FORT MYERS, Fla. – Winners of five its last six games, the FGCU baseball game looks to remain hot Wednesday when the Eagles face FIU at Swanson Stadium. The Green and Blue (30-12, 7-5 ASUN) are hoping to secure a season sweep over the Panthers (21-22, 10-11 C-USA) after suffering a sweep last season.
 
First pitch between FGCU and FIU is set for 6:30 p.m.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Not much has separated FGCU and FIU over the years with FGCU holding a slim 9-7 advantage over the Panthers. Earlier this season, the Eagles defeated the Panthers 13-6, marking the seventh time the Green and Blue have posted 10 or more runs against FIU in a single game.
 
All-time, FGCU has outscored FIU 125-111.
 
PITCHING MATCHUP
RHP Evan Lumbert (5-2, 3.12 ERA) vs. TBA
 
THE ROAD AHEAD
FGCU's path to a regular season title only gets more difficult. The ASUN currently ranks seventh among all conferences in terms of RPI. In addition, the ASUN trails only the American Athletic Conference in terms of mid-major rankings.
 
The Eagles currently sit fourth in the ASUN, two games out of first place and a game behind Jacksonville who sit in second. FGCU dropped two of three to the Dolphins and will face conference leaders Stetson May 11-13 in Fort Myers.
 
2018 ASUN STANDINGS

	CONFERENCE			OVERALL
Team	Record	Win %	GB	Record	Win %
Stetson	9-3	.750	-	34-11	.756
Kennesaw State	10-5	.667	.5	24-20	.545
#25 Jacksonville	8-4	.667	1	30-14	.682
FGCU	7-5	.583	2	30-12	.714
Lipscomb	6-9	.400	4.5	18-24	.429
UNF	4-8	.333	5	19-22	.463
NJIT	5-10	.333	5.5	18-18	.500
USC Upstate	5-10	.333	5.5	22-24-1	.479

 
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 .355 average and an ASUN-best 46 RBI. Garcia has also tallied 15 doubles.
 
Since the start of conference play, Alex Brait (Viera, Fla./Viera HS) has hit a team-best .352 with one double, one home run, and seven driven in. Now in 2018, Brait sits second on the team with a .343 average, with four doubles, two triples, and three home runs to go along with his 22 RBI.
 
On the mound, Kenton Hering (Melbourne, Fla./Viera HS/Eastern Florida State College) has six wins and seven saves to lead the bullpen.
 
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
FIU faces Stetson tonight in Miami before traveling to Fort Myers. Juan Teixeira headlines the Panthers batting order, hitting .345 with four triples and four home runs. Eddie Silva meanwhile has driven in 34 runs on 12 home runs both lead the team.
 
FIU has not announced a starter for tomorrow's ballgame. The Panthers enter the contest with Stetson carrying a team ERA of 4.70.
 
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 563-328-3 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.