FORT MYERS, Fla. - The FGCU softball team eyes its third straight ASUN Conference series win Saturday and Sunday, as the Eagles host Austin Peay for a three-game homestand at the FGCU Softball Complex.

The Eagles (22-14 overall, 4-2 ASUN) and the Governors (16-11, 4-2) open with a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. The final game of the series, Youth Day, is scheduled for noon Sunday. Ages 12 and under receive free admission with a paying adult, an opportunity to run the bases postgame, and a chance to grab some autographed posters from the Eagles.

All three matchups will be streamed on ESPN+. Tickets can be purchased online at the FGCU Ticket Office and at the Alico Arena Box Office. Admission is free for FGCU students, faculty, and staff with valid Eagle I.D. No pets or emotional support animals are allowed at the FGCU Softball Complex. Only certified service animals are permitted.

FGCU opened conference play this season with series victories over both Jacksonville at home and on the road at ASUN preseason favorite Liberty. The Eagles enter the month of April with an RPI of 60, and have reached as high as No. 47 on March 7. FGCU is tied for third in the ASUN standings, as Jacksonville State sits atop the leaderboard at 20-9 overall and 6-0 in league play.

The Eagles accomplished a feat last weekend that no other ASUN team has been able to do against Liberty since the Flames joined the conference in 2019 -- recording back-to-back shutout victories. The Eagles also snapped the Flames' 13 consecutive ASUN series win streak.

FGCU continues to cause problems for opposing teams with its speed. The Green & Blue ranks seventh nationally in total steals with 86, and No. 15 in stolen bases per game at 2.39 per contest. Grambling State holds the nation's top mark with 130 stolen bases.

In a 11-3 victory over Saint Francis on March 11, FGCU set the program's single-game stolen base record with 12. FGCU is a perfect 12-0 this season when recording three or more stolen bases.

Three Eagles sit among the fastest in the ASUN, as Emily Chiarella (Lutz, Fla./Steinbrenner HS) leads all Eagles in steals with 17 and is fourth in the ASUN -- 37th nationally. Freshman Olivia Black (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Central HS) and sophomore Avery Viancos (Orlando, Fla./Lake Nona HS) are close behind Chiarella, ranking fifth and sixth respectively.

In the circle, Ally Hulme paces the Eagles in wins at eight. Four pitchers in the Eagles' stable have recorded at least four wins: Hulme, junior Angelina Bonilla (Coral Gables, Fla./Coral Gables HS), junior Claire Maulding (Casey, Ill./Casey Westfield HS/Lake Land College), and senior Baylee Haggard (Naples, Fla./Palmetto Ridge HS/Florida SouthWestern State & South Florida State College). Bonilla leads the Eagles in recorded strikeouts with 59.

Bonilla duplicated the second of back-to-back complete-game shutouts over Liberty last weekend for the series victory. Before surrendering a three-run second in the series finale against the Flames, Bonilla had held opponents scoreless for 30 2/3 straight innings over her last seven appearances.

Last weekend also witnessed Hulme surpassing Kelci Breaux for ninth all-time in career strikeouts at FGCU with 156.

Graduate Tayli Filla (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot HS/USF) continues to be the most consistent offensive spark for the Eagles, leading FGCU in six offensive categories: batting average (.343), hits (37), triples (2), home runs (4), RBIs (25) and slugging percentage (.565). Filla's 27 hits rank second in the ASUN and her 25 RBIs rank third across the conference.

Filla and the Eagles will have to face the ASUN Pitcher of the Week in Jordan Benefiel, who is the league leader in strikeouts this season with 133, 12th nationally. Benefiel's 11 wins is also tied for second in the ASUN.

Last time out against Queens, Benefiel threw two-complete game one-hitters. She boasts a 2.20 ERA over 111.1 innings of work, holding opponents to a .204 batting average.

The Governors are 3-5 this season in true road games after coming off a 6-4 midweek win over Murray State on Wednesday.

FGCU is 1-2 all-time against Austin Peay dating back to 2010. The last matchup between the two programs occurred in 2022, with the Governors coming out on top 2-1. FGCU's lone victory over Austin Peay was a 10-0, five-inning win during the 2010 campaign.

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 728-411-3 (.637) record, gone 180-111 (.619) 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 FGCUCampus 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 96 conference 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 48 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. Nine FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 20 in 2021-22 and No. 22 in 2022-23), baseball (No. 16 in 2023), beach volleyball (No. 20 in 2022), and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as five 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 3.67 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2022 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 27 consecutive semesters. The past seven semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 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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