FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team (19-10, 7-2 ASUN) took both games of a doubleheader against Jacksonville (7-21, 0-9 ASUN) on Saturday at Swanson Stadium, picking up its second-straight conference sweep. The Eagles earned a 9-7 victory in the first game before taking home the second, 14-9.

"Our offense had a great weekend," head coach Dave Tollett said. "They were really special. Multiple guys had really big games today. I thought we did a great job at hitting the ball, but we were also really patient. We fed off that and we believe in the freebies. Seven scoreless innings from our bullpen in the second game was huge. Tyler Shuck was really, really good today. This was a great sweep. Those are not easy to come by and we appreciate it. We will get back to work and get ready for Miami."  

In addition to the excitement of the sweep, the day was highlighted by senior Marc Coffers (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS), who became the 16th player in program history to reach 200 career hits when he singled in the first game of the day. He joins classmate Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) in achieving the feat, as Garcia did so earlier this year.

FGCU 9, Jacksonville 7
Jacksonville earned its first lead of the weekend early in the game as a three-run homer put the team up in the top of the second. The Dolphins threatened to do damage in the following frame when they loaded up the bases, but junior Gus Carter (Melbourne, Fla./Eau Gallie HS/Florida Southwestern State) froze the runners when he ended the inning with a strikeout.

After a few quiet innings, the Eagles were able to get on the board in the bottom of the third. Garcia began the scoring when he singled with the bases loaded, plating freshman Johnny Long (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS). Sophomore Joe Kinker (North port, Fla./Venice HS) then stepped up to the plate and launched a three-run homer out to left field, handing the team a 5-3 lead.

Jacksonville answered the push by plating a run in the next frame, trimming the advantage down to 5-4. A stolen base put the tying run in scoring position, but the team was unable to bring the runner in.

While FGCU's offense slowed down a bit, Carter kept Jacksonville off the board and, after retiring the side in the fifth, was relieved at the start of the sixth by junior Joey Mugavero (Estero, Fla./Estero HS/Florida Southwestern State). The Dolphins tagged up three unearned runs in Mugavero's first inning of work, regaining the advantage at 7-5.

Over the next two innings, FGCU overtook Jacksonville for the lead. Sophomore Stephen Wilmer (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview HS/ECU/Pasco-Hernando State) scored on a wild pitch in the sixth and Coffers got on as the tying run when he tallied his 200th career hit, but the Eagles ended the inning down 7-6. In the bottom of the seventh, the Eagles plated three runs on an unconventional play that saw Wilmer double and then advance to home on an error by the outfielder. Both Krzeminski and Ellis scored to put FGCU up 9-7.

Jacksonville tried to tag up a run on a sac fly in the top of the eighth, but Wilmer's long throw from right field allowed the Eagles to make the play at the plate. It was the Dolphins' last solid chance to score as FGCU held on for the win. Mugavero earned the decision, extending his unblemished season record to 3-0.
 
FGCU 14, Jacksonville 8
For the second-consecutive outing, the Dolphins were the first to get on the board in the third and final game of the series, using a pair of RBI doubles and an RBI single to jump out to a 3-0 lead. The effort was nearly matched by the Eagles in their half of the frame as Kinker's second homer of the day plated a pair of runs and cut the advantage down to 3-2.

Jacksonville continued to add runs in the following inning, plating an additional five with two outs on the board. The team kicked off the spurt with an RBI single and completed it with a grand slam out to right field. The long ball ended the day for sophomore Ronaldo Gallo (Miami, Fla./Miami Southridge), who handed things over to junior Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, Fla./Canterbury HS). Jacksonville was able to load up the bases quickly after the pitching change, but Shuck settled in and recorded the third out with a strike.

Over the next two frames, FGCU put up a combined three runs to trim the visiting team's lead down to 8-5. Ellis and Coffers picked up RBI during the stretch with a single and a sac fly, respectively, while Kinker added his third home run of the day with a solo shot.

Shuck shined on the mound after diffusing the bases-loaded situation. The reliever tossed 5.1 scoreless innings, fanned three and at one point retired 10-straight Dolphins. While Shuck was keeping Jacksonville from scoring, the Eagles chipped away at the lead.

FGCU scored nine unanswered runs across three innings, putting up four-spots in both the fifth and the seventh. Wilmer, Coffers and junior Alejandro Figueredo (Sucre, Venezuela/West Oaks HS/Seminole State) drove in runs in the fifth, with Figueredo's RBI allowed the team to take a 9-8 lead. Farrow then cranked out an RBI single in the sixth to create distance from the visiting team. The team's last four runs of the night were notched in the sixth inning. Krzeminski sent two of the runners in when he roped a double, while both Kinker (RBI walk) and Coffers (sac fly) also contributed to the scoring. The outburst handed the team its final 14-8 margin of victory.

Sophomore Tyler Tipton (Tampa, Fla./Gaither HS/South Florida State) and senior Hunter McGarry (Bradenton, Fla./Bradenton Christian School/State College of Florida-Manatee) combined for the final two innings of the night. Tipton worked around a pair of runners in the eighth before handing the ball over to McGarry, who stranded a pair in the ninth when he took a Dolphin down swinging. Shuck was awarded the win, bumping him to 2-0 on the season.

The Eagles will now prepare to head to No. 15 Miami for a midweek game in Coral Gables on Wednesday, April 14. First pitch against the Hurricanes is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Mark Light Field. The team's schedule is in flux following the midweek outing, as the Round Robin at Stetson has been cancelled due to positive COVID-19 test results and contact tracing within the Hatters' program. All updates to the slate will be announced on FGCUAthletics.com.

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	5-1	19-10
FGCU	7-2	19-10
UNF	3-3	9-14
Jacksonville	0-9	7-21

North Division Standings

School	ASUN	Overall
Liberty	7-1	20-8
Kennesaw State	6-2	18-8
Bellarmine	5-7	10-18
Lipscomb	4-7	11-15
North Alabama	3-8	4-24

Recent Results
Friday, April 9
Bellarmine 7, Northern Illinois 4
Kennesaw State 8, North Alabma 2
Liberty 4, Lipscomb 1
FGCU 18, Jacksonville 4

Saturday, April 10
FGCU 9, Jacksonville 7 (Game One)
FGCU 14, Jacksonville 8 (Game Two)
Liberty 18, Lipscomb 1
Kennesaw State 11, North Alabama 3
Southern Illinois 14, Bellarmine 6

Upcoming Games
Sunday, April 11
Lipscomb at Liberty - 1 p.m. 
Kennesaw State at North Alabama - 2 p.m. 

COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 627-374-3 overall record (.625) and a 205-111 (.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—