FORT MYERS, Fla. – FGCU wraps up a five-game road trip and plays its final game before Atlantic Sun Conference play begins with a Tuesday trip to Miami for a 7 p.m. first pitch at FIU. Tuesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

The Eagles (12-4) are looking to end this road trip on a positive note after Sunday's decision at Bethune-Cookman slipped away. Awaiting the Green & Blue is a Panther team that is also looking for a positive outcome, as FIU (7-10) has dropped its last five contests.

Like Alfred Hitchcock, FIU might be developing a complex with birds. The Panthers dropped a pair of mid-week games at home to Boston College as the Massachusetts-based Eagles claimed 4-0 and 9-4 wins in Miami after dropping the three-game series to FGCU. Then in a three-game, split-location series with rival Florida Atlantic, the Owls claimed a sweep, ending with a 7-3 decision on Sunday.

FIU knows how to crowd the plate, or at least anger opposing pitchers. The Panthers rank sixth in the nation by drawing 44 hit by pitches (or is it hits by pitch, like attorneys general or surgeons general?) and ranks 49^th nationally with 22 home runs this year. Either way, FIU ensures something gets plunked.

FGCU batters seem to smash baseballs. The Eagles rank second in the nation in total hits (207) and 21^st in the country in slugging percentage (.542). Meanwhile, Eagle pitchers just throw heat. The FGCU pitching staff is averaging 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings, which ranks 12^th nationally.

The Eagles have an 18-10 advantage in the all-time series against FIU, including a 10-5 mark when playing the Panthers in Miami.

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