SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The FGCU baseball team aims to break a three-game losing skid when the Eagles return to ASUN play this weekend. The Green and Blue (25-10, 3-3 ASUN) make the trip to Spartanburg, S.C. to face the USC Upstate Spartans (20-20-1, 3-6 ASUN) in a three-game series.

The series opens Friday at 6 p.m. and continues Saturday at 2 p.m. The finale is slated for 12 p.m. Sunday.
 
SERIES HISTORY
FGCU is 19-11 all-time against USC Upstate. The Eagles took two-of-three from the Spartans last season in Fort Myers. FGCU is 9-6 all-time in Spartanburg.
 
PITCHING MATCHUP
Friday: Mario Leon (5-1, 2.36 ERA) vs. Kevin Hickey (2-2, 3.06 ERA)
Saturday: Josh Dye (5-2, 3.25 ERA) vs. Jordan Marks (2-4, 4.62 ERA)
Sunday: TBA vs. Blake Whitney (4-0, 1.29 ERA)
 
IN THE NATION
While the latest skid witnessed FGCU fall in the national ranking, the Eagles still boast one of the countries' best offenses. FGCU is hitting .304 as a team, the 17th best average in the country. FGCU's on-base percentage of .401 also sits 18th in Division I.

On the mound, the Eagles have been one of the best teams in terms of strikeout-to-walk ratio, posting 3.02 strikeouts for every walk allowed, good for ninth in the country.
 
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
At 20-20-1 overall and 3-6 in ASUN play, USC Upstate sits seventh in the conference standings entering the weekend. The Spartans boast one of the best players in the conference, Preseason Player of the Year Charlie Carpenter, who leads the team with a .342 average, while also collecting 32 RBI, and 14 extra-base hits. Russel Schwerfeger leads the team and is third in the ASUN with 34 RBI.

USC Upstate will throw Kevin Hickey Friday night. Hickey is second on the team with a 3.06 ERA to go along with his 2-2 record. Hickey also has 32 strikeouts in 53 innings of work. Saturday's probable starter, Jordan Marks, carries a 4.62 ERA into his start while Blake Whitney and his 1.29 ERA get the nod on Sunday.

CHAMPS 5X
2017 was a magical season for the Green and Blue that ended in the program's first Division I NCAA Tournament berth. The Eagles ended the year 43-20, which included a midweek sweep over #2 Florida, single wins over #1 Florida State, Miami, and a three-game sweep at RV UNC Wilmington. The wins over Miami, FSU, and UF marked the first time FGCU defeated all three programs in the same season.
 
Reaching as high as #9 in the polls, the highest of any program at FGCU, the Eagles struggled in April but bounced back to finish third in the ASUN. During the ASUN Tournament, FGCU won four games in a span of 29 hours for their first tournament crown.
 
The Green and Blue earned the No. 2 seed in the Chapel Hill Regional, defeating Michigan 10-6 before losses to Davidson and UNC ended their season.
The tournament title adds to FGCU's four regular season titles.
 
KENTON, WITH A K
Redshirt-senior Kenton Hering's second season wearing Green and Blue put him among elite company with other arms that have come through Fort Myers. With 77 strikeouts in 59.2 innings IN 2017, Hering brought his K/9 inning total to 10.61, good for third all-time at FGCU behind current Minnesota Twins product Brandon Bixler (10.91; FGCU 2011-13) and six-time MLB All-Star Chris Sale (11.53; 2008-10).
 
Hering's seven saves last season also put him seventh all-time in FGCU history while his opponent's batting average of .222 is good for fifth.
 
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 16th season, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 558-326-3 record (.626) as the only head coach in the program's history and is coming off the program's first trip to the NCAA Tournament. 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, including as high as #9 in the country in 2017, and has coached 49 All-Conference selections, 29 draft picks, three current major leaguers, 15 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.