FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team (5-8-1) will welcome Western Michigan (5-4) this weekend looking to reverse its four-game losing streak during a three-game set at Swanson Stadium beginning Friday night at 6:30 p.m. with ace Mike Murray on the mound. It will be the second time in program history that the Eagles have hosted the Broncos for a weekend set.

These two programs last met in 2013 and it was FGCU coming away with a three-game sweep of WMU in early March. Murray (West Palm Beach, Fla./Forrest Hill HS) took the mound in game two of that series as a freshman and tossed 7.0 innings of three-hit baseball allowing just one run while striking out three in a no-decision.

MIKE MURRAY
Murray will be on the mound Friday night under the lights in search of his second victory of the season and 20th of his career which will make him just the fifth pitcher in program history to accomplish that feat. The program record is 25 victories currently held by FGCU Pitching Coach Pete Woodworth. Through 20.2 innings on the hill this season, Murray has struck out 24 batters which rank 25th in the nation.

Last week Murray rolled through his first six innings of work opposite Minnesota, retiring 15-straight after giving up a hit with no outs in the second. Three hits and a walk in the seventh would doom the junior, however, as three runs would come across on a bases clearing single to right to provide all the scoring Minnesota would need. Murray would finish the evening with eight innings under his belt to go with four strikeouts.

The junior would earn Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Week recognition after he cruised through 7.2 innings of work against Fordham, striking out eleven while allowing just five hits to pick up his first win of the season. The West Palm Beach native pitched exceptionally well out of the gate in his first outing of the season, allowing just one hit and striking out seven over the first four frames opposite Central Michigan. 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.

Murray was named a Preseason All-American by three separate publications. Perfect Game and the NCBWA selected Murray to the third team while Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Newspaper chose the right-hander to the second team. He was also tabbed the Preseason A-Sun Pitcher of the Year and named to the 50-man Preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list.

DEVIN SMELTZER
Devin Smeltzer (Voorhees, N.J./Bishop Eustace Prep) will make his fourth start on Sunday and will be in search of his first victory after coming up one out short opposite Illinois and taking the first loss of his career last Sunday against Minnesota. He made his third start of the season and worked through 4.0 innings against the Gophers, striking out one while giving up three runs.

The lefty worked through 6.1 innings opposite Illinois and gave up seven hits which resulted in three runs but only two earned while striking out one against two walks. He would turn the ball over to Garrett Anderson (Arcadia, Fla./DeSoto HS) who was brilliant through 2.2 innings of work but he would give up the game-tying single with two outs in the ninth that would ultimately secure the 4-4 tie.

JAKE NOLL
Jake Noll (Punta Gorda, Fla./Charlotte HS) has continued to be the spark plug for FGCU at the top of the lineup. He has picked up right where he left off a season ago, leading the Eagles with 18 hits already through 14 games with a .310 batting average which ranks third on the team. He has also ripped three doubles, driven in seven runs, stole five bases in five attempts and hit the first home run of his career last weekend. The sophomore made the move from second to third base this season and has been able to produce a .414 slugging percentage to go with a .369 on base percentage while also creating 6.69 runs per nine innings. After closing the 2014 season on a 23-game reached-base streak Noll has built a nine-game streak this season which is also a true hitting streak. Last season Noll built a hitting streak as long as 13 games on two separate occasions.

ADAM EGGNATZ
Leading the Eagles offense currently is senior outfielder Adam Eggnatz (Tampa, Fla./Middle Georgia College). Eggnatz took over as the everyday centerfielder for the Green and Blue this season and has not wasted the opportunity, posting a team-high .348 average in 13 games with 16 hits and eight RBI which rank second on the team. He has not hit any higher than fifth in the order, spending most of his time in the eight and nine spots. He is currently on a six-game hitting streak and has completely turned around his career as an Eagle after hitting just .174 a year ago in 46 at bats, spending most of his time as a defensive replacement late in games.

Eggnatz also emerged late last season as a viable option on the mound out of the bullpen. In 2014 he appeared in two games, tossing 2.0 innings without allowing a run and striking out four. In his first and only appearance so far this season, the Tampa native threw 2.2 innings of scoreless relief and struck out four while giving up just three hits without walking a batter.  

FRESHMEN
Two freshman position players have stood out among the rest for the FGCU. Zach Spivey (Ormond Beach, Fla./Spruce Creek HS) has exploded out the gate, hitting .324 in 11 games, spending most of his time in left field. He had a career performance on Wednesday night in Miami when he went 3-4 with a run scored against the nationally ranked Hurricanes. He has collected 12 hits which include a team-high four doubles accounting for a .432 slugging percentage. He is also 1-1 stealing bases.

Spivey's classmate, Matt Reardon (Palm City, Fla./Martin County), has also been very good in the early parts of 2015. He has hit .264 in many different spots in the lineup while serving as the everyday second baseman. The Palm City native has sprayed 14 hits in 14 starts with four RBI to go with a .355 on base percentage.

WESTERN MICHIGAN
The Broncos of Western Michigan began the season with three-consecutive losses to UAB before rattling off five in-a-row opposite UT-Martin and Austin Peay. The team's fourth loss came in the series finale with Austin Peay last Sunday, 12-8. Kurt Hoekstra is tops among WMU starters with a .474 batting average, going 18-38 in nine games with two doubles, three triples and a homerun to go with eight RBI, two stolen bases and five walks. Caleb Caton is the only other everyday player with an average above .300 with a .333 mark in six games.  

Keegan Akin will make the start opposite Murray on Friday night with Chad Mayle and Tanner Allison following on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Akin has posted a 1-1 record with a 2.65 ERA over 17.0 innings while giving up 13 hits, six runs, six walks and striking out 24. Mayle in 1-0 with a 3.31 ERA and Allison is 1-2 with a 2.03 mark. The trio has combined to strike out 51 opposing hitters. The opposition has struggled most with Allison, posting just a .136 average against the left hander.

HEAD COACH MATCHUP
In 13 seasons of work, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 439-246-3 record as the only head coach in the program's history. He will match up with Billy Gernon who is in his fifth season with the Broncos and 14th overall as a head coach. Since taking over as the head of the WMU staff, Gernon has compiled a 97-133 record and advanced to the MAC Tournament three of four seasons.

LAST TIME OUT
FGCU collected 13 hits against No. 11 Miami's (9-4) nine but would come up short on the road, falling to the Hurricanes 7-2. The Eagles will have two more shots at Miami with the first taking place next Tuesday, March 10th at Swanson Stadium. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs at FGCU's home park.

Sterling Koerner (Fort Pierce, Fla./John Carrol HS) made the first stat of his career on Wednesday night and struggled a bit over 2.2 innings on the hill, surrendering four earned runs, five total without striking out a batter after coming into the game with 26. He would, however, avoid any walks and still has yet to issue a free pass this season. Jack English (Delray Beach, Fla./Cardinal Newman HS) took over in the third and cruised through the next 4.0 innings in his best performance of the season by far. He would strike out four Hurricanes while giving up just one hit to hold off Miami in the middle innings. Three other FGCU relievers would combine to toss 1.1 innings and allow two more runs while walking six and striking out none.

Spivey had the best game of his young career on Wednesday night, going 3-4 at the plate with a run scored. Brian Pruett (Sarasota, Fla./Coastal Carolina) also sprayed three hits and scored a run while Eggnatz and Reardon each collected two. Colton Bottomley (Parkland, Fla./Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS) would drive in two of FGCU's three runs and finish the night 1-5.

2015 SCHEDULE
The 2015 FGCU baseball schedule will feature six teams that participated in the 2014 NCAA Baseball Tournament, three conference tournament champions and one NCAA Super Regional participant. The Eagles will play 16 of their first 18 games on campus and a total of 37 at home this season highlighted by the first-ever appearance by in-state rival Miami at Swanson Stadium Mar. 10.

The six NCAA Tournament participants are MEAC Champion Bethune-Cookman, Florida State, defending Atlantic Sun Tournament Champion and NCAA Super Regional participant Kennesaw State, Miami, Nebraska and MAAC Champion Siena. A total of 15 games are scheduled against those six programs with 10 taking place on the road.

NEXT UP
The first weekend road trip for the Eagles will take place Mar. 13-15 with a trip to Lincoln, Nebraska to visit the Cornhuskers (6-4) for the first time in program history. Nebraska racked up 41 wins last season with 18 coming in conference play and would advance all the way to the Big Ten title game. Despite a loss in the conference championship game, Nebraska advanced to the NCAA Regional but were knocked out by Cal-State Fullerton.

ATLANTIC SUN CHAMPIONSHIP
The Eagles will once again host the Atlantic Sun Championship Tournament at Swanson Stadium this season. The event is set to take place May 20-23 and the top six teams in the standings at the end of the regular season will advance to the championship and compete in a double-elimination style tournament to determine the A-Sun's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles are four-time A-Sun Regular Season Champions with the most recent title coming in 2014.

2014-15 RECRUITING CLASS
FGCU baseball's 2014-15 recruiting class has been tabbed by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the same publication that named second baseman Jake Noll the National Freshman Player of the Year in 2014 and FGCU alum Chris Sale the 2010 National Player of the Year, as the No. 38 class in the nation. The Eagles outclassed well-known national powers such as California, Texas A&M, Auburn, Alabama, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Baylor as well as defending Atlantic Sun Tournament Champion and 2014 NCAA Super Regional participant Kennesaw State.

#DRAFTCITY
The Eagles would have a total of three players taken in the 2014 MLB draft, Junior outfielder Michael Suchy (Bradenton, Fla./Southeast HS), Junior third-baseman/pitcher Zack Tillery (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) and Redshirt-Junior, left-handed reliever Ryan Atwood (Austin, Texas/Westwood HS/Navarro College). The Eagles have now produced 22 draft picks in their history with the most notable being 2014 AL Cy Young Award Finalist and three-time All-Star Chris Sale who was chosen in the first round, 13th overall by the Chicago White Sox in 2010. Suchy became the second-highest FGCU player ever taken when he went to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fifth round in last June's draft and is one of just seven players in FGCU history to be chosen in the top ten rounds. The Eagles would have a program record seven players selected during the 2013 draft. Freshman left-hander Devin Smeltzer is the lone FGCU player on the roster this season who has been drafted previously. He was selected in the 33rd round of the 2014 draft by the San Diego Padres but instead opted to attend FGCU.

DAVE TOLLETT
In 12 seasons of work, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 439-246-3 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.