CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Coming off its first ASUN Tournament Title in program history, No. 2 FGCU (42-18) opens its first-ever NCAA Tournament at the Chapel Hill Regional against No. 3 Michigan (42-15) Friday at 1 p.m. at Boshamer Stadium.
 
The Green and Blue will send junior ace Kutter Crawford (7-1, 1.58) to the mound opposite Michigan southpaw Oliver Jaskie (8-2, 3.30).
 
Following FGCU's bout with Michigan, host and No. 1 UNC (47-12) squares off with No. 4 Davidson (32-24) at 6 p.m. The winners of both games will advance to play Saturday at 6 p.m., while the losers will face in an elimination game at 1 p.m. A complete Chapel Hill Regional bracket can be found here.

TICKETS AND COVERAGE
Single-game and all-session tickets for the Chapel Hill Regional are on sale and can be purchased here. Additionally, the game will be available on a few platforms. Fans unable to make the trip can watch all weekend on ESPN3 with broadcasters Jim Barbar and former Big League catcher JP Arencibia on the call. David Moulton will also produce a radio broadcast for local stations including Fox Sports Radio (94.1 FM – Lee County), 105.9 FM (Collier County) and 103.3 FM (Cape Coral). Lastly, live stats can be found on NCAA.com. Updated links for each day of competition will be posted on the FGCU schedule page.
 
GOING DANCING
FGCU won an improbable four elimination games in a span of less than 29 hours en route to claiming its first ASUN postseason title in program history. After falling into the loser's bracket with a 6-3 loss to Kennesaw State in the second game of the tournament, the Green and Blue responded to defeat Lipscomb, 3-1, before exacting revenge in a rematch with the Owls to advance to its second straight ASUN Championship Final. Needing two wins against top-seeded Jacksonville to be crowned champions, the Eagles did just that as they defeated the Dolphins, 4-2, to force a winner-take-all final. Trailing 3-1 with one out in the ninth, Julio Gonzalez (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Seminole State College (OK)/Brito Miami Private HS) hit a two-RBI single back up the middle to tie the score before ASUN Tournament MVP Marc Coffers (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) scored the game-tying run on a wild pitch in the 10th.
 
SERIES HISTORY
FGCU holds a 3-2 advantage in five all-time meetings with the Wolverines. The two teams played in five straight seasons from 2010-14, and all five contests took place at Swanson Stadium. Michigan won the first meeting, 13-7, before the Green and Blue won three straight matchups by outscoring its Big Ten counterpart 25-11 over the next three seasons. The Wolverines won the most recent meeting in Fort Myers during the 2014 season, 6-4.

THE GREEN AND BLUE
Overall record: 42-18 – all-time program record for wins
ASUN record: 13-8
RPI: 33
NCAA appearances: 1st
Players to watch: Gonzalez has led the team all-year long in batting with a current clip of .337, while ASUN Player of the Year Nick Rivera (Cape Coral, Fla./Bishop Verot HS) leads the way with 17 home runs and 55 RBI. Rivera's 17 long balls are the third most in a single season in program history. Crawford (Okeechobee, Fla./Indian River State/Okeechobee HS) ranks eighth in the NCAA with a 1.58 ERA and leads the team with 91 strikeouts and a .192 opponent's batting average. Right-hander Kenton Hering (7-3, 2.04) has been lights out in relief of late, and his 11.77 strikeouts per 9.0 innings pitched ranks second in single-season program history. Bullpen mate Sterling Koerner (2-3, 5.47) also set the program and single-season records with 19 career saves and 12 this season.

SCOUTING THE CHAPEL HILL REGIONAL
NO. 1 UNC
Conference: ACC
Overall record: 47-12
ACC record: 23-7
RPI: 2
NCAA appearances: 30th
All-time series: N/A
How they got there: After being ranked inside the top-10 for the majority of the season, UNC was a sure-fire selection to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The ACC Coastal Division Regular Season Champions, UNC was named the #2 national seed Sunday night. The Tar Heels advanced all the way to the ACC Tournament Final but dropped a 7-3 decision to FSU Sunday afternoon.
Players to watch: Shortstop and First Team All-American Logan Warmoth leads UNC with a .349 average and has hit a team-high nine home runs with 45 RBI. Six different Tar Heels have driven in 40 or more runs and five players, including Warmoth, are hitting .300 or higher. Fellow First Team All-American J.B. Bukauskas (9-0, 2.02) is the team's ace on the mound, while redshirt freshman right-hander Josh Hiatt has turned in 13 saves.

NO. 3 MICHIGAN
Conference: Big Ten
Overall record: 42-15
Big Ten record: 16-8
RPI: 35
NCAA appearances: 23rd
All-time series: FGCU holds a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series against the Wolverines. The two teams played in five straight seasons from 2010-14, and the Eagles went on a three-game series win streak from 2011-13 by defeating Michigan 6-4, 8-1 and 11-6, respectively. All five games to this point in the series have been played at Swanson Stadium.
How they got there: Like the Tar Heels, Michigan was also an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament after compiling 42 wins and finishing second in the Big Ten regular season standings. The Wolverines went 0-2 in the Big Ten Tournament with losses against Northwestern and Indiana.
Players to watch: Leadoff man Thomas Ako paces the Wolverines with a .368 average and has swiped 21 of 26 bases this season. As a team, Michigan has stolen 122 bases, which ranks fourth in the country. Cleanup hitter Drew Lugbauer leads the team with 11 home runs and 58 RBI. On the mound, Jaskie ranks tied for 16th in the NCAA with 113 strikeouts, and closer Jackson Lamb has made 26 appearances this season and has recorded 12 saves.

NO. 4 DAVIDSON
Conference: A-10
Overall record: 32-24
A-10 record: 13-11
RPI: 126
NCAA appearances: 1st
All-time series: N/A
How they got there: Davidson claimed its first conference championship in the program's 115-year history by winning three straight games in the A-10 Tournament Saturday and Sunday. Like FGCU, the Wildcats advanced to the A-10 Final out of the loser's bracket and ultimately defeated top-seeded VCU in a winner-take-all championship, 11-4.
Players to watch: Offensively, Davidson is lead by senior outfielder Will Robertson, who was named a Third Team All-American after hitting .335 with a team-best 18 home runs to go along with 43 RBI. Cleanup hitter Brian Fortier has added 15 long ball, and the Wildcats have hit 70 as a team, which ranked tied for 22nd in the country. On the mound, redshirt senior right-hander Durin O'Linger (8-3, 2.85) leads the team in nearly every category, and closer Westin Whitmire has recorded 12 saves.

FINISHED WITH A FLURRY
FGCU lost eight of its first 12 ASUN games and turned in a .241/.319/.353 slash line with a 4.33 staff ERA during the span. The Eagles scored 3.8 runs per game and turned in 8.1 hits per game. However, after getting swept at UNF, the Green and Blue went on to win its last nine conference games of the season. The team slashed .346/.457/.651 and posted a 3.21 ERA while scoring 11.1 runs per game on 13.2 hits per contest. Additionally, FGCU outscored its conference opponents 100-38 during its win streak. Including the conference tournament, FGCU has won 14 of its last 16 games dating back to Apr. 28 at NJIT.

POWER SURGE
After hitting 22 home runs in the first 41 games of the season, the Green and Blue have totaled 32 home runs in its last 19 games. The Eagles have homered in 13 of the last 19 games with two or more long balls in seven of those contests and three or more in five. FGCU's 32 home runs in 21 conference games were 13 more than Kennesaw State as the next closest ASUN team. The Eagles also hit more doubles (42) and triples (six) than any other team in conference play and slugged .067 points higher than the Owls in second.

In its 20-1 win against NJIT on Apr. 29 – marking the largest margin of victory in Division I program history – FGCU set the single-game program record with seven home runs, surpassing the previous record of six long balls turned in at ETSU on May 1, 2009. With 54 home runs during the regular season, the Green and Blue have totaled its most home runs in a single season since hitting also 54 long balls in 2010 – the final season of the live bat era.

IN THE RANKINGS
After starting the season a program best 24-3, FGCU appeared as high as #9 in the country in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll, which marked the highest ranking ever achieved by any FGCU athletics program. Additionally, the Eagles were tabbed a consensus top-15 program as the team was ranked #14 or higher in all six nationally-recognized polls. Now, after winning 14 of the last 16 games and claiming its first ASUN postseason title, FGCU is back in the national spotlight as the Eagles are tabbed #24 by Baseball America, #25 by Collegiate Baseball News and #29 by the NCBWA.

500-WIN CLUB…AND COUNTING
Tollett joined the 500-win club as FGCU capped off its weekend sweep at UNC Wilmington with a 10-1 win on Mar. 5. With a Division I and all-time program record 42 wins this season, Tollett has pushed his win total to 532. He has recorded 30 or more wins in 12 of his 15 seasons, including 40 or more wins on three occasions, and has led the Eagles to a winning mark in conference play in nine of 10 seasons in the ASUN. Tollett joined Kennesaw State's Mike Sansing and UNF's Smoke Laval as the only active head coaches in the league with 500 or more wins, and the trio was joined by Lipscomb head coach Jeff Forehand shortly after.
 
NCAA ACTIVE LEADER
In his final season with the Green and Blue, Rivera continues to not only climb FGCU's all-time records, but also ranks among the top-10 in active NCAA players in a number of offensive categories. Rivera leads the nation in career games played (247), doubles (71), RBI (215), total bases (487) and walks (177). Additionally, he ranks tied for third in hits (281), fifth in at-bats (890) and tied for sixth in home runs (43).

ASUN WEEKLY HONORS
Following its sweep of Kennesaw State to close out the regular season, Rivera was not only named the ASUN Player of the Week for the third time this season and fifth time in his career, but also garnered Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week honors. Rivera, who hit four home runs and took over the FGCU career record in the category, matched the conference record for weekly recognitions in an individual career. He drew six walks in the series finale, setting the FGCU single-game record and matching the NCAA mark. A complete list of this year's weekly award winners is included below.
 

Player of the Week	Pitcher of the Week
Richie Garcia (Feb. 20)	Kutter Crawford (Mar. 6)
Matt Reardon (Mar. 13)	Peyton Gray (Mar. 13)
Nick Rivera (Mar. 20)	Mario Leon (Apr. 3)
Nick Rivera (May 1)
Eli Lovell (May 15)
Nick Rivera (May 22)

CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Since joining the ASUN in 2008, FGCU has not only won more regular season and postseason conference championships (five) than any other member of the ASUN, 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 ASUN since 2008.
 

No.	School	Overall	ASUN
1.	FGCU (2008-present)	340-230-1	175-91 (.658)
2.	UNF (2008-present)	319-245	144-117 (.552)
3.	Kennesaw State (2008-present)	296-275	153-106 (.591)
4.	Stetson (2008-present)	295-292	147-117 (.557)
5.	Lipscomb (2008-present)	281-297	133-130 (.506)
6.	Jacksonville (2008-present)	279-289	135-127 (.515)
7.	Mercer (2008-14)	243-156	115-82 (.584)
8.	USC Upstate (2008-present)	219-326	89-170 (.344)
9.	ETSU (2008-14)	197-201	88-110 (.444)
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-present)	26-76	4-37 (.098)

 
CLIMBING THE RANKS
Along with his aforementioned NCAA active ranks, Rivera has also made his mark in FGCU program history as he not only holds the career record for games played, games started (242), doubles, home runs, RBI and total bases, but also ranks in the top-five in program history in a pair of additional offensive categories. The Cape Coral native ranks third in hits and fourth in runs scored (176).

CAREER GAMES PLAYED

1.	Nick Rivera (2013-present)	247
2.	Josh Upchurch (2006-09)	216
3.	Mikel Alvarez (2008-11)	214

CAREER GAMES STARTED

1.	Nick Rivera (2013-present)	232
2.	Josh Upchurch (2006-09)	216
3.	Mikel Alvarez (2008-11)	212

CAREER RBI

1.	Nick Rivera (2013-present)	215
2.	Zach Maxfield (2009-11)	180
	Tim Roberson (2008-11)	180

CAREER DOUBLES

1.	Nick Rivera (2013-present)	71
2.	Zach Maxfield (2009-11)	54
3.	Tim Roberson (2008-11)	47
	Jason Louwsma (2005-06)	47
	Colton Bottomley (2013-16)	47

CAREER TOTAL BASES

1.	Nick Rivera (2013-present)	487
2.	Tim Roberson (2008-11)	418
	Zach Maxfield (2009-11)	418

CAREER HOME RUNS

1.	Nick Rivera (2013-present)	43
2.	Zach Maxfield (2009-11)	41
3.	Tim Roberson (2008-11)	40

CAREER HITS

1.	Mikel Alvarez (2008-11)	316
2.	Josh Upchurch (2006-09)	311
3.	Nick Rivera (2013-present)	281

CAREER RUNS SCORED

1.	Josh Upchurch (2006-09)	237
2.	Mikel Alvarez (2008-11)	202
3.	Stephen Wickens (2008-11)	178
4.	Nick Rivera (2013-present)	176

Earlier this season, Koerner (Fort Pierce, Fla./John Carroll HS) broke the program's career and single-season saves record and turned in an ASUN-best 12 saves on the season. He also set the career appearances mark and is tied for the program record in games finished. Koerner is joined by Crawford, Garrett Anderson (Arcadia, Fla./DeSoto County HS), Josh Dye (DeLand, Fla./DeLand HS) and Hering (Melbourne, Fla./Eastern Florida State/Viera HS), who also make their way up a number of career lists.
 
CAREER SAVES

1.	Sterling Koerner (2014-present)	19
2.	J.J. Crumbley (2005-08)	14
3.	Brady Anderson (2012-16)	11
4.	Garrett Anderson (2014-present)	9
	Jack Wagoner (2010-11)	9
	Harrison Cooney (2011-13)	9

 
SINGLE SEASON SAVES

1.	Sterling Koerner (2017)	12
2.	Jack Wagoner (2010)	9
3.	Brady Anderson (2014)	7

 
CAREER APPEARANCES

1.	Sterling Koerner (2014-present)	97
2.	J.J. Crumbley (2005-08)	86
3.	Garrett Anderson (2014-present)	83

CAREER GAMES FINISHED

1.	Sterling Koerner (2014-present)	51
	J.J. Crumbley (2005-08)	51
3.	Garrett Anderson (2014-present)	32

 
LOWEST ERA (MIN. 40 IP)

1.	Kutter Crawford (2017)	1.58
2.	Chris Sale (2008-10)	2.52
3.	Richard Bleier (2006-08)	2.70

 
CAREER FEWEST WALKS PER 9.0 IP (MIN 40 IP)

1.	Sterling Koerner (2014-present)	1.16
2.	Josh Dye (2015-present)	1.27
3.	Jason Short (2003-05)	1.42
4.	Michael Murray (2013-15)	1.46
5.	Jordan Desguin (2015)	1.60
6.	Billy Phillips (2004-05)	1.78
7.	Derek Shaw (2007-09)	1.79
8.	Les Hassen (2003-05)	1.84
9.	Garrett Anderson (2014-present)	1.91

 
MOST STRIKEOUTS PER 9.0 IP (MIN 40 IP)

1.	Chris Sale (2008-10)	11.53
2.	Brandon Bixler (2011-13)	10.91
3.	Kenton Hering (2016-present)	10.69
4.	Kutter Crawford (2017)	10.28

 
LOWEST OPPONENT BATTING AVERAGE (MIN 40 IP)

1.	Kutter Crawford (2017)	.192
2.	Brandon Bixler (2011-13)	.201
3.	Chris Cahil (2003-04)	.207
4.	Jordan Desguin (2015)	.216
5.	Kenton Hering (2016-present)	.224

 
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.

DAVE TOLLETT
In his 15th season of work, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 532-314-3 record (.627) as the only head coach in the program's history. He is a four-time ASUN Coach of the Year and has guided the Green and Blue to four ASUN Regular Season Championships and one ASUN Tournament Championship. His team has been ranked nationally on several occasions by multiple media outlets and has coached 49 All-Conference selections, 27 draft picks, three current major leaguers, 17 current minor leaguers, four ASUN Pitchers of the Year, four All-Americans, three ASUN Players of the Year, one National Freshman Player of the Year, one National Player of the Year and one five-time MLB All-Star.

#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.