FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team (3-2) earned a 10-0 shutout victory over LIU Brooklyn (0-4) in the first game of a weekend non-conference series Friday night at Swanson Stadium.
 
The Eagles needed just two pitchers to toss a clean nine innings. Sophomore Nikolas Bitner (1-0) (Palm Coast, FL/Flagler Palm Coast HS/Indian River State) earned his first win donning the Green and Blue, while junior Trey Vickery (Port Orange, FL/Spruce Creek HS) collected the first save of the year for the staff.
 
"This was a good night for us. (LIU Brooklyn) is a good club. They were in (an NCAA Championship Regional) last year, and they returned a lot of guys," FGCU coach Dave Tollett said. "We only had to use two guys (on the mound) and both of them did a good job. I'm very happy for both of them. Offensively, you can never be upset with 10 runs on a Friday night. We've still got some work to do to become more consistent, but we put together some quality at-bats tonight."
 
FGCU cranked out 13 hits to just four from the visitors. Senior Keith Stevens (Miami, FL/Miami Killian Senior HS/Hillsborough CC), junior Richie Garcia (Davie, FL/West Broward HS) and senior Eric Gonzalez (Miami, FL/American Senior HS/ASA College) all finished with a pair of hits. Garcia totaled two RBIs and a run, while junior Anthony Gonnella (Riverview, FL/Riverview HS/USF) drove in two teammates and scored once. Garcia and juniors Alex Brait (Viera, FL/Viera HS) and Marc Coffers (Naples, FL/Barron Collier HS) all scored twice.
 
Garcia opened the scoring with a solo home run in the second inning. Later in the inning, Gonnella drove in a run on a single and later was able to touch home from third while sophomore Christian Proffitt (Cape Coral, FL/Ida Baker HS) was being caught in a rundown. The Eagles blew the game open with a four-spot in the third. The RBIs were scattered throughout the lineup and were attributed to Brait, Stevens, Garcia and Gonnella.
 
A trio of insurance tallies from the home team in the seventh and eighth would complete the scoring.
 
Bitner lasted 5.1 innings and gave up just three hits and three walks, while striking out four. Vickery pitched the final 3.2 innings and allowed just one hit and two walks, while issuing one punchout.
 
The four hits from the Blackbirds were sprinkled between Tim Bechtold, Gregory Vaughn, Brock Hallum and Joe Mercadante. Vaughn roped a one-out triple in the sixth but was stranded at third thanks to a double play.
 
Starting pitcher Zach Pederson (0-2) was tagged with the loss after conceding seven runs on eight hits in 3.0 innings of work. He struck out four and walked one. Nick Torres tossed a clean 3.0 frames in relief, and Anthony Rupp, Jonathan Schreier and Frank Cerillo combined to allow three runs on four hits in the final 2.0 frames.
 
FGCU has now scored double-digit runs in three of five games to open the new campaign. The 48 runs through the first five games is the hottest start to a season for the Eagles since 2010 (49).
 
UP NEXT
The series will continue at noon Feb. 23. The Saturday tilt has been pushed back an hour from the original started time of 11 a.m. The Blackbirds are off to a slow start this season, but they won the Northeast Conference Championship last year and advanced to an NCAA Championship Regional. The weekend games will be the first in school history between the two programs.

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 568-339-3 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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