DeLAND, Fla. – The fourth-seeded FGCU softball team is set to open the ASUN Championship on Wednesday vs. No. 5 North Alabama.
North Alabama bashed 17 hits to outlast No. 8 Jacksonville 5-4 in 10 innings Tuesday during the second play-in game to advance into the double-elimination format. First pitch was originally scheduled for 5:30 p.m. but has now been moved up to 12:30 p.m., and will air on ESPN+.
Tournament passes for reserved seats are $85 and $55 for general admission, which can be purchased online at GoHatters.com/tix. Single day passes are also available for purchase, $20 for reserved seats and $12 for general admission.
The winner of the Eagles/Lions matchup will advance to face ASUN regular season champion and 19th-ranked Central Arkansas. The loser of the Eagles/Lions contest will drop down to battle the loser of the No. 2 Liberty and No. 3 Jacksonville State/No. 7 Austin Peay matchup.
The Lions (31-14-1, 12-11-1 ASUN) are one of only two ASUN Championship-qualfying teams that FGCU has not faced in 2023 -- and the Eagles have not squared off against UNA since 2019. FGCU is 6-2 all-time against UNA dating back to 2005. The Eagles have won the last six meetings -- the last two by one run apiece.
UNA poses a tough task for the Eagles, as the Lions boast two of the best pitchers in the conference in terms of ERA. Elena Escobar is third with a 1.81 ERA and Maci Birdyshaw is fourth overall at 2.08. Offensively, Felicity Frame's .382 batting average leads the ASUN, while teammate Georgia Land's .360 ranks fifth in the conference.
The Eagles are making their ninth all-time appearance in the ASUN Championship. In FGCU's first ever championship appearance (2012), the Eagles ran the table to punch a ticket to the NCAA Tournament. All-time, FGCU is 16-14 at the championship, and 4-2 all-time as a No. 4 seed. The Eagles were runner-up in both the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
After missing out on the ASUN Championship in 2022, the Eagles put together a 31-24 season and a 13-11 mark in league play this season. FGCU reached the 30-win plateau for the first time in five campaigns, and also recorded the most home victories since 2018.
The Green & Blue won six of eight ASUN series this season, became the first ASUN team to win 20-games, and is the first ASUN team to record back-to-back complete-game shutouts at Liberty -- snapping the Flames' 13-straight league series win streak. In non-conference action, the Eagles took down Boston College, in-state foe FAU twice for an overall record of 18-13.
Four Eagles were named to the 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 recipient season since 2018. The four Eagles are the latest of 46 total all-conference selections in FGCU softball history.
FGCU wins games with its speed. The Eagles rank top 10 nationally in stolen bases, swiping 117. Five Eagles have swiped 10-plus bags, with freshman Olivia Black (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Central HS) leading the way with 24 -- ranking third across the ASUN and 45th nationally. Chiarella is fifth with 23, and Avery Viancos is eighth with 19.
In the circle, the Eagles will continue to look toward Bonilla and senior Ally Hulme (Safety Harbor, Fla./Sickles HS State College of Florida) as its one-two punch. Both Bonilla and Hulme have recorded 10-plus wins this season.
Hulme leads all Eagles in innings pitched, but Bonilla paces the FGCU stable in strikeouts (100) and has tossed eight complete games -- including five shutouts. Bonilla's 2.21 ERA ranks seventh best in the conference. Earlier this season, Hulme moved into eighth all-time in program history in career strikeouts.
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 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.
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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