CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Coming off a win in the series finale against defending Big Ten Champion Illinois, the FGCU baseball team (2-5) travels east for an in-state showdown with its second top-five team of the season as they face No. 5 Miami (5-2) in a midweek matchup on Wednesday, March 2 at 6 p.m. at Mark Light Field.
 
Junior right hander Garrett Anderson (0-0, 3.00) will likely make a spot start for FGCU while the Hurricanes will send sophomore right hander Jesse Lepore (0-0, 2.57) to the mound. Wednesday's game will mark the first start for Anderson (Arcadia, Fla./DeSoto County HS) since 2014 and the second of his collegiate career.
 
"It's another big opportunity for us in the early stages of the season," said FGCU head coach Dave Tollett. "If we want to be the first team to make it to a NCAA Regional, we have to compete against Miami, Florida and the other in-state powers and show we belong. We have the talent to do so, we just need to put it all together."
 
SCOUTING THE HURRICANES
Miami is coming off a three-game series against No. 1 Florida during which they dropped two of three games to the Gators. After losing the series opener, 5-0, the Hurricanes evened the series and forced a Sunday rubber match with a 5-3 win in game two before dropping the series finale by a 7-3 margin. Offensively, Miami is led by junior infielder Johnny Ruiz and Preseason All-American catcher Zack Collins. Ruiz leads the team in nearly every offensive category through seven games as he is hitting .478 with 11 RBI and three doubles. Collins has turned in a .316 clip at the plate and driven in five runs.
 
In 2015, Miami made its 24th College World Series appearance and advanced to Omaha, Neb., for the first time since 2008. The Hurricanes finished second in the ACC and posted a 50-17 overall record while leading the country in runs (547) and ranking seventh in batting (.307). After defeating Columbia 21-3 in the Coral Gables Regional Championship, Miami hosted VCU in a Super Regional matchup and swept the Rams to advance to Omaha. The Hurricanes lost its opening game to in-state rival Florida, 15-3, but extended its season with a 4-3 win against Arkansas in game two. Then, in a rematch with the Gators in game three, Miami's season ended in a 10-2 defeat.
 
SERIES HISTORY
FGCU is 2-13 all-time against the Hurricanes, including a 0-5 mark in home games and a 2-8 clip on the road. Most recently, the Green and Blue claimed an 8-1 win against then-No. 13 Miami on March, 25, 2015 at Mark Light Field. The Eagles' other win in the in-state rivalry series also occurred in Coral Gables, Fla., when FGCU defeated then-No. 6 Miami, 4-2, on April 11, 2012. Despite the lopsided series record, eight of the 13 losses have come in games decided by four runs or less.
 
THE MATCHUP
In his 14th season of work at FGCU, Tollett has compiled a 465-269-3 all-time record as the only head coach in program history. Additionally, he is a four-time A-Sun Coach of the Year and has guided the Eagles to four A-Sun Regular Season Championships. On Wednesday, Tollett will match up with Miami's Jim Morris, who is in his 23rd season of work with the Hurricanes and has produced a 986-407-3 overall record.
 
Both head coaches entered the 2016 season ranked inside the top 25 of winningest active NCAA coaches by percentage as Tollett has turned in a .636 success rate while Morris, in 34 years as a head coach, has won .696 percent of his games with a 1485-649-3 all-time record.
 
LAST TIME OUT
FGCU is coming off a weekend series with 2015 Big Ten Champion and Super Regional participant Illinois during which they dropped two of three games. The series marked their second straight weekend series of the season against a 2015 Super Regional host as they opened the season with a three-game set at No. 1 Florida.
 
The Green and Blue lost games one and two by identical margins of 4-2 before responding to win the series finale against the Fighting Illini, 3-2. In the first two games of the series, FGCU took a tie into the fifth inning or later in both contests, but couldn't get the big hit when they needed it. In the finale, the Eagles stepped to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning in a one-run deficit and plated a pair of runs to take a 3-2 lead. Freshman shortstop Nick Blasucci (Fort Myers, Fla./Riverdale HS) delivered the big hit with a two-out, RBI double down the left field line to score the go-ahead run. Then, freshman right hander Ryan Lang (Merritt Island, Fla./Merritt Island HS) held Illinois scoreless in the final three frames to secure the win, his second of the week.
 
After giving up double-digit hits in the first two games of the series, FGCU surrendered only four hits to the Fighting Illini in the series finale, marking the lowest output by an opponent since also holding Miami to that total in the aforementioned game on March 25 of last season.
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Colton Bottomley (Parkland, Fla./Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS) was named the A-Sun Player of the Week (Feb. 29) after going 8-for-16 from the plate with five RBI, four runs scored, two doubles and two walks. He is currently riding a seven-game hit streak to start the season and turned in multiple hits in three of four games last week.
 
In a midweek matchup with 2015 NCAA Tournament team and in-state rival USF, Bottomley went 3-for-6 with a run scored and matched a career high with four RBI in the 13-6 win. The Parkland native also drove in four runs in each of the last two seasons in games at Stetson on Mar. 29, 2014, and versus Fordham on Feb. 22, 2015.

Then, in the weekend series against Illinois, Bottomley stayed hot from the plate as he went 5-for-10 with three runs scored, two doubles, two walks and one RBI. He recorded multiple hits in each of the last two games of the series and scored the tying run before FGCU eventually claimed the lead in the sixth inning of the series finale.

The senior right fielder currently leads all FGCU everyday players with a .423 average (11-for-26) to go along with nine RBI – tied for the conference lead – and three doubles. In the field, Bottomley has registered 20 putouts on the year and is yet to commit an error.
 
CLIMBING THE RANKS
Senior designated hitter Nick Rivera (Cape Coral, Fla./Bishop Verot HS) has made his mark in FGCU program history as he not only holds the career record for doubles with 59, but also ranks among the top 10 in program history in a number of categories including:

FGCU CAREER HOMERUNS

1.	Zach Maxfield (2009-11)	41
2.	Tim Roberson (2008-11)	40
3.	Jason Louwsma (2005-06)	24
	Nick Rivera (2013-present)	24
5.	Robert Green (2008-11)	17
	Vinnie Scarduzio (2007-08)	17
	Michael Suchy (2012-14)	17

 
FGCU CAREER RBI

1.	Zach Maxfield (2009-11)	180
	Tim Roberson (2008-11)	180
3.	Mikel Alvarez (2008-11)	154
	Nick Rivera (2013-present)	154
5.	Jason Cooper (2003-05)	149

 
FGCU CAREER GAMES PLAYED

1.	Josh Upchurch (2006-09)	216
2.	Mikel Alvarez (2008-11)	214
3.	Stephen Wickens (2008-11)	205
4.	Mike Reeves (2010-13)	191
5.	Tim Roberson (2008-11)	182
6.	Nick Rivera (2013-present)	177
7.	Chris Perry (2003-06)	174
8.	Graig Smith (2005-08)	173
9.	Sean Dwyer (2011-13)	169
10.	Brandon Bednar (2011-13)	167
	Derek Mollica (2004-07)	167

 
FGCU CAREER GAMES STARTED

1.	Josh Upchurch (2006-09)	216
2.	Mikel Alvarez (2008-11)	214
3.	Stephen Wickens (2008-11)	204
4.	Mike Reeves (2010-13)	181
5.	Tim Roberson (2008-11)	173
6.	Nick Rivera (2013-present)	172
7.	Sean Dwyer (2011-13)	166
8.	Brandon Bednar (2011-13)	165
9.	Zach Maxfield (2009-11)	162
10.	Michael Suchy (2012-14)	152
	Graig Smith (2005-08)	152
	Chris Perry (2003-06)	152

 
FGCU CAREER HITS

1.	Mikel Alvarez (2008-11)	316
2.	Josh Upchurch (2006-09)	311
3.	Stephen Wickens (2008-11)	259
4.	Tim Roberson (2008-11)	247
5.	Zach Maxfield (2009-11)	241
6.	Brandon Bednar (2001-13)	206
7.	Jason Cooper (2003-05)	203
8.	Nick Rivera (2013-present)	202
9.	Mike Reeves (2010-13)	201
10.	Sean Dwyer (2011-13)	182

 
RECEIVING VOTES
For the third-consecutive year, FGCU was receiving votes in Collegiate Baseball's Fabulous 40 NCAA Division I Preseason Poll. The A-Sun was represented by four teams as defending tournament champion Lipscomb, defending regular season champion UNF and Stetson were also receiving votes. Additionally, as the A-Sun Preseason Honors and Awards were released in January, the Green and Blue were chosen to finish runner-up to UNF in the preseason coaches poll. The Eagles garnered 50 points and received three of eight first-place votes while the Ospreys collected 58 points and four first-place votes. Lipscomb was selected third with 48 points, followed by Stetson in fourth with 43 points and the lone remaining first-place vote and Kennesaw State in fifth after receiving 37 votes. The preseason top five was separated by only 21 points. Jacksonville (28), USC Upstate (14) and conference newcomer NJIT (8) round out the poll.
 
2016 SCHEDULE
The Eagles' schedule features seven teams that participated in the 2015 NCAA Base­ball Tournament including a pair of College World Series participants, an additional Super Regional participant and three conference champions. The seven NCAA Tournament teams include CWS semifinalist, defending SEC Tournament Champion and preseason No. 1 Florida, CWS participant and preseason No. 4 Miami, Super Regional participant Illinois, defending A-Sun Tournament Champion Lipscomb, defending MEAC Tournament Champion Florida A&M and a pair of familiar in-state foes in USF and FAU. A total of 19 games, including the first eight games of the season, will be played against those seven programs.
 
TICKETS
Single-game and season tickets for the 2016 FGCU baseball campaign are now available by calling the FGCU Ticket Office at 239-590-7145 or visiting FGCUTickets.com. The ticket office is also open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. for walk-up service. Single-game tickets are $7 for adults, while youth (12 and under), military and members of the alumni association are admitted for $5. Season tickets are $89 for adults and $59 for youth, military and alumni, but exclude the game against Miami at Hammond Stadium on Apr. 5.
 
NEXT UP
For the second of three weekends to start the season, FGCU will hit the road for a weekend series with a three-game set at Bethune-Cookman. Game one is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. while game two and the series finale with take place on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, at 1 p.m. The Eagles are 10-8 all-time against the Wildcats and have won each of the last four matchups.
 
DAVE TOLLETT
In 13+ seasons of work, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 465-269-3 record (.633) 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 39 All-Conference selections, 25 draft picks, 16 current minor leaguers, four A-Sun Pitchers of the Year, four All-Americans, one National Freshman Player of the Year, one National Player of the Year and one MLB All-Star.

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 visitwww.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.