FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU softball team will head up I-75 for its final non-conference series of the year facing USF Saturday-Sunday at the USF Softball Stadium.
The Green and Blue
FGCU was in Kennesaw, Ga., this past weekend for its crossover portion of the slate but were only able to play two games, defeating Bellarmine, 7-0, before falling to Kennesaw State, 8-0. In the leadoff spot,
Johneisha Rowe (Avon Park, Fla./Sebring HS) is hitting .382 with 25 stolen bases (25-for-26), which ranks seventh in the country. Meanwhile,
Reedy Davenport (St. Johns, Fla./Bartram Trail HS) is batting .315 and leads the team in RBI with 22.
In the circle for the Eagles,
Marissa Mesiemore (Bushnell, Fla./South Sumter HS) is 11-4 with a 3.45 ERA while
Sarah Lawton (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross HS/FSW) is 6-4, posting a 2.12 ERA (team-low).
USF
The Bulls' lineup features four hitters with a BA over .300, led by AnaMarie Bruni (.419). Bethaney Keen leads the offense with 18 RBI as Brooke Hartman is on her heels with 16 and leads USF in home runs (three).
Six pitchers have been thrown into the mix this season, spearheaded by Georgina Corrick who is 12-4 in 22 outings with a 1.20 ERA (30th in NCAA).
All-Time Series
FGCU trails the series 9-4 but has taken the last two of three, sweeping the Bulls in Fort Myers in 2018. In the last meeting in 2019, FGCU fell on the road, 1-0.
Around the ASUN (Saturday, Apr. 17)
Kennesaw State @ Bellarmine (1 & 3 pm)
Liberty @ Lipscomb (2 & 4 pm)
ASUN Standings
South Division
| Place |
Team |
ASUN |
Overall |
| 1. |
FGCU |
10-2 |
20-13 |
| 2. |
Jacksonville |
8-7 |
22-13 |
| 3. |
North Florida |
7-8 |
15-19 |
| 4. |
Stetson |
2-10 |
7-19 |
North Division
| Place |
Team |
ASUN |
Overall |
| 1. |
Kennesaw State |
7-2 |
17-19 |
| 2. |
Liberty |
7-2 |
26-12 |
| 3. |
Lipscomb |
3-4 |
14-13 |
| 4. |
North Alabama |
5-7 |
17-14 |
| 5. |
Bellarmine |
0-7 |
6-21 |
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 681-358-3 (.655), going 157-92 (.630) 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 85 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 39 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.
