JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – After splitting a midweek series with Power Five conference opponent Rutgers, the FGCU baseball team (8-10) hits the road for a three-game weekend series against former A-Sun opponent East Tennessee State (8-8) at Thomas Stadium in Johnson City, Tenn. The series opener is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m., followed by game two Saturday at 2 p.m. and the series finale Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
FGCU is likely to send redshirt-senior Brady Anderson (1-3, 1.82) to the mound Friday night to oppose ETSU starter Blake Smith (1-2, 4.03). The younger of the Anderson brothers, Garrett (0-0, 2.20), will toe the rubber to start game two opposite right hander Lee Haeberle (1-0, 3.20). In the series finale, the Eagles will send Mario Leon (1-1, 4.19) while ETSU's starter is TBD.
 
"It's a couple of teams that are familiar with each other from previous seasons and should be a good series this weekend," said FGCU head coach Dave Tollett. "They're up there towards the national lead in terms of home runs and extra-base hits, and we're going to have to execute our pitches to keep them from getting balls up in the air and out of the ballpark."
 
SCOUTING THE BUCCANEERS
ETSU enters its matchup against FGCU with an 8-8 record this season after most recently dropping two of three to La Salle last weekend. In the first weekend series of March, the Bucs hosted Big Ten opponent Purdue and took three of four from the Boilermakers. They also hosted Tennessee for a midweek game on March 9 and dropped an 11-2 decision.
 
Offensively, ETSU is led by senior infielder Trey York, who tops the team in runs (16), hits (26) and home runs (four) while ranking second in RBI (13). Additionally, a trio of other Bucs in Aaron Maher, Hagen Owenby and Lance Mays have posted .300-plus batting averages through the first 16 games of the season. ETSU hits .294 as a team and are tied for fifth in the nation with 22 home runs this season, led by Owenby's seven.
 
Along with the aforementioned pitchers, Peyton Taylor (2-1, 3.55) has made nine appearances out of the bullpen and recorded one save while Griffin Krieg (0-0, 8.49) has also been busy with eight relief appearances.
 
In 2015, ETSU posted a 21-35 overall record with an 8-16 record in league play to finish ninth in the Southern Conference. The Bucs won two of their last three regular season games at Wofford before their season ended with an 8-2 loss to The Citadel in the play-in game of the SoCon Championship.
 
SERIES HISTORY
FGCU holds a 16-6 advantage in the all-time series with the Buccaneers and has won each of the last four matchups. In a series that started when FGCU joined the A-Sun back in 2008, the Green and Blue swept ETSU in the first three series (2008-10) before the Bucs got revenge by knocking the Eagles out of the conference tournament in 2010. ETSU then went on to win five of the next eight games before FGCU went on its current four-game win streak in the series. In games played in Johnson City, the Eagles are 6-3.
 
THE MATCHUP
In his 14th season of work at FGCU, Tollett has compiled a 471-274-3 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. This weekend, Tollett matches up with ETSU head coach Tony Skole, who's in his 17th season as the Buccaneer skipper. Skole has compiled a 517-546-1 all-time record at ETSU and led the Bucs to an A-Sun Conference Championship in 2013.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Green and Blue split a two-game midweek series with Power Five conference opponent Rutgers after winning the first game, 9-6, and falling in the second, 9-2.
 
The FGCU bats stayed hot in game one as the team registered nine runs on 15 hits and won for the fifth time in the last seven games. Tyler Selesky (Estero, Fla./Estero HS) led the way with a 4-for-5 night from the plate, including a pair of doubles, to go along with one run scored and three RBI. Additionally, Jake Noll (Punta Gorda, Fla./Charlotte HS) got the offense going with a three-run home run in the bottom of the second inning, marking his fifth home run in the last seven games. After allowing the Scarlet Knights to cut the FGCU lead to 9-6 with a three-run top of the seventh, right hander Garrison Vandeventer (Ocala, Fla./North Marian HS) recorded the last seven outs of the game in near perfect fashion as he issued one walk to go along with two strikeouts.
 
However, game two was a different story as FGCU was limited to two runs on four hits, matching a season low previously recorded against No. 1 Florida in the season-opening series. After the Scarlet Knights took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, FGCU manufactured a run in the home half of the frame as Matt Reardon (Palm City, Fla./Martin County HS) was hit by a pitch and stole a pair of bases before scoring on a sacrifice fly from Colton Bottomley (Parkland, Fla./Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS). However, the FGCU bats stayed quiet for the next three innings while Rutgers scored two runs in the second, four in the fourth and another in the fifth to take a 8-1 lead and never looked back.
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
FGCU has earned a pair of Player of the Week honors after Bottomley and Noll have both taken home the distinction for the first time in their careers this season. The Eagles earned three weekly awards last season.
 
Bottomley earned the weekly distinction on Feb. 29 after putting up big offensive numbers and helping the Eagles to a pair of wins against 2015 NCAA Tournament teams. The senior outfielder was 8-for-16 from the plate with five RBI, four runs scored, two doubles and two walks and matched a career high with four RBI in a 13-6 win at USF. He then went 5-for-10 from the plate in a three-game series against defending Big Ten Champion Illinois.
 
Noll received the honors on Monday after he helped lead the Eagles to a 3-1 series win and put up monster numbers from the plate in a four-game series against Quinnipiac. The Punta Gorda native went 11-for-24 from the plate with nine runs scored, three home runs and 15 RBI in five games during the week. He set a career high with five RBI in the series opener against the Bobcats and turned in the first multi-home run game of his career in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday.  
 
CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Since joining the A-Sun and Division I ranks in 2008, FGCU has not only won more regular season conference championships (four) than any other conference opponent, but has also won at least 20 more overall and league games than any other member of the A-Sun during that time frame.
 

No.	School	Overall	A-Sun
1.	FGCU (2008-present)	279-190-1	153-71
2.	UNF (2008-present)	258-210	117-102
3.	Kennesaw State (2008-present)	249-226	126-91
4.	Stetson (2008-present)	249-240	123-99
5.	Mercer (2008-14)	243-156	115-82
6.	Lipscomb (2008-present)	232-249	112-109
7.	Jacksonville (2008-present)	221-248	105-115
8.	ETSU (2008-14)	197-201	88-110
9.	USC Upstate (2008-present)	181-272	77-141
10.	Belmont (2008-12)	158-139	78-68
11.	Campbell (2008-11)	93-125	31-85
12.	NKU (2013-15)	39-118	14-61
13.	Gardner-Webb (2008)	29-30	15-18
14.	NJIT (2016)	7-8	0-0

 
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 63, but also ranks among the top 10 in program history in a number of categories. Additionally, Noll joins Rivera as he makes his way up the list of career batting average, career hits and nears the program record for stolen bases.

FGCU CAREER HOMERUNS

1.	Zach Maxfield (2009-11)	41
2.	Tim Roberson (2008-11)	40
3.	Nick Rivera (2013-present)	26
4.	Jason Louwsma (2005-06)	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.	Nick Rivera (2013-present)	160
4.	Mikel Alvarez (2008-11)	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.	Nick Rivera (2013-present)	187
6.	Tim Roberson (2008-11)	182
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.	Nick Rivera (2013-present)	182
5.	Mike Reeves (2010-13)	181
6.	Tim Roberson (2008-11)	173
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 BATTING AVERAGE

1.	Chris Brown (2003-04)	.435
2.	David Cox (2003)	.430
3.	Jason Peacock (2007-08)	.380
4.	Jason Cooper (2003-05)	.375
5.	Zach Maxfield (2009-11)	.371
6.	Jason Kouwsma (2005-06)	.367
7.	Jake Noll (2014-present)	.361
8.	Mikel Alvarez (2008-11)	.360
9.	Ian Manson (2005-06)	.359
10.	Ozzie Borrell (2007-08)	.356

 
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.	Nick Rivera (2013-present)	215
7.	Jake Noll (2014-present)	211
8.	Brandon Bednar (2001-13)	206
9.	Jason Cooper (2003-05)	203
10.	Mike Reeves (2010-13)	201

 
FGCU CAREER STOLEN BASES

1.	Josh Upchurch (2006-09)	61
2.	Jake Noll (2014-present)	44
3.	Stephen Wickens (2008-11)	36
4.	Chris Brown (2003-04)	27
5.	Michael Suchy (2012-14)	22

 
On the mound, redshirt senior Brady Anderson also makes his way up the list of career appearances and innings pitched.
 
FGCU CAREER APPEARANCES

1.	J.J. Crumbley (2005-08)	86
2.	RJ Brown (2010-13)	82
3.	Brady Anderson (2012-present)	64
	Jason Kiley (2004-07)	65
5.	Jason Forjet (2009-12)	63

 
FGCU CAREER INNINGS PITCHED

1.	Jason Kiley (2004-07)	284.2
2.	Michael Murray (2013-15)	284.0
3.	Ricky Knapp (2011-13)	283.1
4.	Pete Woodworth (2007-10)	272.2
5.	Chris Sale (2008-10)	228.2
6.	Jason Forjet (2009-12)	220.2
7.	Richie Erath (2008-11, 13)	219.2
8.	Brady Anderson (2012-present)	217.2
9.	Richard Bleier (2006-08)	209.2
10.	Casey Coleman (2006-08)	187.2

 
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
The Eagles return to Fort Myers, Fla., for a midweek matchup with in-state rival USF. Earlier this season, FGCU defeated the Bulls, 13-6, in Tampa, Fla. to improve its overall record in the all-time series to 9-4 and win its seventh straight road game in the series.
 
DAVE TOLLETT
In 13+ seasons of work, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 471-274-3 record (.631) 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.