FORT MYERS, Fla. – Playing in their final tournament of the spring before the start of Summit League play, the IUPUI softball team (6-16) will head to the sunshine state for the Florida Gulf Coast Battle at the Beach Tournament (March 16-18), where the Jags are scheduled to play four teams across five games in three days of action.
This season, the Jags are hitting .265 as a team, hitting 16 homeruns across 22 games. IUPUI averages 3.7 runs per game and have picked up a pair of run-rule victories this season.
Maggie Good has proven to be one of the most elite hitters in the entire Summit League, leading the conference with .381 average and slugging seven homeruns. She's also second in the pack with 25 RBIs.
Alyssa Matson ranks in the top-five in the league with a .338 average out of the leadoff spot, while
Roni Patterson is also a top-five player with four homeruns.
Taylor Chitwood is having a solid season out of the No. 3 spot in the lineup, hitting .314 with nine extra-base hits and 13 RBIs.
IUPUI will open up the weekend Thursday (March 16) with Iowa State and Florida Gulf Coast, with the action beginning at 2:30 p.m. EST. Friday's games (March 17) will feature matchups with Cleveland State and Drexel before the Jags close the weekend with a second game against Cleveland State on Sunday (March 18).
Iowa State (11-15)
The Cyclones are currently in the midst of a 10-day spring break trip in which the team is traveling coast-to-coast in the United States. The team began in California with the UC Davis Tournament where the Cyclones played five games, followed by a Tuesday (March 14) doubleheader with Central Florida. The team is hitting .266 and has a pitching staff featuring a 3.23 ERA.
Florida Gulf Coast (13-10)
The host team has enjoyed some big moments this season, perhaps none bigger than the 4-3 victory over the formerly 21st-ranked Fresno State Bulldogs in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The team is most recently coming off a 0-7 loss to #1 Florida State, and will play a pair of games against the Seminoles and Canisius before beginning the Battle of the Beach Tournament. A charged offense hitting .291 as a unit, the Eagles have primarily thrived off of extra-base hits that don't leave the yard. With only five homeruns to their credit, FGCU has 31 doubles and seven triples, scoring 105 runs in 23 games (4.7 average).
Cleveland State (2-20)
The Vikings have had a rough start to 2017, most recently snapping an 18-game losing streak with an 8-4 victory over Indiana State. The team has been run-ruled six times this season, as the pitching staff has been tattooed with a 6.12 ERA. The lineup is hitting just a combined .209, as the Vikings have put up no more than seven runs in any game this season.
Drexel (3-3)
The team with the shortest season so far in 2017, the Dragons have competed in just six games, playing in their only tournament at the Kentucky Invitational. Drexel started the season by picking up a doubleheader sweep of Howard before going 1-3 in the tournament. Through the team's short season, the Dragons have five players hitting .400 or better, with Linda Rush swinging a hot bat at .476 with three homeruns and 10 RBIs.
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SCHEDULE
Tuesday:
6 PM: FGCU vs. FSU
Wednesday:
2 PM: FSU vs. Canisius
4:30 PM: FGCU vs. FSU
7 PM: FGCU vs. Canisius
Thursday:
2:30 PM: Iowa State vs. IUPUI
4:45 PM: FGCU vs. Iowa State
7 PM: FGCU vs. IUPUI
Friday:
10 AM: Cleveland State vs. IUPUI
12:15 PM: Canisius vs. Cleveland State
2:30 PM: IUPUI vs. Drexel
5 PM: Iowa State vs. Cleveland State
7:15 PM: Drexel vs. Iowa State
Saturday:
10 AM: Drexel vs. Canisius
12:15 PM: FGCU vs. Canisius
2:30 PM: Cleveland State vs. Drexel
5 PM: FGCU vs. Iowa State
7:15 PM: IUPUI vs. Cleveland State
Sunday:
10 AM: FGCU vs. Drexel
12:15 PM: FGCU vs. Cleveland State
