DELAND, Fla. – The FGCU Baseball team (12-8, 0-1 ASUN) dropped its 2021 ASUN Conference opener on Friday night at Melching Field, falling 5-7 to Stetson (15-7, 1-0 ASUN). Though the Eagles were able to get on the board first thanks to a two-run bomb from sophomore Joe Kinker (North Port, Fla./Venice HS), the team was unable to hold on to the advantage.

Kinker was one of three Eagles to finish their night with RBI, joined by redshirt-sophomore Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) and freshman Zac Calhoon (Osprey, Fla./Venice HS). Ellis finished his night 3-for-5 at the plate with one run scored, while Calhoon tallied the first RBI of his career.

"This is obviously not the result we wanted heading into tonight's game," head coach Dave Tollett said. "I think if we were able to string some more hits together and take better care of the baseball, things would have played out differently. Friday night games in this league are always a dogfight and tonight was no different."

FGCU got to work early in the highly-anticipated rivalry game, as Kinker's homer was deposited over the left field wall in the opening frame. His team-best fourth home run of the season collected Ellis, who had reached with a leadoff single, and handed the visiting squad a 2-0 edge.

The Hatters answered the push in their half of the first, using a two-out triple to plate a run and cut FGCU's lead down to 2-1. Senior starter Mason Studstill (Titusville, Fla./Rockledge HS/Miami/Eastern Florida State) ended the inning with a strikeout and went on to face just three over the minimum over his next three frames of work.

Stetson got back into the scoring column in the bottom of the fifth when a three-run homer handed the team its first lead of the night at 4-2. Studstill bounced back with a pair of punchouts to close out his final inning on the mound.

After getting on the board early, the Eagles' offense was quieted by starter Nick Durgin, who settled in on the bump. FGCU had a chance to score in the fourth when sophomore Stephen Wilmer (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview HS/ECU/Pasco-Hernando State) drew a walk and advanced on a groundout, but it was the closest they were able to get in the middle innings.

Junior Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, Fla./Canterbury HS) took over for Studstill at the start of the sixth and sat down three-consecutive batters after allowing a leadoff walk. Stetson was then able to get some timely hitting going in the seventh, using an RBI single to kick off what went on to become a three-run spurt for the home team. With runners on second and third and one out on the board, Shuck handed the ball over to his younger brother, redshirt-freshman Levi Shuck (Cape Coral, Fla./Canterbury HS). The reliever allowed two of the inherited runners to come in, one of which was unearned, before ending the inning and stranding three Hatters.

FGCU made its fourth and final pitching change of the night in the bottom of the eighth, opting for freshman Chase Chatman (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast HS). The southpaw issued a walk, but the duo freshman Johnny Long (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) and senior Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) erased the baserunner when they caught him trying to steal second. Chatman emerged from the inning with a clean slate.

The Eagles made it interesting in the top of the ninth, using a three-spot to cut down the Hatters' advantage. Senior Cameron Krzeminski (Coral Springs, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS) led off with a double that was smoked down the left field line and was quickly joined on the base paths by sophomore Alejandro Rodriguez (Cidra, Puerto Rico/Montverde Academy/Eastern Florida State) and Long, who both walked. Stetson made a call to its bullpen in an effort to cool off the Eagles' offense, but the combination of Calhoon's RBI walk and Ellis' two-RBI single brought FGCU within two runs of tying things up. Though the go-ahead run reached the plate for the Eagles, the team was unable to do any further damage and Stetson ultimately held on for its 7-5 victory.

With the result, Studstill was tagged with his second loss of the year and now sits at 2-2. He finished his night with seven strikeouts, five hits, four walks and four earned runs.

The Eagles and the Hatters will continue the weekend matchup on Saturday, March 27 at Melching Field with a 6:30 p.m. game. The clash will be streamed on ESPN+ and will provide FGCU an opportunity to level out the series.

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.

ASUN Roundup
South Division Standings

School	ASUN	Overall
Stetson	1-0	15-7
UNF	1-0	7-11
FGCU	0-1	12-8
Jacksonville	0-1	5-13

North Division Standings

School	ASUN	Overall
Liberty	4-0	15-5
Kennesaw State	4-2	13-8
Lipscomb	2-2	7-9
Bellarmine	3-4	7-12
North Alabama	1-6	2-17

Results - Friday, March 26
Liberty 5, Bellarmine 2
Kennesaw State 5, Georgia State 1
North Alabama 12, Lipscomb 2
Stetson 7, FGCU 5
UNF 5, Jacksonville 3

COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 621-372-3 overall record (.625) and a 199-110 (.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. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 21, 2020-21), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) 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 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 23 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, and 2020 Fall 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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