FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team (19-11, 7-2 ASUN) is hitting the road to head to Jacksonville, Ala. for a neutral site series this weekend versus Wright State (13-8, 13-3 Horizon). The teams will play a doubleheader on Friday, April 16 beginning at 2 p.m. EST before facing off in a single game at 1 p.m. EST on Saturday, April 17.
Admission is free for those who choose to attend the games at Ruby Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium. For fans who cannot make the trip, live stats will be available on the FGCU Athletics website.
Last Time Out
The Eagles are coming off a heartbreaking, 2-3 midweek loss at Miami. FGCU held the Hurricanes to the lowest runs in the history between the two teams since a 1-0 Green & Blue win in 2018.
Redshirt-sophomore
Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) highlighted the game when he belted his first career home run out to right field, tying things up in the top of the fifth at 2-2. Sophomore
Tyler Tipton (Tampa, Fla./Gaither HS/South Florida State) also stood out on the stat sheet, as he tossed 6.2 innings in the longest appearance of his career. The starter fanned three batters and issued just two walks while scattering five hits.
RPI
This weekend's matchup will be between two teams in the top-60 RPI, as Wright State is currently slotted at No. 28 and the Eagles check in at 55th. Of the 27 teams ahead of the Raiders, just seven are from non-Power 5 institutions.
Going, Going, Gone
Sophomore
Joe Kinker (North Port, Fla./Venice HS) is currently 15th in the nation with 10 home runs and is the first Eagle to reach double-digits since Kohl Gilmore did so in 2018 (11). He has a pair of multi-home run games under his belt and additionally leads the team in RBI (36, 15th nationally). Kinker is one of 11 Eagles that has put one out of the park this season, most recently joined by Ellis.
Closing the Door
Four different Eagles have picked up saves in the first half of the 2021 season, led by senior
Hunter McGarry's (Bradenton, Fla./Bradenton Christian Academy/State College of Florida-Manatee) five. McGarry, a returning Second Team All-ASUN pick from the 2019 season, is two stops away from tying former Eagle Sterling Koerner (2014-17) for the program record of 19.
The Leadoff Man
Ellis, who has established himself as one of the best leadoff men in the country, is putting together a strong 2021 campaign. He currently ranks within the nation's top 50 in hits (43, 38th) and runs (33, 27th) and has reached base in all but two games. At one point, the outfielder put together a 12-game hitting streak.
Scouting the Raiders
Wright State has not played since a March 26-28 series against Youngstown State, as the team has lost back-to-back weekends due to the effects of COVID-19 protocols on opposing teams. Prior to that series, the team was on a 12-match winning streak.
The Raiders have taken on a pair of ranked opponents this season having played at No. 2 Vanderbilt and at No. 23 Alabama. Wright State has gone 0-5 during those games and been outscored 32-12.
Four of the team's hitters are slashing above .300 this season, led by freshman Sammy Sass' .370 average. The catcher is one of five players that has hit two-or-more home runs this year, while 11 total have notched at least one.
The Raiders' pitching staff is led by redshirt-senior Austin Cline who owns a 1.95 ERA to go along with a 4-1 record. The right-hander has fanned 49 batters through 32.1 innings of work. His punchouts are the second-most on the team, behind junior Jake Schrand's 50. As a staff, Wright State has struck out 211 batters compared to the Eagles' 221.
What to Watch
Staying Neutral: The Eagles have an 8-7 record in neutral site games over the past six seasons. The team's best neutral site record came in 2017 when FGCU advanced to the Chapel Hill Regional (6-3).
Two-Baggers: Freshman
Ian Farrow (Merritt Island, Fla./Merritt Island HS) enters the weekend with the team lead in doubles, as he has racked up nine in his rookie debut. He is followed closely by senior
Richie Garcia's (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) eight, while two different Eagles are tied with seven.
Web Gems: Garcia recently became the fourth Eagle in program history to be named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List. He currently ranks in the program's top 10 in numerous categories including doubles (50, third), RBI (156, third), assists (441, fourth) home runs (23, fifth) and games started (212, fifth).
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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 |
19-11 |
| UNF |
3-3 |
9-15 |
| Jacksonville |
0-9 |
7-22 |
North Division Standings
| School |
ASUN |
Overall |
| Liberty |
8-1 |
22-8 |
| Kennesaw State |
7-2 |
19-9 |
| Bellarmine |
5-7 |
10-19 |
| Lipscomb |
4-8 |
11-17 |
| North Alabama |
3-9 |
4-26 |
Recent Results
Tuesday, April 13
No. 19 Pitt 9, Lipscomb 6
Georgia Southern 8, UNF 6
Liberty 8, No. 17 Virginia Tech 2
Belmont 10, UNA 8
Kentucky 12, Bellarmine 0
Jacksonville State 8, Kennesaw State 4
Wednesday, April 14
Miami 3, FGCU 2
The Citadel 3, Jacksonville 2
Upcoming Games
April 16-18
Kennesaw State at Bellarmine
FGCU vs Wright State (neutral site @ Jacksonville State)
Liberty at North Alabama
UNF at Stetson
Appalachian State at Lipscomb
COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 627-375-3 overall record (.625) and a 205-112 (.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—
