FGCU Softball: A-SUN Tournament Preview

The No. 3-seeded FGCU softball team (28-20) is set for a 1:30 p.m. battle on Wednesday against the No. 6-seeded UNF Ospreys (26-22) at the FGCU Softball Complex. The game was originally scheduled for 3 p.m., but was moved up due to weather concerns.

A-SUN Championship:
FGCU will play host to the 2019 A-SUN Softball Tournament Wednesday-Saturday. This will mark the third time FGCU will serve as hosts for the tournament, the first time since 2016. The winner of the event will earn the A-SUN's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship tournament.

The Green and Blue:
At the plate senior Kate Kelly leads the team in hits (54), batting average (.370) and stolen bases (18). Senior Racquel Fournet is hitting .316 while leading the team in RBI (28). Freshman Reedy Davenport owns a .293 BA and is second on the team in RBI (23).

In the circle, senior Riley Randolph has collected 17 wins in 26 starts, holding opposing batters to a .194 BA. She is currently 11th nationally in ERA (1.16), and 25th in strikeouts (209).

Sophomore Marissa Mesiemore is 10-7 with a 1.71 ERA in 23 appearances. During conference play, she posted a 0.86 ERA and went 7-3.

The pitching staff as a whole has combined to post a 1.75 ERA which sits 11th in the country.

A-SUN Awards and Accolades:
Before the tournament began, four Eagles received awards and accolades for the team: Kelly, Fournet, Davenport and Randolph.

Kelly was named a member of the A-SUN All-Conference First Team.

"Kate has had a fantastic senior year and she's really solidified our leadoff spot since the middle of the year," said head coach Dave Deiros. "Our offense is best when she sets the table for us."

Davenport was named on the A-SUN All-Freshman Team along with being named A-SUN Freshman of the Year. FGCU hasn't earned A-SUN Freshman of the Year since the 2016 season (Randolph).

"Reedy has made an immediate impact for us on both sides of the ball," said head coach David Deiros "She's an exceptional athlete with really good instincts."

Fournet and Randolph were both named on the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team. This was the second time Fournet has won the accolade.

"What else can I say about Riley and Racquel?" said Deiros. "They've had phenomenal careers with the Green and Blue and their names will be forever etched in our record books."   

A-SUN Tournament History:
Entering this week's bracket, the Eagles are 13-10 (.565) all-time in A-SUN tournament games. Last May, the Green and Blue entered the tournament with a first round bye and the No. 2 seed. FGCU took down the third-seeded USC Upstate Spartans (left the A-SUN after the season) in its first game before falling in the next two games to top-seeded KSU (4-2) and the Spartans (6-3, 10 innings).

A Glance At The Field:
No. 1 Lipscomb – 38-13-1, 16-4 A-SUN (regular season champion)
No. 2 Liberty – 36-18, 16-5
No. 3 FGCU – 28-20, 13-7
No. 4 UNA – 25-18, 10-10
No. 5 KSU – 26-27, 10-11
No. 6 UNF – 26-22, 8-12

RPI Watch:
Heading into the weekend the A-SUN has three teams represented in the top-70 of the RPI standings. Lipscomb checks in at 40, Liberty at 52 while FGCU rounds out the list at 67. The Eagles own a win over No. 8 Minnesota (ranked No. 15 at the time) who boast a No. 8 RPI.

Scouting the Ospreys:
Senior Dominica Cocuzza leads the Ospreys in hitting with a .378 BA as she's driven in a team-best 36 runners while senior Navia Penrod is second on the team with 24 RBI and is batting .373. She also leads the team in stolen bases with 13.

In the circle, UNF has thrown four pitchers as they've combined for a 2.84 ERA. Redshirt senior Sydney Matzko is 13-11 overall with a team-low 2.41 ERA in 32 outings.

How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available for all the games and will air on ESPN+. Fans can also keep up to date on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_Softball
Liberty: @LiberySB
Lipscomb: @LipscombSB
UNA: @UNASoftball
KSU: @KSUOwlsSB
UNF: @OspreySB

ESPN+:

The A-SUN will air on the new, subscription-based digital platform ESPN+, which will be the new home for select FGCU and A-SUN games and event broadcasts. Subscribers can try the new app for free for 30 days, which follows to $4.99 a month fee afterwards or can pay $39.99 per-year based on the viewers subscription choice.

Livestats Link: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=262731

ESPN+: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/0113725a-c46c-41e0-9744-b34f7b344d04/asun-softball-tournament