BOX SCORE (PDF)

WP | Nick Deeg (1-0): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO
LP | Mike Murray (0-1): 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 SO
SV | Tim Black (1): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team (0-1) was outdueled on the mound in its season opener at Swanson Stadium on Friday night by Central Michigan (1-0) starter Nick Deeg who tossed 6.0 scoreless innings of three-hit baseball. The lefty then handed the ball over to the bullpen which held the Eagles to just one hit over the final three frames to earn a 2-0 victory. FGCU will look to even the series tomorrow in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader at 1 p.m.

Mike Murray (West Palm Beach, Fla./Forrest Hill HS) took the ball for the Green and Blue and pitched exceptionally well out of the gate, allowing just one hit and striking out seven over the first four frames. The junior struggled in the fifth, however, giving up three hits, including a one-out, two-run triple which would ultimately hand Murray his first loss of the season and third of his career. He would close the night with nine strikeouts after pitching into the sixth.

"The lefty was everything that we heard he was," head coach Dave Tollett said. "That's a pretty special arm to see first time out. I thought that we were better than that on the bump especially when you see 17 strikeouts. I thought our pitchers did a great job but we just didn't hit. That team was really good and their pitcher kept us off balance. The chances we had we lined out three times with guys in scoring position, it just wasn't our night."

The Eagles went down in order in each of the first three innings and saw the first batter of the fourth retired before Tyler Selesky (Estero, Fla./Estero HS) singled up the middle to finally give them a baserunner. Noll would then reach on a fielder's choice which resulted in Selesky being forced out at second then proceeded to swipe his first bag of the season to bring Nick Rivera (Cape Coral, Fla./Bishop Verot HS) to the plate with a runner in scoring position but he would bounce out to third to end the inning.

Alex Borglin singled to lead off the fifth for Central Michigan but Adam Collins would strike out behind him bringing up Zach McKinstry who singled through the left side, putting runners on first and second for Logan Regnier. At that time Murray would surrender the one-out triple to Regnier which drove in both runs to give the Chippewas a 2-0 advantage.

FGCU freshman Kyle Gilbert (Lake Mary, Fla./Seminole HS) would pick up the first hit of his young career in the fifth but the Eagles would leave two runners on base by the end of the frame. Murray took the mound in the top of the sixth and struck out the first batter but the third strike was swung on and ball got away from catcher Bryan Voelkl (Bradenton, Fla./SCOF) allowing the runner to reach first. Lefthander Mike LaGrange (St. Petersburg, Fla./St. Pete College) made his FGCU debut in place of Murray and would walk and strikeout a batter before surrendering to Sterling Koerner (Fort Pierce, Fla./John Carrol HS) who would pitch the rest of the way.

Koerner took over with the bases loaded and just one away in the top of the sixth. The sophomore worked a deep count Adam Collins before picking up his first strikeout of the night. He then induced a pop up to get out of the heavy jam. Sterling would finish the night with perhaps the best line of his career: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 7 SO. Those seven strikeouts are a career high and are two better than his previous high of five set nearly a year ago on Feb. 16 opposite Rhode Island.

The Eagles would mount one last rally in the bottom of the ninth. After freshman Matt Reardon (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) went down on strikes, Selesky drew a one-out walk brining up Jake Noll (Punta Gorda, Fla./Charlotte HS) who singled through the right side to bring the winning run, Rivera, to the plate. Rivera would however roll into a game-ending double play to secure the victory for the Chippewas.

With a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday afternoon, FGCU will send freshman lefty Devin Smeltzer (Voorhees, N.J./Bishop Eustuce Prep) to the mound to make the first start of his collegiate career in game one. Smeltzer comes to FGCU after being drafted in the 33rd round of the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft by the San Diego Padres. He will face Adam Aldred of CMU who made 11 starts last season over 18 appearances while compiling a 5-5 record and a 3.75 ERA.  

Brady Anderson (Arcardia, Fla./DeSoto HS) will take mound for the Green and Blue in the second half of the doubleheader after producing a stellar close to his 2014 season. The junior posted a 5-3 record in 2014 with a team-leading seven saves after serving as the staff closer for the first part of the season. Once taking over as a starter, Anderson rolled to a 2.45 ERA in 69.2 IP with 50 strikeouts to his credit against just 14 walks. Anderson will toe the rubber against Jordan Grosjean who appeared in just five games in 2014, totaling 5.1 innings without allowing a run.

NEXT UP
The Green and Blue will then welcome Fordham and Illinois for a pair of split doubleheaders Feb. 20 and 22. The Eagles will play Fordham at noon on the 20th and 11 a.m. on the 22nd. The Rams posted a 24-30 overall record last season and went 13-14 in the Atlantic 10. Illinois will square off with the Eagles at 6:30 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. on the 20th and 22nd, respectively. The Fighting Illini rolled to a 32-21 record in 2014 with a 17-7 mark in the B1G but would miss out on a trip to the NCAA Tournament. They are currently ranked No. 40 in the Collegiate Baseball poll, finished 2014 with the No. 56 RPI and swept the Green and Blue in a two-game set in Gainesville, Fla. last year.

DAVE TOLLETT
In 12 seasons of work, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 434-238-2 record as the only head coach in the program's history. He is a four-time Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year and has guided the Green and Blue to four A-Sun Regular Season Championships. His team has been ranked nationally on several occasions by multiple media outlets and has coached 35 All-Conference selections, 22 draft picks, 14 current minor leaguers, four A-Sun Pitchers of the Year, three All-Americans, one National Freshman Player of the Year, one National Player of the Year and one MLB All-Star.

#WINGSUP
Fans are encouraged to download the brand-new Wings Up mobile app in conjunction with SuperFanU. The fully-customized loyalty-rewards platform allows fans to check in at each of FGCU's sporting events to earn points throughout the school year toward exclusive prizes that can't be offered anywhere else.

FOLLOW ALONG
For constant, news, photos, videos and updates you can follow the baseball team on Twitter @FGCU_Baseball, Instagram @FGCU_Baseball or on Facebook: Facebook.com/FGCUBaseball. You can also find FGCU athletics on YouTube by visiting YouTube.com/FGCUEagles.

#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.