The FGCU softball team (8-0) hosts their second tournament of the season as they welcome U-Conn (5-4), Stony Brook (0-0), Wright State (0-5), and Southern Illinois (4-4) in the FGCU Four Points by Shearton Invitational.
Last Time Out:
In their last series, the Eagles swept visiting Oakland on Wednesday, February 20 by scores of 7-1 and 5-4. The Eagles current record is a program-best since 2014.
Leading the fray on the offensive side are seniors Natalie Lopez and Ashley Swiderski and juniors Brooke Clemens and Racquel Fournet.
Lopez currently leads the team in batting average (.769). The Miami native was 5-for-6 in the series against Oakland with two runs scored and two stolen bases.
Since transferring from Florida, Clemens has been a strong factor not just behind home plate, but from the batter's box. Clemens is batting .304 with seven hits and nine RBI. In the series with Oakland, Clemens went 2-for-6 with four RBI.
Despite going 1-for-7 last series, Fournet is still batting .417 with 10 hits, one home run and three RBI.
Swiderski is currently batting .400 and leads the team with two home runs and seven RBI. Swiderski was 3-for-6 with a triple and two RBI.
On the mound, junior Riley Randolph and freshman Marisa Mesiemore have been keys to the starting rotation.
Since her return against Ball State, Randolph (3-0, 0.37 ERA) has made great impact. In Randolph's last start, she threw six scoreless innings and gave up one unearned run on three hits while striking out six batters.
Mesiemore (4-0, 0.54 ERA) currently leads the team in overall wins. Mesiemore threw one scoreless inning against Oakland.
Freshman Taylor Bauman has also come in clutch in the closer role. The Jacksonville native currently has six saves this season.
Scouting U-Conn:
The Huskies (5-4) recently competed in the Costal Carolina Invitational. They would lose to Kent State (0-10) and host Costal Carolina (0-6) before regaining their composure and defeating Robert Morris (1-0) and Rider (3-0).
Offensively, senior Emma Stanley leads the team in batting average (.400) and hits (10). Stanley was 6-for-12 (.500) in the Costal Carolina Invitational.
Sophomore Devon Casazza has the Huskies lone home run. Casazza is batting .250 with six hits and four RBI.
The duo of freshman Marybeth Olson and senior Chelsea Eckert lead the way on the mound.
Olson is 2-1 currently with a 0.40 ERA and 21 strikeouts. In Olson's last start, she threw a complete game two-hit shutout against Robert Morris where she struck out nine batters.
Eckert is currently 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Eckert threw a four-hit shutout against Rider and struck out 11 batters.
Scouting Stony Brook:
The Seawolves are just beginning their season at the FGCU Four Point Invitational. This will be their first five games of the season.
Last season, the Seawolves went 18-29 overall with a 9-7 record in the AEC. The Seawolves are lead by head coach Megan T. Bryant.
Junior Irene Rivera led the Seawolves last year with 34 RBIs to go with her eight home runs.
Sophomore Melissa Rahrich comes back into the circle after 47 appearances last season. Rahrich was 12-12 with a 3.47 ERA while striking out 99 batters. Rahric also led the program at the dish registering a team-best .363 BA. In the batter's box, Rahrich batted .364 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs.
The interesting thing about Stony Brook is current FGCU assistant coach Jamie Kertes was under Bryant's wing as an assistant coach for two seasons.
Scouting Wright State:
This will be the first time the Eagles face the Raiders. The Raiders (0-5) recently competed in the Total Sports Control Invitational hosted by Depaul. They would fall to Depaul twice (0-4, 4-8), Loyola Chicago (1-9, six innings), Northern Colorado (3-12, six innings) and Fort Wayne (0-2).
Senior Honnah Susor leads the squad with a .357 BA, tallying five hits and one double.
Scouting SIU:
The Salukis (4-4) recently competed in the Gamecock Invitational, hosted by South Carolina. They would beat former A-SUN Conference member Mercer (6-1) and Georgetown (13-4 (5)) before falling to host South Carolina (0-2) and Michigan State (1-2).
Sophomore Maddy Vermejan leads a trio of .300 plus hitters going .450 at the plate. Vermejan was 1-for-2 in her last game.
Sophomore Katelyn Massa leads the team with 11 RBI. In her game against Georgetown, Massa hit two home runs with six RBI.
In the circle, junior Brianna Jones is 4-0 with a 2.03 ERA in six appearances, tossing four complete games. In Jones' last game, she ended with a no decision after throwing three scoreless innings.
Series History:
The Eagles are currently 3-0 against the Huskies. Originally, both teams were supposed to play each other last season, but due to a snowstorm, they had to cancel. The last time both teams played was on March 18, 2014 where the Eagles swept the Huskies 3-1 and 7-0.
Against the Seawolves, FGCU leads the all-time series 3-1. The two teams last met back in 2016 when the Eagles and Seawolves combined for 23 runs with FGCU taking the final, 12-11.
FGCU leads the all-time series 2-1 against SIU as the Eagles took the last meeting back in 2016 by a score of 6-5.
The Eagles open their part of the tournament on Friday, February 23 as they play U-Conn at 4:45 P.M. and Stony Brook at 7 P.M and Wright State and Southern Illinois on Saturday, February 24 at the same times (4:45 P.M. Wright State, 7 P.M. Southern Illinois) before wrapping up the invitational with a final game against U-Conn on Sunday, February 25 at noon.
The games against Wright State and Southern Illinois are Greenouts while the final game against U-Conn is a Pinkout.
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