DELAND, Fla. – After claiming a first-round bye with a sweep over UNF this past weekend, the No. 2-seeded FGCU softball team will begin its quest for an ASUN Championship and a bid into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012 squaring off against the No. 3-seeded USC Upstate Spartans.

Tickets for the ASUN Championship can be purchased here.

The tournament is a double-elimination tournament with the loser of tomorrow's contest facing the loser of No. 1 Kennesaw State and No. 5 Jacksonville.

THE GREEN AND BLUE
First Team All-Conference selection Racquel Fournet (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Preparatory School) sets the tone offensively with .381 average. In her 59 hits during the regular season, the junior has smacked 14 doubles, five homers and has driven in a team-best 32 RBI. Second Team honoree Kelsey Huff (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer HS) is on the doorstep of .300 as she is hitting .287 this season, accumulating the second most hits on the team with 50 while swiping 20 bags.  

In the circle, First Team All-Conference selection Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast HS) has racked up the most wins in the ASUN with 17 and carries an ERA of 1.64. In her 154 innings worked, the junior ace has fanned 136 opponents – giving her 100 now for three-straight seasons – and is holding the opposition to a .207 average to go along with nine complete games. Meanwhile, Morgan White (Ocala, Fla./Forest HS) leads the rotation with a 1.43 ERA – the lowest among pitchers in the ASUN and 30th in the country – while Taylor Bauman (Jacksonville, Fla./Atlantic Coast HS) has recorded 15 saves this season – tying an NCAA Single-Season record set back in 2008 – en route to being named part of the ASUN All-Freshman Team. The rotation staff collectively comes in with an ERA that ranks 18th in the country (1.89).

ASUN HISTORY
Entering this week's Championship, the Eagles are 12-8 (.600) all-time in ASUN Tournament games. Last May, the Green and Blue strung together three-straight victories to reach the championship game as the No. 4 seed before falling to the top-seeded Spartans.
 
RPI WATCH
Regardless of the tournament winner, it will be a tough path ahead. This week's ASUN Championship will feature four programs in the top-70 of the RPI. In the poll released Monday morning, FGCU leaped five spots to #33 in the nation to lead the ASUN. Kennesaw State (41), Lipscomb (51) and USC Upstate (69) rounded out the ASUN squads in the top-70. As of now, the conference is rated the sixth-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.

A LOOK AT THE BOOK
A career .344 batter into her junior campaign, Fournet holds the highest career batting average amongst players that played their entire career at the Division I level. Overall, the junior sits eighth all-time in program history. Two spots behind Fournet, Huff's .339 average is good for 10th in the history of the Green and Blue.

In addition, Fournet has now moved into third place with 46 doubles (14 this season), the second most in Division I history.

In the circle, Randolph's career 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.	Racquel Fournet	2016-18	.344
9.	Jessica Gary	2007-10	.342
10.	Kelsey Huff	2015-18	.339

Doubles 

	Name	Years	2Bs
1.	Courtney Platt	2008-11	49
2.	Cheyenne Jenks	2006-09	49
3.	Racquel Fournet	2016-18	46
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

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
Entering tomorrow morning's matinee with a 32-17 overall record, the Spartans defeated the No. 6 Stetson Hatters, 9-2, in the first match of the tournament earlier in the day. In that game, ASUN All-Freshman selection Logan Morris spearheaded the offensive attack registering six RBI finishing 3-for-4 with two homers. All season long USC Upstate has been led by ASUN Player of the Year Karla Beasley. The senior first baseman is hitting .386, recording a slugging percentage of .759%. Ansley Gilstrap poses a threat when reaching onboard swiping 40 bags this year, a mark that ranks 7th in the nation.

In the circle, Christina Biggerstaff is the Spartan's clear ace going 16-9 during the regular season, carrying a 1.86 ERA. Just over 170 innings tossed, the junior righty has fanned 217 batters – 25th in the country – registering 18 complete outings. Erin Hill is next in line with nine victories and a 2.28 ERA in a little over 79 innings worked.

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 611-313-3 (.665) overall mark, 12 seasons with a winning record, and nine 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.