FORT MYERS, Fla. – As the calendar creeps toward mid-May, every game looms larger for the Florida Gulf Coast University baseball team. This weekend, the Eagles will host Queens University of Charlotte for a three-game Atlantic Sun Conference series that is pivotal in the race to qualify for the ASUN Championship.
Friday's first pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. Saturday's game has been moved to a 4 p.m. start from its original 2 p.m. beginning. Sunday's game is set for 1 p.m. The Friday and Saturday showdowns will be available via ESPN+, with live stats available for all three games. Tickets are available starting at $10 at the FGCU Ticket Office,
FGCUTickets.com, or by calling 1-866-FGCU-TIX (342-8849).
The teams met two weeks ago for a three-game set, with the Eagles taking two to win the series. In the April 12 contest,
Jake McKee led off the game with a homer and the Eagles never looked back en route to a 7-1 victory. After the Royals took a walk-off 6-5 win one day later, the Eagles regrouped on Sunday and picked up a 6-3 win thanks to a four-run third inning.
Ryland Bozenhard earned the win in the finale, with
Ashton Pocol picking up his first save in an FGCU uniform.
This weekend will mark Queens' first visit to Swanson Stadium. All nine of the previous meetings have taken place in Charlotte, North Carolina. FGCU leads the all-time series 6-3 thanks in part to a sweep of the first-ever series in 2023.
Queens (5-33, 3-15) has to pile up wins quickly if it wants to make the ASUN Championship. The Royals start the weekend five games behind the University of West Georgia in the ASUN Graphite Division. The top four teams in each division will make the tournament.
The Eagles (16-24, 6-12) are in a similar position but are only two games back of the Wolves. FGCU still has North Florida, UWG, and Stetson left to play after this weekend on the ASUN slate.
