CLEARWATER, FL – The FGCU softball team (10-10) will head up the road to Clearwater for the USF Tournament facing five teams in three days, highlighted by No. 21 Minnesota Saturday evening.
Friday
FGCU vs LIU-Brooklyn at 4:45 p.m. (field No. 4)
FGCU vs Seton Hall at 7:15 p.m. (field No. 4)
Saturday
FGCU vs Quinnipiac at 2:00 p.m. (field No. 4)
FGCU vs No. 21 Minnesota at 6:30 p.m. (field No. 9)
Sunday
FGCU vs North Dakota State at 11:15 a.m. (field No. 8)
Last Time Out
FGCU trailed 1-0 after four frames in game one until senior
Racquel Fournet (Windermere, FL./Windermere Preparatory School) produced a bases-clearing double to propel the Eagles past the No. 15 Hoosiers, 3-1. In game two, the Eagles' bats struggled to get going as they were limited to four hits while leaving six runners on the bags in the 2-0 loss.
The Green and Blue
The offensive unit is led by Fournet, who has so far recorded a team-best 20 hits for a .313 BA. Fournet is the only Eagle to make a start in each of the 20 games this season. Meanwhile, freshman
Reedy Davenport (St. Johns, FL./Bartram Trail HS) is second in RBI (eight) to go along with a .245 BA.
The pitching staff as whole boasts a collective 1.60 ERA – 12th nationally, led by
Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, FL./Northeast HS) with a 0.75 ERA which is good for 11th in the country. In eight with seven starts, sophomore
Marissa Mesiemore (Bushnell, FL./South Sumter HS) is 2-4 with a 2.43 ERA.
Scouting the Blackbirds
LIU is 13-8 overall as this will be the third time both teams meet Friday. The Eagles and the Blackbirds split their two previous contests in the opening week of the FGCU Kickoff Classic. LIU is led by Amanda Domingo who is hitting .345 in 15 games. Schae Dickson has a team-best 13 RBI while Samantha Garcia and Ryleigh Bermea have driven in 12 runners apiece.
In the circle, Elena Valenzuela is 7-2 overall with a 1.58 ERA. The entire pitching staff holds a 2.69 ERA as opponents are hitting .239 against them.
FGCU is 12-3 all-time against LIU.
Scouting the Pirates
Seton Hall owns an 8-10 record as Hailey Arteaga is batting .415 with a team-best 14 RBI. Destini Beck and Janae Barracato are hitting .295 and .288, respectively, with 10 RBI each.
The Pirates have utilized five pitchers this season to combine for a 6.97 ERA. Reganne Camps leads the group with three wins.
FGCU trails the all-time series 0-2 with both meetings coming back in 2012 in Orlando, FL.
Scouting the Bobcats
Quinnipiac is 4-9 overall as Kayla Jensen (.333) and Rachel Marchuk (.300) are the squad's only .300 plus hitters. Rebecca Drake leads the Bobcats with eight RBI.
In the circle, three pitchers have seen action with Lauren King boasting a 2.27 ERA and a 3-2 record.
FGCU leads the all-time series 2-1, outscoring the Bobcats 10-2.
Scouting the Gophers
The 21st-ranked Minnesota squad is 15-7 coming into the weekend. At the plate, MaKenna Partain is hitting .394 with 13 RBI and has hit a team-best seven doubles. Hope Brander leads the team in RBI (26) while Natalie DenHartog is second (24).
Six pitchers have seen action in the circle this season for Minnesota as they collectively hold a 1.79 ERA which ranks 21st nationally. Amber Fisher is 8-5 overall with a 1.52 ERA while Sydney Smith is second on the team in wins with five.
FGCU trails the all-time series 0-4. The last meeting between both teams came back in 2013.
Scouting the Bison
North Dakota State owns a 12-11 record entering the weekend. Kate Shoultz leads the charge at the plate with a .407 BA in 19 games. Cara Beatty leads the Bison with 15 RBI as Maddie Hansen and Zoe Stavrou have recorded 14 and 12 RBI, respectively.
KK Leddy leads the pitching rotation with seven wins and ERA (3.10). Paige Vargas is right behind Leddy in wins with five. The staff has combined to record a 3.50 ERA.
This will be the first meeting between both programs.
FGCU Record Books
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. |
Jessica Gary |
2007-10 |
.342 |
| 9. |
Kelsey Huff |
2015-18 |
.337 |
| 10. |
Racquel Fournet |
2016-19 |
.336 |
Doubles
|
Name |
Years |
2Bs |
| 1. |
Racquel Fournet |
2016-19 |
52 |
| 2. |
Courtney Platt |
2008-11 |
49 |
| 2. |
Cheyenne Jenks |
2006-09 |
49 |
| 4. |
Jessica Rouse |
2004-07 |
38 |
| 5. |
Kelsey Carpenter |
2012-15 |
32 |
| 6. |
Jessica Carter |
2007-09 |
29 |
| 7. |
Desiree Miller |
2007-09 |
28 |
| 8. |
Louie Ross |
2012-16 |
28 |
| 9. |
Kirsten Bembnowski |
2011-14 |
27 |
| 9. |
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 |
2016-19 |
1.59 |
| 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 |
Up Next
FGCU will return home Tuesday, Mar. 19 and face Monmouth in a doubleheader contest slated to start at 5 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 17th season as head coach. Hired in 2001 to build the program from the dirt up, Deiros has since guided the Eagles to a 622-324-3 (.657) 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.
