FORT MYERS, Fla. – Coming off a strong Atlantic Sun weekend sweep against Mercer (9-1, 10-2), the FGCU softball team prepares for a doubleheader against A-Sun foe Jacksonville on Tuesday, April 17, beginning at 4 p.m. at the FGCU Softball Complex.

The Eagles are 27-21 (7-3 A-Sun) on the season after picking up a pair of run-rule victories on Senior Day against Mercer last weekend. The Green and Blue are currently in a tie for second place in the A-Sun with USC Upstate (7-3), trailing only Kennesaw State (9-3).

Over the last four games, the Eagles are hitting .374 as a team with 40 runs scored, seven doubles, nine home runs and 38 RBI.

FGCU has five players hitting over .300, led by sophomore Jessica Barnes’ (Winter Haven, Fla./Haines City) .319 average, five home runs, 36 runs, 22 stolen bases and 38 hits. Sophomore Kirsten Bembnowski (Palm Harbor, Fla./East Lake HS) is second on the team with a .311 average on 38 hits, six doubles, three home runs and 21 RBI, while classmate Emily Lanier (St. Cloud, Fla./Harmony HS) is third on the team with a .310 mark on 35 hits, five home runs, 10 doubles and 22 RBI. Sophomore Chelsea Zgrabik (Venice, Fla./Venice HS) added another home run last week to increase her team-leading home run total to seven and 37 RBI. Additionally, freshman Kelsey Carpenter (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) holds a .304 average on 41 hits, three home runs, 26 RBI and 28 runs.

In the circle, freshman Shelby Morgan (High Springs, Fla./Santa Fe HS) owns a 16-5 record with 15 complete games and six shutouts. Morgan’s 1.59 ERA leads the team, while adding 109 strikeouts in 136.1 innings of work. Sophomore Amanda Josie (Estero, Fla./Estero HS) is 9-5 with a 2.05 ERA, recording 40 strikeouts and one save in 102.1 innings.

Jacksonville (26-19, 7-5 A-Sun) is coming off a sweep against ETSU (9-1, 5-1) last weekend at the Jacksonville Softball Complex. Sitting at 7-5 in the A-Sun, the Dolphins are in fourth heading into the key doubleheader. Jacksonville is led by Kayla Ouellet, who holds a .348 batting average on 54 hits, 30 runs, 29 stolen bases and six RBI. The Dolphins are led in the circle by Sarah Sigrest, who has a 15-9 record with a 2.21 ERA and 169 strikeouts in 165 innings. Despite Jacksonville taking both games last season, the Eagles hold a 6-2 lead in the all-time series between the two schools.

The game will be broadcasted live through stretch internet and Tom James will be doing the play-by-play with first pitch starting at 4 p.m.    

Live stats, in-game Twitter updates (@FGCUEagles), results and recaps will be available at www.FGCUAthletics.com.