BOCA RATON, Fla. – After seeing the previous two scheduled contests against the Owls postponed, the FGCU baseball team travels to Boca Raton Wednesday for a meeting with the #22 FAU Owls. FGCU (27-11, 5-4 ASUN) and FAU are slated for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch.
 
The Eagles and Owls had been scheduled to meet April 10, but rain moved into the Fort Myers area and the game was postponed and has not yet been rescheduled. Tomorrow's contest was originally scheduled for April 24, but expected rain on both coasts forced the contest to be pushed back 24 hours.
 
SERIES HISTORY
FGCU holds an 11-7 record against FAU all-time after splitting the season series in 2017. That trend also dates back to 2015. FGCU has won the last two meetings in Fort Myers are 6-4 overall in Southwest Florida.
 
PITCHING MATCHUP
Evan Lumbert (4-2, 3.30 ERA) vs. Mike Ruff (1-1, 2.18 ERA)
 
IN THE NATION
FGCU remains on the most dangerous offensive lineups in the county, averaging 7.1 runs per game (32nd in NCAA DI). The Eagles have hit above .300 all season and remain above that mark entering the midweek contest hitting .301 (19th in NCAA).
 
LEADING THE CHARGE
A Freshman All-American last season, Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) has headlined the potent offense in 2018. The Davie-native leads FGCU with a .364 average and 40 RBI (most in ASUN). Garcia has also tallied 14 doubles, which leads the team. Kohl Gilmore (Fort Pierce, Fla./John Carroll HS/Indian River State) has started to regain his groove. Gilmore currently has nine home runs and 36 RBI this season to go along with his .303 average.
 
On the mound, Kenton Hering (Melbourne, Fla./Viera HS/Eastern Florida State College) has five wins and six saves, meanwhile, Wednesday's starter Evan Lumbert (Orlando, Fla./Boone HS/South Florida State) enters the contest with a 3.30 ERA and a 4-2 record. Lumbert has struck out 53 strikeouts against 11 walks.
 
SCOUTING THE OWLS
FAU has put together a strong season, currently sitting 14th in the latest RPI and #22 in the NCBWA poll. The Owls enter the midweek contest 29-9-1 and 13-4-1 in C-USA. The Owls hit .274 as a team, highlighted by David Miranda's .345 clip. Miranda adds 11 doubles, two triples, five home runs, and 26 RBI. Eric Rivera leads FAU with 32 driven in while Cody Wilson paces the club with nine home runs.
 
Mike Ruff is expected to toe the rubber Wednesday. Ruff is 1-1 with a 2.18 ERA. The right-hander has struck out 25 batters in just under 21 innings.
 
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 560-327-3 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.