FORT MYERS, Fla. – After nearly a week off, the FGCU softball team welcomes Stonehill for a midweek doubleheader at the FGCU Softball Complex starting at 2 p.m. Wednesday before heading back to Tampa for the USF Tournament.
Wednesday's doubleheader was originally scheduled to begin at 5 p.m., but was moved up to help accommodate No. 23 FGCU women's basketball ASUN Tournament semifinal game against Austin Peay at Alico Arena at 7 p.m.
After Wednesday's doubleheader, FGCU will head back to Tampa for its fourth and final tournament this season. The Eagles are scheduled to play five games in a span of four days starting on Thursday, seven games in five days including Wednesday.
Both home games will be streamed on EagleVision. Individual watch links for a specific game can be located on the 2023 softball schedule at FGCUAthletics.com. Tickets for Wednesday's doubleheader against Stonehill 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 enters the stretch at 11-9 overall, winners of four straight after sweeping last Wednesday's doubleheader against Oakland. FGCU is one of only six ASUN Conference members to hit the double-digit mark in wins. Central Arkansas leads the way with 14, but North Alabama sits atop the team standings at 13-1.
Stonehill is 0-12 and has recently transitioned to the Division I ranks. The Skyhawks began competition in the Northeast Conference (NEC) in the fall of 2022 and will become a full member of the conference in 2026-27 upon completion of its four-year NCAA Division I reclassification period.
In Tampa, the Green & Blue will face off against against Penn State (10-3) on Thursday at 4 p.m., Illinois (12-6) on Friday at 9 a.m., both Penn State at 9 a.m. and Saint Francis (6-10) at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, and close with Marist (7-9) on Sunday at 1 p.m. FGCU is 1-2 all-time against Penn State and 0-2 all-time versus Illinois.
FGCU's power hitters have provided the spark this season. Graduate Tayli Filla (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot HS/USF) and sophomore Kayleigh Roper (Venice, Fla./Venice HS/Michigan State) are tied for second in the ASUN Conference in total home runs with four. Filla is fourth in total RBIs with 18, and Roper is fifth at 17. Last time out against Oakland, Filla and Roper went back-to-back off the left field scoreboard.
On the basepaths, freshman Olivia Black (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Central HS) is tied for second in steals with 10. As a squad, FGCU ranks 25th in the nation in steals per game at 2.15 a clip.
In the circle, senior Ally Hulme (Safety Harbor, Fla./Sickles HS State College of Florida) is 23 strikeouts away from entering FGCU's top 10 list for career strikeouts. Four Eagles pitchers have tossed more than 20 innings this season -- Hulme, senior Baylee Haggard (Naples, Fla./Palmetto Ridge HS Florida SouthWestern State & South Florida State College), junior Claire Maulding (Casey, Ill./Casey Westfield HS/Lake Land College) and junior Angelina Bonilla (Coral Gables, Fla./Coral Gables HS). Bonilla leads all Eagles in recorded strikeouts with 29 and fanned a career high of seven last time out against Oakland.
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 717-406-3 (.637) 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 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 95 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 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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