FORT MYERS, FL – The FGCU baseball team (0-3) will continue its season-opening road swing with a midweek game against cross-state rival FAU (3-0) on Tuesday, Feb. 18. First pitch at the FAU Baseball stadium is slated for a 6:30 p.m. start and all of the action will be streamed behind a paywall on FAUSports.TV.
The Eagles will look to get into the wins column after dropping their opening series at Tulane over the weekend. The Green Wave, which finished last season with a No. 97 ranking in the RPI, has swept opponents in season openers for the past three consecutive years.Â
From the Batter's Box
Offensively, senior
Marc Coffers (Naples, FL/Barron Collier HS) and junior
Brian Ellis (Oviedo, FL/Hagerty HS) led the way for the Green and Blue over the weekend, each finishing the series slashing at least .300. Coffers (.400) cranked out three doubles and tallied one RBI, while Ellis turned in a trio of hits, as well as an RBI. The two of them, as well as junior
Brandon Dorsey (Fort Myers, FL/Wallace Dothan CC) reached base safely in all three games against Tulane.
On Saturday, Dorsey cranked out the team's first home run of the decade as he took the Green Wave's Jack Aldrich deep in the second inning. Aside from Dorsey and Coffers, freshman
Kyle Machado (Punta Gorda, FL/Charlotte HS) was the only other Eagle to record an extra-base hit, as he doubled in game two. Â
Whenever, Wherever
Defensively, senior
Richie Garcia (Davie, FL/West Broward HS) made appearances all over the infield over the course of the three-game series. He played at shortstop, second base and third base, contributing a team-high 10 assists. The Preseason All-ASUN pick also turned three double plays and finished the weekend with a perfect fielding percentage.
With 317 career assists, he stands just 17 away from overtaking former MLB player Casey Coleman (2006-08) for eighth place in FGCU's career record book.
Variety on the Bump
Twelve different arms were called on during the series in New Orleans.
Both seniors
Mason Studstill (Titusville, FL/Eastern Florida State) and
Hunter McGarry (Bradenton, FL/State College of Florida-Manatee) pitched a team-high 4.1 innings in their respective starts on Friday and Saturday. Studstill, who recorded 96 punchouts a season ago, struck out eight batters and allowed just three hits.
Sophomores
Levi Shuck (Cape Coral, FL/Canterbury HS) and
Brandt Sundean (Lakeland, FL/Collegiate HS) each made it through their first collegiate appearances without allowing a hit. That duo, as well as senior
Dylan Verdonk (Losser, Netherlands/Seton Hall) and sophomore
Cody Woodring (Lakeland, FL/McKeel Academy of Technology), finished the weekend with 0.00 ERAs.
Scouting the Owls
FAU enters Tuesday's matchup with a perfect record, as it swept Delaware at the FAU Baseball Stadium on opening weekend. The Owls, who are celebrating their 40th season of collegiate baseball, outscored the Blue Hens 25-11 in three games.
Last season, the team took home the Conference USA regular season title and later advanced to its fifth NCAA regional in the last seven years. While the team lost six Owls to the 2019 MLB Draft, 12th-year head coach John McCormack returns six starting position players.
Senior outfielder Bobby Morgensen, who was named to the All-Tournament team at last year's Athens Regional, batted .500 over the course of the series against Delaware. In addition to a pair of RBI, he also chipped in a stolen base.
The trio of redshirt-junior Andru Summerall, sophomore BJ Murray and sophomore Mitchell Hartigan all homered during the series. Murray also tallied a team-high five RBI.
FAU's pitching staff allowed just eight earned runs throughout the weekend and let up 20 hits. While the nine arms that appeared combined for just 18 strikeouts, only eight Blue Hens were walked. Overall, the staff finished the series with a 3.13 ERA compared to Delaware's 10.18.
Birds of Prey
The 12-year history between the Eagles and the Owls favors the good guys 12-8. In addition to a 6-4 advantage at Swanson Stadium, FGCU also owns a 6-4 edge on the road in Boca Raton.
Since 2014, the teams have traded off wins in every meeting. Last year, the Owls earned an 11-5 victory at their home stadium. The teams' contest at Swanson Stadium later in the season was rained out.
What to Watch
The Skipper: Head coach
Dave Tollett is still on the doorstep of reaching 600 career wins. Of his five milestone victories, three of them were achieved on the road: numbers 300 (at Jacksonville, 2010), 400 (at Florida, 2014) and 500 (at UNC Wilmington, 2017).
The Road: With a win, the Eagles would secure the earliest victory in an away game in the program's DI era (since 2008). The team's 5-4 victory over Bethune-Cookman on February 21, 2014 currently holds that record.
The Future: Tuesday's game is one of eight midweeks that FGCU will play against opponents from the state of Florida this season. Overall, the Green and Blue own a 208-174 all-time advantage over teams that hail from the Sunshine State.
For complete coverage of FGCU baseball, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_Baseball and online atÂ
www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign up to have news on FGCU baseball or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visitingÂ
www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
COACHÂ TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 599-361-3 overall record (.623) 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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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