Liberty Travels to Fort Myers for FGCU Series
4/14/2022 10:50:12 AM | Softball
ASUN-leading Liberty (28-13, 12-0 ASUN) heads to Fort Myers, Fla., for a three-game series at FGCU (13-25, 6-9), Friday and Saturday. The Lady Flames are 14-1 in their last 15 games, seeing a 14-game winning streak end on Tuesday against No. 2 Virginia Tech.
Liberty at FGCU
FGCU Softball Complex
Fort Myers, Fla.
Friday, April 15
5 p.m. – Game 1 Live Stats | Live Video
7:30 p.m. – Game 2 Live Stats | Live Video
Saturday, April 16
Noon – Game 3 Live Stats | Live Video
FGCU is looking to bounce back after falling in all three games to Stetson lats weekend. Meanwhile, Liberty is off to its best start to conference play in program history at 12-0 and has not lost a regular-season ASUN game since April 2, 2021 against Kennesaw State. The Lady Flames have swept Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Bellarmine and Kennesaw State this season.
Liberty was voted the preseason favorite in the ASUN coaches’ poll, receiving 11 first-place votes. FGCU received one first-place vote and was voted fourth in the preseason coaches’ poll.
In Liberty’s last regular-season visit to FGCU Softball Complex, the Lady Flames swept the Eagles 3-0, March 30-31, 2019. That was Liberty’s first of 13 ASUN 3-0 series sweeps to date.
FGCU (sixth) and Liberty (17th) have the two toughest nonconference strengths of schedule among all ASUN schools. Also, Liberty (6-3 over No. 23 Notre Dame, March 5) and FGCU (6-4 over No. 8 Texas, Feb. 11) are two out of the three ASUN softball programs with Top 25 wins this season. Central Arkansas (3-2 at No. 14 LSU, Feb. 12) is the third.
This weekend’s series features the 2022 Preseason Pitcher of the Year (Liberty’s Emily Kirby), Preseason Player of the Year (Liberty’s Kara Canetto) and Preseason Defensive Player of the Year (FGCU’s Reedy Davenport).
Through 12 conference games, Liberty leads the ASUN in batting average (.325), on base percentage (.403), slugging percentage (.552), runs (85), home runs (18) and RBI (79). Liberty has a 1.62 conference ERA (t-2nd), leading the ASUN with 7.68 strikeouts per seven innings.
In conference play, Mary Claire Wilson leads all ASUN players in batting average (.563) and on base percentage (.615), while Caroline Hudson leads with six homers and 20 RBI. Devyn Howard leads in both walks (14) and runs scored (16). Emily Kirby has a 1.21 ERA in ASUN play, leading in strikeouts per seven innings (11.59).
Karlie Keeney (14-6, 2.38), a 2021 ASUN All-Conference second team pitcher, is tied for the ASUN lead in victories. Sophomore McKenzie Wagoner (4-3, 2.32) ranks sixth in the conference in ERA. 2021 ASUN Pitcher of the Year Emily Kirby (6-4, 2.55), the reigning ASUN Pitcher of the Week, leads the ASUN with 8.59 strikeouts per seven innings overall.
Liberty has hit an ASUN-leading 37 home runs. Devyn Howard leads Liberty with a .375 batting average, an ASUN-leading 28 walks, .480 on base percentage and an ASUN-best 41 runs scored. Mary Claire Wilson bats .352, including a conference-best .563 in ASUN play. 2021 Big Ten first-teamer Lou Allan (.310) has six homers and 25 RBI, while Caroline Hudson (.293) ranks second in the ASUN in both homers (10) and RBI (35). ASUN Preseason Player of the Year Kara Canetto bats .289 with a team-best nine steals. Rachel Roupe (.234) has hit four homers, all in ASUN play, with 16 of her 24 RBI coming in conference games this season.
