FORT MYERS, Fla. - After clinching a spot in the Atlantic Sun Conference Baseball Championship with a sweep of West Georgia on the road last weekend, Florida Gulf Coast University will play host to Stetson University for a three-game series at Swanson Stadium beginning at 6:30 p.m. Thursday night.
The Eagles (24-27, 14-13 ASUN) have won eight of their last nine ASUN Graphite Division games to eliminate UWG from the running for a spot in the conference tournament. FGCU currently sits in third place in the Graphite Division, two games behind Jacksonville for second and one game ahead of North Florida for third. Jacksonville and UNF close the regular season with a three-game series against each other. If the Dolphins win one game, they will clinch the No. 2 seed out of the Graphite Division as they would own the tiebreaker with FGCU, even if the Eagles were to sweep Stetson.
FGCU owns the tiebreaker with UNF and would finish with the third seed if the teams were tied at the end of the regular season. Third place in the Graphite Division would open up the tournament against second place in the Gold Division. The team that finishes in fourth would face the top seed from the Gold Division.
Stetson (36-17, 23-4 ASUN) has already locked down the top spot in the Graphite Division. At No. 64, the Hatters have the highest RPI in the ASUN and are hoping to do enough to clinch an at-large spot to the NCAA Tournament even if they do not win the ASUN Championship.
Even with a record under .500, the Eagles have the fourth-best RPI in the ASUN at 152. FGCU has four losses, including two by walk-off, to the No. 1 team in RPI, Georgia. The Eagles also have a win over No. 62 FAU and a victory in the first three-game set of the season at Stetson.
FGCU currently boasts the reigning ASUN Player and Pitcher of the Week. After a 10-for-13 performance last weekend at UWG in addition to seven innings of work on the mound Friday night,
Evan Dempsey was named the ASUN Player of the Week.
Chris Diaz earned the pitching recognition after becoming the first FGCU pitcher to throw back-to-back complete games since 2014.
Friday's game is slated for 2 p.m., with Saturday's contest set for 1 p.m. Saturday's game is also Senior Day, with festivities starting at approximately 12:35 p.m. Tickets are available at FGCUTickets.com, the FGCU Box Office the day of the game, or by calling 866-FGCU-TIX (342-8849).
