FGCU KICKOFF CLASSIC (GAMES 1-5) INFORMATION
Teams: BU, FGCU, Boston College, Indiana State, LIU
Dates: Friday, Feb. 7 - Sunday, Feb. 9
Venue: Fort Myers, Fla. | FGCU Softball Complex
Twitter: @BUGameDay | @TerrierSoftball

BOSTON – Ranked No. 23 in D1Softball's top 25 poll, the two-time defending Patriot League tournament champion Boston University softball team will open its 38th season at the three-day FGCU Kickoff Classic.

The Terriers will start off against LIU on Friday (Feb. 7) with a 10 a.m. start time followed by a 12:15 p.m. first pitch against Boston College. BU will then face Indiana State Saturday evening (Feb. 8) at 5 p.m. and the host Eagles at 7:30 p.m. Finally, a rematch against FGCU will take place Sunday (Feb. 9) at 12:30 p.m. The final game will be streamed on ESPN+.

TERRIER TIDBITS

• Led by head coach Ashley Waters in her 10th season, the Terriers made history in the spring by becoming the first Northeast based softball program to earn 50+ wins in back-to-back seasons with the 53 victories posted in 2024 tying the 2002 UMass program for the most ever. 
• Senior Sydney Pecoraro, senior Tyesha Williams, junior Brooke Deppiesse and junior Kasey Ricard were named team captains by their teammates in the fall.
• BU returns three regular starters and 11 total letterwinners from last year's squad following the graduation of 10 Terriers over the summer.
• Ricard was named a preseason All-American by D1Softball with a No. 26 ranking in their top-100 player list and was also placed on USA Softball's Top 53 Watch List. Owner of a 28-4 record with two saves and 1.23 ERA, she led the country with 16 solo shutouts and finished second in strikeouts at 265 over 211.0 innings of work.
• Ranked No. 11 in D1Softball's top 20 second basemen list, Deppiesse is a two-time NFCA All-Region First Team honoree who batted .360 last season with 13 doubles, six triples, three homers, 32 RBIs and 36 runs scored.
• All-Patriot League Second Team member Kylie Doherty (.235) started 46 of 56 games played in the outfield, collecting seven homers with 37 RBIs and 32 runs scored.
• The Terriers welcome two transfers in preseason All-PL honoree and junior Megan Coyle, who batted .330 as a sophomore with 10 doubles and five homers at Lafayette, and sophomore Libby Walsh, who earned All Pac-12 Freshman Team honors at Arizona State with 49 starts in the infield and 22 RBIs helped by six extra-base hits.
• BU welcomed seven rookies to this year's roster, including three (Addie Lucier, Camryn Lyons and Danika Nell) named to Softball America's Freshman Watch List. Both Lucier and Lyons batted over .500 for their respective high school programs, while Nell pitched for the Canadian Junior National Softball Team.
• BU will face BC outside Massachusetts for just the second time in 53 meetings after BU earned a 16-0 victory coincidentally in Fort Myers, Florida, back in 1994.
• Last season, BU batted .321 while holding opponents to .178 but only returns 21 of the 87 recorded doubles and 83 of the 314 earned RBIs.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

vs. LIU, 0-0 (Friday, 10 a.m.)

• Selected second in the Northeast Conference preseason poll, LIU went 32-21 (17-7 NEC) last season. Notable results included a split against Boston College, win over FGCU and a 2-0 record vs. the Patriot League with victories over Bucknell and Colgate.
• All-NEC First Team member Dallas Andrews is the top returning hitter at .355 with eight doubles and 19 RBIs.
• Alyssa O'Donnell is back in the circle with an 11-7 record, 2.81 ERA and four shutouts. She held opponents to a .229 batting average with 72 strikeouts over 128.0 innings.
• As a team, the Sharks batted .266 with 77-53 advantage in doubles while holding opponents to .240.
• The LIU Sharks are the result of the July 1, 2019 unification of the athletic departments of the NCAA Division I LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds and DII member LIU Post Pioneers. BU has never faced LIU but did have a 2-8 record against the Blackbirds with a 1-1 split in 2015. After dropping a 10-7 (10) decision at FGCU, BU bounced back a week later in Clearwater, Florida, with an 11-3 (6) victory.

vs. Boston College, 0-0 (Friday, 12:30 p.m.)

• Selected 12th in the highly-competitive ACC, the Eagles went 30-24 last season with a 9-15 conference mark. Notable wins included 4-0 victory over then-No. 16 Clemson, 2-0 win against UConn and pair of victories at Notre Dame.
• NFCA All-Region member Hannah Slike is the top returning hitter after leading the Eagles at .341 avg., 27 RBIs and eight home runs with her 15 doubles ranking eighth in the CAA.
• Ranking No. 30 in College Sports Evaluators Preseason Top 50 Pitchers list, Abby Dunning (14-14, 2.46 ERA) earned All-Region honors as well by holding opponents to .207 with 172 strikeouts over 182.0 innings of work.
• As a team, BC batted .245 and held opponents to .226 with a 65-43 advantage in doubles and 53-39 lead in stolen bases.
• The all-time series is tied, 26-26, with BU winning the last six matchups, including three 3-2 decisions. Last season at home, BU posted a 6-1 victory thanks to Patriot League Player of the Year Lauren Keleher ('24) delivering five RBIs via the cycle. Ricard pitched three scoreless innings to earn the save.

Indiana State, 0-0 (Saturday, 5 p.m.)

• Selected 11th in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll, the Sycamores went 20-30 (8-16 MVC) last spring. Owner of two notable non-conference wins over Ohio, ISU had a split against Colgate with a 12-0 win and 9-1 loss.
• Kenzie Cornwell is one of the top returning batters at .303 with 16 RBIs.
• ISU returns all five pitchers, including Hailey Griffin (7-6, 4.50 ERA) who earned 76 strikeouts in 106.0 innings while holding opponents to .217 batting average.
• As a team, the Sycamores batted .262 while holding opponents to .259. Opponents posted an 11-2 advantage in triples and 38-20 lead in homers.
• BU won the lone meeting, 10-5, back in 2007 in Marietta, Georgia.

FGCU, 0-0 (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. / Sunday, 12:30 p.m.)

• The defending Atlantic Sun champion Eagles went 38-21 (16-8 ASUN) with a 3-2 win over Florida Atlantic during a 1-2 performance at the NCAA Gainesville Regional.
• Owner of a 20-12 home record, FGCU upset then-No. 16 Florida State, 3-1.
• FGCU's top returning batters, Avery Viancos (.351) and Nikki Gibson (.343) combined for 33 stolen bases with Gibson adding 24 RBIs.
• Ranking No. 91 in D1Softball's Top 100 Players, Allison Sparkman (12-6, 1.68 ERA) held batters to .214 average with 55 strikeouts in 104.1 innings.
• The Eagles batted .259 and held opponents to .229 while boasting a 105-29 advantage in stolen bases.
• FGCU won the lone meeting back in 2015 at home, 6-1.

UP NEXT

• BU will next travel to East Carolina's Pirate Clash for five games on Feb. 14-16.
• The Terriers will face ECU and UMBC two times apiece with one matchup against Radford.