FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU softball team welcomes in-state opponent North Florida for the final home series of the season and Senior Day on Sunday at the FGCU Softball Complex.
The series begins with a 2 p.m. Saturday doubleheader, and the series finale is slated for 1 p.m. Sunday. FGCU Athletics and head coach David Deiros will commemorate the 2023 senior class Sunday: Owen Bowers (Hamlet, N.C./Richmond Senior HS/Presbyterian & Florida SouthWestern State), Tayli Filla (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot HS/USF), Baylee Haggard (Naples, Fla./Palmetto Ridge HS/Florida SouthWestern State & South Florida State College), Ally Hulme (Safety Harbor, Fla./Sickles HS/State College of Florida), Riley Oakes (Oviedo, Fla./Bishop Moore Catholic HS/Radford), Neely Peterson (Wesley Chapel, Fla./Cypress Creek HS/Colorado State & Santa Fe College), and Abbey Thomas (Fort Myers, Fla./Southwest Florida Christian Academy).
The FGCU 2023 senior class consists of seven outstanding young women on and off the field. Last fall, the Eagles' 3.78 GPA was the highest team GPA in the athletic department, and it also marked the highest team GPA in FGCU softball history. The class has also been a part of 93 wins, three top-25 victories, and helped Deiros reach the 700-win plateau.
All three games this weekend will be streamed on EagleVison. Individual watch links for a specific game can be located on the 2023 softball schedule on FGCUAthletics.com. Coming out to the ballpark? Tickets can be purchased online at the FGCU Ticket Office and at the Alico Arena Box Office. $3 beer and Nutrl hard seltzers will be on sale for all fans 21+, while supplies last.
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.
Saturday marks the 47th meeting between the Eagles and the Ospreys. FGCU holds the all-time series lead 28-18, but North Florida took two out of three in Fort Myers last season to win the series.
The Eagles (28-21, 10-8 ASUN) enter the weekend slate fifth in the ASUN standings, while North Florida (26-20-1, 7-10-1) is 10th and on the outside looking in for one of the final eight ASUN Championship-clinching spots.
FGCU is just one game back of fourth-place Austin Peay (24-17, 11-7) for a bye to advance past the play-in games for teams seeded fifth through eighth. The Eagles also hold the crucial head-to-head tiebreaker over the Governors.
The Green & Blue has won five of six ASUN series this season, and are just one home victory away from posting the most home victories since 2018.
North Florida's Chloe Culp and Shannon Glover have been putting up league-leading offensive numbers this season. Glover is tied for fourth with nine home runs, and Culp is tied for fourth with 35 RBIs. In the circle, Ashley Conner paces the ASUN with five saves.
The Eagles counter with its emerging one-two punch of junior pitcher Angelina Bonilla (Coral Gables, Fla./Coral Gables HS) and senior Ally Hulme (Safety Harbor, Fla./Sickles HS/State College of Florida). Hulme and Bonilla have combined for 20 wins, 10 complete games, seven shutouts, 205 1/3 innings, and 141 strikeouts.
FGCU's speed on the base paths continues to statistically rank top 10 in the nation in total steals, currently ninth with 111 stolen bases – 11th in stolen bases per game (2.27). The program single-season stolen base record is 145, which was set in 2003.
Five Eagles have recorded 10-plus steals this season, as freshman Olivia Black's (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Central HS) team-leading 23 are good enough for second in the ASUN and 31st nationally. Freshman Emily Chiarella (Lutz, Fla./Steinbrenner HS) is fourth in the conference with 21. FGCU is a perfect 16-0 when recording three or more steals.
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 is in his 21st season as head coach. Hired in 2001 to build the program from the ground up, Deiros has since guided the Eagles to a 734-418-3 (.635) record, gone 186-117 (.614) 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, FGCUdefeated 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 98 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. 15 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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