Friday, March 27, 2009

FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 27, 2009) - The ETSU Softball team wraps up its four-game Florida road swing on Saturday afternoon when the Lady Bucs take on Atlantic Sun Conference member Florida Gulf Coast. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. inside the FGCU Softball Complex.

The Lady Bucs bring a record of 18-10, 3-5 in A-Sun into play on Saturday, and a sweep over the Eagles will really give ETSU some momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.

ETSU is coming off a split over Stetson, where the Lady Bucs pounded out 10 hits, and defeated the Hatters 8-0 in game one. Stetson pulled off the split by taking the second game, 1-0. Junior Darci Gilbert (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) tossed six scoreless innings, and senior infielder Jessie Hackworth's (Clinton, Tenn.) three-run blast proved to be the difference maker in game one. Gilbert, who is enjoying an outstanding comeback season, has been dominate since league play began last week. The Murfreesboro, Tenn. native is 2-1 with a 0.46 ERA (2ER/30.1IP) in four appearances against conference foes.

The Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast won't be an easy task for the Lady Bucs. FGCU, who is currently receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll, are also ranked 20th in the nation in the latest Ultimate College Softball poll.

FGCU (35-5, 5-1) have won 27 of its last 28 games and the Eagles are led by senior third baseman Cheyenne Jenks. Jenks leads the A-Sun in hitting (.500), runs scored (51), home runs (19) and RBIs (59); while as a team the Eagles a hitting a league best .366 and averaging 8.2 runs per game.

Fans unable to make the trip to Florida can view the game online via ASun.TV.

For more information on Lady Buccaneer softball, visit www.ETSUBucs.com.