LAKEWOOD, NJ (Feb. 24, 2024) - The softball season is finally upon us as Georgian Court begins the year with a slew of doubleheaders in the Carolinas.

Opponent
Francis Marion (10-3, 0-0 Conference Carolinas)

Where
Florence, SC - FMU Softball Stadium

When
Sunday, Feb. 25 - 1 p.m.

How to Watch
• Sunday's doubleheader is available to watch via a free-to-view broadcast on the Francis Marion Sports Network Digital Network powered by HUDL. Live stats are also available at gculions.com. 

Previously vs. Francis Marion
• These two teams met for the first time last season, also in Florence. FMU came away with a pair of wins, 11-3 and 5-2.
• In game one, the Lions scored the first three runs and led 3-1 into the sixth.
• Francis Marion scored 10 in the sixth though to end the game early 11-3.
• Georgian Court again got out to an early lead, scoring two in the first inning. Those were the only two runs they'd score and FMU came back again with two in the fifth and sixth innings for a 5-2 win.
• Savannah Simons homered in game two. Taylor Lipkins had two hits in each game. 

Last Time Out
• Georgian Court advanced to their third straight NCAA Regional in 2023. They won two games but fell to Regional Champions Wilmington.
• The Lions finished the season 39-21 overall and 18-6 in the CACC. 
• They made it to the CACC Tournament finals before falling to the Wildcats.

2024 Preview
• Coming into 2024, Georgian Court was picked to finish third in the CACC Preseason Poll.
• Georgian Court returns a core group of seniors who have all played at least 110 games. Alyssa Herrera, Adriana Mungo, Jayda Jones, Jadalynn Rodriguez and Kaitlyn Stufft have all been mainstays in the lineup for years.
• All five have also won numerous athletic and academic awards in their career. 
• GCU also has their top pitcher back from last year in Janelle Blaszka. As a freshman in 2023, Blaszka headlined the staff winning 16 games.
• The only other returner from a year ago is Lia DeMaio who was a freshman in 2023.
• The rest of the squad is made up of newcomers. Six freshmen and two junior transfers. 
• The newcomers aren't limited to student-athletes either. GCU is under the direction of Head Coach Andrew Zeger who leads the program for his first year. 
• Georgian Court is starting the year with more doubleheaders than spring tournament games. They'll be taking on school's on campuses down in North and South Carolina all opening week.
• GCU is home for the first time against Delaware State March 9-10. Conference play begins March 16 at Bloomfield. 

Individual Milestones
• Jadalynn Rodriguez is seven hits away from 100 and Alyssa Herrera three shy of 150.
• Five more at bats will get Adriana Mungo to 500 in her career. She also needs one walk to reach 50. Four more runs scored will move her to eighth all-time and four hits will put her sixth.
• Jayda Jones is three at bats short of 300 and 10 RBI away from 100. 
• Kaitlyn Stufft needs two home runs to move to fourth at GCU and three to get into third. Five RBI will also put her into the Lions all-time top-five. 

About the Opponent
Francis Marion Patriots
• While GCU is yet to start their season, Francis Marion is well underway. They're 10-3 this season with two more games to play Saturday afternoon.
• Recently they split with the No. 14 team in the country, Wingate in a pair of low-scoring games. FMU won game one 2-0 and fell 2-1 in game two.
• The Patriots have relied a lot on pitching this season. Alyssa Poston and Jenna Walling each have five wins on the year. Poston has a 2.43 ERA in 40 innings.
• Emily Konz leads the team with 15 hits this season and four stolen bases.
• Taylor Watford has four home runs in eight games played with a 1.375 OPS and 10 RBI.
• Katie Smith and Lauren Smallwood each have three home runs. Smallwood's 12 RBI leads the team.