FGCU Baseball Notes & Information
Game	FAU (14-9, 4-0 C-USA) vs FGCU (13-9, 1-2 ASUN)
Date // Time	Tuesday, March 30 // 5 p.m.
Location	Fort Myers, Fla. // Swanson Stadium
Live Statistics	StatBroadcast
Watch	YouTube Live
Twitter	@FGCUEagles // @FGCU_Baseball
Instagram	@FGCU_Baseball
Facebook	FGCU Baseball
Tickets	Tickets for Swanson Stadium

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Once again, the FGCU baseball team (13-9, 1-2 ASUN) is preparing to face off against FAU (14-9, 4-0 C-USA) as the Eagles are set to host the Owls for a midweek game on Tuesday, March 30. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. and the contest will be open to approximately 500 fans, all of whom must wear masks and remain socially distanced. For those who cannot attend, there will be a stream on YouTube Live.

Tuesday's game will be the fourth that the teams have played this season and is a makeup from a weekend series that was played earlier in the year. FGCU is 1-2 against FAU in 2021, with its lone victory being earned while the Owls were ranked No. 21 in the national polls. The Eagles handed the Owls an 8-0 defeat during that game, with senior Mason Studstill (Titusville, Fla./Rockledge HS/Miami/Eastern Florida State) earning ASUN Player of the Week honors for shutting out FAU over 8.0 IP.

Last Time Out
The Eagles are coming off a 1-2 series loss to Stetson, which they suffered on the road in DeLand. After dropping Friday night's game (5-7), FGCU rallied back and took game two (13-6) to force a rubber match. The Hatters then claimed the series finale, 13-4.

The weekend was highlighted by senior Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS), who broke the program's single-game hits record with his 6-for-6 performance at the plate on Saturday. In addition to Garcia, sophomore Tyler Tipton (Tampa, Fla./Gaither HS/South Florida State) also boosted the Eagles to their first ASUN win of the year with his scoreless relief appearance. The right-hander scattered four hits and fanned a career-high three batters.

RPI
The NCAA released its first RPI rankings of the season last week and had the Eagles checking in at No. 30. Though the team has dropped down to 47th this week, FGCU is still second overall in the league behind Liberty (37th). The Eagles and the Flames are the only two teams from the ASUN in the top-50, with Stetson joining them in the top-100 (94th).

Offense
As a team, the Green & Blue check into the national statistic rankings in multiple categories. FGCU is tied with Kennesaw State for the conference lead in batting average at .283, which stands at 65th among the nation's Division I programs. The Eagles also rank in the country's top-100 in hits (50th, 208), on-base percentage (70th, .380) and runs (70th, 135).

Leadoff Man
Redshirt-sophomore Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) has led off for the Eagles in all 22 of the games this season and has reached base in all but one of them. The outfielder had a 12-game hitting streak at one point and ranks 53rd in the nation in hits with 31. He paces the team with 10 multi-hit games and is currently on a 17-game streak of reaching base safely. He is one of four Green & Blue starters slashing above .300 in 2021.

What a Relief
In addition to Tipton's stellar performance during the series against Stetson, the Eagles also got a solid relief appearance from freshman Ronaldo Gallo (Miami, Fla./Miami Southridge). The right-hander, who pitched in Sunday's game, tossed 2.0 frames of scoreless relief and was the only arm to emerge from that game with zero earned runs. He faced just one over the minimum during his outing and struck out one Hatter.

Scouting the Owls
FAU is coming off a four-game sweep of C-USA foe Marshall, which was earned in Boca Raton. Over the course of the series, the Owls outscored The Herd 35-11. The weekend was highlighted by the team's 12-0 shutout on Friday night. Sophomore Hunter Cooley, who went the distance, retired 11 of the first 12 batters he faced and finished the night with six punchouts.

As a staff, the FAU arms have posted a 6.26 ERA this season. Redshirt-junior Matt Sparling paces the team with 33 strikeouts, followed by Cooley's 30. The team has yet to nail down a consistent weekend rotation, as eight different arms have earned starts this year.

Freshman Nolan Schnauel leads the Owls with a .341 batting average and its fourth in the nation with 33 RBI. The rookie also ranks in the country's top-50 in total bases with 55 (43rd). Schanuel is joined above .300 by senior Wilfredo Alvarez, who is slashing .333. The infielder's 30 runs scored are the sixth-most in NCAA Division I baseball.

The Owls were ranked for a few weeks earlier this season, climbing as high as No. 20 in the beginning of March. Since then, the team has dropped off and currently ranks 97th in the RPI standings.

What to Watch
Two-Baggers: Both Garcia and freshman Ian Farrow (Merritt Island, Fla./Merritt Island HS) are currently tied for the team lead with six doubles apiece. The effort ranks eighth in the ASUN.

The Split: With a win, the Eagles would split this year's games against FAU, 2-2. FGCU is 13-11 against the Owls all-time, despite losing four of their past five games against the Boca Raton-based squad.

The Calendar: Tuesday's midweek game is one of five that the Eagles have remaining on their 2021 slate. FGCU is scheduled to face off against both Miami (April 14 & 21) and Florida State (May 11 & 12) twice later this year. All four of those games will be played on the road.

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
UNF	3-0	9-11
Stetson	2-1	16-8
FGCU	1-2	13-9
Jacksonville	0-3	5-15

North Division Standings

School	ASUN	Overall
Liberty	5-1	16-6
Kennesaw State	4-2	15-8
Bellarmine	4-5	8-13
Lipscomb	2-4	7-11
North Alabama	3-6	4-17

Upcoming Games
Monday, March 29
Georgia State at Kennesaw State - 5 p.m.

Tuesday, March 30
Liberty at Duke - 4 p.m.
North Alabama at Ole Miss - 5 p.m.
Stetson at USF - 6 p.m.
Jacksonville at UCF - 6 p.m.
FAU at FGCU - 6:30 p.m.
Bellarmine at Kentucky - 6:30 p.m.
Austin Peay at Lipscomb - 7 p.m.

COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 622-373-3 overall record (.625) and a 200-111 (.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 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.
 
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM—