FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU softball team (1-3) will play five games in three days as part of the FGCU Invitational this Friday-Sunday, Feb. 19-21. The Eagles will play twice Friday and Saturday followed by one game Sunday morning.
Capacity will be limited with social distancing, fans must wear face masks at all times, and adhere to CDC guidelines.
The Green and Blue
FGCU is coming off a four-game home series against No. 24 UCF – ranked No. 21 last weekend. In game three of the series, the Green and Blue were down 2-0 entering the bottom of the sixth before a three-run Blast by
Taylor Bauman (Jacksonville, Fla./Atlantic Coast HS) gave FGCU the 3-2 victory. Monday afternoon she was dubbed the ASUN Player of the Week for her efforts. In the circle, the senior collected her first win in the aforementioned game, tossing her first complete career game as an Eagle.
NIU
Northern Illinois produced a 7-15 record in 2020. Some key returners at the plate include Danielle Williams who batted a team-leading .417. Bianca Barone also comes back after leading the Huskies in RBI (12). In the circle, three different pitchers collected at least two wins.
NIU leads the all-time series, 3-1.
FIU
The Panthers are off to a 3-0 start after taking down FAU once and sweeping Winthrop last weekend. Venessa Gallegos is red-hot at the plate, batting .700 with two doubles, one home run, and 10 RBI. In the circle, Kendahl Dunford is 2-0 and holds a 1.27 ERA.
FIU leads the all-time series, 18-7.
UConn
This will be the third time in four seasons that UConn makes its way down to Fort Myers in February. Prior to the season getting canceled last year, the Huskies jumped out to a 16-5 record – best through 21 games since 1993. Pitcher Marybeth Olson is a key returner as she posted 10 wins in 2020 to go along with a 1.46 ERA. UConn's two top hitters are back in Oliva Sappington (.350) and Brianna Marcelino (.348).
FGCU leads the all-time series, 7-1.
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.
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
COACH DEIROS
The founding father of FGCU softball, David Deiros is in his 19th season as head coach. Hired in 2001 to build the program from the dirt up, Deiros has since guided the Eagles to a 662-348-3 (.653), going 147-90 (.620) in the ASUN, having 14 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.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 82 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 38 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women's basketball (No. 24, 2019-20) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate (APR) in their sport and have had the highest percentage of teams so honored from these two groups over each of the past three years. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.46 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.5:15 p.m. The Eagles will then face FIU (3-0) after at 7:30 p.m.
