GAME 12: FGCU at No. 5 Florida
Time / Date	6 p.m. / Tuesday, March 5
Location	Gainesville, Fla.
Stadium	Alfred A. McKethan Stadium
Live Stats	Sidearm
Video	SEC Network +
FGCU Starter	RHP Evan Lumbert (1-1, 1.50 ERA)
UF Starter	TBD

GAME 13: FGCU at No. 5 Florida
Time / Date	6 p.m. / Wednesday, March 6
Location	Gainesville, Fla.
Stadium	Alfred A. McKethan Stadium
Live Stats	Sidearm
Video	SEC Network +
FGCU Starter	RHP Nikolas Bitner (1-0, 0.73 ERA)
UF Starter	Nick Blasucci (N/A)

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team will hit the road for the first time this season to take on No. 5 Florida March 5-6. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. both Tuesday and Wednesday night. Both games will streamed on the SEC Network +.

A LOOK AT FGCU
•     The Eagles (8-3) won three-of-four against Siena in a series at Swanson Stadium last weekend. FGCU outscored its visitors 44-16 and shut out the Saints 8-0 on Thursday night's matchup.
•     Senior Eric Gonzalez (Miami, FL/American HS/ASA College) led the team's offense through the weekend. The Florida native, who stepped into the leadoff spot for the second half of the series, finished the weekend with eight hits, four RBIs and a home run.
•     Joe Kinker (.500) (Northport, FL/Venice HS) and Gonzalez (.469) rank second and third, respectively, in the ASUN in batting average.
•     Right-hander Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, FL/Canterbury HS) is currently leading the conference and tied for first in the nation with a 0.00 ERA. Of the 36 players tied for first, Shuck is one of just six that have pitched at least 15 innings.
•     The team ERA of 2.60 sits at the top of the league and ranks 22nd in the nation.

SERIES HISTORY VS. FLORIDA 
•     This will be the 21st meeting in the series between the two teams, which the Gators currently lead 13-7.
•     The last win for the Eagles was when they claimed a home-and-home midweek series in the 2017 season March 7-8.
•     In the first game, the Green and Blue upset the No. 2 team in the country, earning a 7-3 victory. On day two, the Eagles bested the Gators by just one run, finishing 3-2.

SCOUTING THE GATORS
•     Florida (9-4) is coming off a three-game sweep over Winthrop. Throughout the series, the Gators outscored their visitors 49-12.
•     The series sweep was highlighted by a 28-5 victory in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader. During the game, three different Gators, including two freshmen, launched grand slams.
•     Right-hander Jack Leftwich has established himself as a threat for the Gators from the mound. Through 17.0 innings pitched, the sophomore has struck out 17, walked three and allowed just four runs, while holding the opposition to a .226 batting average.
•     Last year, the Gators finished 49-21 overall and posted a 20-10 mark in the SEC.
•     The 2017 National Champions posted a 5-2 record through the Gainesville Regional and Super Regional before advancing to the 2018 College World Series.
•     In Omaha, Florida was knocked out by Arkansas. The Razorbacks went on to finish second in the nation.

CLIMBING THE RANKS
•     So far this season, FGCU baseball is ranked in the top 10 nationally in 12 different statistical categories: batting average, scoring, doubles/game, slugging percentage, hits, doubles, hit-by-pitch, hits allowed/nine innings, on base percentage, runs, sac flies and shutouts.
•     Of those 12, the Eagles rank in the top five in batting average, runs, sac flies and hit-by-pitch.
•     The team batting average of .344 is good for third in the nation, behind New Mexico State (WAC) and Arizona State (Pac-12).
•     Individually, Joe Kinker ranks ninth in the nation in both batting average (.500) and on base percentage (.604).

2019 SCHEDULE
•     The Eagles have begun their 55-game campaign with a bang and opened the year playing each of their 11 games in the friendly confines of Swanson Stadium.
•     On top of the Ohio State clash, which FGCU lost 2-0, the Green and Blue 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 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.

LAST TIME OUT
•     Last weekend, the Eagles hosted Siena (3-7) for a non-conference series.
•     The Green and Blue shut out the Saints 8-0 during Thursday night's matchup. Senior pitcher Evan Lumbert (1-1) (Orlando, FL/Boone HS/South Florida State) dictated the first six innings of the game, giving up just two hits and striking out six.
•     On Friday, the Eagles' bats were hot right out of the gate and they put up five runs in the first inning. Richie Garcia (Davie, FL/West Broward HS) led the charge that day, finishing the game 4-for-6 with three runs. FGCU picked up a 17-6 victory.
•     Saturday's doubleheader was a tale of two games for FGCU baseball. In the first game, Mason Studstill (Titusville, FL/Rockledge HS/Eastern Florida State) pitched a quality start with one run on two hits in 6.0 innings of work. Garcia was the only one to score for the home team in the first game, crossing home plate on a wild pitch.
•     After dropping the first game 2-1, the Green and Blue offense exploded in game two of the doubleheader and claimed an 18-8 victory. Kohl Gilmore (Fort Pierce, FL/John Carroll HS/Indian River) crushed a ball out of the park for a grand slam and also cranked out a triple.

UP NEXT
•     The Eagles will return home to Swanson Stadium to take on Quinnipiac University for a non-conference weekend series Friday-Sunday, March 8-10.
•     First pitch against the Bobcats is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Friday. The teams will play at 2 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday. 

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 573-340-3 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—