FGCU Softball vs Lipscomb Preview

The FGCU softball team (32-14, 7-5 A-SUN) prepare for their final conference road trip as they face Lipscomb (30-13, 8-6 A-SUN) in Nashville.

Last Time Out:
The Eagles last played Jacksonville for their second to last conference road trip. The Eagles would sweep the Dolphins in all three games (Gm 1. 6-0, Gm 2. 6-5, Gm 3. 8-1). In addition, this was the Eagles' first sweep in conference since the 2016 season (vs UNF May 2-3).

Key Players:
On the mound, sophomore Morgan White and junior Riley Randolph have been key factors.

White (8-2, 1.47 ERA) made two appearances in the series against Jacksonville, earning wins in both games. In the first appearance, White threw two-thirds of an inning while one batter and striking out one. In game two, White threw her first complete game of the season giving up one run (unearned) on one hit while striking out nine.

Randolph (13-6, 1.92 ERA) also made two appearances against Jacksonville. In game one, Randolph threw a two-hit shutout, walking two batters and striking out five. In game two, Randolph came in for her first save throwing one scoreless inning while walking two batters and striking out one.

At the plate, the players that have been on a hot streak include senior Ashley Swiderski, freshman Farley Callaghan and junior Racquel Fournet.

Despite going 0-4 in the last game of the series against Jacksonville, Swiderski finished 4-12 with two doubles, one triple and three RBIs. Swiderski is currently batting .255 with 35 hits, six doubles, four triples, six home runs and 25 RBIs.

Callaghan is currently batting .247 with 20 hits, six doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs. In the series against JU, Callaghan finished 5-9 (.555) with two doubles and an RBI.

Fournet is currently leading the team with a .372 batting average. The Windemere native has 51 hits, 10 doubles, four triples, five home runs and 30 RBIs. Against JU, Fournet went 5-11 (.455) with two doubles and an RBI. Fournet's two doubles put her at 42 in her career and is eight away from surpassing Cheyenne Jenkins and Courtney Platt (49) for most in a career.

Save The Nation:
Freshman Taylor Bauman still not only leads the team and conference in saves (15), but in the nation too. The Jacksonville native currently ties the single season record for saves with former Canisius College pitcher Mallory Aldred. Bauman is only one save away from passing Aldred for the single season saves record.

Scouting Lipscomb:
The Bison recently faced former A-SUN Conference member Belmont, winning 13-2 in five innings.

Last time out for the Bison in conference, they faced Kennesaw in only two games, losing 2-3 and 1-2. The third game was tied at 5-5 in the fourth inning, but was cancelled due to rain.

On the mound, junior Mandy Jordan leads the way. Jordan (15-5, 1.47 ERA) lead the team with 128 strikeouts. In her last start against Kennesaw, Jordan earned a loss after throwing six innings, giving up three runs on four hits while walking four and striking out one.

At the plate, senior Abby Fenichel and junior Jordan Fortel lead the way.

Fenichel is currently batting .289 and leads the team with seven home runs and 32 RBIs. Against Kennesaw Fenichel went 2-6 with two RBIs.

Fortel is currently batting .261 with five home runs and 19 RBIs as a batter. In the game against Belmont, Fortel went 1-3 with a home run and two RBIs. She went 1-5 with a home run in the series against Kennesaw. As a pitcher, Fortel is 3-3 with a 1.76 ERA and 29 strikeouts.

Series History:
The Eagles are currently 12-10 all-time against the Lady Bison. Last time both teams met, the Eagles took the series at home as they won game one 3-2 in nine innings and 4-0 in game three, but lost 2-10 in the second game.

Chance At No. 1:
The current conference standings are as noted:
1. Kennesaw (34-14, 12-2 A-SUN)
2. Upstate (31-16, 10-6 A-SUN)
3. FGCU (33-14, 7-5 A-SUN)
4. Lipscomb (30-13, 8-6 A-SUN)
5. Jacksonville (23-24, 4-7 A-SUN)
6. Stetson (24-19, 2-9 A-SUN)
7. UNF (22-26, 2-10 A-SUN)

The Eagles do have a slight chance to get the No. 1 and No. 2 spot for the conference tournament. The Eagles would have to sweep Lipscomb and UNF, but they would also need Jacksonville to sweep Kennesaw to get the No. 1 seed.

To get No. 2, the Eagles would have to sweep Lipscomb and UNF, and Kennesaw would have to lose the series against Jacksonville.

Livestream:
The first two games will air on ESPN+ at 5 P.M. and 7 P.M. and live stats will be available for all three games.