GAME 17: FGCU vs. Rutgers
Time / Date	6:30 p.m. / Friday, March 15
Location	Fort Myers, Fla.
Stadium	Swanson Stadium
Live Stats	Stat Broadcast
Video	Facebook Live
FGCU Starter	RHP Evan Lumbert (2-1, 1.89 ERA)
RU Starter	LHP Harry Rutkowski (0-2, 3.52 ERA)

GAME 18: FGCU vs. Rutgers
Time / Date	2 p.m. / Saturday, March 16
Location	Fort Myers, Fla.
Stadium	Swanson Stadium
Live Stats	Stat Broadcast
Video	Facebook Live
FGCU Starter	RHP Mason Studstill (1-0, 1.57 ERA)
RU Starter	RHP Kyle Gerace (0-1, 3.65 ERA)

GAME 19: FGCU vs. Rutgers
Time / Date	11 a.m. / Sunday, March 17
Location	Fort Myers, Fla.
Stadium	Swanson Stadium
Live Stats	Stat Broadcast
Video	Facebook Live
FGCU Starter	TBD
RU Starter	TBD

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team will host a three-game series against Big 10 foe Rutgers March 15-17. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. under the lights. The teams will face off at 2 p.m. on Saturday before capping off the series at 11 a.m. on Sunday. All games will be streamed on Facebook Live.

A LOOK AT FGCU
•     The Eagles (11-5) have won all four of their weekend series to start the season and, with conference play on the horizon, currently sit at second in the ASUN behind Liberty (12-4).
•     Both the team batting average (.312) and on-base percentage (.422) rank at the top of the league.
•     Freshman Joe Kinker (Northport, FL/Venice HS) ranks fourth nationally in batting average (.481) and fifth in on-base percentage (.592), leading all freshmen in those categories.
•     Senior Jay Hayes (Altamonte Springs, FL/Lyman HS) leads the team with 23 RBIs, good for first in the conference. His four home runs this season are tied for first in the ASUN.
•     Freshman Jalen Townsend (Oviedo, FL/Winter Park HS) ties for fifth in the league with a team-high five stolen bases. Townsend has only been caught stealing once.
•     Junior starter Mason Studstill (1-0) (Titusville, FL/Rockledge HS/Eastern Florida State) leads the team with 23.0 innings pitched. His 1.57 ERA sits behind junior reliever Sebastian Gruszecki (1.38) (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional HS) and sophomore reliever Tyler Shuck (1.45) (Cape Coral, FL/Canterbury HS).

LAST TIME OUT
•     The Green and Blue won the first two games of last weekend's series against Quinnipiac before dropping Sunday's matchup.  
•     Both Friday and Saturday, the Eagles finished the game with just eight hits.
•     During Friday's 6-5 victory, FGCU only had to use two pitchers: Studstill and junior Hunter McGarry (Bradenton, FL/Bradenton Christian School/State College of Florida). McGarry (1-0) earned his first win of the season.
•     On Saturday, the Eagles played from behind until the bottom of the eighth inning when Kinker hit a grand slam that boosted the team towards its 9-8 victory. Junior Alex Brait (Viera, FL/Viera HS), senior Eric Gonzalez (Miami, FL/American HS/ASA College), and sophomore Brian Ellis (Oviedo, FL/Hagerty HS) all scored on the play.
•     Hayes led the team with three hits and three RBIs during Sunday's 9-4 loss to the Bobcats. The Eagles used six different arms that day, none pitching more than 3.1 innings.

SERIES HISTORY VS. RUTGERS
•     This will be the 11th meeting between the Eagles and the Scarlet Knights. The series is currently split at 5-5.
•     The two teams have only ever faced off at Swanson Stadium.
•     Last year, Rutgers was also the Green and Blue's fifth weekend series opponent. The Scarlet Knights won both Friday (13-9) and Saturday's (6-3) games before dropping the finale on Sunday (9-8).
•     In the Eagles' lone win of the series, they trailed by as much as five in the sixth inning. Current senior Jay Hayes led the home team effort, finishing the day with three hits and three RBIs.
•     The last time FGCU swept Rutgers was in 2017. The Eagles won all three games decisively, by scores of 5-3, 13-4 and 8-3.

SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
•     Rutgers (4-9) opened its season by being swept at the University of Miami. The Hurricanes outscored the Scarlet Knights 35-7 in the three-game set.
•     The team has yet to win a series, dropping weekends against Old Dominion and USC Upstate.
•     Senior Tyler McNamara leads the team in both batting average (.324) and on-base percentage (.439).
•     McNamara was part of the play that awarded the Scarlet Knights with a 2-1 win in the 10th inning last night against Monmouth. With two outs on the board, McNamara was intentionally walked. Both he and freshman pinch runner Alex Russo got into scoring position on a wild pitch. Russo was then brought in to score when junior Kevin Welsh was walked.
•     Sophomore Harry Rutkowski has struck out a team-high 25 batters so far this season and owns the lowest ERA (3.52).
•     Junior Tevin Murray is ranked second in the Big 10 and 45th in the nation, averaging 13.19 strikeouts per nine innings.

CLIMBING THE RANKS
•     The Eagles are ranked in the top 15 nationally in seven different categories: hit by pitch, sacrifice flies, batting average, hits allowed per nine innings, on-base percentage, runs and scoring.
•     FGCU checks into the top 10 in hit by pitch (4th) and sacrifice flies (9th).
•     In all but one of those categories, FGCU leads the ASUN. Lipscomb's 13 sacrifice flies lead the league, ahead of the Eagles' 12.
•     Mason Studstill checks into the national rankings at 14th in hits allowed per nine innings, allowing just 3.52.
•     Studstill's 32 strikeouts this season are second in the conference behind Liberty's Noah Skirrow (37).

2019 SCHEDULE
•     The Eagles have begun their 55-game campaign with a bang, opening the year playing each of their first 11 games in the friendly confines of Swanson Stadium.
•     On top of games with Ohio State and Florida, the Green and Blue will play a total of nine times against programs from Power 5 universities (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC), which includes this weekend's series against Rutgers.
•     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 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 grace 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 held May 22-25 in Deland, Florida, and will be hosted by Stetson.

UP NEXT
•     The Eagles will return to Swanson Stadium on Tuesday, March 19 for a midweek matchup against FAU. The game against the Owls is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. under the lights.
•     FAU (11-7) just played a two-game midweek series against Quinnipiac, FGCU's most recent weekend opponent. The Owls beat the Bobcats on Tuesday (7-0) and Wednesday (7-4).  

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.con/FGCUBaseball. You can also find FGCU athletics on YouTube by visiting YouTube.com/FGCUEagles.

COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 576-342-3 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, 3 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 its 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 benefit the FGCU Campus Food Panty (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 74 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 sixth-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 of 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 the two runner-ups for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.

—FGCUATHLETICS.COM—