FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team (3-0) will look to continue its hot start to the season this Tuesday, Feb. 23 as the team is set to host FAU (2-1) for a midweek game at Swanson Stadium. First pitch against the Owls is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the pink out game will feature a "Beat Cancer" promotion.
Tuesday's contest will be open to approximately 500 fans, all of whom must remain masked at all times and adhere to social distancing guidelines. For those who cannot make it to the The Nest, there will be a stream on YouTube Live.
Hot Start
For the first time since 2018, the Eagles opened up their slate with a perfect weekend, downing USF over the course of three games. FGCU first claimed a 4-1 victory in 10 innings before earning an 11-6 result in game two while on the road. The series finale, which was played at Swanson Stadium, saw the Green & Blue come back from a 7-0 deficit to defeat the Bulls, 12-10.
Both redshirt-sophomore
Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) and sophomore
Alejandro Figueredo (Sucre, Venezuela/West Oaks HS/Seminole State) led the team at the plate this weekend, batting a blistering .455. Ellis added four RBI and scored a pair of runs, while Figueredo tallied the first three RBI of his career and came around to score four times.
Three different Green & Blue arms picked up wins this weekend, as senior
Hunter McGarry (Bradenton, Fla./Bradenton Christian School/State College of Florida-Manatee), junior
Joey Mugavero (Estero, Fla./Estero HS/Florida Southwestern State) and junior
Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, Fla./Canterbury HS) all moved to 1-0 on the year. McGarry and Shuck earned their victories during the doubleheader against USF on Feb. 20, while Mugavero was credited with his during the team's home-opener (Feb. 21). The trio combined for a 3.16 ERA and fanned a combined 10 batters.
Garcia's Bat
Senior
Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) became the 15th player in program history to reach 200 career hits when he singled in the top of the ninth during the first game in Tampa. He needs just three more knocks to crack into the program's top-10 list.
Garcia also increased his standing in the program's record book when he homered during game two against the Bulls. His solo shot put him at 21 total for his career, which ranks fifth all-time. He needs just four more to surpass former Eagle Jason Louwsma (2005-06) for fourth. Garcia was one of two Eagles that homered this weekend, joined by sophomore
Joe Kinker (North Port, Fla./Venice HS), who had a two-run blast in the same game.
Streaking
With his performance this weekend, Ellis extended his streak of reaching base safely to 19 games. The outfielder recorded hits in all three contests, finishing both games one and three with a pair under his belt.
The wins this weekend also extended FGCU's winning streak to eight games, dating back to the 2020 season. In addition to the sweep of USF, the stretch also includes the team's 6-5 win over No. 22 Pepperdine from March 3, 2020.
New Faces in New Places
Six position players and four pitchers made their respective FGCU debuts this weekend. Of the 10, six of them earned the start. Figueredo, freshman
Jacob Lojewski (West Palm Beach, Fla./American Heritage Delray), sophomore
Alejandro Rodriguez (Cidra, Puerto Rico/Montverde Academy/Eastern Florida State), sophomore
Stephen Wilmer (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview HS/ECU/Pasco-Hernando State) and freshman
Ian Farrow (Merritt Island, Fla./Merritt Island HS) all made starts in the field, while southpaw
Mason Miller (Odessa, Fla./Mitchell HS) earned the nod during the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.
Scouting the Owls
FAU will enter Tuesday's game with a 2-1 mark after a weekend against No. 24 UCF. The Owls won the first two matchups (12-6, 20-15) before dropping a 6-15 result on Sunday.
Freshman Caleb Pendleton made national news when he hit two grand slams during the same inning. His at-bats, which helped boost the Owls to their 20-15 victory, were the first two of his collegiate career. For his efforts, the catcher was named one of Collegiate Baseball's National Players of the Week.
Pendleton was not the only true freshman that shined this weekend, as his classmate Nolan Schanuel finished his first three games with a .533 batting average. The first baseman cranked out three doubles and a home run to go along with his eight RBI.
Though the offense had a strong start to the season, FAU's pitching staff allowed a combined 36 runs in the first three games, 35 of which were earned. Thirteen different arms made appearances in the season-opening series, none of whom tossed more than five frames.
What to Watch
Tuesday's Result: The Eagles have a 12-9 all-time edge over the Owls, which includes a 6-4 mark at Swanson Stadium. In recent years, FAU has had the momentum, claiming three of the past five meetings between the teams.
The Bats: Despite the difference in combined scoring from this weekend's games (FAU 38, FGCU 27), the teams were fairly evenly matched in hits. The Owls cranked out 38, while the Eagles finished with 31. Both Ellis and Figueredo are tied for the Green & Blue lead with five apiece.
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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.
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM—
