GAME 5: LIU Brooklyn at FGCU
Time / Date	6:30 p.m. / Friday, Feb. 22
Location	Fort Myers, Fla.
Stadium	Swanson Stadium
Live Stats	Statbroadcast
FGCU Starter	RHP Nikolas Bitner (0-0, 1.80 ERA)
LIUB Starter	RHP Zach Pederson (0-1, 9.00 ERA)

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team continues the long home swing to open the season with a three-game series against LIU Brooklyn Feb. 22-24. The Eagles will open the weekend under the lights at 6:30 p.m. Friday before competing at noon Saturday. Sunday's finale is slated to start at 1 p.m.

 

GAME 6: LIU Brooklyn at FGCU
Time / Date	Noon / Saturday, Feb. 23
Location	Fort Myers, Fla.
Stadium	Swanson Stadium
Live Stats	Statbroadcast
FGCU Starter	RHP Brenden Heiss (0-0, 9.00 ERA)
LIUB Starter	RHP Alec Huertas (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

A LOOK AT FGCU
•     The Eagles (2-2) won their season-opening series two games to one against Bethune-Cookman before dropping a Monday tilt to Ohio State 2-0.
•     Senior Jay Hayes has cranked out three home runs, five hits (.455 average), six runs scored and nine RBIs in his first three games to lead the team.

GAME 7: LIU Brooklyn at FGCU
Time / Date	1 p.m. / Sunday, Feb. 24
Location	Fort Myers, Fla.
Stadium	Swanson Stadium
Live Stats	Statbroadcast
FGCU Starter	TBD
LIUB Starter	LHP Patrick Clyne (0-1, 18.00 ERA)

•     The Eagles return four of their offensive leaders in juniors Alex Brait, Kohl Gilmore and Richie Garcia, and sophomore Christian Proffitt. Brait, Gilmore and Garcia were all named to the preseason All-ASUN team, while Proffitt was tabbed as the ASUN Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
•     Brait led FGCU in batting average last season at .335, while collecting 61 hits and 38 runs. Garcia led the team in RBIs (50), hits (68), doubles (17), and triples (3). Additionally, Gilmore finished with a .282 average and led the ASUN in home runs with 11. Continuing a history of dominant freshman was Proffitt, who was selected as the 2018 ASUN Freshman of the Year with a .284 batting average, 20 runs, 25 RBIs, and 44 hits.
•     On the mound, FGCU returns Evan Lumbert. The senior ended the 2018 season with six wins and a 3.11 ERA to go along with 66 strikeouts in 63.2 IP. The top arm out of the bullpen is junior Trey Vickery, who recorded a 2-0 record, 2.21 ERA and 18 K's in 20.1 innings.

PROMOTIONS FOR THE WEEKEND
•     Pinkout Weekend
•     Pink FGCU Family shirts are on sale benefiting the American Cancer Society.

SERIES HISTORY VS. LIU BROOKLYN
•     These will be the first three meetings in school history between the two programs.

SCOUTING THE BLACKBIRDS
•     The Blackbirds (0-3) opened their season with a three-game series loss at Lamar by scores of 6-2, 2-1 and 8-4.
•     LIU Brooklyn went 31-26 last year and won the NEC Championship. The team advanced to an NCAA Championship Regional and fell to both Coastal Carolina and UConn.
•     The Blackbirds return senior Edward Modica, who had a .299 batting average in 197 at bats, and senior Andrew Smith who recorded a .293 in 167 at bats for the 2018 season.
•     Smith is 4-for-12 (.333) to lead the team through three games this year, while senior Brock Hallum is batting .273 in 11 at-bats.
•     LIU Brooklyn lost its best hitter, Andrew Turner to the MLB Draft signing with the Miami Marlins.
•     The Blackbirds return two of their best pitchers in junior closer Mike Krieger (2.20 ERA in 45 innings pitched with 57 strikeouts) and junior Jackson Svete (3.75 ERA in 57.2 IP with 38 strikeouts). Junior Patrick Clyne (4.73 ERA in 2018, 5-5 record) led the team with 89 strikeouts.

ALREADY BREAKING RECORDS
•     FGCU had a massive day at the park on Feb. 16, as the Green and Blue cranked out 23 runs, 20 RBIs, 18 hits and five home runs in a 20-run victory over Bethune-Cookman.
•     The run total was the highest in the NCAA Division I era (since 2007). The number of RBIs was the most since May 4, 2014, and the five dingers were the most in a single game since April 29, 2017.
23 runs and cranked out The two teams have only met three times, with all three meetings coming in a home series in 2017.
•     Hayes went 4-for-5 with two home runs, seven RBIs and four runs scored. His number of hits, homers and runs scored all tied school records. He was joined in the record books by juniors Alex Brait and Cameron Krzeminski, who also both scored twice.

2019 SCHEDULE
•     The Eagles will begin their 55-game campaign with a bang, as they will open the year playing each of their first 11 games in the friendly confines of Swanson Stadium.
•     On top of the Ohio State clash, FGCU will play nine times against programs from Power 5 universities (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC).
•     FGCU is billed to play 36 home games and 19 contests on the road. Additional notable non-conference home games include dates with Rutgers (March 15-17), FAU (March 19), FIU (March 26), and Miami (April 10).
•     The first ASUN Conference action will be a three-game home series against Lipscomb April 5-7. The Eagles will then hit the road for a weekend set at Kennesaw State April 12-14.
•      FGCU will compete 16 times against programs who have played in the NCAA Championship tournament at least once over the last two years. The mark includes a Florida squad that won the national championship two years ago and advanced to the 2018 College World Series. FGCU will also face a Stetson program (May 3-5) that hosted an NCAA Regional last year and advanced to a Super Regional.
•     The 2019 ASUN Conference Championship will be contested May 22-25 in Deland, Florida, and will be hosted by Stetson.

LAST TIME OUT
•     The Eagles dropped a close 2-0 battle to Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State Feb. 18 at Swanson Stadium.
•     Senior Keith Stevens had two of the three Eagle hits with the remaining hit by junior Kohl Gilmore.
•     The two Ohio State runs were both scored by Brady Cherry. He recorded a solo home run in the second and touched home via an RBI single from Noah West in the sixth.
•     Senior Evan Lumbert took the hard-luck loss after allowing one run on four hits in 5 IP.
 
UP NEXT
•     The Eagles remain home for a four-game series against Siena beginning at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 28. Additionally, the two clubs will meet again at 6:30 p.m. March 1 before closing out the series with a 1 p.m. doubleheader March 2.

WE'VE GOT YOUR SEAT
Experience FGCU Baseball and Softball this season. The following ticket opportunities are on sale now:
Group Sales
Bring your group of 15 or more to an FGCU Baseball or Softball game. All group tickets include your choice of concessions or an FGCU hat ($15 value), in-game group recognition and more. For more information on group outings, click HERE or call 239-590-7145.
Single Game Tickets
Single game tickets are available for all remaining home games. Adult tickets are $7 each. Discounted tickets are available for current or former Military and Youth ages 3-15 for just $5 each. Baseball and Softball Frequent Flyer Cards allow multiple entries for more than 50 percent off the adult rate. Choose 34 baseball entries for $105 or 17 softball entries for $55. Purchase online HERE or call 239-590-7145.

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.
 
COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 567-339-3 record. He is the only head coach in the program's history and led the program to its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2017. 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 No. 9 in the country in 2017, and has coached 54 all-conference selections, 31 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 seven-time MLB All-Star.

5X CHAMPS
The 2017 season was a magical one for the Green and Blue that ended in the program's first Division I NCAA Championship tournament berth. The Eagles ended the year 43-20, which included a midweek sweep over No. 2 Florida, single wins over No. 1 Florida State, Miami, and a three-game sweep at 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 No. 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 Championship, 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 North Carolina ended their season.
The tournament title added to FGCU's four regular season crowns.
 
#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.
 
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 73 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 11+ seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just seven+ seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 34 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including both men's and women's soccer again in 2018. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best 6th-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the Spring, 2018 and had an ASUN Conference and State of Florida best five teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport.  The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours – being recognized as one of two runner-ups for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
 
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