GAME 37: FGCU at Miami
Time / Date	6 p.m. / Tuesday, April 11
Location	Coral Gables, Fla.
Stadium	Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field
Live Stats	SIDEARM
Video ($)	ACC Network Extra
FGCU Starter	TBD
Miami Starter	RHP Tyler Keysor (3-0, 6.30 ERA)

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team (24-12, 6-3 ASUN) will head to Mark Light Field for the final time this season to face No. 22 Miami (25-12, 10-8 ACC) on Tuesday night. First pitch against the Hurricanes is slated for 6 p.m. and the game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.

A LOOK AT FGCU
•     The Eagles are currently second in the ASUN Conference standings, behind Liberty (27-8, 9-3 ASUN) and ahead of Jacksonville (21-15, 7-5 ASUN).
•     Senior Eric Gonzalez (Miami, FL/American HS/ASA College) was named ASUN Player of the Week on Monday afternoon for his offensive effort in the Green and Blue's series win over Kennesaw State.
•     The team has one of the best offenses in the ASUN and sits at the top league in batting average (.284), hits (351), home runs (31), on-base percentage (.395), runs (264), scoring (7.3) and slugging percentage (.420).
•     Senior Jay Hayes (Altamonte Springs, FL/Lyman HS) leads the league in on-base percentage (.478), RBIs (39), home runs (8), and total bases (84).
•     Junior Alex Brait (Viera, FL/Viera HS) leads the team in both hits (53) and runs (36). The catcher has caught nine runners stealing so far this season. With two more, he will tie for 10th in the FGCU single-season standings.
•     Junior Richie Garcia (Davie, FL/West Broward HS) and Gonzalez have combined for a total of 143 defensive assists through 36 games. Garcia is nine career assists away from registering on the FGCU top 10 list.
•     Opponents are currently batting .238 against the Green and Blue pitching staff. The lowest opponent batting average in program history is .243 (2013).
•     Junior Mason Studstill (Titusville, FL/Rockledge HS/Eastern Florida State) has struck out a league-high 72 batters. With 11 more Ks, he will tie for the ninth-most in a single season by an Eagle pitcher.

LAST TIME OUT
•     FGCU picked up its second-straight ASUN series after taking two-of-three from Kennesaw State last weekend.
•     On Friday, the Eagles earned an 8-4 win over the Owls at Stillwell Stadium. Studstill pitched seven innings and fanned eight en route to earning his fifth win of the season. Both Garcia and Gonzalez notched home runs in the victory.
•     The teams faced off in a doubleheader on Saturday. The Green and Blue won the first game 6-4. Gonzalez led the scoring effort with three hits, three RBIs and two runs. Junior Hunter McGarry (Bradenton, FL/Bradenton Christian School/State College of Florida) earned his sixth save of the season and is now tied for the sixth-most by an Eagle pitcher in a single season.
•     The offense struggled during the 4-0 loss in game two, finishing the night with just three hits.
•     The team's current 6-3 mark in ASUN play is the best through the opening nine games since the 2015 season.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MIAMI
•     Tuesday's meeting will be the third between the two teams this season. The Eagles and the Hurricanes faced off in a home-and-home series last week.
•     On Tuesday night, the Green and Blue traveled to Mark Light Field for the first game. FGCU jumped out to an early 3-0 lead before the game was halted due to weather.  The Hurricanes spread nine runs over four frames to take a 9-3 lead.
•     The Eagles had chances to regain their lead, but Miami ultimately held on and earned a 13-9 victory.
•     The Hurricanes traveled to Swanson Stadium last Wednesday to complete the midweek series. Miami's starter Slade Cecconi threw five innings and did not give up any hits.
•     The score was 10-0 Miami heading into the bottom of the ninth, but sophomore Christian Proffitt (Cape Coral, FL/Ida Baker HS) prevented the Eagles from being shutout with a pinch-hit double that scored junior pinch hitter Cameron Krzeminski (Coral Springs, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas HS).
•     Overall, the Hurricanes lead the series between the two teams 21-5 and have a 3-1 edge when they are ranked.

SCOUTING THE HURRICANES
•     This week, Miami cracked into the top 25 for the first time under first-year head coach Gino DiMare. The Hurricanes came in at No. 22 in Collegiate Baseball's NCAA Div. 1 Poll and No. 23 in the D1Baseball Top 25. They also check in at No. 20 in the most-recent RPI rankings.
•     The Hurricanes went 5-0 last week after winning both midweek games against FGCU and sweeping the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. for an ACC matchup.  It was the first time in program history that Miami swept Virginia.
•     Sophomore Raymond Gil is batting a team-high .372 and has a .651 slugging percentage. Classmate Alex Toral leads the team with 14 home runs.
•     Overall, the Hurricanes have cranked out 50 home runs which is good for sixth in the nation.
•     Freshman Jordan Lala has stolen 17 bases, the third-most of any freshman in the nation.  
•     Miami's pitching staff has a 3.69 ERA, which is second in the ACC behind No. 7 Louisville's 3.14.

2019 SCHEDULE
•     The Eagles began their 55-game campaign with a bang and opened the year playing each of their first 11 games in the friendly confines of Swanson Stadium.
•     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).
•     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 matchup was a series at UNF March 22-24, which the Eagles dropped 2-1.
•     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.

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 589-349-3 overall record (.628) and a 189-104 (.644) record in the ASUN. 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 76 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 35 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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