TALLAHASSE, Fla. – Behind a 3-for-3 day from redshirt-sophomore Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS), the FGCU baseball team (12-7) earned a 3-2 victory over Florida A&M (5-16) on Sunday afternoon at Moore-Kittles Field. With the result, the Eagles split the overall series with the Rattlers 2-2.

In addition to leading the Green & Blue with a trio of hits, Ellis came around to score two of the team's three runs.

"I was really happy with the outing that Mason (Miller) had today," head coach Dave Tollett said. "It was nice to see him get into a rhythm and I thought (Tyler) Tipton was great in the backend of the game. We always look for production from (Brian) Ellis in the leadoff spot and he delivered that, which kept us in it. We have some things to work on before we start conference play next weekend, but we're looking forward to the intensity that comes with that part of our schedule."

For the first time all weekend, the Eagles were able to take an early lead when senior Marc Coffers' (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) RBI single drove in Ellis in the top of the first. The knock handed FGCU a 1-0 advantage, but the team was unable to hold onto it for long as the Rattlers tied things up in the bottom of the frame with an RBI double.

FGCU then went on to score for the second-consecutive inning when senior Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) drew a bases-loaded walk that plated sophomore Alejandro Figueredo (Sucre, Venezuela/West Oaks HS/Seminole State). Garcia's two-out RBI regained the Green & Blue lead at 2-1.

Freshman Mason Miller (Odessa, Fla./Mitchell HS) relieved junior starter Gus Carter (Melbourne, Fla./Eau Gallie HS/Florida Southwestern State) in the bottom of the second, allowing just one baserunner to reach in his first frame of work. The rookie then retired six-straight over the next two innings, recording a pair of punchouts.

The Eagles tried to add to their advantage in the top of the fifth after loading up the bases with two outs on the board, but Florida A&M's starter bounced back with a strikeout, stranding all three runners.

In their half of the inning, the Rattlers homered to knot things up once again. The solo shot off the bat of Andrew Bourque made it a 2-2 ballgame.

Florida A&M made a pitching change at the start of the sixth and aside from the singles cranked out by Ellis and Coffers, he cruised through his three innings of work. Five different Rattlers reached base for the home team during that span, but Miller worked around them to prevent FAMU from plating any additional runs.

After going down in order in the eighth, the Eagles battled back in the top of the ninth. Ellis, who led off the frame with a single, was moved over to third when Garcia laid down a sac bunt and Coffers later got on with a two-out walk. Senior Cameron Krzeminski (Coral Springs, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS) stepped up to the plate and broke open the tie with a RBI single that brought in Ellis and put FGCU up 3-2. Florida A&M's right fielder then grabbed the final out, stranding a pair of Green & Blue runners.

Sophomore Tyler Tipton (Tampa, Fla./Gaither HS/South Florida State) received the call from the bullpen in the bottom of the frame and was tasked with recording the final three outs. The right-hander retired the Rattlers in order, taking one down swinging while picking up the first save of his FGCU career. Miller (2-1), who finished his day with a career-best seven strikeouts through 7.0 IP, picked up the win.

The series against Florida A&M was the last of the Eagles' non-conference slate, as the team is scheduled to open up ASUN play against Stetson next weekend. FGCU will make the trip to DeLand to take on the Hatters March 26-28. It will be the first time that the teams have seen each other since the 2019 ASUN Tournament (Stetson 7, FGCU 5).

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 621-371-3 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.

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ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 85 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 40 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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