What: #2 UNF (37-17, 15-6 A-Sun) vs. #5 FGCU (24-30, 9-12 A-Sun)
Where: Dugan Field at Marsh Stadium
When: Wednesday, May 25 at 4 p.m. ET
Live Stats:Â Stat Broadcast
Live Stream: ESPN3
Game Notes: FGCUÂ |
A-Sun
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – With the regular season in the rearview mirror, the FGCU baseball team (24-30, 9-12 A-Sun) enters the A-Sun Baseball Championship as the No. 5 seed and will face No. 2 UNF (37-17, 15-6 A-Sun) to open tournament play Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET at the University of Lipscomb's Dugan Field.
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The Eagles are scheduled to throw staff workhorse
Brady Anderson (5-5, 3.08), while UNF will send First Team All-Conference pitcher Bryan Baker (5-4, 2.20) to the bump.
Anderson (Aracdia, Fla./DeSoto County HS), who last threw in game one at Lipscomb on May 13, ranks second in the A-Sun with 90.2 innings pitched and is fifth with a 3.08 ERA.
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"This tournament is wide open, and our guys are heading into tomorrow's game with the confidence to win it," said FGCU head coach
Dave Tollett. "Brady gives us a chance to win any time he takes the mound, and we have a lot of confidence in him. It's important to win game one. If we can do that and get hot for a couple of games, who knows what could happen."
A-SUN TOURNAMENT HISTORY
In each of the last two seasons and three of the last four, FGCU has been one of the last three teams standing in the A-Sun Baseball Championships, but haven't been able to get over the top and reach the championship game. Below is a list of the Eagles' all-time results in the conference tournament.
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2015: |
#2 Lipscomb def. #5 FGCU: 2-1 |
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#5 FGCU def. #6 Kennesaw State: 6-2 |
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#5 FGCU def. #3 Stetson: 3-2 (10) |
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#1 UNF def. #5 FGCU: 8-2 |
2014: |
#1 FGCU def. #8 UNF: 5-3 |
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#4 Lipscomb def. #1 FGCU: 5-4 |
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#1 FGCU def. #5 Jacksonville: 3-0 |
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#1 FGCU def. #4 Lipscomb: 10-5 |
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#4 Lipscomb def. #1 FGCU: 11-4 |
2013: |
#7 Kennesaw State def. #2 FGCU: 4-1 |
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#6 Lipscomb def. #2 FGCU: 3-2 |
2012: |
#4 FGCU def. #3 Kennesaw State: 12-4 |
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#4 FGCU def. #5 Mercer: 4-3 |
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#1 Belmont def. #4 FGCU: 6-4 |
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#3 Kennesaw State def. #4 FGCU: 13-4 |
2010: |
#1 FGCU def. #6 Stetson: 9-4 |
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#4 UNF def. #1 FGCU: 13-2 |
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#3 ETSU def. #1 FGCU: 12-10 |
SERIES HISTORY
Despite dropping the regular-season series against UNF this season, the Green and Blue hold a 20-11 advantage in the all-time series versus the Ospreys. FGCU took game one, 4-2, behind a two-RBI double from
Tyler Selesky (Estero, Fla./Estero HS) in the bottom of the eighth inning. However, UNF responded to win an extra-inning affair, 11-10, before also taking the series finale, 6-3.
The two teams have met in the conference tournament on three previous occasions, including each of the last two seasons, with UNF winning two of the three matchups. Top-seeded UNF ended the Eagles' season a year ago with an 8-2 win in the semifinals, while FGCU claimed a 5-3 win in the tournament's first round in 2014. In their first conference tournament meeting in 2010, UNF defeated top-seeded FGCU, 13-2.
THE MATCHUP
In his 14th season of work at FGCU, Tollett has compiled a 487-294-3 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. Wednesday, Tollett matches up with UNF head coach, Smoke Laval, who has posted a 202-134 record in his sixth season with the program. After claiming the regular season championship a season ago, Laval was named the A-Sun Coach of the Year.
SCOUTING THE OSPREYS
The Ospreys enter Wednesday's matchup with a 37-17 overall record and 15-6 mark in conference play, earning them the No. 2 seed in this week's A-Sun Tournament. Since their regular-season matchup at Swanson Stadium, UNF has won nine of 11 games, including six in a row to end the regular season with three-game sweeps against USC Upstate and NJIT.
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Offensively, Johnny Bench Award Semifinalist Keith Skinner leads the way with a conference-best .395 average to go along with 15 doubles, two home runs and 39 RBI. Two-way player Corbin Olmstead and Nick Karmeris have provided the pop as they have each posted 10 or more home runs and 50 or more RBI. Additionally, Chris Thibideau has hit .356 with eight home runs and 30 RBI.
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On the mound, Baker has been the team's Friday-night starter this season and has posted a 5-4 record with a conference-best 2.20 ERA. Additionally, Olmstead has posted a 5-0 record with a 1.45 ERA to go along with six saves out of the bullpen, while Matthew Naylor has made 29 appearances with 55 strikeouts in 48.2 innings pitched.
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
As the A-Sun Baseball Postseason Honors and Awards were announced Tuesday afternoon, FGCU was represented by its second Player of the Year Award winner as
Jake Noll (Punta Gorda, Fla./Charlotte HS) took home the honors following an impressive 2016 campaign. He was joined by senior third baseman
Tyler Selesky (Estero, Fla./Estero HS) as First Team All-Conference unanimous selection, while
Jake Smith (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Prep) continued a streak of six straight seasons during which a FGCU newcomer has been named to the All-Freshman Team.
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WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Smith is currently riding an 11-game hit streak and has recorded multiple hits in eight of the last 11 contests. He is hitting .520 during the streak and has recorded 26 of his 41 hits on the season over the 11-game span. Additionally, Selesky's power surge continues as he has hit seven home runs with 19 RBI to go along with a .450 average in the team's last 10 games.
Zach Spivey (Ormond Beach, Fla./Spruce Creek HS) has also gotten hot of late as he has tallied multiple hits in four consecutive games and went 5-for-8 from the plate in the final series of the regular season versus Kennesaw State.
BASH BROTHERS
After entering the season with four combined home runs in their careers, Noll and Selesky have accounted for 24 home runs this season and are the first FGCU duo to hit 10 or more home runs in the same season since Tim Roberson (13) and Zach Maxfield (11) did so in 2010. They are one of two teammates in the A-Sun to each have double-digit home runs. Additionally, Noll and Selesky have each surpassed the 50-RBI plateau with 114 between the two of them this season and rank in the top four in the A-Sun in both categories.
PRODUCTION AT THE TOP
The FGCU quartet of Noll, Smith,
Matt Reardon (Palm City, Fla./Martin County HS) and Selesky have been big-time producers this season as they not only rank one through four, respectively, in batting average, but also hit one through four in the FGCU lineup. The quartet has collectively gone 267-for-745 (.358) from the plate and accounted for 49% of the teams hits. Additionally, they have also totaled 162 runs scored (50%), 54 doubles (50%), 25 home runs (83%) and 153 RBI (51%).
CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Since joining the A-Sun in 2008, FGCU has not only won more regular-season conference championships (four) than any other member of the A-Sun, but has also won more overall and league games than any other conference opponent. The following is list of overall and conference records for teams that have competed in the A-Sun since 2008.
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No. |
School |
Overall |
A-Sun |
1. |
FGCU (2008-present) |
295-210-1 |
162-83 (.661) |
2. |
UNF (2008-present) |
284-219 |
132-108 (.550) |
3. |
Kennesaw State (2008-present) |
271-241 |
143-95 (.601) |
4. |
Stetson (2008-present) |
264-260 |
132-111 (.543) |
5. |
Lipscomb (2008-present) |
252-267 |
124-118 (.512) |
6. |
Mercer (2008-14) |
243-156 |
115-82 (.584) |
7. |
Jacksonville (2008-present) |
243-263 |
119-122 (.494) |
8. |
ETSU (2008-14) |
197-201 |
88-110 (.444) |
9. |
USC Upstate (2008-present) |
195-292 |
82-156 (.345) |
10. |
Belmont (2008-12) |
158-139 |
78-68 (.534) |
11. |
Campbell (2008-11) |
93-125 |
31-85 (.267) |
12. |
NKU (2013-15) |
39-118 |
14-61 (.187) |
13. |
Gardner-Webb (2008) |
29-30 |
15-18 (.455) |
14. |
NJIT (2016) |
17-36 |
2-18 (.100) |
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CLIMBING THE RANKS
Senior designated hitter
Nick Rivera (Cape Coral, Fla./Bishop Verot HS), who was sidelined with a season-ending wrist injury in game one of a two-game midweek series with Rutgers on March 15, 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. The Cape Coral native ranks third in home runs (26) and RBI (160) while also ranking fourth in games started (182), fifth in games played (187), seventh in hits (215) and eighth in runs scored (126). Additionally, his 63 doubles are good for second among active NCAA players while his 160 RBI ranks tied for 10th. Rivera hopes to be eligible to utilize a medical redshirt at the season's end and return in 2017.
Like Rivera, Noll also makes his way up the list of career batting average, hits, RBI and runs scored and nears the program record for stolen bases. Additionally, he ranks fifth in hits among active NCAA players while also ranking 21st in career batting average. In the midst of an impressive senior campaign, Selesky also appears in the top-10 in hits, RBI and runs scored.
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) |
.363 |
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. |
Jake Noll (2014-present) |
266 |
4. |
Stephen Wickens (2008-11) |
259 |
5. |
Tim Roberson (2008-11) |
247 |
6. |
Zach Maxfield (2009-11) |
241 |
7. |
Nick Rivera (2013-present) |
215 |
8. |
Tyler Selesky (2013-present) |
208 |
9. |
Brandon Bednar (2001-13) |
206 |
10. |
Jason Cooper (2003-05) |
203 |
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 |
6. |
Josh Upchurch (2006-09) |
137 |
7. |
Jason Louwsma (2005-06) |
135 |
8. |
Jake Noll (2014-present) |
131 |
9. |
Tyler Selesky (2013-present) |
122 |
10. |
Ozzie Borrell (2007-08) |
117 |
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FGCU CAREER RUNS SCORED
1. |
Josh Upchurch (2006-09) |
237 |
2. |
Mikel Alvarez (2008-11) |
202 |
3. |
Stephen Wickens (2008-11) |
178 |
4. |
Zach Maxfield (2009-11) |
158 |
5. |
Tim Roberson (2008-11) |
156 |
6. |
Jake Noll (2014-present) |
150 |
7. |
Tyler Selesky (2013-present) |
136 |
8. |
Chris Perry (2003-06) |
134 |
9. |
Jake Smith (2005-08) |
129 |
10. |
Nick Rivera (2013-present) |
126 |
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FGCU CAREER STOLEN BASES
1. |
Josh Upchurch (2006-09) |
61 |
2. |
Jake Noll (2014-present) |
49 |
3. |
Stephen Wickens (2008-11) |
36 |
4. |
Chris Brown (2003-04) |
27 |
5. |
Michael Suchy (2012-14) |
22 |
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On the mound,
Brady Anderson also makes his way up the list of career appearances and wins, and he is just over an inning shy of setting the program record for innings pitched.
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FGCU CAREER APPEARANCES
1. |
J.J. Crumbley (2005-08) |
86 |
2. |
RJ Brown (2010-13) |
82 |
3. |
Brady Anderson (2012-present) |
74 |
4. |
Jason Kiley (2004-07) |
65 |
5. |
Jason Forjet (2009-12) |
63 |
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FGCU CAREER INNINGS PITCHED
1. |
Jason Kiley (2004-07) |
284.2 |
2. |
Michael Murray (2013-15) |
284.0 |
3. |
Brady Anderson (2012-present) |
283.2 |
4. |
Ricky Knapp (2011-13) |
283.1 |
5. |
Pete Woodworth (2007-10) |
272.2 |
6. |
Chris Sale (2008-10) |
228.2 |
7. |
Jason Forjet (2009-12) |
220.2 |
8. |
Richie Erath (2008-11, 13) |
219.2 |
9. |
Richard Bleier (2006-08) |
209.2 |
10. |
Casey Coleman (2006-08) |
187.2 |
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FGCU CAREER WINS
1. |
Pete Woodworth (2007-10) |
25 |
|
Jason Kiley (2004-07) |
25 |
3. |
Michael Murray (2013-15) |
23 |
|
Ricky Knapp (2011-13) |
23 |
5. |
Chris Sale (2008-10) |
20 |
6. |
J.J. Crumbley (2005-08) |
19 |
7. |
Richard Bleier (2006-08) |
17 |
8. |
Brady Anderson (2012-present) |
16 |
|
Casey Coleman (2006-08) |
16 |
10. |
Richie Erath (2008-11, 13) |
15 |
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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.
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2016 SCHEDULE
The Eagles' schedule features eight teams that participated in the 2015 NCAA BaseÂball Tournament including a pair of College World Series participants, two additional Super Regional participants and three conference champions. The eight NCAA Tournament teams include CWS semifinalist, defending SEC Tournament Champion and preseason No. 1 Florida, CWS participant and preseason No. 4 Miami, Super Regional participants FSU and Illinois, defending A-Sun Tournament Champion Lipscomb, defending MEAC Tournament Champion FAMU and a pair of familiar in-state foes in USF and FAU. A total of 20 games, including the first eight games of the season, will be played against those eight programs.
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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.
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DAVE TOLLETT
In 14 seasons of work, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 487-294-3 record (.623) 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/foodpantryÂ
and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
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