FORT MYERS, Fla. – For the first time since the 2018 season, FGCU Baseball (3-0) has opened up its slate with a sweep after downing USF (0-3), 12-10, on Sunday afternoon at Swanson Stadium. The last time the Eagles opened up the year with a perfect weekend was when they defeated Eastern Michigan in 2018.

"Anytime you can get a sweep against a quality club like USF is great," head coach Dave Tollett said. "It was also even more exciting because we were at one point down by seven. I think it says a lot about the character of this team. I said they were special and they keep proving it every day."

The Bulls were the first to get on the board in the third game of the series, putting up a three-spot in the first inning. The early 3-0 advantage was their first of the weekend.

Though FGCU's starter Dominic Coombe (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia HS/St. John's) settled in and retired the side in the second, USF came back in the third and put a pair of runners on. The Eagles then made their first call to the bullpen, bringing sophomore Tyler Tipton (Tampa, Fla./Gaither HS/South Florida State) out to pitch for his first appearance of the season. Tipton faced six batters and allowed three runs before turning things over to freshman Ronaldo Gallo (Miami, Fla./Miami Southridge), who closed out the frame.

After a solo home run in the fourth that extend USF's lead to 7-0, the Eagles staged their comeback in their half of the inning. Senior Marc Coffers (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) led things off with a double and the Green & Blue quickly juiced the bases. Sophomore Stephen Wilmer (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview HS/ECU/Pasco-Hernando State), freshman Jacob Lojewski (West Palm Beach, Fla./American Heritage Delray) and sophomore Johnny Long (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) all drew RBI walks for the Eagles' first of the ballgame. A single off the bat of redshirt-sophomore Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) then plated Wilmer to continue the scoring and a miscue by the Bulls allowed Lojewski to come in. Sophomore Alejandro Figueredo (Sucre, Venezuela/West Oaks HS/Seminole State) finished the spurt with a bases-clearing double that put FGCU on top, 8-7.

In the following inning, the Bulls responded to the Eagles' push with a single run to knot things up at 8-8.

FGCU used another two pitchers to get through the sixth, as both freshman Chase Chatman (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast HS) and junior Joey Mugavero (Estero, Fla./Estero HS/Florida Southwestern State) came out of the bullpen. Chatman initially relieved Gallo and faced just one Bull before handing the ball to Mugavero, who got out of the frame with a strikeout and a popup and stranded a pair of runners on base.

Following the out, the Eagles continued the momentum offensively and tacked on another two runs in the sixth. Figueredo began the scoring with his second hit of the day, an RBI single that plated Long. Coffers came around for the final run of the inning after freshman Kyle Machado (Punta Gorda, Fla./Charlotte HS) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Mugavero was able to shut down the Bulls' offense for the next two frames, allowing just one baserunner. USF worked a pair on in the top of the ninth in an attempt to stage a comeback of its own, forcing the Eagles to opt for closer Hunter McGarry (Bradenton, Fla./Bradenton Christian School/State College of Florida-Manatee). The senior allowed two of the inherited runners to score before ending the game with FGCU still up, 12-10.

With the result, Mugavero moves to 1-0 on the season. He finished his day with 3.0 innings under his belt, scattering two hits and fanning a pair of batters. Offensively, the Eagles were led by Figueredo, who finished his day batting 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and two runs.

FGCU will remain at Swanson Stadium and play host to FAU on Tuesday, Feb. 23. First pitch against the Owls is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the game is set to be a pink out.

For complete coverage of FGCU baseball, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_Baseball and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign up to have news on FGCU baseball or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.

COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 610-365-3 overall record (.624) 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!
 
#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 83 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 38 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 (No. 24, 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 (APR) in their sport and have had the highest percentage of teams so honored from these two groups over each of the past three years. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.46 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters each 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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