plate, Madisyn Palmer leads a trio of batters hitting .300-plus with a .418 BA. Palmer also leads the team with 39 stolen bases, a mark that ranks second in the nation. Her teammate Emily Lochten has swiped 24 bags while hitting .317 as Tatum Buckley leads the squad with 26 RBI.

Tatum also provides the Owls a dual threat in the circle as she holds a sub-two ERA to go along with 10 wins, limiting batters to a .220 BA in 124 innings tossed. Mia Olson has notched eight wins as the staff holds a cumulative 2.63 ERA.

FGCU is 3-5 in the all-time series against FAU, with two of those wins coming in Boca Raton.

LAST TIME OUT
The Green and Blue are coming off a two-game setback against FIU. In game one, the Panthers led 4-0 after four innings, as the only runs from the Eagles would come off the bat of Taylor Bauman (Jacksonville, Fla./Atlantic Coast HS). In only her third at-bat of the season, she drilled a home run to dead center for her first collegiate hit in the fifth and repeated it with another homer in the seventh. In game two the Green and Blue's bats were stifled as FGCU registered just one hit in the 7-0 loss.

UP NEXT
FGCU will welcome preseason favorite Kennesaw State (28-13, 8-1 ASUN) home for a pivotal three games commencing on Saturday, April 14 with the doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. The finale will be played on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Owls currently sit atop the league standings with a two-game lead.  

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 601-309-3 (.665) 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.