FGCU Softball: Strike Out Cancer Tournament Preview

The FGCU softball team (5-4) will hit the road for the first time this season as the squad travels to to Boca Raton for the FAU Strike Out Cancer Tournament, hosted by FAU. The tournament will also feature UConn.

Last Time Out:

The Eagles split a pair of games on the final day of the FGCU Invitational, falling to Lamar 4-1, before bouncing back with a 5-0 win over Memphis. One of the highlights over the weekend was FGCU hosting No. 2 world ranked Team Japan. In that game, the Green and Blue came back down from 2-0 deficit, before taking a 7-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth which included a three-run home run from freshman Kyleigh Taylor en route to the 7-5 final. 

Junior Sammi Poehlman leads the Eagles in hitting with a .333 BA, tallying two RBI while sophomore Farley Callaghan is hitting .313 with three RBI.

In the circle for the Green and Blue, the pitching staff collectively hold a 0.78 ERA. Senior Riley Randolph is 3-2 boasting a 0.21 ERA and is holding opposing batters to a .197 BA. She's struck out 39 batters in 33 innings of work.

Scouting the Huskies:

UConn (3-5) recently competed in the Upstate Classic last weekend. The squad has been hitting .208 over the last five games. Carli Cutler leads the way for the Huskies batting .348 with five RBI. Meanwhile, Briana Marcelino is hitting .308 with four RBI.

In the circle, Marybeth Olson is 1-1 with a 1.24 ERA in 17 innings of work pairing that with 17 strikeouts. The pitching staff as a whole holds a 4.06 ERA.

The Eagles are 5-0 all-time against UConn, as they took both meetings last year 8-3 and 2-1 at home. 

Scouting the Owls

FAU (3-7) will play Stetson Friday afternoon as six of its opponents they've faced this year have been ranked, five of which they squared off against last weekend at the St. Pete/Clearwater Invitational. Offensively, Danielle Bieberie is hitting .400 with three runs scored while Mia Olson holds a .241 BA with a team-best four RBI.

In four appearances this season, Kelsey Morrison is 1-1 with a 1.24 ERA and is holding batters to a .210 BA. FAU has utilized six pitchers so far as they hold a collective ERA of 2.68.

FGCU trails the all-time series 4-6 as the Eagles split last year on the road with the Owls.

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be available and will air livestream from the Conference USA athletics page (note, it will cost $6.95 for a 24 hour pass. Is is worth it?)

Fans can also keep up on Twitter:

FGCU: @FGCU_Softball

FAU: @fauowlssoftball

UConn: @UConnSoftball

Livestats Link: https://fausports.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary

Livestream Link: http://conferenceusa.com/watch/default.aspx?Archive=25096&path=fau