Matchup: FGCU (7-5) vs. USF (8-7)
Where: USF Softball Stadium
When: Wednesday, Feb. 27 5 PM (DH)
Live Stats:
Game One |
Game Two
Coaches: David Deiros (17th season @ FGCU – 619-319-3)
Ken Eriksen (23rd Season @ USF – 943-490-1)
TAMPA, FL – The FGCU softball team will travel up the road to face I-75 rival USF for a doubleheader contest Wednesday evening.
Last Time Out
The Eagles are coming off a 2-1 weekend in which they defeated UConn twice but fell to FAU in the Strike Out Cancer Tournament. In both victories against UConn (7-0 & 1-0), senior pitcher
Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, FL./Northeast HS) tossed two complete games, allowed no runs while striking out a combined 22 batters. Her two-day performance led her to be named the ASUN Pitcher of the Week for the first time this season and seventh overall of her Eagle career.
The Green and Blue
Heading into Tampa with an overall 7-5 record, junior
Sammi Poehlman (Ormond Beach, FL./Daytona State) leads the Eagles hitting .360, tallying two doubles, four runs scored and three RBI. Senior
Racquel Fournet (Windermere, FL./Windermere Preparatory School) is batting .324 as she has a team-high 12 hits along with four RBI. Fournet is the only Eagle to record a start in each contest this season.
In the circle, Randolph (5-2) has yielded just one earned run this season in seven appearances, giving her a 0.15 ERA which ranks 11th in the nation. Her four shutouts are good for second in the country.
Marissa Mesiemore (Bushnell, FL./South Sumter HS) is 2-2 overall in five appearances and owns a 2.43 ERA. The pitching staff collectively holds a 1.18 ERA – ninth in the nation.
Scouting the Bulls
USF is 8-7 overall after going 5-1 in the USF-Rawlings Invitational last weekend. At the plate, Bethaney Keen (.381) is one of three Bulls hitting .300 plus as Megan Pierro (.355) and AnaMarie Bruni (.318) are the other two members. Keen leads the team in RBI (nine) and home runs (two). Meanwhile, Bruni has scored a team-high 10 runs.
In the circle, USF has utilized five pitchers this season as they hold a combined 2.65 ERA. Georgina Cook (5-1) leads the staff with a 1.24 ERA in 11 appearances. Opposing batters are hitting .206 so far this season against the Bulls.
Matchup History
FGCU is 4-8 all-time against the Bulls as the Eagles swept the doubleheader last season in Fort Myers (1-0 & 4-1) at the time when USF was receiving votes in the polls.
Up Next
FGCU will travel to San Diego, CA., to participate in the San Diego Classic from Mar.1-3 followed by a contest against San Diego State on Mar. 5.
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 17th season as head coach. Hired in 2001 to build the program from the dirt up, Deiros has since guided the Eagles to a 619-319-3 (.665) overall mark, 13 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.
