FORT MYERS, Fla. – After months of preparation, the FGCU baseball team is set to begin the 2020 slate on the road at Tulane with a three-game series that will run from Feb. 14-16. Friday's season-opener is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start under the lights at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium. Both Saturday (3 p.m.) and Sunday's (2 p.m.) games will start in the afternoon.
All three contests will be streamed on Tulane's website, but will be behind a paywall. David Moulton will be broadcasting Friday's matchup for Fox Sports Radio. Fans can also tune in on mobile devices via the TuneIn App and online through www.FoxSportsFM.com. The broadcast will feature a pregame and postgame show.
Pre-Season Hype
After a 2019 campaign in which they captured the program's fifth ASUN Regular Season Championship, the Eagles were picked to finish second in this year's coaches' poll. FGCU, which received four first-place votes and 71 points, checked in behind Liberty (five first-place votes, 75 points). Stetson (60 points) was slotted third to round out the top three.
The Green and Blue also placed a league-high four players on the Preseason All-ASUN Team, as seniors
Mason Studstill (Titusville, Fla.),
Alex Brait (Viera, Fla.), and
Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla.), as well as sophomore
Joe Kinker (Northport, Fla.), all landed spots on the 15-player team.
Studstill is a returning First Team All-ASUN pick from last season, and finished his first year in Fort Myers with 96 strikeouts and an average of 5.50 hits allowed per nine innings, good for 11th in the national standings. Brait, who led the league last year with 76 hits, was named Second Team All-ASUN, while Kinker earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team after a rookie season in which he posted a conference-best .461 on-base percentage.
Senior
Hunter McGarry (Bradenton, Fla.) also earned preseason recognition, as he was recently named to the NCBWA's Stopper of the Year Award Watch List. As the team's go-to closer in 2019, he finished a program-best 24 games and picked up the second-most saves in a single season (nine) while posting a 6-2 record on the mound.
Rewriting the Record Book
FGCU has multiple seniors that have climbed up the ranks in the program's career record book during their time as Eagles.
Both Brait and Garcia are in position to join the team's 200-hit club, which currently boasts 14 members. Garcia enters the season with 183 hits, while Brait is at 169. They will need to surpass 206 in order to enter the team's all-time top 10.
Garcia has already established himself in the team's career list in both home runs (fifth, 19) and assists (ninth, 307). Brait ranks fifth in the program's history in runners caught stealing (24) and ninth in fielding percentage (.992).
Senior
Marc Coffers (Naples, Fla.) has stolen 36 bags in three years, the fourth-most of any player that has worn the Green and Blue. His .818 stolen base percentage is good for third in team history.
New Faces
There are 13 new additions to this year's team: eight freshmen, two transfers and three JUCO players. With the exception of senior Seton Hall transfer
Dylan Verdonk (Losser, Netherlands), all of the newcomers hail from the state of Florida.
Among the group are six pitchers, two catchers, three infielders and a pair of outfielders.
Scouting the Green Wave
Tulane is coming off a 32-26 season and a third-place finish in the American Athletic Conference. The team, which capped off the year with a No. 97 ranking in the RPI, lost seven players between the 2019 MLB Draft and free agent signings, including 25th overall pick Kody Hoese.
That being said, the team returns six of its regular position starters and one weekend pitcher, which will mix with 16 newcomers (10 JUCO transfers, six freshmen).
Sophomore outfielder Hudson Haskin has been racking up preseason accolades for the Green Wave, as he has earned preseason All-American honors from four different organizations (NCBWA, Collegiate Baseball, Perfect Game/Rawlings, D1 Baseball). As a freshman in 2019, he batted .372 with 10 homers and 52 RBI. In addition to Haskin, Tulane returns big bats from red-shirt senior Grant Mathews (.319) and junior Frankie Nieman (.318). That duo alone combined for 43 extra-base hits.
The Green Wave's lone returning starter from last year's weekend pitching rotation is senior Keagan Gillies. As a junior, he posted a 7.92 ERA en route to earning a 2-5 mark on the mound. His 61 punchouts were the third-most on the team.
In its 112-year history, Tulane baseball has been to the College World Series twice (2005, 2001) and has made 21 NCAA postseason appearances, its most recent being the 2016 Oxford Regional where it posted a 2-2 record.
What to Watch
The Skipper: Head coach
Dave Tollett enters his 18th season at FGCU on the cusp of reaching 600 career wins. His current record of 599-358-3 puts him at a .626 win-loss percentage, which ranks 30th in the nation among active head coaches.
Swanson Stadium: The FGCU athletics department recently announced details of the upcoming Daktronics videoboard addition to Swanson Stadium. The new high-definition board is set to be installed in February and is part of a $1 million gift generously donated by former FGCU baseball standout and current major league ace Chris Sale and his wife Brianne (FGCU, '16). The target date for the first use of the new board is March 24 when the Eagles host FIU at Swanson Stadium.
The New Opponent: Friday's game will be the first in the history between FGCU and the Green Wave. Last season, the Eagles posted a 6-0 record against first-time opponents.
Friday's Result: The Eagles are 10-7 all-time in season-openers. The team's largest margin of victory in a season-opener in the DI era (since 2008) is 10 runs, which it has achieved twice. First, during an 11-1 triumph over Southeastern in 2008 and second in a 10-0 shutout over Temple in 2010.
COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 599-358-3 overall record (.625) and a 199-109 (.646) 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 five-time ASUN Coach of the Year and has guided the Green and Blue to five 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, 33 draft picks, three current major leaguers, 13 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.
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
WE'VE GOT YOUR SEAT!
Single game tickets, group packages, and Spring Frequent Flyer Passes are on sale now. Single game tickets are good for all games occurring on a single day and are $7 for adults, $5 for youth (ages 3-15), and $5 for current or former US military service members.
Groups of 15 or more can enjoy a day at the ballpark with reserved block seating, group activities, and the choice of free FGCU gear or concessions. Packages start at just $7 per person. Call the ticket office at 239-590-7145 for more information or to book your group.
The Spring Frequent Flyer Pass allows multiple entries into Softball and Baseball during the 2020 regular season. Passes are available for 15, 30, and 60 entries for any regular season home game. They can be used in any combination until the pass is exhausted. Passes cost $60 for 15 entries, $105 for 30 entries, and $180 for 60 enties.
Single game tickets and Frequent Flyer Passes can be purchased in advance online at FGCUTickets.com or over the phone at 239-590-7145.
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April 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 80 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 12-plus seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just eight-plus seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 36 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women's basketball (2019-20) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. 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. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2018 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for twenty-one consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall semester saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
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