After opening the season with three wins in the first five games of the season, Georgia Southern's softball team will return to the diamond at 3 p.m. today for a non-conference doubleheader against Georgia State.
    Last season, the Eagles were 15-10 at Eagle Field, including 10 wins in Southern Conference play at home.
    The Eagles notched a pair of wins by large margins last weekend at the Coastal Carolina Kickin’ Chicken Classic, beating George Washington, 11-1, before defeating George Mason, 10-1.
    GSU finished the weekend with a 5-2 victory over Coastal Carolina thanks to a five-run seventh inning.
    GSU had two batters hit over .400 on the season’s opening weekend. Marie Fogle, of Rincon, hit .471 with three doubles and three RBI. Junior Andrea Tarashuk hit .467 to open the year at the plate with four doubles and four runs batted in. Kourtny Thomas and Tabby Douberley each slugged two home runs on the weekend. Douberley also led the team with seven RBIs in the five games.
    Sarah Purvis led the Eagles' pitching staff with a 2-1 record and a 1.31 earned-run average. She struck out 13 batters in 16 innings of work. Freshman Brooke Red did not earn a decision in her first weekend, but posted a 1.42 ERA in 9.2 innings of work with six strikeouts.
    Georgia State hosted the GSU First Pitch Classic last weekend in Panthersville, finishing with a 3-1 record. The Panthers downed Longwood, ETSU, and Western Carolina in group play before falling to Longwood in the championship game. Georgia State hit nine home runs in the opening weekend with five batters hitting over .400.
    The Eagles will travel this weekend to the USF Invitational in Tampa, Fla. GSU will begin the weekend with a 2:15 p.m. game against Arkansas on Friday before playing a pair of games Saturday.