The FGCU softball team has officially set the 2019 schedule in stone. This season, the Eagles will have a challenging schedule as they will face 10 teams that were ranked in the top 100 in RPI.
"I am very pleased with our 2019 schedule," said head coach Dave Deiros. "We are very fortunate that quality opponents want to escape the cold and come to paradise to compete, beginning with the Canadian Junior National Team in January. This will be our first international opponent ever. We won four of the five tournaments we played last season and we will strive to do the same in our four tournaments this season. Everything we do is set up to prepare us for competition in the fifth toughest conference in the country—if you can win A-SUN softball games, you can win anywhere."
Last Time Out:
The Eagles finished 39-17 overall with a 12-6 record in conference.
FGCU will officially open its season on Feb. 8 hosting its annual Kickoff Classic beginning with back-to-back contests against Kent State and Penn State commencing at 4:45 pm. The following day the Eagles close out the tournament with games against LIU-Brooklyn and Ball State.
The Green and Blue then cap off its nine-game homestand at The Nest in its second tournament of the season, the FGCU Invitational. On Feb. 15, the Eagles play a pair against Lamar and Memphis starting at 5 pm. They then turn around the next day for a 3:30 pm tilt against FIU and close out the weekend Sunday with Lamar and Memphis beginning at 10 am.
Up next, FGCU will travel across Alligator Alley for the FAU Tournament which kicks off on Feb. 23. There, the Eagles will face UConn twice and the host Owls once before traveling across the state again for a doubleheader against rival USF. Game one is slated for a 5 pm start.
For a second-straight year, FGCU will make a trip out to California for six games in San Diego (Mar. 1-5). In that west coast road swing, the Eagles will face three of the aforementioned nine NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago in BYU, Long Beach State and Boise State.
After its Golden State journey, FGCU returns home for a doubleheader against Big 10 foe Indiana on Mar. 12 at 5 pm. Three days later, the team is back on the road as they head to Clearwater, Fla., for the USF Tournament (Mar. 15-17) where the Eagles will play five games in three days.
FGCU comes back for a three-game homestand from Mar. 19-20. Tuesday, the Green and Blue clash against Monmouth for a pair while welcoming Columbia for a single game. A-SUN action will start on the road for the Eagles (Mar. 23-24) as they face the reigning conference cha-mpions Kennesaw State.
Conference newcomer Liberty will come into Southwest Florida (Mar. 30-31) before the Eagles turn the calendar page on March and host FAU for a doubleheader on Apr. 3. FGCU travels to Florence, Ala., for three games (Apr. 6-7) against another conference newcomer in UNA.
The Eagles close out non-conference play in Miami (Apr. 10) with a doubleheader versus FIU, before coming back and hosting Jacksonville (Apr. 13-14). Down the stretch, FGCU hits the road for the final time in conference action visiting UNF (Apr. 19-20) as the Eagles cap off their final six A-SUN contests at home with Stetson (Apr. 27-28, Senior Day) and Lipscomb (May 2-3).
The FGCU Softball Complex will be the site of the 2019 A-SUN Championships beginning on May 8, with the champion being crowned May 11.
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