Feb. 20, 2014

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VILLANOVA, Pa. - The days of fielding groundballs in a gym, hitting in the cage at the Pavilion and pitching off a portable mound will soon be in the past. On Friday (Feb. 21), the Villanova softball team will hit the diamond and open its 40th season in program history when the Wildcats travel to Ft. Myers, Fla. to compete at the FGCU Tournament.

FGCU has been familiar territory for the Wildcats as they open their season in the beach town for the third time in the past four years. Over the three day weekend, Villanova will compete against Harvard, Florida Gulf Coast, Arkansas, Eastern Michigan and North Dakota.

First pitch on Friday is slated for 1:30 p.m. against a Harvard squad that will also make its season debut that same weekend. The Wildcats last faced the Crimson in 2006, when the two teams split a double-header on Villanova's home field.

The Wildcats will then take on familiar foe and host FGCU at 6:00 p.m. Over the past four years, Villanova is 2-2 against Florida Gulf Coast with its last win coming two seasons ago at the USF Under Armour Invitational. The Eagles are 6-4-1 on the season and riding a four-game losing streak after scoring only eight runs during that stretch at the FIU Tournament.

On Saturday, Villanova will play a back-to-back double header against Arkansas and Eastern Michigan starting at 9 a.m. The Razorbacks are 7-3 and have recorded five-straight wins heading into the tournament. The matchup marks the fifth consecutive season Villanova has clashed against a school from the powerhouse SEC. The Eagles boast a 2-2 record after splitting their four games at the USC Upstate Tournament

The Wildcats will wrap-up their stay in Ft. Myers with a 9 a.m. showdown on Sunday versus North Dakota, who will open their season this weekend.

All games can be followed via stat broadcast by visiting the Tournament Central page.

Be sure to follow the team socially on Twitter @VUSoftball, Instagram @novasoftball and Facebook to stay up to date with the latest news, scores and highlights from the Wildcats throughout the season.

Notes (Since 2000)

Dating back to 2000, Villanova is 9-5 in season debuts...The Wildcats boast a 40-32 record in opening weekend tournaments and are 7-8 all-time at the FGCU Softball Complex