FORT MYERS, Fla. – Opening Day is here for the FGCU softball team, as the Eagles are set to play five games in three days starting Friday in the FGCU Kickoff Classic at the FGCU Softball Complex.
The Green & Blue welcomes Binghamton, Long Island University, UNCG and Southern Illinois to the City of Palms. FGCU squares off against Binghamton at 5 p.m. and Southern Illinois 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Free schedule magnets and posters will be available Friday.
On Saturday, the Eagles face Long Island at 12:15 p.m. and UNCG at 5 p.m. FGCU closes out the opening weekend with Dirty Bird Appreciation Day on Sunday with one final matchup against Long Island at 12:30 p.m. All FGCU home games this season will be streamed on EagleVision. Please visit the FGCU softball schedule page to view specific and individual game links to watch.
The full FGCU Kickoff Classic schedule can be seen below. Tickets can be purchased online online FGCU Ticket Office or at the Alico Arena box office. No pets or emotional support animals are allowed at the FGCU Softball Complex. Only certified service animals are allowed.
FGCU was picked to finish seventh in the preseason ASUN Conference Coaches Poll. The Eagles return nine players from a 2022 campaign that witnessed the Green & Blue go 18-33 and 9-15 in conference action. FGCU notched two top -10 victories a season ago, taking down No. 8 Texas and No. 10 Florida.
Head coach David Deiros enters his 21st season at the helm of the Eagles. Last season, Deiros recorded win No. 700 in an extra-inning victory over ASUN foe Jacksonville State.
Eagles ace and senior Ally Hulme (Safety Harbor, Fla./Sickles HS State College of Florida) looks to dominate from the circle in 2023. In 2022, she tallied 108 strikeouts and would toss a complete-game gem to lift the Eagles past the ranked Gators. Hulme held a no-hitter through five complete against UF, finishing with only three hits allowed and four strikeouts over 134 total pitches.
Two-way star and senior Riley Oakes (Oviedo, Fla./Bishop Moore Catholic HS/Radford) also returns for the Green & Blue. Oakes was credited with the save in the upset win against the Longhorns. At the plate, Oakes was one of only three Eagles to hit .300 or better last season. Oakes led the Eagles in stolen bases with seven.
Graduate student infielder Tayli Filla (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot HS/USF) was the second of three Eagles to hit over .300 in 2022. Filla ranked second in hits (36) and home runs (4)
Senior catcher and FGCL Pioneer Neely Peterson (Wesley Chapel, Fla./Cypress Creek HS/Colorado State & Santa Fe College) was named to the Florida Gulf Coast League All-Star Team this past summer.
FGCU welcomes 13 newcomers to the 2023 roster. The Eagles added six freshmen, four D-I and three JUCO transfers to strengthen The Nest and begin a return to ASUN supremacy.
FGCU Kickoff Classic Schedule:
Friday, Feb. 10
10 a.m. LIU vs UNCG
12:15 p.m. UNCG vs Binghamton
2:30 p.m. SIU vs LIU
5 p.m. Binghamton vs FGCU
7:30 p.m. SIU vs FGCU
Saturday, Feb. 11
10 a.m. LIU vs Binghamton
12:15 p.m. LIU vs FGCU
2:30 p.m. Binghamton vs SIU
5 p.m. UNCG vs FGCU
7:30 p.m. SIU vs UNCG
Sunday, Feb. 12
10 a.m. UNCG vs Binghamton
12:30 p.m. LIU vs FGCU
For up-to-the-minute information on the FGCU softball program, follow on Twitter @FGCU_Softball, Instagram at fgcusoftball, Facebook, and stay tuned at FGCUAthletics.com.
COACH DEIROS
The founding father of FGCU softball,
David Deiros enters his 21st season as head coach in 2023. Hired in 2001 to build the program from the ground up, Deiros has since guided the Eagles to a 706-397-3 (.640) record, gone 176-109 (.618) in the ASUN, had 16 seasons with a winning record and nine campaigns of 35+ wins. Deiros has also led the Eagles to three ASUN regular season championships (2008, 2012, and 2016) and one ASUN Tournament title (2012). In 2012, FGCU defeated No. 5 Florida in its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Last season (2022), FGCU took down both No. 8 Texas and No. 10 Florida once again. 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 (https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/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 https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 94 confererence regular season and tournament titles in just 15-plus seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 11-plus seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 47 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. In 2022, the men's golf team became the first program to earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 20, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as four of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green & 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 26 consecutive semesters. The past six semesters (Fall 2019 – Spring 2022) saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher cumulative 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.
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