FORT MYERS, Fla. – Four FGCU softball players were named to ASUN All-Conference teams Tuesday, as announced by the league office.
Redshirt sophomore Meagan Ricks (Winter Haven, Fla./Winter Haven HS) earned ASUN First Team honors, junior Angelina Bonilla (Coral Gables, Fla./Coral Gables HS) was named to the ASUN Third Team, and both freshman Emily Chiarella (Lutz, Fla./Steinbrenner HS) and Tiffany Meek (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./William T. Dwyer HS) landed on the ASUN All-Freshman team.
Ricks' first-team distinction marks the 21st all-time in program history and the first since 2021. The freshmen duo of Meek and Chiarella mark the 17th all-freshmen honors for FGCU and the first multi-freshman recipients season since 2018. The four Eagles are the latest of 46 total all-conference selections in FGCU softball history.
"Really happy for Meagan, Angie, Emily, and Tiffany," said FGCU softball head coach David Deiros. "All played a vital role in our successful season and deserve these accolades. We are all anxious to play in the ASUN Tournament this week."
ASUN FIRST TEAM
UT Meagan Ricks
Ricks made 41 starts in 51 game appearances as an infielder and utility player for the Eagles, helping guide the Eagles to the 30-win plateau for the first time in five years and clinch the No. 4 seed in the upcoming ASUN Championship.
The Winter Haven, Fla., native batted .252 on the year, producing two home runs -- one each against Austin Peay and Stetson. Ricks also walked-off North Florida in extra innings with an RBI double.
She had a season-high three hits and a career-high five RBIs vs. Austin Peay. Overall, Ricks currently ranks fourth on the team in hits and fifth in runs scored. She notched a hit at No. 6 Florida State, has had four multi-hit performances, and three multi-RBI games.
In the field, Ricks obtained a .926 fielding percentage, tallied 79 putouts, added 21 assists, and turned five double plays. Ricks has posted a season high of seven putouts against in-state foe UCF.
ASUN THIRD TEAM
P Angelina Bonilla
Bonilla emerged as the Eagles ace this season, making 14 starts in 32 appearances. She racked up 10 wins, tossed a team-leading eight complete games, produced five shutouts -- four in ASUN play -- and was also credited with two saves.
Bonilla leads the team in strikeouts, hitting the triple-digit mark (100) in just 111.0 innings pitched. She has compiled a 2.21 ERA, and is keeping opposing hitters to a .228 batting average.
The Coral Gables, Fla., native jump started a feat that no other ASUN team has been able to accomplish at Liberty by throwing the first of back-to-back complete game shutouts. She played a key role in the Eagles posting its most home wins (21) since 2018.
ASUN FRESHMAN TEAM
OF Emily Chiarella
Chiarella made 49 starts in the outfield, and leads all Eagles in batting average at .319. Her 46 hits rank second on the team, and Chiarella is fourth in RBIs (18).
The speedy freshman swiped 23 stolen bases, which ranks second on the squad, fifth in ASUN, and 52nd nationally. Chiarella helped FGCU reach a top 10 national ranking in the stolen base category, climbing as high as No. 4 overall. She has been caught stealing only once in her 24 attempts.
Against No. 6 Florida State, she went a combined .500 in the two-game series. Chiarella produced two multi-hit performances at the ASUN regular season champion Central Arkansas.
In the outfield, Chiarella tracked down 73 fly balls in the field for a .961 fielding percentage. The Lutz, Fla., native has even turned one double play.
ASUN FRESHMAN TEAM
IF Tiffany Meek
Meek made 37 starts in the infielder for the Eagles. She arose as one of only three Eagles to hold a .300 or better batting average, currently second highest at .313.
With 30 hits on the year, Meek is fifth on the team in the hits category. She has also swiped six stolen bases and scored 14 runs.
The Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., native produced eight multi-hit performances this season, had a season-high three hits vs. North Florida, and went 2-for-2 in the series finale at ASUN regular season champion Central Arkansas.
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 737-421-3 (.635) record, gone 189-120 (.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.
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#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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