FORT MYERS, Fla. – After wrapping up its non-conference slate earlier in the week, the FGCU softball team will face a tough task as the Eagles welcome current conference leader RV Kennesaw State for a crucial three-game weekend series at the FGCU Softball Complex.

The Eagles will commence play with the first doubleheader game starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, as the finale will be played on Sunday at 1 p.m.

At the moment, the Eagles sit in fourth place in the league standings.

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 (7th in the ASUN) and has driven in a team-leading 29 runs (5th in the ASUN) to go along with five homers. In her 43 hits totaled, seven have been good for doubles and four have gone for triples (1st in the ASUN). Senior left fielder Kelsey Huff (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer HS) has swiped 17 bags (6th in the ASUN) this year for FGCU while hitting .318 at the dish this season and sits second behind Fournet in hits with 42.

Leading the rotation staff with 12 wins, Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast HS) boasts an ERA of 1.61 which ranks 2nd in conference and 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. With the save in the 4-1 victory over FAU in game two, Taylor Bauman (Jacksonville, Fla./Atlantic Coast HS) tied the NCAA Single-Season saves record with her 15th of the season in just 31 appearances. The freshman currently holds a 1.93 ERA. The Eagles rotation staff leads the ASUN in ERA at 1.89 as it also ranks 22nd in the country.

CANNED FOOD DRIVE
Throughout the month of April, fans will have the opportunity to donate canned goods at up to 22 home events over the course of 12 different days throughout the month.  
Boxes will be posted at the marketing tables upon entry into each venue, and FGCU hopes to be the top-donating university in the ASUN. The food will go directly to the FGCU Campus Food Pantry to help students experiencing food insecurity.
 
A LOOK AT THE BOOK
A career .349 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 .337 average is good for 10th in the history of the program.

In addition, Fournet sits third overall with 39 doubles (seven this season), the second 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	.349
9.	Jessica Gary	2007-10	.342
10.	Racquel Fournet	2016-18	.337

Doubles

	Name	Years	2Bs
1.	Courtney Platt	2008-11	49
2.	Cheyenne Jenks	2006-09	49
3.	Racquel Fournet	2016-18	39
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
KSU, who was voted the preseason favorite and the only ASUN member collecting votes (18) in the latest USA Today/NFCA Coaches' Poll, enters the weekend series with an overall 29-13 record, going 8-1 thus far in conference action. The Owls are coming off a 1-0 victory (10 inns.) over Georgia Tech. At the dish, KSU leads the league with a .294 average led by Patricia Awald who is batting .387 with 11 home runs and 36 RBI (1st in the ASUN). Over the last 10 games, Maddie Roth has batted .455 (20-for-44), driving in 12 runs while scoring 10.

In the circle, Alley Cutting leads the team with a 1.70 ERA and posts a 9-7 overall record. Meanwhile, Abigail Green has picked up 14 wins against four losses and carries a 2.20 ERA. The staff as a whole leads the ASUN in strikeouts (285) and have held opposing batter to a .219 average.

FGCU leads the all-time series against the Owls 20-9, winning the last five of six matches, while taking the last four of five at The Nest. 

LAST TIME OUT
Facing FAU, In game one, the Green and Blue led 4-3 going into the final inning but the Owls knotted the game in the bottom of the seventh and soon walked off on an infield single claiming a 5-4 triumph in the bottom of the ninth. In the nightcap, FAU held a 1-0 margin until the Eagles tied it up in the sixth with an RBI double. Two innings later, Ashley Swiderski (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) drilled a three-run bomb to left-center en route to the 4-1 victory as Bauman slammed the door recording her NCAA record-tying 15th save of the season.

UP NEXT
FGCU will hit the road for the next two series starting first with Jacksonville (22-19, 3-3 ASUN) on Saturday, April 21 at 1 p.m. (DH). The finale will then be battled out on Sunday also at 1 p.m.   

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 602-310-3 (.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.