FORT MYERS, FL – The FGCU baseball team (2-6) has its sights set on a weekend series against Bethune-Cookman (4-5) that will be played up in Daytona Beach Feb. 28-March 1. The teams will kick off the series on Friday with a 7 p.m. game at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, home of the Daytona Tortugas, a Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. Game two will be played at 6 p.m. on Saturday and the series finale is slated a for a 1 p.m. start on Sunday.
There will be no live stream of this weekend's action, but fans can follow along on the live stats or on the FGCU baseball twitter account (@FGCU_Baseball).
The Eagles are coming off a 3-2 win over Eastern Michigan on Tuesday night at Swanson Stadium. Senior
Cameron Krzeminski (Coral Springs, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas HS) drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth to walk off the visiting Eagles as the team picked up its second win of the 2020 campaign. Sophomore
Joe Kinker (Northport, FL/Venice HS) accounted for two of the team's three RBI, as he contributed a solo home run and a sac fly.
Team Effort
So far, 10 different Eagles have scored runs for the team this season. Both senior
Alex Brait (Viera, FL/Viera HS) and junior
Brandon Dorsey (Fort Myers, FL/Wallace-Dothan CC) lead the effort having crossed home plate three times each.
Double or Nothing
As a team, FGCU has turned in 15 doubles through its first seven games. Senior
Richie Garcia (Davie, FL/West Broward HS) paces the Eagles with four, while classmate
Marc Coffers (Naples, FL/Barron Collier HS) is close behind him with three.
The Staff
Fourteen different arms have pitched for the Green and Blue, led by junior
Gus Carter (Melboune, FL/FSW), who has made a team-high five appearances. The Eagles' ERA of 3.84 currently sits as the third-lowest of any other staff in the ASUN Conference. Seniors
Hunter McGarry (Bradenton, FL/State College of Florida-Manatee) and
Mason Studstill (Titusville, FL/Eastern Florida State) have each earned a win, while McGarry has also chipped in a save.
Friday Guy
Studstill has earned his spot as the team's Friday night pitcher for the second-consecutive season. He pitched a quality start during the team's 2-0 shutout over Kent State, tossing 6.2 innings, while scattering three hits and fanning six. His 14 strikeouts on the season are the third-most of any arm in the ASUN conference and he returns as the team's leader in punchouts after tallying 96 last year. Â
Eagles vs. Wildcats
Heading into this weekend, FGCU holds an 18-12 all-time edge over Bethune-Cookman. The Eagles have won seven of the last 10 games between the teams and have outscored the Wildcats 94-47 during that stretch.
Outside of Swanson Stadium, FGCU is still favored as the team owns an 8-5 advantage against the Wildcats. Last time the Eagles played in Daytona (2018), they dropped Friday night's game by a score of 3-1 before bouncing back to claim 10-4 and 8-1 victories as they won the overall series.
Scouting Bethune-Cookman
On Wednesday night, the Wildcats dropped an 8-3 decision at the hands of the Jacksonville Dolphins. Though Bethune-Cookman was the first to get on the board, doing so in the bottom of the first, the team never regained its lead after Jacksonville took over in the third.
The Wildcats opened up the season with a three-game sweep over Alabama A&M and have picked up one win since: a 1-0 triumph over CCSU (Feb. 22). The team has been shut out three times this season; twice in the series against CCSU and once during a midweek game against No. 19 UCF.
Junior Ryan Ayrey leads the team with a .280 batting average and has cranked out a team-high four doubles. His four RBI are the third-most on the team, behind freshmen Boris Pena's five and freshman Matthew Garcia's six. As a team, the Wildcats have out-hit their opponents 55-49 and they also hold a 39-35 advantage in scoring.
The 15-member pitching staff owns a 1.89 ERA and has been tagged with just 17 earned runs through nine games. The Wildcats have 10 players with a 0.00 ERA on the season, seven of which have tossed at least three innings. Sophomore lefty Alec Mendez has fanned a team-best 16 batters through his two appearances and sits at 2-0 on the season.
What to Watch
Friday's Result: Every time the Eagles have won the first game in a series against Bethune-Cookman, they have gone on to claim the overall weekend.
Who Crosses the Plate: Last year, FGCU earned a 23-3 victory over the Wildcats in game two of the series that opened up the 2019 season. The 23 runs, which were the most the Eagles scored in a single game all season, were scored by nine different players.
The Road: The Green and Blue will be looking for the team's first road win of the season, while Bethune-Cookman is on a three-game losing streak at home. Â
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 601-364-3 overall record (.622) 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 81 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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