After a week since their last game, the FGCU softball team will go on the road to face FAU for a double-header tonight starting at 5 p.m., with game two scheduled approximately 30 minutes following the last out of game one.
The Eagles come into this game with a 28-13 (3-3) record on the season and have lost their last two games. The Owls have had a strong season as well with a 21-20 (6-3) record and are in second place in Conference USA.
FGCU will definitely give the ball to left-handed starter Riley Randolph for one of the games, as she leads the team with 12 wins. Morgan White and Marissa Messimore each have been called upon to make starts in the second game of the double header. As a pitching staff, they have a team ERA of 1.85 and are one strikeout away from 200 on the season.
While the offense for the Eagles was on fire at the beginning of this season, they have definitely cooled off in the last couple weeks and are only hitting .251 collectively. However, that has not stopped Raquel Fournet who continues to be the player that teams won’t let beat them. She leads the team in batting, home runs, hits, triples and has been walked a team-high 17 times this season.
While being the closer for most of the season, Taylor Bauman has started to get some at bats and has two home runs in five at bats this season. She also is just two saves away from breaking the current NCAA record of 15.
For the Owls, Tatum Buckley and Mia Olson have combined to make 29 of the 42 starts this season with Kelsey Morrison starting in nine. Their team ERA is a bit higher than FGCU’s at 2.63, but Buckley has not just been effective; she also can go deep into games with 13 completed.
Offensively, the Owls compete similarly with the Eagles. Madisyn Palmer has been their best hitter with an average above .400. She has 56 hits in 134 at bats, including a home run. Emily Lochten though has by far the most power with eight home runs this season and leads the team in RBIs as well.
These teams have met eight times in the past, with the FAU winning eight of them and the Eagles winning twice in Boca Raton.
Following this double-header, the Eagles will have a tough weekend series with the Preseason ASUN Favorite Kennesaw State Owls.