FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU softball team is set to open the 2022 season this week as the Eagles host the FGCU Kickoff Classic.

A total of 15 games will be played at the FGCU Softball Complex in a four-day span, beginning with FGCU playing LIU, Thursday afternoon at 4:30 p.m.

In addition to LIU, #10 Texas, #15 Clemson, Kent State, and Boston College will all be making the trip down to Southwest Florida.

Following their game against LIU, the Eagles will play Clemson, Thursday evening at 7 p.m. They will return to the field for one game each of the next three days, playing Texas on both Friday and Saturday night before closing out the weekend with Boston College on Sunday at 2 p.m.

All FGCU games will be streamed on Youtube Live and live stats links for all 15 games can be found here.

The Green and Blue
FGCU is coming off a 28-19 record in 2021 which included a 15-3 record in conference play en route to claiming the ASUN South Division. Seniors Reedy Davenport (St. John's, Fla./Bartram Trail HS), McKenna Batterton (Norco, Calif./Eleanor Roosevelt HS), and Emily Estroff (Coconut Creek, Fla./Coral Springs Charter HS/Villanova) are three key returners for the Eagles after all hitting over .300 in 2021. Davenport also shines in the field as she was the ASUN Defensive Player of the Year a season ago and was picked to repeat in this year's preseason vote.

In the ASUN preseason coaches' poll, the Eagles were picked fourth behind Liberty, Kennesaw State, and Central Arkansas. FGCU was the only team aside from Liberty to receive a first-place vote.

2022 Game Tickets
Single-game tickets are good for all games occurring on a single day and are $7 for adults, $5 for youth (ages 4-12), and $5 for current or former US military service members if you buy in advance. Tickets purchased at the gate will be $1 extra.
 
Groups of 10 or more can enjoy a day at the ballpark with reserved block seating, group activities, and the choice of free FGCU gear or concessions. Packages start at just $5 per person. Call the ticket office at 239-590-7145 for more information or to book your group.
 
The Spring Frequent Flyer Pass allows multiple entries into Softball and Baseball during the 2020 regular season. Passes are available for 15, 30, and 60 entries for any regular season home game. They can be used in any combination until the pass is exhausted. Passes cost $60 for 15 entries, $105 for 30 entries, and $180 for 60 entries. Single-game tickets and Frequent Flyer Passes can be purchased in advance online at FGCUTickets.com or over the phone at 239-590-7145.

Texas Longhorns
The Longhorns begin the 2022 season ranked #10 in the country after going 43-14 last season on their way to a Super Regional appearance. Texas had one of the best offenses in the country in 2021 as they were top-10 in batting average (.342), hits (512), on-base (.419), slugging (.561), and total runs scored (366).

They are led by a trio of preseason All-Americans – infielder Janae Jefferson and pitchers Shea OLeary and Hailey Dolcini. Jefferson was recently selected to the 2022 USA Softball Women's National Team and enters this season as the all-time program leader in batting average (.431) and total hits (270).

This is the first meeting between FGCU and Texas.

Clemson Tigers
The Tigers began their softball program in 2020 and have hit the ground running as they went 44-8 last year in their first full season and enter 2022 as the 15th-ranked team in the country.

Pitching was the strength for Clemson in 2021 as they were fifth in the country with a 1.50 ERA, led by All-American Valerie Cagle. Cagle had a 1.16 ERA and 267 strikeouts in 216.2 innings pitched last season while earning 28 wins in the circle. She was also one of Clemson's top hitters as well as she hit .404 with 17 home runs, 12 doubles, and 45 RBI.

This will be the first meeting between the two schools.

LIU Sharks
LIU is coming off a strong 25-7 season in 2021, advancing to the Northeast Conference championship game. In the preseason poll this season, the Sharks were picked second behind Saint Fra
ncis.
They return five All-NEC players from last season while also adding Alyssa O'Donnell, the 2021 NFCA National Pitcher of the Year while playing at Florida Southwestern.

The Eagles lead the all-time series, 13-4.

Boston College Eagles
The Eagles return to the field after a 13-32 season playing in the tough ACC. This weekend will be the first of two straight weekends that Boston College will be in Fort Myers as they will return for the FGCU Invitational.

Seniors Ellie Mataya and Susannah Anderson return to the Eagles after being named All-ACC in 2021. Mataya led BC in batting average (.373), at bats (153), runs (20), hits (57), doubles (9), triples (3), total bases (78), slugging percentage (.510), on-base percentage (.411) and stolen bases (12-for-12). In the circle, Anderson led the team in ERA (2.72), innings pitched (175.0), wins (9), appearances (30), games started (26), saves (1), complete games (19), shutouts (3) and strikeouts (107)

FGCU leads the all-time series 4-1.

Kent State Golden Flashes
Kent State is coming off a 27-26 season, which included a 23-16 record in the MAC, good enough for third place. The Golden Flashes were solid offensively last season as they finished in the top-75 in the country in batting average (.289) and hits (423).

Five players earned All-MAC honors a season ago with sophomore pitcher Jessica LeBeau and senior outfielder Brooklyn Whitt returning to the team in 2022.

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 20th season as head coach during the 2022 campaign. Hired in 2001 to build the program from the dirt up, Deiros has since guided the Eagles to a 689-364-3 (.654), going 162-93 (.632) in the ASUN, having 15 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.

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!

#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April 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 raise awareness.

ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 87 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 43 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 25, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) 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 in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 24 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, 2020 Fall, and 2021 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA in each. 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.