The FGCU men's golf team posted one of the lowest rounds in recent history in Sunday's final round to tie for fourth at the FAU Spring Championship, which was contested at the par-72, 6,786-yard Osprey Point Golf Club.
The Green and Blue shot 10-under-par 278 as a team Sunday, which was the third-lowest round of the Coach Eric Booker era (since 2015). They finished at a season-best total of 11-under 853 (288-287-278) along with Houston Baptist (295-280-278). UCF, by far the top-ranked team in the field at No. 75 nationally, won the event at 35-under 829 (286-275-268). Host Florida Atlantic finished runner-up at 26-under 838 (286-279-273), while Southern Illinois landed in third at 15-under 849 (290-284-275).
The Eagles – sitting at No. 148 in the most-recent GolfStat rankings – bested two teams ranked ahead of them in No. 135 UConn and No. 136 Miami (OH). Both teams tied for seventh at 4-under 860.
"That was a much better day from us as a team, but there is definitely plenty of room for improvement," Booker said. "Managing our game continues to be a focus point during the shot-making process. I feel we're still making progress and that's important."
Sophomore Cole Castro eagled a par 4 and shot 5-under on the front 9 to propel into a tie for fifth at 8-under 208 (68-71-69). His career-best score was the lowest three-round total by an Eagle since Edward Figueroa shot 204 at the 2013 Cobra-PUMA Invitational.
Senior Andrew Potter made a blistering seven birdies to shoot a team-best 67 and finish T-16 at 4-under 212 (70-75-67). Sunday's round was the second-lowest of his career and his best score since shooting 66 as an individual at this same event his freshman year.
Castro and Potter both tied for second in the entire field in par-5 scoring as each shot 7-under on the longest holes on the course. Potter was also second overall in par-3 scoring at 1-under.
True freshman Tate Heintzelman shot a round in the 60's for the second time this season as he vaulted up the leaderboard into a tie for 21st at 1-under 215 (74-72-69).
Classmate Chase Bigham finished fourth in the field with 38 pars to help tie for 48th at 5-over 221 (76-72-73), while sophomore J.T. Barker landed T-67 at 12-over 228 (79-72-77).
UCF's Bobby Bai completed his wire-to-wire medalist performance and finished at 16-under 200 (67-67-66). Teammate Kyler Tate remained solo second at 12-under 204 (70-67-67).
FAU SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP – Final Results
March 29-31, 2019 at Boca Raton, Fla.
(par-72, 6,786-yard Osprey Point Golf Club)
Team Results
1. #75 UCF 286-275-268=829 (-35)
2. #168 Florida Atlantic 286-279-273=838 (-26)
3. #133 Southern Illinois 290-284-275=849 (-15)
T4. #148 FGCU 288-287-278=853 (-11)
#228 Houston Baptist 295-280-278=853 (-11)
6. #177 Bethune-Cookman 282-289-284=855 (-9)
T7. #135 UConn 296-278-286=860 (-4)
#136 Miami (OH) 292-285-283=860 (-4)
T9. #193 George Mason 292-286-286=864 (E)
#197 Georgetown 295-287-282=864 (E)
11. #227 Rhode Island 299-290-287=876 (+12)
T12. #251 Hartford 295-295-294=884 (+20)
#241 Murray State 306-294-284=884 (+20)
14. #195 Xavier 316-294-287=897 (+33)
Rankings reflect the latest Golfstat Rankings
Top-5 Individuals
1. Bobby Bai (UCF) 67-67-66=200 (-16)
2. Kyler Tate (UCF) 70-67-67=204 (-12)
3. Sully Zagerman (Florida Atlantic) 69-70-66=205 (-11)
4. Nicko Martinez (Houston Baptist) 74-65-68=207 (-9)
T5. Cole Castro (FGCU) 68-71-69=208 (-8)
Peyton Wilhoit (Southern Illinois) 72-70-66=208 (-8)
Charlie Nikitas (Miami) 73-68-67=208 (-8)
FGCU Individuals
T5. Cole Castro 68-71-69=208 (-8)
T16. Andrew Potter 70-75-67=212 (-4)
T21. Tate Heintzelman 74-72-69=215 (-1)
T48. Chase Bigham 76-72-73=221 (+5)
T67. J.T. Barker 79-72-77=228 (+12)
Up Next:
FGCU has one more tournament before heading to Braselton, Georgia, for the A-SUN Championships (April 21-23). The final tuneup for the Green and Blue will be at the Ryman Hospitality Intercollegiate April 9-10 in Nashville, Tennessee.
About Me
FGCU WGOLF: John Kirk Panther Intercollegiate Day One Recap
Sophomore Natalia Nassar fired an opening-round 73 (+1), while senior Madeline Marck-Sherk sank a hole-in-one on the 16th to highlight first-round action at the John Kirk Panther Intercollegiate as the FGCU women's golf team sits in second place with a 301 (+13).
The Eagles sit 10 strokes back of Murray State (291, +3) and are leading a group of seven teams separated by six strokes in second through seventh-place. Meanwhile, Nassar's 73 is tied for her second-best opening-round score of the year. She birdied the first and 13th holes and sits in a tie for fifth individually.
"We put up a decent round," FGCU head coach Sarah Trew said. "The conditions were pretty tough with the cold and the wind. We managed to battle through, but left some shots out there on a couple easy holes and the par-5's. I believe we will be able to clean those up before the next round and put up a good score."
In addition to Nassar, FGCU received another solid round from freshman Laura Edmonds, who registered a team-high three birdies and finished with a 74 (+2) to give the Eagles a pair of golfers in the top 10. It was the 12th non match-play round of shooting 74 or lower for Edmonds to open her collegiate career.
Marck-Sherk, meanwhile, sank a hole-in-one on the par-3 16th hole, which was 139 playing 155 with the wind.
"She hit a great 6-iron that took a couple hops and disappeared into the hole," Trew said. "It was an exciting moment."
Seenior Kelsy Holbert tied four others for a first-round high of 14 pars. She sits in a tie for 17th, while junior Ailsa Clark finished at 78 (+6) and is tied for 29th.
Team Standings
1. #170 Murray State - 291 (+3)
2. #108 FGCU - 301 (+13)
3. #136 Oral Roberts - 302 (+14)
T-4. #86 South Florida - 303 (+15)
T-4. #154 Albany - 303 (+15)
6. #163 Eastern Washington - 305 (+17)
T-7. #137 Jacksonville State - 307 (+19)
T-7. #139 Jacksonville - 307 (+19)
9. #151 Samford - 311 (+23)
10. #173 Winthrop - 313 (+25)
11. #153 Georgia State - 317 (+29)
12. #171 Appalachian State - 318 (+30)
13. #172 ULM - 321 (+33)
14. #191 McNeese State - 324 (+36)
15. #197 Towson - 327 (+39)
16. #233 Central Michigan - 341 (+53)
The Eagles sit 10 strokes back of Murray State (291, +3) and are leading a group of seven teams separated by six strokes in second through seventh-place. Meanwhile, Nassar's 73 is tied for her second-best opening-round score of the year. She birdied the first and 13th holes and sits in a tie for fifth individually.
"We put up a decent round," FGCU head coach Sarah Trew said. "The conditions were pretty tough with the cold and the wind. We managed to battle through, but left some shots out there on a couple easy holes and the par-5's. I believe we will be able to clean those up before the next round and put up a good score."
In addition to Nassar, FGCU received another solid round from freshman Laura Edmonds, who registered a team-high three birdies and finished with a 74 (+2) to give the Eagles a pair of golfers in the top 10. It was the 12th non match-play round of shooting 74 or lower for Edmonds to open her collegiate career.
Marck-Sherk, meanwhile, sank a hole-in-one on the par-3 16th hole, which was 139 playing 155 with the wind.
"She hit a great 6-iron that took a couple hops and disappeared into the hole," Trew said. "It was an exciting moment."
Seenior Kelsy Holbert tied four others for a first-round high of 14 pars. She sits in a tie for 17th, while junior Ailsa Clark finished at 78 (+6) and is tied for 29th.
Team Standings
1. #170 Murray State - 291 (+3)
2. #108 FGCU - 301 (+13)
3. #136 Oral Roberts - 302 (+14)
T-4. #86 South Florida - 303 (+15)
T-4. #154 Albany - 303 (+15)
6. #163 Eastern Washington - 305 (+17)
T-7. #137 Jacksonville State - 307 (+19)
T-7. #139 Jacksonville - 307 (+19)
9. #151 Samford - 311 (+23)
10. #173 Winthrop - 313 (+25)
11. #153 Georgia State - 317 (+29)
12. #171 Appalachian State - 318 (+30)
13. #172 ULM - 321 (+33)
14. #191 McNeese State - 324 (+36)
15. #197 Towson - 327 (+39)
16. #233 Central Michigan - 341 (+53)
FGCU Baseball vs Towson Game Three Recap
The FGCU baseball team (19-8, 1-2 ASUN) exploded to a 20-3 victory over Towson (3-22, 0-3 CAA) Sunday afternoon at Swanson Stadium to complete the three-game sweep over the Tigers.
"Our bullpen was outstanding today," head coach Dave Tollett said. "The offense was great and watching two grand slams in one game was awesome. Hayes and Eusebio were huge for us today. I was also happy to get some of the younger guys in. It's nice when they can have a chance to get a few at-bats and get ready for conference play."
The first few innings of the series finale were back-and-forth between the Tigers and the Eagles. Towson got off to an early start and put a run up in the first inning for the second day in a row after Richard Miller cranked out an RBI single. Junnior Marc Coffers scored on a throwing error by the catcher in the bottom of the first, tying things up at 1-1. Junior Kohl Gilmore awarded the Eagles the lead when he brought in junior Alex Brait on a sac fly.
The Tigers used a two-spot in the second to take a 3-2 lead over the Green and Blue, but it was the team's final advantage of the series. Coffers tripled down the left field line to plate senior Eric Gonzalez in the bottom of the second and later came around to score on an RBI single by Brait.
Sophomore Tyler Shuck (5-0) made his second start of the season for the Eagles. Shuck made it through three frames, recorded one strikeout and walked three. After giving up three hits and the Tigers' three runs, he was relieved by senior Justin Gill.
Gill threw the next three innings and, through 11 batters, he struck out four, gave up one hit and walked none. Sophomore Nikolas Bitner and junior Keegan Collett each pitched one inning of relief for FGCU. Bitner struck out the side in his frame of work and Collett struck out one and relied on the Eagles' defense for the other two outs.
The Eagles' offense dominated the game and put up 15 runs spread across innings four, six and seven. The effort was highlighted by two grand slams off the bats of senior Jay Hayes and junior Elijah Eusebio. Prior to today's game, the Eagles had hit two grand slams all season: Eusebio cranked one out on March 24 at UNF and freshman Joe Kinker notched one against Quinnipiac on March 9. The two grand slams are a new record for the most in a single game in FGCU baseball history in the DI era (since 2008).
Gilmore, junior Richie Garcia, sophomore Christian Proffitt and Coffers all recorded RBIs for the Green and Blue during the scoring splurge.
Freshman Chris Seymour made his third appearance for FGCU on the hill and was tasked with getting the final three outs of the game. He struck out the first batter, got the second to fly out and ended the game when classmate Hunter Fornari made a diving catch at third base.
This afternoon's win marked the second time this season that the Eagles have swept an opponent in a three-game series. The first was over LIU Brooklyn Feb. 22-24 at Swanson Stadium. The 20 runs are the second-most put up by FGCU's offense so far, behind the 23-3 effort against Bethune-Cookman on Feb. 16.
Up Next:
FGCU will take on Lipscomb (13-12, 2-3 ASUN) in an ASUN Conference matchup next weekend at Swanson Stadium. It will be the Eagles' first conference series that they have hosted so far this season. The Green and Blue currently hold a 22-18 advantage in the series, including a 12-6 mark at Swanson. Last year, the Eagles dropped two of three at Lipscomb's Dugan Field. Prior to that series, they had won seven games straight.
"Our bullpen was outstanding today," head coach Dave Tollett said. "The offense was great and watching two grand slams in one game was awesome. Hayes and Eusebio were huge for us today. I was also happy to get some of the younger guys in. It's nice when they can have a chance to get a few at-bats and get ready for conference play."
The first few innings of the series finale were back-and-forth between the Tigers and the Eagles. Towson got off to an early start and put a run up in the first inning for the second day in a row after Richard Miller cranked out an RBI single. Junnior Marc Coffers scored on a throwing error by the catcher in the bottom of the first, tying things up at 1-1. Junior Kohl Gilmore awarded the Eagles the lead when he brought in junior Alex Brait on a sac fly.
The Tigers used a two-spot in the second to take a 3-2 lead over the Green and Blue, but it was the team's final advantage of the series. Coffers tripled down the left field line to plate senior Eric Gonzalez in the bottom of the second and later came around to score on an RBI single by Brait.
Sophomore Tyler Shuck (5-0) made his second start of the season for the Eagles. Shuck made it through three frames, recorded one strikeout and walked three. After giving up three hits and the Tigers' three runs, he was relieved by senior Justin Gill.
Gill threw the next three innings and, through 11 batters, he struck out four, gave up one hit and walked none. Sophomore Nikolas Bitner and junior Keegan Collett each pitched one inning of relief for FGCU. Bitner struck out the side in his frame of work and Collett struck out one and relied on the Eagles' defense for the other two outs.
The Eagles' offense dominated the game and put up 15 runs spread across innings four, six and seven. The effort was highlighted by two grand slams off the bats of senior Jay Hayes and junior Elijah Eusebio. Prior to today's game, the Eagles had hit two grand slams all season: Eusebio cranked one out on March 24 at UNF and freshman Joe Kinker notched one against Quinnipiac on March 9. The two grand slams are a new record for the most in a single game in FGCU baseball history in the DI era (since 2008).
Gilmore, junior Richie Garcia, sophomore Christian Proffitt and Coffers all recorded RBIs for the Green and Blue during the scoring splurge.
Freshman Chris Seymour made his third appearance for FGCU on the hill and was tasked with getting the final three outs of the game. He struck out the first batter, got the second to fly out and ended the game when classmate Hunter Fornari made a diving catch at third base.
This afternoon's win marked the second time this season that the Eagles have swept an opponent in a three-game series. The first was over LIU Brooklyn Feb. 22-24 at Swanson Stadium. The 20 runs are the second-most put up by FGCU's offense so far, behind the 23-3 effort against Bethune-Cookman on Feb. 16.
Up Next:
FGCU will take on Lipscomb (13-12, 2-3 ASUN) in an ASUN Conference matchup next weekend at Swanson Stadium. It will be the Eagles' first conference series that they have hosted so far this season. The Green and Blue currently hold a 22-18 advantage in the series, including a 12-6 mark at Swanson. Last year, the Eagles dropped two of three at Lipscomb's Dugan Field. Prior to that series, they had won seven games straight.
FGCU Softball vs Liberty Day Two Recap
The FGCU softball team (17-15, 3-3 A-SUN) fell in its series finale against Liberty (23-13, 6-3 A-SUN), 2-0, Sunday afternoon at the FGCU Softball Complex.
"The result isn't what we wanted, but the actual process and the set of games against really good competition is exactly what we wanted," said head coach David Deiros. "All three games were decided in quick little instances, one play here, and another there. They made one more big play in each of the three games. We left runners on base and had our opportunities, it's just a matter of being able to execute and that's what it came down to."
FGCU registered its first hit in the bottom of the third and had a prime opportunity in the very next inning to strike. Facing two outs, senior Brooke Clemens singled to center as junior Mikenzie Vaughn was plunked to put runners on. They would advance on a wild pitch but a fly out to left capped off the frame.
Liberty broke up the scoreless affair in the sixth using three hits to produce its pair of runs. The Eagles once again threatened, this time in the bottom of the sixth. Base hits from freshman Reedy Davenport and Vaughn got things going as they soon advanced to second and third on another wild pitch before a swinging strikeout ended the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Eagles' side was retired as they narrowly fell to the Flames, 2-0.
Starting senior pitcher Riley Randolph suffers her sixth loss of the season (13-6), striking out eight batters in the process while scattering six hits in her 6.1 innings of work. Senior Kate Kelly finished her day at the dish going 2-for-4.
Up Next:
FGCU will welcome cross-town rival FAU (15-17, 3-5 C-USA) for a doubleheader starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Apr. 3. Both teams met earlier in the season (Feb. 23) in which the Eagles fell to the Owls, 8-3.
"The result isn't what we wanted, but the actual process and the set of games against really good competition is exactly what we wanted," said head coach David Deiros. "All three games were decided in quick little instances, one play here, and another there. They made one more big play in each of the three games. We left runners on base and had our opportunities, it's just a matter of being able to execute and that's what it came down to."
FGCU registered its first hit in the bottom of the third and had a prime opportunity in the very next inning to strike. Facing two outs, senior Brooke Clemens singled to center as junior Mikenzie Vaughn was plunked to put runners on. They would advance on a wild pitch but a fly out to left capped off the frame.
Liberty broke up the scoreless affair in the sixth using three hits to produce its pair of runs. The Eagles once again threatened, this time in the bottom of the sixth. Base hits from freshman Reedy Davenport and Vaughn got things going as they soon advanced to second and third on another wild pitch before a swinging strikeout ended the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Eagles' side was retired as they narrowly fell to the Flames, 2-0.
Starting senior pitcher Riley Randolph suffers her sixth loss of the season (13-6), striking out eight batters in the process while scattering six hits in her 6.1 innings of work. Senior Kate Kelly finished her day at the dish going 2-for-4.
Up Next:
FGCU will welcome cross-town rival FAU (15-17, 3-5 C-USA) for a doubleheader starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Apr. 3. Both teams met earlier in the season (Feb. 23) in which the Eagles fell to the Owls, 8-3.
SCF Softball Attempts Complete Sweep Over HCC
The SCF softball team (31-11, 8-2 Suncoast) are looking to complete a sweep as they travel to Tampa to face Hillsborough (13-20, 3-7 Suncoast) Tuesday night, April 2 at 5 and 7 pm at the City of Tampa Dick Greco Jr. Softball Complex in Tampa.
Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off of their third series sweep in Suncoast Conference play as they swept St. Pete College 6-3 in game one before claiming a come from behind 10-5 game two win in eight innings.
Currently, the Manatees remain in second place behind #1 FSW in the Suncoast.
Suncoast Standings:
1. #1 FSW (42-1, 9-1 Suncoast)
2. SCF (31-11, 8-2 Suncoast)
3. SPC (23-16, 5-5 Suncoast)
4. Polk State (16-23, 3-7 Suncoast)
5. HCC (13-20, 3-7 Suncoast)
6. SFSC (22-16, 2-8 Suncoast)
Other Suncoast Scheduled Games:
Polk State vs SFSC at 5 and 7 pm
FSW vs SPC at 5 and 7 pm.
The Squad:
The squad that leads the way for the Manatees are sophomores Cheyenne Nunez, Haley McFadden, Kyria Holcomb and Megan Seeds and freshmen Lauren Bostwick, Sabrina "Sas" Long, Makayla Benavidez, Madi LoCastro and Kailey Christian.
Benavidez is batting .373 with 31 hits, six RBI, 21 runs scored and nine stolen bases. Benavidez was 1-for-4 against SPC with an RBI.
Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off of their third series sweep in Suncoast Conference play as they swept St. Pete College 6-3 in game one before claiming a come from behind 10-5 game two win in eight innings.
Currently, the Manatees remain in second place behind #1 FSW in the Suncoast.
Suncoast Standings:
1. #1 FSW (42-1, 9-1 Suncoast)
2. SCF (31-11, 8-2 Suncoast)
3. SPC (23-16, 5-5 Suncoast)
4. Polk State (16-23, 3-7 Suncoast)
5. HCC (13-20, 3-7 Suncoast)
6. SFSC (22-16, 2-8 Suncoast)
Other Suncoast Scheduled Games:
Polk State vs SFSC at 5 and 7 pm
FSW vs SPC at 5 and 7 pm.
The Squad:
The squad that leads the way for the Manatees are sophomores Cheyenne Nunez, Haley McFadden, Kyria Holcomb and Megan Seeds and freshmen Lauren Bostwick, Sabrina "Sas" Long, Makayla Benavidez, Madi LoCastro and Kailey Christian.
Nunez, the speedster on the team is batting .356 with 47 hits, 21 RBI and 28 stolen bases. Nunez was was 3-for-7 against SPC with an RBI and two stolen bases. Nunez set the SCF single season record for most stolen bases in a single season after stealing her 26th stolen base against Polk State. In fact, Nunez has 51 career stolen bases for the team.
Announced on April 1, Nunez has committed to finish her softball career at USC Upstate with her two years of eligibility.
Announced on April 1, Nunez has committed to finish her softball career at USC Upstate with her two years of eligibility.
McFadden is batting .297 with 30 hits, a home run and 23 RBI. McFadden was 3-for-8 with an RBI against SPC.
Holcomb is batting .272 with a home run and 18 RBI. Against SPC, Holcomb was the hero of game two after driving in the go-ahead two RBI to help the Manatees win. Holcomb finished 2-for-5 with two RBI and three walks.
A wildcard in the sophomore group, Seeds proves her effectiveness at the plate and on the mound. Seeds is batting .291 with 16 hits, a home run, 13 RBI and eight stolen bases while going 2-2 with a 4.20 ERA and 17 strikeouts. After hitting her first collegiate home run against Polk State, Seeds went 3-for-9 against SPC with three RBI and a stolen base
A wildcard in the sophomore group, Seeds proves her effectiveness at the plate and on the mound. Seeds is batting .291 with 16 hits, a home run, 13 RBI and eight stolen bases while going 2-2 with a 4.20 ERA and 17 strikeouts. After hitting her first collegiate home run against Polk State, Seeds went 3-for-9 against SPC with three RBI and a stolen base
Following Nunez's footsteps in speed, Bostwick is batting .269 with 16 RBI and 19 stolen bases. Bostwick was 1-for-6 with three RBI and a stolen bases against SPC.
Proving effective on the field, Long has a .832 fielding percentage while batting .347 with two home runs and 32 RBI despite going 1-for-6 against SPC.
LoCastro is 7-2 with a 1.95 ERA and 37 strikeouts on the mound while batting .323 with five home runs and 22 RBI at the plate. LoCastro was 0-for-2 against SPC with two walks while throwing a no-decision in game two with three strikeouts.
Benavidez is batting .373 with 31 hits, six RBI, 21 runs scored and nine stolen bases. Benavidez was 1-for-4 against SPC with an RBI.
Like LoCastro, Christian also continues her role on the mound as well as the plate with consistency. Christian is 17-2 with a 1.75 ERA and 161 strikeouts while batting .330 with 36 hits, a home run and 24 RBI. Christian's 17 wins is the third most in the Suncoast while her strikeout total is second. Christian threw her 13th complete game in the win over SPC while striking out six batters in game one of the series while going 3-for-7 with a home run and three RBI overall. In fact, during game one of the series, Christian's home run was her first collegiate home run with SCF.
When I talked to Christian after the series sweep over Polk State, I said to her "Can you please try to home run?" and her response was "We'll see". I guess you could say my request came true.
Top Stats:
The Manatees rank in the top 10 in the following categories:
Innings Pitched (293.2, 2nd)
Hits Given Up (239, t-10th)
Runs Given Up (143, t-7th)
Earned Runs (94, 5th)
Walks Allowed (65, 4th)
Strikeouts (276, 2nd)
Strikeouts per Game (6.58, 5th)
Team ERA (2.24, 4th)
Run Scored (242, 6th)
Hits (345, 6th)
Doubles (61, 8th)
Triples (9, t-8th)
RBI (223, 5th)
Walks Drawn (148, 3rd)
Strikeouts issued (108, 5th)
Stolen bases (95, 5th)
On Base Percentage (.393, 7th)
Fielding Percentage (.947, 9th)
Scouting HCC:
The Hawks enter the series on a six-game losing streak losing three series to Polk State (7-4, 9-8), NJCAA DII Region 11 Iowa Western Community College (7-6, 6-1) and recently SPC (7-0, 8-0 (5)). The team sits tied for fourth in the Suncoast with Polk State.
When I talked to Christian after the series sweep over Polk State, I said to her "Can you please try to home run?" and her response was "We'll see". I guess you could say my request came true.
Top Stats:
The Manatees rank in the top 10 in the following categories:
Innings Pitched (293.2, 2nd)
Hits Given Up (239, t-10th)
Runs Given Up (143, t-7th)
Earned Runs (94, 5th)
Walks Allowed (65, 4th)
Strikeouts (276, 2nd)
Strikeouts per Game (6.58, 5th)
Team ERA (2.24, 4th)
Run Scored (242, 6th)
Hits (345, 6th)
Doubles (61, 8th)
Triples (9, t-8th)
RBI (223, 5th)
Walks Drawn (148, 3rd)
Strikeouts issued (108, 5th)
Stolen bases (95, 5th)
On Base Percentage (.393, 7th)
Fielding Percentage (.947, 9th)
Scouting HCC:
The Hawks enter the series on a six-game losing streak losing three series to Polk State (7-4, 9-8), NJCAA DII Region 11 Iowa Western Community College (7-6, 6-1) and recently SPC (7-0, 8-0 (5)). The team sits tied for fourth in the Suncoast with Polk State.
At the plate, sophomore Dominique Mannerino is batting .396 with six home runs and 25 RBI while fellow classmate Aliyah Carter is batting .319 with a team-leading eight home runs and 32 RBI.
Mannerino did not bat against SPC, but was 3-for-6 with a home run and three RBI against Iowa Western Community College.
Carter also did not play against SPC, but was 2-for-6 against Iowa Western Community College.
Meanwhile the mound, freshman Landry Newgent is 7-13 with a 4.65 ERA.
Series History (2012-present):
Including the series sweep at the SCF Softball Complex on March 12, the Manatees are 25-7 against the Hawks. The last time HCC defeated SCF was on March 27, 2018.
Potential Starters:
Game One- SCF (Christian) vs HCC (Newgent)
Game Two- SCF (LoCastro or Zientek) vs HCC (Watts)
Potential Starters:
Game One- SCF (Christian) vs HCC (Newgent)
Game Two- SCF (LoCastro or Zientek) vs HCC (Watts)
How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available for both games, but will only be available with an account. Fans can keep up on Twitter:
SCF: @SCFSoftball
HCC: @HCCFL
Gamechanger Link (account needed): https://gc.com/t/spring-2019/state-college-of-florida-softball-5c4617fc03d69700218c16d3
FGCU WTEN @ Stetson Recap
The FGCU women's tennis team (7-8, 2-2 A-SUN) dropped a 4-3 road match to Stetson (10-6, 1-2 A-SUN) Saturday afternoon at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Courts.
"First, congratulations to Stetson," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "We will continue to grow a lot from days like these and we won't miss another opportunity to learn from each challenge we face."
FGCU fell behind early dropping the doubles point to the Hatters on courts No. 1 and No. 2. On the second flight, the pairing of juniorsSofia Perez and Bridget Forster was slightly edged 7-6 in the clinching point for the home side.
Transitioning into singles action, the Eagles reeled off three straight wins to jump ahead of the Hatters. Forster claimed the first victory, collecting a 6-2, 6-1 decision on court No. 5. Shortly after, redshirt sophomore Sara Kelly broke the tie with a 6-4, 6-1 win on court No. 2. Junior Maja Ornberg then extended the Green and Blue's lead to 3-1, registering a 6-0, 6-2 victory on the top flight.
From here, Stetson claimed the last three matches, two of which went into third sets, as the final point arrived on court No. 4. It marks just the second time this season FGCU suffers a loss that resulted in a 4-3 final, in the process, it halted a seven-match win streak against the Stetson.
Singles competition
1. Maja Ornberg (FGCU) def. Danel Ashirova (STET) 6-0, 6-2
2. Sara Kelly (FGCU) def. Lucie Renault (STET) 6-4, 6-1
3. Brooke Milner (STET) def. Sofia Perez (FGCU) 6-4, 6-2
4. Vicky Geurinckx (STET) def. Patricia Villar (FGCU) 0-6, 6-4, 6-4
5. Bridget Forster (FGCU) def. Danielle Peele (STET) 6-2, 6-1
6. Alexe Viaud (STET) def. Laura Falceto-Font (FGCU) 6-0, 2-6, 6-4
Order of finish: Singles (5,2,1,3,6,4)
Doubles competition
1. Danel Ashirova/Lucie Renault (STET) def. Patricia Villar/Sara Kelly (FGCU) 6-3
2. Brooke Milner/Vicky Geurinckx (STET) def. Sofia Perez/Bridget Forster (FGCU) 7-6
3. Alexe Viaud/Megan Horwitz (STET) def. Laura Falceto-Font/Maja Ornberg (FGCU) 6-5, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2)
Up Next:
FGCU will play two road matches in three days facing North Alabama (5-11, 0-3 A-SUN) at 10 a.m on Apr. 4 and then turnaround and head to Lipscomb (13-4, 2-1 A-SUN) for a noon match on Apr. 6.
"First, congratulations to Stetson," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "We will continue to grow a lot from days like these and we won't miss another opportunity to learn from each challenge we face."
FGCU fell behind early dropping the doubles point to the Hatters on courts No. 1 and No. 2. On the second flight, the pairing of juniorsSofia Perez and Bridget Forster was slightly edged 7-6 in the clinching point for the home side.
Transitioning into singles action, the Eagles reeled off three straight wins to jump ahead of the Hatters. Forster claimed the first victory, collecting a 6-2, 6-1 decision on court No. 5. Shortly after, redshirt sophomore Sara Kelly broke the tie with a 6-4, 6-1 win on court No. 2. Junior Maja Ornberg then extended the Green and Blue's lead to 3-1, registering a 6-0, 6-2 victory on the top flight.
From here, Stetson claimed the last three matches, two of which went into third sets, as the final point arrived on court No. 4. It marks just the second time this season FGCU suffers a loss that resulted in a 4-3 final, in the process, it halted a seven-match win streak against the Stetson.
Singles competition
1. Maja Ornberg (FGCU) def. Danel Ashirova (STET) 6-0, 6-2
2. Sara Kelly (FGCU) def. Lucie Renault (STET) 6-4, 6-1
3. Brooke Milner (STET) def. Sofia Perez (FGCU) 6-4, 6-2
4. Vicky Geurinckx (STET) def. Patricia Villar (FGCU) 0-6, 6-4, 6-4
5. Bridget Forster (FGCU) def. Danielle Peele (STET) 6-2, 6-1
6. Alexe Viaud (STET) def. Laura Falceto-Font (FGCU) 6-0, 2-6, 6-4
Order of finish: Singles (5,2,1,3,6,4)
Doubles competition
1. Danel Ashirova/Lucie Renault (STET) def. Patricia Villar/Sara Kelly (FGCU) 6-3
2. Brooke Milner/Vicky Geurinckx (STET) def. Sofia Perez/Bridget Forster (FGCU) 7-6
3. Alexe Viaud/Megan Horwitz (STET) def. Laura Falceto-Font/Maja Ornberg (FGCU) 6-5, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2)
Up Next:
FGCU will play two road matches in three days facing North Alabama (5-11, 0-3 A-SUN) at 10 a.m on Apr. 4 and then turnaround and head to Lipscomb (13-4, 2-1 A-SUN) for a noon match on Apr. 6.
FGCU Softball vs Liberty Recap
The FGCU softball team (17-14, 3-2 ASUN) dropped two contests to Liberty (22-13, 5-3 ASUN) Saturday afternoon. In game one, the Eagles fell, 6-2, and then were edged, 4-2, in game two.
"We competed hard today but came up on the short end," said head coach David Deiros. "We'll regroup and be ready by tomorrow."
Liberty 6 | FGCU 2
FGCU jumped on the board right from the start, scoring its two runs of the first contest on two errors from the Liberty side. Senior Kate Kelly walked and stole second to get things going. The next batter, sophomore Haley Morrell laid down a sac bunt, reaching on a throwing error, advancing to third on the play as Kelly scored. Morrell would then trot home 60 feet on a passed ball.
FGCU kept Liberty scoreless until the top of the fourth where the visitors used four hits to push across two runs. The Flames then answered with another pair of runs in the fifth before scoring two more in the seventh for the 6-2 lead. FGCU loaded the bases in the final frame, but two straight fly outs to center and left, capped off game one. In total, FGCU stranded eight runners on the bags while collecting four hits.
Starting senior pitcher Riley Randolph moves to 13-6 this season as she scattered eight hits while striking out nine batters. Kelly finished game one going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases.
Liberty 4 | FGCU 2
In game two, both teams exchanged hits in the first as Liberty took a 1-0 lead. The contest would remain a 1-0 deficit for the Eagles until the bottom of the fifth where they plated their first runner. During this stretch, starting junior pitcher Morgan White had retired eight batters in a row after the third inning. Junior Sammi Poehlman came on as a pinch-runner after sophomore Farley Callaghan was hit by a pitch.
Freshman McKenna Batterton singled up the middle as two batters later, Kelly ripped a base hit to center for the 1-1 tie. The Flames though, answered with three runs over the next two innings to head into the seventh up 4-1. In the seventh, Callaghan led the frame off with a knock to left as Batterton reached on with a hit by pitch. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, setting up pinch-hitter Kyleigh Taylor for the sac fly to center, scoring Callaghan. FGCU's final two outs were popped up to second and first en route to the 4-2 defeat.
White moves to 1-3 in the losing effort as she struck out two batters while surrendering seven hits. The Eagles' offense produced five hits while stranding six runners on the bags.
Up Next:
FGCU will look to salvage the series in game three at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
"We competed hard today but came up on the short end," said head coach David Deiros. "We'll regroup and be ready by tomorrow."
Liberty 6 | FGCU 2
FGCU jumped on the board right from the start, scoring its two runs of the first contest on two errors from the Liberty side. Senior Kate Kelly walked and stole second to get things going. The next batter, sophomore Haley Morrell laid down a sac bunt, reaching on a throwing error, advancing to third on the play as Kelly scored. Morrell would then trot home 60 feet on a passed ball.
FGCU kept Liberty scoreless until the top of the fourth where the visitors used four hits to push across two runs. The Flames then answered with another pair of runs in the fifth before scoring two more in the seventh for the 6-2 lead. FGCU loaded the bases in the final frame, but two straight fly outs to center and left, capped off game one. In total, FGCU stranded eight runners on the bags while collecting four hits.
Starting senior pitcher Riley Randolph moves to 13-6 this season as she scattered eight hits while striking out nine batters. Kelly finished game one going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases.
Liberty 4 | FGCU 2
In game two, both teams exchanged hits in the first as Liberty took a 1-0 lead. The contest would remain a 1-0 deficit for the Eagles until the bottom of the fifth where they plated their first runner. During this stretch, starting junior pitcher Morgan White had retired eight batters in a row after the third inning. Junior Sammi Poehlman came on as a pinch-runner after sophomore Farley Callaghan was hit by a pitch.
Freshman McKenna Batterton singled up the middle as two batters later, Kelly ripped a base hit to center for the 1-1 tie. The Flames though, answered with three runs over the next two innings to head into the seventh up 4-1. In the seventh, Callaghan led the frame off with a knock to left as Batterton reached on with a hit by pitch. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, setting up pinch-hitter Kyleigh Taylor for the sac fly to center, scoring Callaghan. FGCU's final two outs were popped up to second and first en route to the 4-2 defeat.
White moves to 1-3 in the losing effort as she struck out two batters while surrendering seven hits. The Eagles' offense produced five hits while stranding six runners on the bags.
Up Next:
FGCU will look to salvage the series in game three at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
FGCU MTEN @ Stetson Recap
The FGCU men's tennis team (8-8, 3-0 A-SUN) earned a 6-1 conference victory at Stetson (9-9, 1-2 A-SUN) on Saturday afternoon at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.
"We have been playing like a real team lately, and today was one of our better efforts," head coach CJ Weber said. "Stetson, I felt, fought an unbelievable match and made it very difficult on us. But the guys responded so well and were really disciplined all throughout the match. I'm very proud of this group and I already can't wait to watch us compete next week."
For the third match in a row, the Eagles earned an early lead by claiming the doubles point. The duo of juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (7-4) claimed a 6-2 victory on the third court and were followed up by a 6-4 triumph at the first court via the team of seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (7-6).
The Hatters evened things up at 1-1 with a straight-set victory at the third flight in singles play as junior Marcelo Tebet (8-5), but it was their only point of the afternoon.
Escobar (4-8) regained the Green and Blue's lead with a 6-2, 7-5 win on court No. 2. From there, the Eagles cruised to their victory. Ruiz (2-2) earned a win at court six after finishing the third set 6-2. Senior Javier Fernandez (8-4) won the fifth flight, marking his fifth victory in a row. Sophomore Juan Montes (7-7) and Sakalauskas (8-7) finished up the scoring with third-set wins at the first and fourth courts, respectively.
The last time the Eagles started off 3-0 in conference play was during the 2015-16 season. That year, the Green and Blue went undefeated in the regular conference season.
Results
Singles competition
1. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Louis Gorregues (STET) 7-5, 6-7, 1-0
2. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) def. Clement Hamel (STET) 6-2, 7-5
3. Antoine Sanchez (STET) def. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) 6-3, 6-2
4. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. Tim Gennes (STET) 7-5, 6-7, 6-2
5. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. Coilin MacNamara (STET) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
6. RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. Christian Mills (STET) 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 2, 6, 5, 1, 4
Doubles competition
1. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. Tim Gennes/Linus Bergevi (STET) 6-4
2. MONTES, Juan/TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) def. Coilin MacNamara/Clement Hamel (STET) 5-4
3. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Antoine Sanchez/Dennis Moses (STET) 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 1
Up Next:
FGCU will continue its conference road swing with a match at North Alabama (2-12, 0-2 A-SUN) next Tuesday, April 4. The Green and Blue will face off against the Lions at 2 p.m. at the UNA Tennis Complex. The matchup will be the first in program history between the two teams. UNA is currently in its first season as an NCAA Division I member and is also in its first season in the A-SUN.
"We have been playing like a real team lately, and today was one of our better efforts," head coach CJ Weber said. "Stetson, I felt, fought an unbelievable match and made it very difficult on us. But the guys responded so well and were really disciplined all throughout the match. I'm very proud of this group and I already can't wait to watch us compete next week."
For the third match in a row, the Eagles earned an early lead by claiming the doubles point. The duo of juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (7-4) claimed a 6-2 victory on the third court and were followed up by a 6-4 triumph at the first court via the team of seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (7-6).
The Hatters evened things up at 1-1 with a straight-set victory at the third flight in singles play as junior Marcelo Tebet (8-5), but it was their only point of the afternoon.
Escobar (4-8) regained the Green and Blue's lead with a 6-2, 7-5 win on court No. 2. From there, the Eagles cruised to their victory. Ruiz (2-2) earned a win at court six after finishing the third set 6-2. Senior Javier Fernandez (8-4) won the fifth flight, marking his fifth victory in a row. Sophomore Juan Montes (7-7) and Sakalauskas (8-7) finished up the scoring with third-set wins at the first and fourth courts, respectively.
The last time the Eagles started off 3-0 in conference play was during the 2015-16 season. That year, the Green and Blue went undefeated in the regular conference season.
Results
Singles competition
1. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Louis Gorregues (STET) 7-5, 6-7, 1-0
2. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) def. Clement Hamel (STET) 6-2, 7-5
3. Antoine Sanchez (STET) def. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) 6-3, 6-2
4. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. Tim Gennes (STET) 7-5, 6-7, 6-2
5. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. Coilin MacNamara (STET) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
6. RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. Christian Mills (STET) 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 2, 6, 5, 1, 4
Doubles competition
1. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. Tim Gennes/Linus Bergevi (STET) 6-4
2. MONTES, Juan/TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) def. Coilin MacNamara/Clement Hamel (STET) 5-4
3. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Antoine Sanchez/Dennis Moses (STET) 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 1
Up Next:
FGCU will continue its conference road swing with a match at North Alabama (2-12, 0-2 A-SUN) next Tuesday, April 4. The Green and Blue will face off against the Lions at 2 p.m. at the UNA Tennis Complex. The matchup will be the first in program history between the two teams. UNA is currently in its first season as an NCAA Division I member and is also in its first season in the A-SUN.
FGCU MGolf: FAU Spring Championship Day Two Recap
The FGCU men's golf team shot under par and is tied for sixth after the second round of the FAU Spring Championship, which is being held at the par-72, 6,786-yard Osprey Point Golf Club.
The Eagles shot 1-under-par 287 in Saturday's middle round to land at 1-under 575 (288-287). The Green and Blue are locked in a tie with Houston Baptist (295-280). UCF, by far the top-ranked team in the field at No. 75, went low today to take over first place at 15-under 561 (286-275). Host Florida Atlantic sits second at 11-under 565 (286-279), while overnight leader Bethune-Cookman fell to third at 5-under 571 (282-289).
Southern Illinois (290-284) and UConn (296-278) are tied for fourth at 2-under 574.
"We started strong today and finished poorly, which is a switch in pattern for us," FGCU coach Eric Booker said. "Tomorrow we're hoping to put together a complete round, starting strong and finishing strong. We're not that far out of it but need a solid performance."
Sophomore Cole Castro held the individual lead momentarily on the back-9 and settled into a tie for third at day's end at 5-under 139 (68-71). Senior Andrew Potter did not factor into the team score Saturday but remained in the top 25 at 1-over 145 (70-75).
True freshmen Tate Heintzelman and Chase Bigham, along with sophomore J.T. Barker all turned in even-par rounds of 72. Heintzelman is tied for 32nd at 2-over 146 (74-72), Bigham is locked in a draw for 48th at 4-over 148 (76-72), and Barker improved four spots to sit T-62 at 7-over 151 (79-72).
UCF's Bobby Bai continues to lead at 10-under 134 (67-67), while teammate Kyler Tate is solo second at 7-under 137 (70-67).
The Eagles will begin the final round teeing off on the opening hole bright and early Sunday at 8 a.m.
FAU SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP – Second Round Results
March 29-31, 2019 at Boca Raton, Fla.
(par-72, 6,786-yard Osprey Point Golf Club)
Team Results
1 #75 UCF 286-275=561 (-15)
2 #168 Florida Atlantic 286-279=565 (-11)
3 #177 Bethune-Cookman 282-289=571 (-5)
T4. #133 Southern Illinois 290-284=574 (-2)
#135 UConn 296-278=574 (-2)
T6. #228 Houston Baptist 295-280=575 (-1)
#148 FGCU 288-287=575 (-1)
8 Miami (OH) 292-285=577 (+1)
9 #193 George Mason 292-286=578 (+2)
10 #197 Georgetown 295-287=582 (+6)
T11. #251 Hartford 295-294=589 (+13)
#227 Rhode Island 299-290=589 (+13)
13 #241 Murray State 306-294=600 (+24)
14 #195 Xavier 316-294=610 (+34)
Rankings reflect the latest Golfstat Rankings
Top-5 Individuals
1 Bobby Bai (UCF) 67-67=134 (-10)
2 Kyler Tate (UCF) 70-67=137 (-7)
T3. Cole Castro (FGCU) 68-71=139 (-5)
Sully Zagerman (Florida Atlantic) 69-70=139 (-5)
Nicko Martinez (Houston Baptist) 74-65=139 (-5)
Jake Lane (Bethune-Cookman) 68-71=139 (-5)
FGCU Individuals
T3. Cole Castro 68-71=139 (-5)
T25. Andrew Potter 70-75=145 (+1)
T32. Tate Heintzelman 74-72=146 (+2)
T48. Chase Bigham 76-72=148 (+4)
T62. J.T. Barker 79-72=151 (+7)
Quotes from Other Coaches:
1. #177 Bethune-Cookman 282 (-6)
T2. #168 Florida Atlantic 286 (-2)
#75 UCF 286 (-2)
4. #148 FGCU 288 (E)
5. #133 Southern Illinois 290 (+2)
T6. Miami (OH) 292 (+4)
#193 George Mason 292 (+4)
T8. #228 Houston Baptist 295 (+7)
#251 Hartford 295 (+7)
#197 Georgetown 295 (+7)
11. #135 UConn 296 (+8)
12. #227 Rhode Island 299 (+11)
13. #241 Murray State 306 (+18)
14. #195 Xavier 216 (+28)
The Eagles shot 1-under-par 287 in Saturday's middle round to land at 1-under 575 (288-287). The Green and Blue are locked in a tie with Houston Baptist (295-280). UCF, by far the top-ranked team in the field at No. 75, went low today to take over first place at 15-under 561 (286-275). Host Florida Atlantic sits second at 11-under 565 (286-279), while overnight leader Bethune-Cookman fell to third at 5-under 571 (282-289).
Southern Illinois (290-284) and UConn (296-278) are tied for fourth at 2-under 574.
"We started strong today and finished poorly, which is a switch in pattern for us," FGCU coach Eric Booker said. "Tomorrow we're hoping to put together a complete round, starting strong and finishing strong. We're not that far out of it but need a solid performance."
Sophomore Cole Castro held the individual lead momentarily on the back-9 and settled into a tie for third at day's end at 5-under 139 (68-71). Senior Andrew Potter did not factor into the team score Saturday but remained in the top 25 at 1-over 145 (70-75).
True freshmen Tate Heintzelman and Chase Bigham, along with sophomore J.T. Barker all turned in even-par rounds of 72. Heintzelman is tied for 32nd at 2-over 146 (74-72), Bigham is locked in a draw for 48th at 4-over 148 (76-72), and Barker improved four spots to sit T-62 at 7-over 151 (79-72).
UCF's Bobby Bai continues to lead at 10-under 134 (67-67), while teammate Kyler Tate is solo second at 7-under 137 (70-67).
The Eagles will begin the final round teeing off on the opening hole bright and early Sunday at 8 a.m.
FAU SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP – Second Round Results
March 29-31, 2019 at Boca Raton, Fla.
(par-72, 6,786-yard Osprey Point Golf Club)
Team Results
1 #75 UCF 286-275=561 (-15)
2 #168 Florida Atlantic 286-279=565 (-11)
3 #177 Bethune-Cookman 282-289=571 (-5)
T4. #133 Southern Illinois 290-284=574 (-2)
#135 UConn 296-278=574 (-2)
T6. #228 Houston Baptist 295-280=575 (-1)
#148 FGCU 288-287=575 (-1)
8 Miami (OH) 292-285=577 (+1)
9 #193 George Mason 292-286=578 (+2)
10 #197 Georgetown 295-287=582 (+6)
T11. #251 Hartford 295-294=589 (+13)
#227 Rhode Island 299-290=589 (+13)
13 #241 Murray State 306-294=600 (+24)
14 #195 Xavier 316-294=610 (+34)
Rankings reflect the latest Golfstat Rankings
Top-5 Individuals
1 Bobby Bai (UCF) 67-67=134 (-10)
2 Kyler Tate (UCF) 70-67=137 (-7)
T3. Cole Castro (FGCU) 68-71=139 (-5)
Sully Zagerman (Florida Atlantic) 69-70=139 (-5)
Nicko Martinez (Houston Baptist) 74-65=139 (-5)
Jake Lane (Bethune-Cookman) 68-71=139 (-5)
FGCU Individuals
T3. Cole Castro 68-71=139 (-5)
T25. Andrew Potter 70-75=145 (+1)
T32. Tate Heintzelman 74-72=146 (+2)
T48. Chase Bigham 76-72=148 (+4)
T62. J.T. Barker 79-72=151 (+7)
Quotes from Other Coaches:
1. #177 Bethune-Cookman 282 (-6)
T2. #168 Florida Atlantic 286 (-2)
#75 UCF 286 (-2)
4. #148 FGCU 288 (E)
5. #133 Southern Illinois 290 (+2)
T6. Miami (OH) 292 (+4)
#193 George Mason 292 (+4)
T8. #228 Houston Baptist 295 (+7)
#251 Hartford 295 (+7)
#197 Georgetown 295 (+7)
11. #135 UConn 296 (+8)
12. #227 Rhode Island 299 (+11)
13. #241 Murray State 306 (+18)
14. #195 Xavier 216 (+28)
FGCU Baseball vs Towson Game Two Recap
The FGCU baseball team (18-8, 1-2 A-SUN) handed Towson (3-21, 0-3 CAA) a 5-2 loss at Swanson Stadium Saturday afternoon. With today's win, the Eagles have now clinched their sixth non-conference series of the season.
"We had a good start from Lumbert. Once he settled in, he got in a groove and it was really good," head coach Dave Tollett said. "McGarry came in and gave us a chance to win, which is just what he does. I thought Brait and Kohl were huge for us. They had some big-time RBIs. Brait's last RBI was a big hit because it gave us a three-run lead which we always talk about trying to get to. Hopefully, the bottom of the lineup will do a little more for us tomorrow."
It took the Eagles just two pitchers to get through this afternoon's game. Senior Evan Lumbert pitched a quality start for the Green and Blue. Lumbert (3-2) hurled 6.0 innings, struck out six, walked none and allowed two earned runs.
Junior Hunter McGarry threw the final three frames for FGCU. He struck out one and gave up just one hit to the 10 batters he faced. McGarry picked up his fourth save of the season. With one more save, McGarry will tie for eighth in FGCU program history for number of saves in a single season. The record is currently 12, held by Sterling Koerner (2017).
The Tigers struck early and put up one run before the Eagles had a chance to respond. Junior Kohl Gilmore plated classmate Marc Coffers with a sac fly in the home half of the first to even things up at 1-1. Towson then regained the lead using an RBI single to post a 2-1 advantage after two complete frames.
Gilmore tied things up for the Eagles again with an RBI single in the third that scored senior Jay Hayes. From there, the Green and Blue never looked back. Freshman Joe Kinker added an RBI of his own and junior Alex Brait tacked on two to give FGCU its final 5-2 lead.
Coffers and Hayes each scored two runs for the Green and Blue and freshman Jalen Townsend came home on one of Brait's RBIs.
Defensively, this was a strong game for the Eagles. Junior Richie Garcia and Hayes each finished the day with three assists and the team did not make any errors. This was FGCU's first game of the season that the pitching staff gave up zero walks. However, the Eagles conceded two triples after allowing just one all season prior to today.
FGCU won all six of its weekend non-conference series' this season. The only other time in school history the Eagles won six or more three- or four-game series against non-conference opponents came in 2017 when they went on to win the A-SUN Championship and compete as the No. 2 seed at the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional.
Up Next:
The Eagles and the Tigers will return to Swanson Stadium tomorrow at noon for the series finale. The Green and Blue will be looking to sweep the weekend series for the first time since a matchup against LIU Brooklyn back in February.
"We had a good start from Lumbert. Once he settled in, he got in a groove and it was really good," head coach Dave Tollett said. "McGarry came in and gave us a chance to win, which is just what he does. I thought Brait and Kohl were huge for us. They had some big-time RBIs. Brait's last RBI was a big hit because it gave us a three-run lead which we always talk about trying to get to. Hopefully, the bottom of the lineup will do a little more for us tomorrow."
It took the Eagles just two pitchers to get through this afternoon's game. Senior Evan Lumbert pitched a quality start for the Green and Blue. Lumbert (3-2) hurled 6.0 innings, struck out six, walked none and allowed two earned runs.
Junior Hunter McGarry threw the final three frames for FGCU. He struck out one and gave up just one hit to the 10 batters he faced. McGarry picked up his fourth save of the season. With one more save, McGarry will tie for eighth in FGCU program history for number of saves in a single season. The record is currently 12, held by Sterling Koerner (2017).
The Tigers struck early and put up one run before the Eagles had a chance to respond. Junior Kohl Gilmore plated classmate Marc Coffers with a sac fly in the home half of the first to even things up at 1-1. Towson then regained the lead using an RBI single to post a 2-1 advantage after two complete frames.
Gilmore tied things up for the Eagles again with an RBI single in the third that scored senior Jay Hayes. From there, the Green and Blue never looked back. Freshman Joe Kinker added an RBI of his own and junior Alex Brait tacked on two to give FGCU its final 5-2 lead.
Coffers and Hayes each scored two runs for the Green and Blue and freshman Jalen Townsend came home on one of Brait's RBIs.
Defensively, this was a strong game for the Eagles. Junior Richie Garcia and Hayes each finished the day with three assists and the team did not make any errors. This was FGCU's first game of the season that the pitching staff gave up zero walks. However, the Eagles conceded two triples after allowing just one all season prior to today.
FGCU won all six of its weekend non-conference series' this season. The only other time in school history the Eagles won six or more three- or four-game series against non-conference opponents came in 2017 when they went on to win the A-SUN Championship and compete as the No. 2 seed at the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional.
Up Next:
The Eagles and the Tigers will return to Swanson Stadium tomorrow at noon for the series finale. The Green and Blue will be looking to sweep the weekend series for the first time since a matchup against LIU Brooklyn back in February.
FGCU MTEN @ Stetson Preview
The FGCU men's tennis team (7-8, 2-0 ASUN) will hit the road to take on Stetson (9-8, 1-1 ASUN) for a conference matchup on Saturday, March 30. The match between the Hatters and Eagles is set for 2 p.m. at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center and marks the first of a three-match conference road slate for the Green and Blue.
"We accomplished what we wanted as a team against Brown, and now it's time to continue that for the remainder of our conference season," head coach CJ Weber said. "We're looking forward to the matchup against Stetson and I expect a good match."
Last Time Out
The Eagles closed out the non-conference portion of their season with a 4-3 win over Brown on Thursday night at the FGCU Tennis Complex. The duo of juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez earned a 6-3 victory on court No. 2, putting the team in position to win the doubles point.
Seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz sealed the doubles point with a 7-5 win over No. 78 Roger Chau / Charles Tan.
Senior Javier Fernandez extended his current winning streak to four matches with a 6-1, 7-5 triumph at the fifth flight.
After the Bears claimed two singles matches, junior Marcelo Tebet tied things up between the teams at 3-3 with a straight-set victory at the sixth court.
Sakalauskas clinched the match for the Green and Blue with a decisive 6-1 win in the third set at the fourth flight.
Scouting the Hatters:
This will be the 16th meeting in the series between the two teams, which Stetson currently leads 10-5.
The Hatters won the first eight matches in the series before FGCU rattled off a five-match win streak of its own from 2014-17. Stetson snapped the streak in the regular season last year and also defeated the Eagles in the 2018 A-SUN tournament semifinals. FGCU has won two of the last three at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.
Stetson suffered a 5-2 conference loss at UNF last weekend. The Hatters' only points of the day were at courts three and six in singles play.
Freshmen Tim Gennes and Christian Mills both own 8-2 records in their last 10 decisions. Gennes plays primarily in the middle of the lineup, while Mills competes at the fifth and sixth positions. Gennes and fellow freshman Josh Laka have posted a 3-5 record at No. 1 singles.
Stetson's roster shows that the team is very young this season. The Hatters have six freshmen and just four upperclassmen, meaning that it could be a team to watch for in the next few seasons of A-SUN play.
"We accomplished what we wanted as a team against Brown, and now it's time to continue that for the remainder of our conference season," head coach CJ Weber said. "We're looking forward to the matchup against Stetson and I expect a good match."
Last Time Out
The Eagles closed out the non-conference portion of their season with a 4-3 win over Brown on Thursday night at the FGCU Tennis Complex. The duo of juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez earned a 6-3 victory on court No. 2, putting the team in position to win the doubles point.
Seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz sealed the doubles point with a 7-5 win over No. 78 Roger Chau / Charles Tan.
Senior Javier Fernandez extended his current winning streak to four matches with a 6-1, 7-5 triumph at the fifth flight.
After the Bears claimed two singles matches, junior Marcelo Tebet tied things up between the teams at 3-3 with a straight-set victory at the sixth court.
Sakalauskas clinched the match for the Green and Blue with a decisive 6-1 win in the third set at the fourth flight.
Scouting the Hatters:
This will be the 16th meeting in the series between the two teams, which Stetson currently leads 10-5.
The Hatters won the first eight matches in the series before FGCU rattled off a five-match win streak of its own from 2014-17. Stetson snapped the streak in the regular season last year and also defeated the Eagles in the 2018 A-SUN tournament semifinals. FGCU has won two of the last three at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.
Stetson suffered a 5-2 conference loss at UNF last weekend. The Hatters' only points of the day were at courts three and six in singles play.
Freshmen Tim Gennes and Christian Mills both own 8-2 records in their last 10 decisions. Gennes plays primarily in the middle of the lineup, while Mills competes at the fifth and sixth positions. Gennes and fellow freshman Josh Laka have posted a 3-5 record at No. 1 singles.
Stetson's roster shows that the team is very young this season. The Hatters have six freshmen and just four upperclassmen, meaning that it could be a team to watch for in the next few seasons of A-SUN play.
FGCU Baseball vs Towson Game One Recap
The FGCU baseball team (17-8, 1-2 A-SUN) claimed a 6-3 victory in the first of a three-game non-conference series against Towson (3-20, 0-3 CAA) Friday night at Swanson Stadium.
"It was a quality game all the way until the ninth inning from a pitching standpoint," head coach Dave Tollett said. "Studstill was outstanding and he was never in trouble, but we have to be able to close the door and not have to use our older guys when we're up by five. From an offensive end, I thought we played well and our outs were really hard outs. We had a lot of quality at-bats. We are right where we need to be offensively. I'm happy all the way around."
Junior Mason Studstill pitched a quality start for the Eagles en route to his fourth win of the season. He threw a career-high eight innings, struck out seven and allowed one run on just four hits.
For the third game in a row, FGCU was the first to get on the board. Junior Kohl Gilmore plated classmate Marc Coffers) with a sac fly to right field, giving the Eagles an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
The Tigers responded with an RBI single to knot things up at 1-1 in the top of the third, which they held onto until the fifth inning. Junior Richie Garcia gave FGCU the lead for good with his second home run of the season, which was a solo shot to left field. Senior Eric Gonzalez tacked on an insurance run for the Eagles after being brought in by junior Alex Brait's RBI single.
The Green and Blue used a three-spot in the sixth inning to solidify the lead over Towson. Freshman Joe Kinker, senior Keith Stevensand Garcia all scored in the Eagles' final spree.
Studstill cruised through his last few frames of work and struck out the side in his final inning. Sophomore Gus Carter and freshman Cody Woodring each faced two batters before handing the mound over to junior Sebastian Gruszecki.
Gruszecki took over the bump with the bases loaded and was tasked with recording the final two outs of the game. The Tigers used a late push to score two runs that were charged to Carter and Woodring before Gruszecki ended the game with a swinging strikeout to collect his first save of the season.
Garcia and Brait led the offense with two hits apiece and the duo combined for three RBIs. Freshman Jalen Townsend (right field), junior Cameron Krzeminski (left field), freshman Corey Clement (first base) and sophomore Christian Proffitt (shortstop) all made defensive appearances in the final inning of the night.
Up Next:
FGCU and Towson will be back at Swanson Stadium tomorrow at 2 p.m. for Charlotte County Day. All Charlotte County residents can get in to the game for free with an ID. Head coach Dave Tollett is a Punta Gorda native and a graduate of Charlotte High School. He coached the Tarpons for 10 years and was named FHSAA District 16 Coach of the Year six times. His teams made five appearances in the Florida High School Athletic Association State Playoffs and won one district championship.
"It was a quality game all the way until the ninth inning from a pitching standpoint," head coach Dave Tollett said. "Studstill was outstanding and he was never in trouble, but we have to be able to close the door and not have to use our older guys when we're up by five. From an offensive end, I thought we played well and our outs were really hard outs. We had a lot of quality at-bats. We are right where we need to be offensively. I'm happy all the way around."
Junior Mason Studstill pitched a quality start for the Eagles en route to his fourth win of the season. He threw a career-high eight innings, struck out seven and allowed one run on just four hits.
For the third game in a row, FGCU was the first to get on the board. Junior Kohl Gilmore plated classmate Marc Coffers) with a sac fly to right field, giving the Eagles an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
The Tigers responded with an RBI single to knot things up at 1-1 in the top of the third, which they held onto until the fifth inning. Junior Richie Garcia gave FGCU the lead for good with his second home run of the season, which was a solo shot to left field. Senior Eric Gonzalez tacked on an insurance run for the Eagles after being brought in by junior Alex Brait's RBI single.
The Green and Blue used a three-spot in the sixth inning to solidify the lead over Towson. Freshman Joe Kinker, senior Keith Stevensand Garcia all scored in the Eagles' final spree.
Studstill cruised through his last few frames of work and struck out the side in his final inning. Sophomore Gus Carter and freshman Cody Woodring each faced two batters before handing the mound over to junior Sebastian Gruszecki.
Gruszecki took over the bump with the bases loaded and was tasked with recording the final two outs of the game. The Tigers used a late push to score two runs that were charged to Carter and Woodring before Gruszecki ended the game with a swinging strikeout to collect his first save of the season.
Garcia and Brait led the offense with two hits apiece and the duo combined for three RBIs. Freshman Jalen Townsend (right field), junior Cameron Krzeminski (left field), freshman Corey Clement (first base) and sophomore Christian Proffitt (shortstop) all made defensive appearances in the final inning of the night.
Up Next:
FGCU and Towson will be back at Swanson Stadium tomorrow at 2 p.m. for Charlotte County Day. All Charlotte County residents can get in to the game for free with an ID. Head coach Dave Tollett is a Punta Gorda native and a graduate of Charlotte High School. He coached the Tarpons for 10 years and was named FHSAA District 16 Coach of the Year six times. His teams made five appearances in the Florida High School Athletic Association State Playoffs and won one district championship.
FGCU MGolf: FAU Spring Championship Day One Recap
The FGCU men's golf team finished strong to vault into fourth after Friday's first round of the FAU Spring Championship, which is being held at the par-72, 6,786-yard Osprey Point Golf Club.
After hovering around the 10th position through the opening 11 holes, the Eagles combined to shoot 5-under-par across the remaining seven to land at even-par 288 for the day. Bethune-Cookman leads the way after firing a 6-under 282, while UCF and host Florida Atlantic are tied for second at 2-under 286.
"I always say you can't win the tournament on the first day, but you can certainly lose it," FGCU coach Eric Booker said. "Andrew and Cole played some solid golf in those winds that were gusting up to 40 mph at times. Tate had a hard-fought round. He played 16 holes really well but had just a few shots that ruined what could have been an even better day. Chase and J.T. struggled, but I feel their games will bounce back."
Sophomore Cole Castro was the only player in the entire field to finish bogey-free, and he poured in four birdies to shoot 4-under 68. He is tied for second with BCU's Jake Lane and sits one stroke back of UCF's Bobby Bai. Senior Andrew Potter finished at 2-under 70 to sit in a tie for sixth. He made par on his first 10 holes and went birdie-eagle to close out his day.
Both Castro and Potter have now shot under par four times this spring, and Castro registered his second sub-70 round of 2019.
True freshmen Tate Heintzelman (2-over 74) and Chase Bigham (4-over 76) are tied for 33rd and 48th, respectively, while sophomore J.T. Barker landed T-66 at 7-over 79.
The Eagles will begin their second round teeing off on the first hole Saturday at 10:50 a.m.
FAU SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP – First Round Results
March 29-31, 2019 at Boca Raton, Fla.
(par-72, 6,786-yard Osprey Point Golf Club)
Team Results
1. #177 Bethune-Cookman 282 (-6)
T2. #168 Florida Atlantic 286 (-2)
#75 UCF 286 (-2)
4. #148 FGCU 288 (E)
5. #133 Southern Illinois 290 (+2)
T6. Miami (OH) 292 (+4)
#193 George Mason 292 (+4)
T8. #228 Houston Baptist 295 (+7)
#251 Hartford 295 (+7)
#197 Georgetown 295 (+7)
11. #135 UConn 296 (+8)
12. #227 Rhode Island 299 (+11)
13. #241 Murray State 306 (+18)
14. #195 Xavier 216 (+28)
Rankings reflect the latest Golfstat Rankings
Top-5 Individuals
1. Bobby Bai (UCF) 67 (-5)
T2. Cole Castro (FGCU) 68 (-4)
Jake Lane (Bethune-Cookman) 68 (-4)
T4. Sully Zagerman (Florida Atlantic) 69 (-3)
Connor Messick (George Mason) 69 (-3)
FGCU Individuals
T2. Cole Castro 68 (-4)
T6. Andrew Potter 70 (-2)
T33. Tate Heintzelman 74 (+2)
T48. Chase Bigham 76 (+4)
T66. J.T. Barker 79 (+7)
Quotes from Other Coaches:
Rhode Island: It was a disappointing day for us overall as we felt we could shoot even par as a team. When one player has half of your birdies, it is not a good team effort," said RI head coach Gregg Burke.
After hovering around the 10th position through the opening 11 holes, the Eagles combined to shoot 5-under-par across the remaining seven to land at even-par 288 for the day. Bethune-Cookman leads the way after firing a 6-under 282, while UCF and host Florida Atlantic are tied for second at 2-under 286.
"I always say you can't win the tournament on the first day, but you can certainly lose it," FGCU coach Eric Booker said. "Andrew and Cole played some solid golf in those winds that were gusting up to 40 mph at times. Tate had a hard-fought round. He played 16 holes really well but had just a few shots that ruined what could have been an even better day. Chase and J.T. struggled, but I feel their games will bounce back."
Sophomore Cole Castro was the only player in the entire field to finish bogey-free, and he poured in four birdies to shoot 4-under 68. He is tied for second with BCU's Jake Lane and sits one stroke back of UCF's Bobby Bai. Senior Andrew Potter finished at 2-under 70 to sit in a tie for sixth. He made par on his first 10 holes and went birdie-eagle to close out his day.
Both Castro and Potter have now shot under par four times this spring, and Castro registered his second sub-70 round of 2019.
True freshmen Tate Heintzelman (2-over 74) and Chase Bigham (4-over 76) are tied for 33rd and 48th, respectively, while sophomore J.T. Barker landed T-66 at 7-over 79.
The Eagles will begin their second round teeing off on the first hole Saturday at 10:50 a.m.
FAU SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP – First Round Results
March 29-31, 2019 at Boca Raton, Fla.
(par-72, 6,786-yard Osprey Point Golf Club)
Team Results
1. #177 Bethune-Cookman 282 (-6)
T2. #168 Florida Atlantic 286 (-2)
#75 UCF 286 (-2)
4. #148 FGCU 288 (E)
5. #133 Southern Illinois 290 (+2)
T6. Miami (OH) 292 (+4)
#193 George Mason 292 (+4)
T8. #228 Houston Baptist 295 (+7)
#251 Hartford 295 (+7)
#197 Georgetown 295 (+7)
11. #135 UConn 296 (+8)
12. #227 Rhode Island 299 (+11)
13. #241 Murray State 306 (+18)
14. #195 Xavier 216 (+28)
Rankings reflect the latest Golfstat Rankings
Top-5 Individuals
1. Bobby Bai (UCF) 67 (-5)
T2. Cole Castro (FGCU) 68 (-4)
Jake Lane (Bethune-Cookman) 68 (-4)
T4. Sully Zagerman (Florida Atlantic) 69 (-3)
Connor Messick (George Mason) 69 (-3)
FGCU Individuals
T2. Cole Castro 68 (-4)
T6. Andrew Potter 70 (-2)
T33. Tate Heintzelman 74 (+2)
T48. Chase Bigham 76 (+4)
T66. J.T. Barker 79 (+7)
Quotes from Other Coaches:
Rhode Island: It was a disappointing day for us overall as we felt we could shoot even par as a team. When one player has half of your birdies, it is not a good team effort," said RI head coach Gregg Burke.
FGCU Softball vs Liberty Preview
The FGCU softball team (17-12, 3-0 A-SUN) welcomes A-SUN newcomer Liberty (20-13, 3-3 A-SUN) to the FGCU Softball Complex for a three-game series set to start Saturday afternoon at the FGCU Softball Complex.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off of opening A-SUN Conference play as they swept Kennesaw State on the road winning 4-3 and 5-2 on Saturday before claiming the sweep with a 5-2 win on Sunday.
Senior Riley Randolph went 2-0 in the circle to lead the Eagles. With a win against Columbia earlier in the week prior to KSU, the lefty was named the A-SUN Pitcher of the Week for a third time this season as she posted an ERA of 1.33 in 21 innings, striking out 20 batters.
"Riley was at her best when things got really tough for us this past week," said head coach David Deiros. "She battled through a lot and definitely earned the award."
Within that four-game period, junior Mikenzie Vaughn had herself a week, posting a .414 batting average with three RBI along with one home run.
On offense senior Kate Kelly leads the team in hitting (.354) and is a threat on the bases going 13-for-16 in stolen base attempts. Freshman Reedy Davenport leads the team in RBI (21) while holding a .301 BA. Senior Racquel Fournet) is the Eagles' third .300 plus hitter, owning a .316 BA – second on the team.
In the circle, Randolph leads the bunch with 13 wins in 17 starts, holding opposing batters to a .176 BA. She is currently fourth in the nation in shutouts (six), fifth in ERA (0.84), ninth in strikeouts (141), and 13th in both victories and strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.71).
The pitching staff as a whole has combined to post a 1.81 ERA.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off of opening A-SUN Conference play as they swept Kennesaw State on the road winning 4-3 and 5-2 on Saturday before claiming the sweep with a 5-2 win on Sunday.
Senior Riley Randolph went 2-0 in the circle to lead the Eagles. With a win against Columbia earlier in the week prior to KSU, the lefty was named the A-SUN Pitcher of the Week for a third time this season as she posted an ERA of 1.33 in 21 innings, striking out 20 batters.
"Riley was at her best when things got really tough for us this past week," said head coach David Deiros. "She battled through a lot and definitely earned the award."
Within that four-game period, junior Mikenzie Vaughn had herself a week, posting a .414 batting average with three RBI along with one home run.
On offense senior Kate Kelly leads the team in hitting (.354) and is a threat on the bases going 13-for-16 in stolen base attempts. Freshman Reedy Davenport leads the team in RBI (21) while holding a .301 BA. Senior Racquel Fournet) is the Eagles' third .300 plus hitter, owning a .316 BA – second on the team.
In the circle, Randolph leads the bunch with 13 wins in 17 starts, holding opposing batters to a .176 BA. She is currently fourth in the nation in shutouts (six), fifth in ERA (0.84), ninth in strikeouts (141), and 13th in both victories and strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.71).
The pitching staff as a whole has combined to post a 1.81 ERA.
National Polls:
In the latest installment of the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll, the Eagles received two votes to come in ranked at No. 37. FGCU began the season garnering votes in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches' Poll.
A-SUN Preseason Poll:
The Eagles collected 56 points along with two first-place votes. Conference newcomer Liberty sat atop the poll with 61 points and five first-place votes while defending A-SUN regular-season and tournament champion Kennesaw State was picked third with 47 points, taking the final first-place vote.
Lipscomb (44) was slotted fourth as UNF (24), Jacksonville (22), North Alabama (20), the ASUN's second newcomer team this year, and Stetson (14) rounded out the eight teams.
Scouting the Flames:
Liberty is coming off a 10-6 win against Duke, where they scored four runs in the seventh to tie the game, then five more in the ninth. Junior Autumn Bishop leads the Flames with a .393 BA while posting 14 RBI. Meanwhile, her twin sister Amber Bishop is second on the squad with a .378 BA and leads the team in RBI with 19.
In the circle, senior Julia DiMartino is Liberty's ace as she is 10-6 (16 starts) with 26 appearances, boasting a 1.40 ERA. Senior Chase Cassady is 6-1 overall and owns a 1.83 ERA. The Flames have utilized five pitchers thus far, as they've combined for a 1.91 ERA.
Series History:
The Eagles are 2-0 against Liberty. The first time both teams played each other was on February 8 and 9, 2014 where the Eagles won 9-0 in game one and 8-7 in game two.
How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available for all three games and will air on YouTube Live. Fans can also keep up on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_Softball
Liberty: @LiberySB
Livestats Links:
Game One- http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=252261
Game Two- http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=252262
Game Three- http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=252263
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDY34tY3Efq3O0Oc4xxbY3g
FGCU WTEN @ Stetson Preview
The FGCU women's tennis team (7-7, 2-1 A-SUN) will be on the road for the first time in over a month as the Eagles travel to DeLand to face Stetson (9-6, 0-2 A-SUN) Saturday morning at 10 a.m.
Last Time Out:
FGCU dominated at home, taking down NJIT by a score of 6-1. The Eagles came away with the doubles point taking courts No. 2 and No. 3 with a pair of 6-4 sets.
From there, the Eagles were able to claim five straight matches as the only loss came on the final court. Junior Maja Ornberg clinched it for FGCU on the top court, producing a 6-4, 6-4 win. She is currently 9-5 overall on the top court while going 3-0 in A-SUN action.
Scouting the Hatters
Stetson are currently are on a two-match losing streak after dropping its first pair of ASUN matches to NJIT and UNF. Sophomore Danel Ashirova is the Hatters' top singles players and boasts a 9-6 record on the top court. Meanwhile, sophomore Brooke Milner is 8-2 in her last 10 outings, playing primarily out of the No. 2 position where she is 11-3 overall.
In doubles, Ashirova and junior Lucie Renault own an 8-5 record on court No. 1 while sophomore Vicky Geurinckx and Milner have posted four wins on court No. 2.
Despite trailing the all-time series 8-7 versus the Hatters, the Eagles have come out on top the last seven of eight matches.
How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available for those who are unable to travel to Deland and fans can also keep up with both teams on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_WTen
Stetson: @StetsonTennis
Livestats Link: http://sidearmstats.com/stetson/tennis/xlive.htm
SCF Tennis vs HCC Preview
The SCF tennis team (4-5, 3-4 Region 8) wrap up with their final home matchup of the season as they welcome Hillsborough (8-1, 7-1 Region 8) to the SCF Tennis Complex Saturday morning, March 30 at 11 am.
Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off a 9-0 win over NCAA DIII St. Catherine University. It was the Manatees first shutout this season and the first shutout since March 19, 2017.
In doubles, the team of freshman Britain Botsford and sophomore Diarra Thomas leads the team with a 5-4 record. The duo won their opponents by a score of 8-4. In fact, Botsford and Thomas have won three straight doubles matches at #3 doubles.
Botsford is currently 6-4 at #5 singles, including a 6-0, 6-1 win over Leah Obert while fellow classmate Sara Ramirez-Goncalves is the only Manatee in singles that has yet to lose a match at #3 singles. Ramirez-Goncalves is currently 8-0 in singles, which includes the 6-0, 6-1 win over Aubrey Eckstrom.
Farewell Sophomores:
The match against HCC will also be deemed as sophomore day for four seniors: Thomas, Sara Jamal, Camille Portalier and Laura Illanes-Rodriguez. All four will play in their last singles and/or doubles matches at home.
Scouting HCC:
The Hawks are coming off of a 8-1 win over Eastern Florida State while remaining in first in Region 8.
Sophomore Shaylee Syme posts a 7-1 record in singles at #4 singles. Syme fought in a three set match against Zulay Castaneda winning 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in the win over ASA Miami.
Freshman Valentina Dancenco has also produced big numbers at #2 singles with a record of 6-1.
Series History (2012-Present):
The Manatees hold a 11-4 overall record as of 2012. Both teams met earlier in the season where the Hawks won 7-2. Last time the Manatees defeated HCC was on February 25, 2017.
How to Keep Up:
Fans can keep up to date with both teams on Twitter:
SCF: @TennisSCF
HCC: @HCCFL
Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off a 9-0 win over NCAA DIII St. Catherine University. It was the Manatees first shutout this season and the first shutout since March 19, 2017.
In doubles, the team of freshman Britain Botsford and sophomore Diarra Thomas leads the team with a 5-4 record. The duo won their opponents by a score of 8-4. In fact, Botsford and Thomas have won three straight doubles matches at #3 doubles.
Botsford is currently 6-4 at #5 singles, including a 6-0, 6-1 win over Leah Obert while fellow classmate Sara Ramirez-Goncalves is the only Manatee in singles that has yet to lose a match at #3 singles. Ramirez-Goncalves is currently 8-0 in singles, which includes the 6-0, 6-1 win over Aubrey Eckstrom.
Farewell Sophomores:
The match against HCC will also be deemed as sophomore day for four seniors: Thomas, Sara Jamal, Camille Portalier and Laura Illanes-Rodriguez. All four will play in their last singles and/or doubles matches at home.
Scouting HCC:
The Hawks are coming off of a 8-1 win over Eastern Florida State while remaining in first in Region 8.
Sophomore Shaylee Syme posts a 7-1 record in singles at #4 singles. Syme fought in a three set match against Zulay Castaneda winning 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in the win over ASA Miami.
Freshman Valentina Dancenco has also produced big numbers at #2 singles with a record of 6-1.
Series History (2012-Present):
The Manatees hold a 11-4 overall record as of 2012. Both teams met earlier in the season where the Hawks won 7-2. Last time the Manatees defeated HCC was on February 25, 2017.
How to Keep Up:
Fans can keep up to date with both teams on Twitter:
SCF: @TennisSCF
HCC: @HCCFL
FGCU BVB vs Stetson Recap
The FGCU beach volleyball team (7-7, 0-2 A-SUN) was swept by No. 10 Stetson (16-4, 2-0 A-SUN) 4-1, 4-1 on Wednesday at Estero Community Park to open conference play, but the Eagles nearly produced a victory in the second match.
"One of the important things for us in our growth is being in a position to win," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "I thought every one of our pairs put themselves in position to win. Now we didn't get every one of those sets or every one of those matches, but we put ourselves in position to be competitive. The second match, specifically, was a step up for us in terms of overall performance from one through five. I was really happy with that. I think it's a step in the right direction."
As described in Botsford's post-game thoughts, the Eagles nearly ended Stetson's 21-match A-SUN winning streak in the second match. Junior Giovanna Borgiotti and redshirt sophomore Candace Lacour earned a measure of revenge for a three-set defeat in the opener by handing Stetson's Samantha Harris and Julie Varga a 21-16, 21-23, 15-13 defeat in the finale to give FGCU a 1-0 lead.
Sophomores Cortney VanLiew and Alayna Ryan then forced a third set at No. 5 with a thrilling 27-25 second-set victory but fell 21-15 in the decider as Stetson evened things up. In the third pair, sophomores Kayla Whetstone and Snowy Burnam fell in two sets as the Hatters took a 2-1 lead, but it was far from over.
Following that, both teams went back-and-forth in the first and second pairs. Senior Amanda Carroll and freshman Kirstine Garder won the first set 21-19 at No. 1, but dropped the second 21-19. Seniors Karissa Rhoades and Katherine Puisis dropped a 25-23 opening set, but captured a 21-19 second set to force both courts to a third set.
Stetson, however, won 15-6 and 15-8 on the first and second courts, respectively, to seal the match and push their A=SUN winning streak to 22.
Puisis and Rhoades, despite the loss, did well to take a set from Stetson's No. 2 pair of Darby Dunn and Sammee Thomas. The reigning A-SUN pair of the year had won 22 of their past 23 sets in conference play since the start of last season.
Borgiotti and Lacour, meanwhile, produced their first win together over a ranked opponent, although it was the second of Borgiotti's career in the Green and Blue, while it was the third of Lacour's NCAA career after she earned two wins as a freshman at FAU in 2017. The duo is now 8-6 in their first year together.
"She's great," Borgiotti said of Lacour, who transferred in from FAU this year. "We're friends off the court, too, which makes it really easy for us to play together. Our pair, we utilize our strengths really well with me blocking and her playing defense."
For Burnam and Whetstone, the duo is now 11-3 overall this year after tallying their third career win over a ranked team with a 21-11, 19-21, 19-17 win in the opener, which ties them for second-most in program history behind Madi Wilcox, who had six.
"One of the important things for us in our growth is being in a position to win," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "I thought every one of our pairs put themselves in position to win. Now we didn't get every one of those sets or every one of those matches, but we put ourselves in position to be competitive. The second match, specifically, was a step up for us in terms of overall performance from one through five. I was really happy with that. I think it's a step in the right direction."
As described in Botsford's post-game thoughts, the Eagles nearly ended Stetson's 21-match A-SUN winning streak in the second match. Junior Giovanna Borgiotti and redshirt sophomore Candace Lacour earned a measure of revenge for a three-set defeat in the opener by handing Stetson's Samantha Harris and Julie Varga a 21-16, 21-23, 15-13 defeat in the finale to give FGCU a 1-0 lead.
Sophomores Cortney VanLiew and Alayna Ryan then forced a third set at No. 5 with a thrilling 27-25 second-set victory but fell 21-15 in the decider as Stetson evened things up. In the third pair, sophomores Kayla Whetstone and Snowy Burnam fell in two sets as the Hatters took a 2-1 lead, but it was far from over.
Following that, both teams went back-and-forth in the first and second pairs. Senior Amanda Carroll and freshman Kirstine Garder won the first set 21-19 at No. 1, but dropped the second 21-19. Seniors Karissa Rhoades and Katherine Puisis dropped a 25-23 opening set, but captured a 21-19 second set to force both courts to a third set.
Stetson, however, won 15-6 and 15-8 on the first and second courts, respectively, to seal the match and push their A=SUN winning streak to 22.
Puisis and Rhoades, despite the loss, did well to take a set from Stetson's No. 2 pair of Darby Dunn and Sammee Thomas. The reigning A-SUN pair of the year had won 22 of their past 23 sets in conference play since the start of last season.
Borgiotti and Lacour, meanwhile, produced their first win together over a ranked opponent, although it was the second of Borgiotti's career in the Green and Blue, while it was the third of Lacour's NCAA career after she earned two wins as a freshman at FAU in 2017. The duo is now 8-6 in their first year together.
"She's great," Borgiotti said of Lacour, who transferred in from FAU this year. "We're friends off the court, too, which makes it really easy for us to play together. Our pair, we utilize our strengths really well with me blocking and her playing defense."
For Burnam and Whetstone, the duo is now 11-3 overall this year after tallying their third career win over a ranked team with a 21-11, 19-21, 19-17 win in the opener, which ties them for second-most in program history behind Madi Wilcox, who had six.
Full Results
Stetson 4, FGCU 1
1. Perales/Helland-Hansen (Stetson) d. Carroll/Garder 21-14, 21-12
2. Dunn/Thomas (Stetson) d. Puisis/Rhoades 21-13, 21-14
3. Whetstone/Burnam (FGCU) d. Costa/Noble 21-11, 19-21, 19-17
4. Harris/Varga (Stetson) d. Borgiotti/Lacour 13-21, 21-19, 15-11
5. Birker/Ingram (Stetson) d. VanLiew/Hansen 21-13, 21-17
Stetson 4, FGCU 1
1. Helland-Hansen/Perales (Stetson) d. Carroll/Garder 19-21, 21-19, 15-6
2. Dunn/Thomas (Stetson) d. Rhoades/Puisis 25-23, 19-21, 15-8
3. Costa/Noble (Stetson) d. Whetstone/Burnam 21-12, 21-16
4. Borgiotti/Lacour (FGCU) d. Harris/Kuck 21-16, 21-23, 15-13
5. Birker/Ingram (Stetson) d. VanLiew/Ryan 21-18, 25-27, 21-15
Next Up
The Green and Blue will be back in action on Tuesday against Florida Southern at 4 p.m. The match will be held on FGCU's campus at the ROC, and the program will honor Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS), Rhoades and Puisis as part of senior day.
FGCU MTEN vs Brown Recap
The FGCU men's tennis team (7-8, 2-0 A-SUN) earned a 4-3 victory over Brown (7-6, 0-0 IVY) at the end of a back-and-forth battle Thursday night at the FGCU Tennis Complex.
"These guys have been through a lot so far this season and we have played a really tough schedule," head coach CJ Weber said. "We've played a lot of 4-3 matches, but that's the type of things that we're looking for in our non-conference schedule. We're now prepared for anything in conference. I think a win like this does a great thing for the team heading into conference play."
The duo of juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (6-4) finished its doubles match on court No. 2 with a 6-3 victory, leaving the point to be decided by the first and third courts. Both courts went back-and-forth until seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (6-6) defeated the No. 78 duo of Roger Chau and Charles Tan 7-5. The win marked the Eagles' first over a ranked opponent in doubles play this season.
At the time the Eagles clinched the doubles point, junior Marcelo Tebet and freshman Pedro Maciel (0-1) were leading their Brown competitors 6-5.
Soon after singles play began, Ramirez (6-7) was forced to retire at the first court and the Bears picked up their first point of the match to even things up at 1-1.
Brown took its first lead of the afternoon with a 6-1, 6-0 straight set victory over Escobar (3-8) on the second flight. Senior Javier Fernandez (7-4) picked up his fourth-straight win with a 6-1, 7-5 triumph at the fifth flight that tied things up at 2-2.
The Bears took their second lead of the night with a straight-set victory at the sixth court. Tebet (8-4) responded for the Eagles with a 7-5, 6-2 win that tied things up at 3-3.
With things knotted up, the fate of the match came down to Sakalauskas and his Brown competitor on court five. After dropping the second set, Sakaulaskas (7-7) dominated the third to reward FGCU with its final 4-3 triumph over the Bears.
Results
Singles competition
1. Peter Litsky (BROWN) def. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) 0-1, retired
2. Ching Lam (BROWN) def. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) 6-4, 6-0
3. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) def. Roger Chou (BROWN) 7-5, 6-2
4. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. Jacob Walker (BROWN) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
5. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. Charles Tan (BROWN) 6-1, 7-5
6. Robert Siniakowicz (BROWN) def. RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) 6-4, 7-5
Order of finish: 1, 2, 5, 6, 3, 4
Doubles competition
1. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. #78 Roger Chou/Charles Tan (BROWN) 7-5
2. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Ching Lam/Jacob Walker (BROWN) 6-3
3. TEBET, Marcelo/MACIEL, Pedro (FGCU) vs. Peter Litsky/Ben Collier (BROWN) 6-5, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1
Up Next:
The Eagles will head to Stetson this Saturday, March 30 to start off a three-match road swing. The match against the Hatters is set for 2 p.m. at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center. Stetson currently holds a 10-5 advantage in the history between the two schools.
"These guys have been through a lot so far this season and we have played a really tough schedule," head coach CJ Weber said. "We've played a lot of 4-3 matches, but that's the type of things that we're looking for in our non-conference schedule. We're now prepared for anything in conference. I think a win like this does a great thing for the team heading into conference play."
The duo of juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (6-4) finished its doubles match on court No. 2 with a 6-3 victory, leaving the point to be decided by the first and third courts. Both courts went back-and-forth until seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (6-6) defeated the No. 78 duo of Roger Chau and Charles Tan 7-5. The win marked the Eagles' first over a ranked opponent in doubles play this season.
At the time the Eagles clinched the doubles point, junior Marcelo Tebet and freshman Pedro Maciel (0-1) were leading their Brown competitors 6-5.
Soon after singles play began, Ramirez (6-7) was forced to retire at the first court and the Bears picked up their first point of the match to even things up at 1-1.
Brown took its first lead of the afternoon with a 6-1, 6-0 straight set victory over Escobar (3-8) on the second flight. Senior Javier Fernandez (7-4) picked up his fourth-straight win with a 6-1, 7-5 triumph at the fifth flight that tied things up at 2-2.
The Bears took their second lead of the night with a straight-set victory at the sixth court. Tebet (8-4) responded for the Eagles with a 7-5, 6-2 win that tied things up at 3-3.
With things knotted up, the fate of the match came down to Sakalauskas and his Brown competitor on court five. After dropping the second set, Sakaulaskas (7-7) dominated the third to reward FGCU with its final 4-3 triumph over the Bears.
Results
Singles competition
1. Peter Litsky (BROWN) def. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) 0-1, retired
2. Ching Lam (BROWN) def. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) 6-4, 6-0
3. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) def. Roger Chou (BROWN) 7-5, 6-2
4. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. Jacob Walker (BROWN) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
5. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. Charles Tan (BROWN) 6-1, 7-5
6. Robert Siniakowicz (BROWN) def. RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) 6-4, 7-5
Order of finish: 1, 2, 5, 6, 3, 4
Doubles competition
1. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. #78 Roger Chou/Charles Tan (BROWN) 7-5
2. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Ching Lam/Jacob Walker (BROWN) 6-3
3. TEBET, Marcelo/MACIEL, Pedro (FGCU) vs. Peter Litsky/Ben Collier (BROWN) 6-5, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1
Up Next:
The Eagles will head to Stetson this Saturday, March 30 to start off a three-match road swing. The match against the Hatters is set for 2 p.m. at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center. Stetson currently holds a 10-5 advantage in the history between the two schools.
FGCU MGolf: FAU Spring Championship Preview
The FGCU men's golf team preps for the FAU Spring Championship March 29-31, which will be contested on the par-72, 6,786-yard Osprey Point Golf Course in Boca Raton, Fla.
The 54-hole tournament will be played across three days, with 18 holes each being contested Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The opening round will be a staggered start with FGCU teeing off beginning at 10:50 a.m. on the first hole. Round standings will determine tee times for the final two days.
The Eagles have been off for the past three weeks after finishing ninth at the Pinehurst Intercollegiate. The Green and Blue have also posted a runner-up finish at the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate after winning the Colin Montgomerie Invitational to kickoff the spring.
"We had a few weeks to focus on our weaknesses and short game," FGCU coach Eric Booker said. "The guys are rested and ready to compete."
LINEUP
1. Cole Castro
2. Andrew Potter
3. Tate Heintzelman
4. Chase Bigham
5. J.T. Barker
Last Time Out:
Castro led FGCU the last time out, posting a steady three-round score of 222 to finish in a tie for 14th at the Pinehurst tournament. Prior to that week, he shot a career-low 66 in the second round at the Fort Lauderdale event and tied for fourth. Potter, like Castro, has finished inside the top-25 in all three spring tourneys. He tied for fifth at the Texas tournament and landed in solo seventh in Fort Lauderdale.
Bigham and Heintzelman continue to be mainstays in the lineup and both own a pair of top-25 finishes, while Barker is slated to compete in his second event for the Eagles. He recorded two counting scores at the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate and tied for 49h.
Complete Field [Sorted by GolfStat ranking as of 3/27]:
75 - UCF
133 - Southern Illinois
135 - UConn
148 - FGCU
168 - Florida Atlantic
177 - Bethune-Cookman
193 - George Mason
195 - Xavier
197 - Georgetown
227 - Rhode Island
228 - Houston Baptist
241 - Murray State
251 - Hartford
N/A - Miami (Ohio)
The 54-hole tournament will be played across three days, with 18 holes each being contested Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The opening round will be a staggered start with FGCU teeing off beginning at 10:50 a.m. on the first hole. Round standings will determine tee times for the final two days.
The Eagles have been off for the past three weeks after finishing ninth at the Pinehurst Intercollegiate. The Green and Blue have also posted a runner-up finish at the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate after winning the Colin Montgomerie Invitational to kickoff the spring.
"We had a few weeks to focus on our weaknesses and short game," FGCU coach Eric Booker said. "The guys are rested and ready to compete."
LINEUP
1. Cole Castro
2. Andrew Potter
3. Tate Heintzelman
4. Chase Bigham
5. J.T. Barker
Last Time Out:
Castro led FGCU the last time out, posting a steady three-round score of 222 to finish in a tie for 14th at the Pinehurst tournament. Prior to that week, he shot a career-low 66 in the second round at the Fort Lauderdale event and tied for fourth. Potter, like Castro, has finished inside the top-25 in all three spring tourneys. He tied for fifth at the Texas tournament and landed in solo seventh in Fort Lauderdale.
Bigham and Heintzelman continue to be mainstays in the lineup and both own a pair of top-25 finishes, while Barker is slated to compete in his second event for the Eagles. He recorded two counting scores at the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate and tied for 49h.
Complete Field [Sorted by GolfStat ranking as of 3/27]:
75 - UCF
133 - Southern Illinois
135 - UConn
148 - FGCU
168 - Florida Atlantic
177 - Bethune-Cookman
193 - George Mason
195 - Xavier
197 - Georgetown
227 - Rhode Island
228 - Houston Baptist
241 - Murray State
251 - Hartford
N/A - Miami (Ohio)
SCF Baseball vs HCC Recap
Even though strong winds came into effect, it did not stop the SCF baseball team (24-12, 9-5 Suncoast) from claiming their third series in Suncoast Conference play as they defeated Hillsborough (17-17, 7-7 Suncoast) 5-2 at Wynn Field Wednesday night. With the win, the Manatees are now 33-15 against the Hawks.
Head coach Tim Hill II sent sophomore Aaron Brown to the mound while HCC head coach William Colome sent redshirt freshman Colton Gordon to counter.
The Manatees would be the first to get on the board as sophomore Bryce Hulett would groundout to send redshirt sophomore Brian Dillingham home to give the Manatees a 1-0 lead, but the Hawks answered back at the top of the third as freshman Erick Orbeta would double and bring in sophomore Rafael Marquez-Acosta to tie the game at 1-1.
After two more scoreless innings with the score still tied at 1-1, the Manatees were able to retake the lead in the bottom of the sixth. After Hulett reached first on a fielding error before sophomore Giovany hit a single, freshman Nick Winkelmeyer would hit a two-single before sophomore Colin Moore gave the Manatees the lead with an RBI single.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Manatees decided to add some insurance runs to the mix. Beginning with a leadoff double by freshman Jonathan Alonso, Dillingham would send him home with a single to give SCF a 3-1 lead. This signaled the end for Gordon and was soon replaced by freshman Carlos Francisco-Rodriguez, but it did very little effect for SCF after a single by Hulett before stealing second as Lorenzo would send Dillingham home with a single. After Winkelmeyer was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Moore would bring in Hulett to give the Manatees a 5-1 lead.
At the top of the eighth, the Hawks were able to add one more run to the scoreboard as Orbeta would hit an RBI single to make it 5-2 SCF, but it was all they could produce as the Manatees would pull away with the win.
"This was a big win for us," said head coach Tim Hill II. "The story of our game was our pitcher (Aaron Brown) who I thought was outstanding. He came as as advertised tonight and has had a really good season. The wind was the strongest I've ever seen in a long time and kept blowing in our batter's faces, so it wasn't a great night for the offense, but we did some little things, especially late in the game that helped us stretch it out a bit, so we challenge our guys the whole time to win the seventh, eighth and ninth inning and if we continue to do that consistently, then we're going to win most of our games."
Brown would earn his fifth win of the season after throwing a complete game giving up both runs on five hits while striking out seven. The Vanderbilt transfer is now at 5-2 on the season.
Gordon would be credited with his second loss of the season, putting him at 5-2 on the season. Gordon gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits while striking out seven.
Francisco-Rodriguez gave up the remaining two runs on three hits with two strikeouts in two thirds of an inning.
Freshman Damien Torres struck out one batter in one scoreless inning.
Lorenzo finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run while Dillingham (2-for-5, one RBI and two runs) and Winkelmeyer (2-for-3) had two hits each. Moore was the only Manatee with a multi-RBI game as he finished 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Orbeta and Marquez-Acosta each had two hits on HCC's offense.
"Brian Dillingham had the big hit for us to get us ahead late in the game as well as Lorenzo Nick (Winkelmeyer) and Jonathan (Alonso)," said Hill. "All three have been swinging hot bats for us."
Furthermore to the win, Hill earned his 249th win and is now one win away from reaching his 250th career win as head baseball coach for SCF. When asked about getting close to the milestone, Hill II said "If I get 250, then I'll need 1,000 more to catch my dad."
Furthermore Hill said as a way for humor "Will Matt Ennis get me a cake?" I didn't know exactly how to answer to that, but it was funny to say the least.
Up Next:
SCF looks to complete the sweep over HCC as they travel to Tampa to do so. The Manatees look to get Hill II's 250th career win as head coach. Sophomore Corey Ireson will be getting the nod to start game three of the series.
"I expect Hillsborough to come out ready to play," said Hill II on HCC. "They're gonna throw another good arm. I thought their arm they threw tonight (Gordon), a local product from Lakewood Ranch, was terrific. He pitched really well."
"HCC's defense let them down a little bit, but I'm expecting they will throw another good arm and it will be a challenge for our guys to try and get another 'W'. The Suncoast is a tough conference and you have to bring your 'A' game to every game in this conference."
Head coach Tim Hill II sent sophomore Aaron Brown to the mound while HCC head coach William Colome sent redshirt freshman Colton Gordon to counter.
The Manatees would be the first to get on the board as sophomore Bryce Hulett would groundout to send redshirt sophomore Brian Dillingham home to give the Manatees a 1-0 lead, but the Hawks answered back at the top of the third as freshman Erick Orbeta would double and bring in sophomore Rafael Marquez-Acosta to tie the game at 1-1.
After two more scoreless innings with the score still tied at 1-1, the Manatees were able to retake the lead in the bottom of the sixth. After Hulett reached first on a fielding error before sophomore Giovany hit a single, freshman Nick Winkelmeyer would hit a two-single before sophomore Colin Moore gave the Manatees the lead with an RBI single.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Manatees decided to add some insurance runs to the mix. Beginning with a leadoff double by freshman Jonathan Alonso, Dillingham would send him home with a single to give SCF a 3-1 lead. This signaled the end for Gordon and was soon replaced by freshman Carlos Francisco-Rodriguez, but it did very little effect for SCF after a single by Hulett before stealing second as Lorenzo would send Dillingham home with a single. After Winkelmeyer was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Moore would bring in Hulett to give the Manatees a 5-1 lead.
At the top of the eighth, the Hawks were able to add one more run to the scoreboard as Orbeta would hit an RBI single to make it 5-2 SCF, but it was all they could produce as the Manatees would pull away with the win.
"This was a big win for us," said head coach Tim Hill II. "The story of our game was our pitcher (Aaron Brown) who I thought was outstanding. He came as as advertised tonight and has had a really good season. The wind was the strongest I've ever seen in a long time and kept blowing in our batter's faces, so it wasn't a great night for the offense, but we did some little things, especially late in the game that helped us stretch it out a bit, so we challenge our guys the whole time to win the seventh, eighth and ninth inning and if we continue to do that consistently, then we're going to win most of our games."
Brown would earn his fifth win of the season after throwing a complete game giving up both runs on five hits while striking out seven. The Vanderbilt transfer is now at 5-2 on the season.
Gordon would be credited with his second loss of the season, putting him at 5-2 on the season. Gordon gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits while striking out seven.
Francisco-Rodriguez gave up the remaining two runs on three hits with two strikeouts in two thirds of an inning.
Freshman Damien Torres struck out one batter in one scoreless inning.
Lorenzo finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run while Dillingham (2-for-5, one RBI and two runs) and Winkelmeyer (2-for-3) had two hits each. Moore was the only Manatee with a multi-RBI game as he finished 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Orbeta and Marquez-Acosta each had two hits on HCC's offense.
"Brian Dillingham had the big hit for us to get us ahead late in the game as well as Lorenzo Nick (Winkelmeyer) and Jonathan (Alonso)," said Hill. "All three have been swinging hot bats for us."
Furthermore to the win, Hill earned his 249th win and is now one win away from reaching his 250th career win as head baseball coach for SCF. When asked about getting close to the milestone, Hill II said "If I get 250, then I'll need 1,000 more to catch my dad."
Furthermore Hill said as a way for humor "Will Matt Ennis get me a cake?" I didn't know exactly how to answer to that, but it was funny to say the least.
Up Next:
SCF looks to complete the sweep over HCC as they travel to Tampa to do so. The Manatees look to get Hill II's 250th career win as head coach. Sophomore Corey Ireson will be getting the nod to start game three of the series.
"I expect Hillsborough to come out ready to play," said Hill II on HCC. "They're gonna throw another good arm. I thought their arm they threw tonight (Gordon), a local product from Lakewood Ranch, was terrific. He pitched really well."
"HCC's defense let them down a little bit, but I'm expecting they will throw another good arm and it will be a challenge for our guys to try and get another 'W'. The Suncoast is a tough conference and you have to bring your 'A' game to every game in this conference."
SCF Softball Sweeps SPC
The SCF softball team (32-12, 8-3 Suncoast) pulled away with their third sweep in Suncoast Conference play as they defeated St. Pete (23-16, 5-5 Suncoast) 6-3 in game one and 10-5 in game two. With the wins, the Manatees are now 18-14 against the Titans.
Game One:
For game one, head coach Mandy Schuerman sent freshman Kailey Christian to the mound, while SPC head coach Bre Myers sent freshman Ashley Smith to counter.
After a scoreless first inning, the Manatees would get on the board first. After back-to-back one out singles from sophomores Sabrina Long and Kyria Holcomb, Christian had no issue bringing in the first as she line a single to left to bring in Parks for a 1-0 SCF lead. Two batters later, fellow classmate Lauren Bostwick would clear the bases with a two-RBI triple to make it 3-0 which was then followed by an RBI double off the bat of Makayla Benavidez to make it 4-0 SCF. This signaled the end for Smith as Myers would make a pitching change and send sophomore Sydney Tulin to the mound.
The Manatees continued to hold the Titans scoreless while adding to their lead at the top of the fifth after sophomore Haley McFadden hit an RBI double that sent sophomore Cheyenne Nunez, who hit a single and stole her 27th stolen base, home to make it 5-0 SCF.
The Titans would then get on the board with their first run of the game as freshman Kaylen Gill sent home freshman Alexa Thrasher with an RBI single, but the Manatees would answer back at the top of the sixth with a big shot from Christian as she hit her first collegiate home run of the season to give the Manatees a 6-1 lead prior to Myers pulling Tulin and sending freshman Gabriella Cirilo to the mound.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Titans would try to cut the deficit to three as they scored two runs from an RBI groundout by freshman Hannah Barnes and an RBI single by freshman Valerie Colimodio, but it was all they could produce to the end as the Manatees pulled away with the win.
Christian would earn her 17th win after throwing her 13th complete game, giving up three runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out five while going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.
Smith would fall to 5-3 with the loss after throwing two innings and giving up four runs on five hits.
Tulin gave up two runs on four hits while walking two batters in three innings.
Cirilo threw two scoreless innings while walking four and striking out one.
Aside from Christian, McFadden was the other Manatee with a multi-hit game as she finished 2-for-4 with an RBI while Bostwick was the other Manatee with a multi-RBI game as she finished 1-for-3 with two RBI.
For the Titans, Gill and sophomores Kelsey Holbert and Emma Biddle each had two hits.
Game Two:
Schuerman sent freshman Madi LoCastro to the mound while Myers sent Cirilo to counter.
The Titans would end up on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the first after an RBI single from Barnes and a two-RBI single from Holbert that made it a 3-0 lead, but at the top of the second, the Manatees would respond back. After a leadoff walk drawn by Holcomb and Christian getting hit by a pitch, sophomore Madison Yoder attempted to move the runners with a sacrifice bunt, but instead reached on a fielding error that sent Holcomb home and brought Christian to third. Sophomore Sydney Parks would send Christian home with a sacrifice fly that cut SPC's lead to 3-2, which signaled the end for Lewis as Myers sent Cirilo. After Nunez hit a bunt single before stealing her 27th stolen base, sophomore Megan Seeds would send Yoder and Nunez home with a single to give the Manatees a 4-3 lead.
The Manatees continued to hold on to the 4-3 lead until the bottom of the fourth when Biddle hit an RBI single and Tulin scored on a fielding error by McFadden to give SPC a 5-4 lead. This signaled the end for LoCastro as Schuerman sent freshman Ashlee Zientek to the mound to finish the inning.
After being held to the punch, the Manatees were able to tie the game at 5-5 after an RBI double by Seeds that sent Bostwick home at the top of the sixth. Myers sent Smith to the mound in relief for Cirilo at the top of the second before both teams failed to score, thus sending the game to extra innings.
At the top of the eighth, Seeds would start with a one-out single. After Long reached first on a fielder's choice, McFadden would draw a walk to load the bases for Holcomb. With an 0-1 count, Holcomb would give the Manatees the lead with a single sending Seeds and Long home to make it 7-5 SCF. The Manatees then extended the lead further as Christian sent home McFadden with an RBI single to make it 8-5. Myers would send Tulin shortly after.
After Yoder loaded the bases, Bostwick would draw a base-loaded walk to send Holcomb home before Nunez added a bases-loaded single to give the Manatees a 10-5 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth, Zientek would have no problem as she sealed the deal for the win.
LoCastro would be credited with a no-decision after throwing 3.2 innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on seven hits while walking one and striking out three.
Zientek would earn her sixth win of the season after throwing 4.1 scoreless innings of relief, giving up one hit with one walk and three strikeouts. Zientek is now at 6-3.
Cirilo would be credited with a no-decision for SPC after giving up five runs (two earned) on five hits while walking six and striking out two.
Smith would be credited with her fourth loss after giving up five runs on four hits while walking three and striking out two.
Tulin threw a third of a scoreless inning.
Seeds led the team in game two as she went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a stolen base, while finishing 3-for-8 in the series.
Nunez finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base and also finished 3-for-8 with two stolen bases in the series. Nunez's 27th and 28th stolen bases were her 50th and 51st in her career.
Holcomb finished 1-for-1 with two walks and two RBI and 2-for-4 in the series.
For SPC, Biddle, Barnes and Holbert had two hits each with Holbert being the only Titan with a multi-RBI game as she finished with two.
Other Scores in the Suncoast:
#1 FSW (42-1, 9-1 Suncoast) defeated Polk State (16-23, 3-7 Suncoast) 8-0 via mercy rule.
South Florida State College (22-16, 2-8 Suncoast) will play Polk State on Tuesday, April 2 at 5 and 7 pm while
Up Next:
The Manatees remain on the road as they travel to Tampa to take on Hillsborough (13-20, 3-7 Suncoast) on Tuesday, April 2 at 5 and 7 pm at the City of Tampa Dick Greco Jr. Softball Complex.
Game One:
For game one, head coach Mandy Schuerman sent freshman Kailey Christian to the mound, while SPC head coach Bre Myers sent freshman Ashley Smith to counter.
After a scoreless first inning, the Manatees would get on the board first. After back-to-back one out singles from sophomores Sabrina Long and Kyria Holcomb, Christian had no issue bringing in the first as she line a single to left to bring in Parks for a 1-0 SCF lead. Two batters later, fellow classmate Lauren Bostwick would clear the bases with a two-RBI triple to make it 3-0 which was then followed by an RBI double off the bat of Makayla Benavidez to make it 4-0 SCF. This signaled the end for Smith as Myers would make a pitching change and send sophomore Sydney Tulin to the mound.
The Manatees continued to hold the Titans scoreless while adding to their lead at the top of the fifth after sophomore Haley McFadden hit an RBI double that sent sophomore Cheyenne Nunez, who hit a single and stole her 27th stolen base, home to make it 5-0 SCF.
The Titans would then get on the board with their first run of the game as freshman Kaylen Gill sent home freshman Alexa Thrasher with an RBI single, but the Manatees would answer back at the top of the sixth with a big shot from Christian as she hit her first collegiate home run of the season to give the Manatees a 6-1 lead prior to Myers pulling Tulin and sending freshman Gabriella Cirilo to the mound.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Titans would try to cut the deficit to three as they scored two runs from an RBI groundout by freshman Hannah Barnes and an RBI single by freshman Valerie Colimodio, but it was all they could produce to the end as the Manatees pulled away with the win.
Christian would earn her 17th win after throwing her 13th complete game, giving up three runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out five while going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.
Smith would fall to 5-3 with the loss after throwing two innings and giving up four runs on five hits.
Tulin gave up two runs on four hits while walking two batters in three innings.
Cirilo threw two scoreless innings while walking four and striking out one.
Aside from Christian, McFadden was the other Manatee with a multi-hit game as she finished 2-for-4 with an RBI while Bostwick was the other Manatee with a multi-RBI game as she finished 1-for-3 with two RBI.
For the Titans, Gill and sophomores Kelsey Holbert and Emma Biddle each had two hits.
Game Two:
Schuerman sent freshman Madi LoCastro to the mound while Myers sent Cirilo to counter.
The Titans would end up on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the first after an RBI single from Barnes and a two-RBI single from Holbert that made it a 3-0 lead, but at the top of the second, the Manatees would respond back. After a leadoff walk drawn by Holcomb and Christian getting hit by a pitch, sophomore Madison Yoder attempted to move the runners with a sacrifice bunt, but instead reached on a fielding error that sent Holcomb home and brought Christian to third. Sophomore Sydney Parks would send Christian home with a sacrifice fly that cut SPC's lead to 3-2, which signaled the end for Lewis as Myers sent Cirilo. After Nunez hit a bunt single before stealing her 27th stolen base, sophomore Megan Seeds would send Yoder and Nunez home with a single to give the Manatees a 4-3 lead.
The Manatees continued to hold on to the 4-3 lead until the bottom of the fourth when Biddle hit an RBI single and Tulin scored on a fielding error by McFadden to give SPC a 5-4 lead. This signaled the end for LoCastro as Schuerman sent freshman Ashlee Zientek to the mound to finish the inning.
After being held to the punch, the Manatees were able to tie the game at 5-5 after an RBI double by Seeds that sent Bostwick home at the top of the sixth. Myers sent Smith to the mound in relief for Cirilo at the top of the second before both teams failed to score, thus sending the game to extra innings.
At the top of the eighth, Seeds would start with a one-out single. After Long reached first on a fielder's choice, McFadden would draw a walk to load the bases for Holcomb. With an 0-1 count, Holcomb would give the Manatees the lead with a single sending Seeds and Long home to make it 7-5 SCF. The Manatees then extended the lead further as Christian sent home McFadden with an RBI single to make it 8-5. Myers would send Tulin shortly after.
After Yoder loaded the bases, Bostwick would draw a base-loaded walk to send Holcomb home before Nunez added a bases-loaded single to give the Manatees a 10-5 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth, Zientek would have no problem as she sealed the deal for the win.
LoCastro would be credited with a no-decision after throwing 3.2 innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on seven hits while walking one and striking out three.
Zientek would earn her sixth win of the season after throwing 4.1 scoreless innings of relief, giving up one hit with one walk and three strikeouts. Zientek is now at 6-3.
Cirilo would be credited with a no-decision for SPC after giving up five runs (two earned) on five hits while walking six and striking out two.
Smith would be credited with her fourth loss after giving up five runs on four hits while walking three and striking out two.
Tulin threw a third of a scoreless inning.
Seeds led the team in game two as she went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a stolen base, while finishing 3-for-8 in the series.
Nunez finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base and also finished 3-for-8 with two stolen bases in the series. Nunez's 27th and 28th stolen bases were her 50th and 51st in her career.
Holcomb finished 1-for-1 with two walks and two RBI and 2-for-4 in the series.
For SPC, Biddle, Barnes and Holbert had two hits each with Holbert being the only Titan with a multi-RBI game as she finished with two.
Other Scores in the Suncoast:
#1 FSW (42-1, 9-1 Suncoast) defeated Polk State (16-23, 3-7 Suncoast) 8-0 via mercy rule.
South Florida State College (22-16, 2-8 Suncoast) will play Polk State on Tuesday, April 2 at 5 and 7 pm while
Up Next:
The Manatees remain on the road as they travel to Tampa to take on Hillsborough (13-20, 3-7 Suncoast) on Tuesday, April 2 at 5 and 7 pm at the City of Tampa Dick Greco Jr. Softball Complex.
FGCU Baseball vs Towson Preview
The FGCU baseball team (16-8, 1-2 A-SUN) will be back at Swanson Stadium to host Towson (3-19, 0-3 CAA) March 29-31 in the final non-conference weekend series of the season. First pitch of the series is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The game is a designated White out. Saturday's game is set for 2 p.m. and all Charlotte County residents can get in to the game for free with an ID. The series finale is set for noon on Sunday. All three games will be streamed on YouTube Live and there is no scheduled commentary.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles swept in-state rival FIU in a home-and-home midweek series. The teams first faced off at Swanson Stadium on Tuesday. Sophomore Tyler Shuck started on the mound and hurled six innings. He allowed one hit, one walk and faced one batter over the minimum. He tied his career high with six Ks as the Eagles cruised to a 3-0 victory.
Juniors Richie Garcia and Alex Brait led the offense with two hits apiece. Junior Trey Vickery pitched one of his strongest games as an Eagle in Wednesday night's 11-6 win over the Panthers. The southpaw pitched a career-high five innings, struck out a career-high six batters and gave up just two hits. Senior Keith Stevens and freshman Kinker finished the night with three RBIs each.
Scouting The Tigers:
Towson enters this weekend with a 1-14 record on the road. The lone victory was a 5-2 win at Kennesaw State, the Eagles' A-SUN foe, last month. The most runs that the Tigers have scored in a game so far is eight.
The team has achieved this mark twice, once in a win over Fordham and once in a loss at George Washington. Towson will enter the weekend looking to snap its seven-game losing streak.
Freshman Javon Fields has reached base in 13 straight games and leads the Tigers in batting average (.321), hits (25), doubles (5), triples (3) and stolen bases (6).
Friday starter Josh Seils was recently named CAA Pitcher of the Week after he threw eight scoreless innings and struck out six against Fordham. The senior has pitched a team-high 29.2 innings and owns a 3.34 ERA.
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_1ISjt5aVZZLdGCQqVAPGw
Last Time Out:
The Eagles swept in-state rival FIU in a home-and-home midweek series. The teams first faced off at Swanson Stadium on Tuesday. Sophomore Tyler Shuck started on the mound and hurled six innings. He allowed one hit, one walk and faced one batter over the minimum. He tied his career high with six Ks as the Eagles cruised to a 3-0 victory.
Juniors Richie Garcia and Alex Brait led the offense with two hits apiece. Junior Trey Vickery pitched one of his strongest games as an Eagle in Wednesday night's 11-6 win over the Panthers. The southpaw pitched a career-high five innings, struck out a career-high six batters and gave up just two hits. Senior Keith Stevens and freshman Kinker finished the night with three RBIs each.
Scouting The Tigers:
Towson enters this weekend with a 1-14 record on the road. The lone victory was a 5-2 win at Kennesaw State, the Eagles' A-SUN foe, last month. The most runs that the Tigers have scored in a game so far is eight.
The team has achieved this mark twice, once in a win over Fordham and once in a loss at George Washington. Towson will enter the weekend looking to snap its seven-game losing streak.
Freshman Javon Fields has reached base in 13 straight games and leads the Tigers in batting average (.321), hits (25), doubles (5), triples (3) and stolen bases (6).
Friday starter Josh Seils was recently named CAA Pitcher of the Week after he threw eight scoreless innings and struck out six against Fordham. The senior has pitched a team-high 29.2 innings and owns a 3.34 ERA.
Livestats Links:
Game One- http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=252503
Game Two- http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=252504
Game Three- http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=252505
FGCU MTEN vs Brown Preview
The FGCU men's tennis team (6-8, 2-0 A-SUN) will take on Brown (7-5, 0-0 Ivy) at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 28 at the FGCU Tennis Complex.
"This is our last non-conference match on the year and it's a great opportunity for us to host an Ivy League school," head coach CJ Weber said. "Brown has had a good year so far, so we are anticipating another battle."
"This is our last non-conference match on the year and it's a great opportunity for us to host an Ivy League school," head coach CJ Weber said. "Brown has had a good year so far, so we are anticipating another battle."
Last Time Out:
The Green and Blue earned its second A-SUN win of the season with a clean, 7-0 sweep over NJIT last Saturday at the FGCU Tennis Complex. A strong showing in doubles play handed the Eagles an early 1-0 edge. Sophomore Juan Montes and junior Marcelo Tebet defeated their NJIT competitors 6-2 on court two. Juniors Felipe Ramirez and Feliksas Sakalauskas sealed the point with a victory by the same margin at the third flight.
Senior Javier Fernandez extended his current winning streak to three with a straight-set triumph on court six. Sakalauskas followed up immediately with a straight-set victory of his own at the fifth flight. Ramirez clinched the match for the Eagles with a 6-2, 6-1 win at court two, snapping his NJIT competitor's three-match winning streak.
Tebet and Montes each claimed straight-set victories at courts four and one, respectively. Senior Felipe Escobar sealed the sweep for the Green and Blue with a tiebreak victory in his second set at the third flight.
Scouting the Bears:
This will be the second meeting between the two programs. The teams first met at the FGCU Tennis Complex in 2011, a 6-1 victory for the Bears.
Brown is currently on a two-match skid after dropping decisions at Loyola Marymount (4-3) and at the Eagles' A-SUN foe UNF (5-2). The Bears are undefeated on their home courts, but have a 1-2 record on the road.
The duo of senior Charles Tan and freshman Roger Chau is currently ranked No. 78 in the ITA doubles rankings and owns a 5-4 record this spring. Brown has posted three shutout victories this season. The Bears blanked St. John's (4-0), Binghamton (7-0) and William & Mary (4-0). The team has been on the opposite end of a shutout just once, a 4-0 loss at Virginia Tech.
Up Next:
The Eagles will get in to the heart of their conference season with a three-match road swing, starting at Stetson (9-8, 1-1 A-SUN) on Saturday, March 30. The meeting with the Hatters is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center. Stetson currently holds a 10-5 advantage in the history between the two schools.
SCF Softball Heads to SPC for Suncoast Play
The SCF softball team (31-11, 6-2 Suncoast) will now head to face St. Pete College (23-14, 5-3 Suncoast) at Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Florida for a doubleheader Thursday night at 5 and 7 pm. This will be a makeup from March 19.
Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off of a sweep over Polk State where they won 4-3 in game and 9-2 in game two. As of March 26, the Manatees rank #4 in the NJCAA Region 8 Softball Coaches' Poll and are second in the Suncoast behind #1 FSW.
The Squad:
The squad that leads the way for the Manatees are sophomores Cheyenne Nunez, Haley McFadden and Kyria Holcomb and freshmen Lauren Bostwick, Sabrina "Sas" Long, Makayla Benavidez, Madi LoCastro and Kailey Christian.
Benavidez is batting .380 with 30 hits, five RBI, 21 runs scored and nine stolen bases. Benavidez was 2-for-6 against Polk State with two runs scored and a stolen base.
Scouting SPC:
The Titans enter the doubleheader with a five-game winning streak in conference. In their last doubleheader, the Titans swept HCC 7-0 in game one and 8-0 via mercy rule in game two.
Sophomore Sydney Tulin and freshman Valerie Colimodio lead the team with three home runs each at the plate with freshman Hannah Barnes leading the team in RBI (30) and freshman Isabella Huff leading in batting average (.434), hits (56) and stolen bases (16).
Meanwhile on the mound, Tulin is 7-4 with a 4.49 ERA and 47 strikeouts while freshman Ashley Smith is 5-2 with a 2.59 ERA and 46 strikeouts.
Series History (2012-Present):
The Manatees are 16-14 against the Titans. Last season, the Manatees lost the overall series 3-1 with their only win that season was on March 8, 2018.
Follow Along:
Livestats will be available (account needed) and fan can follow both teams on Twitter:
SCF: @SCFSoftball
SPC: @spcsoftball
Livestats Link: https://gc.com/t/spring-2019/state-college-of-florida-softball-5c4617fc03d69700218c16d3
Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off of a sweep over Polk State where they won 4-3 in game and 9-2 in game two. As of March 26, the Manatees rank #4 in the NJCAA Region 8 Softball Coaches' Poll and are second in the Suncoast behind #1 FSW.
The Squad:
The squad that leads the way for the Manatees are sophomores Cheyenne Nunez, Haley McFadden and Kyria Holcomb and freshmen Lauren Bostwick, Sabrina "Sas" Long, Makayla Benavidez, Madi LoCastro and Kailey Christian.
Nunez, the speedster on the team is batting .355 with 41 hits, 20 RBI and 26 stolen bases. Nunez was was 3-for-6 against Polk State with two stolen bases. In fact, Nunez's 26th stolen base set the SCF single season record for most stolen bases in a single season.
McFadden is batting .290 with a home run and 22 RBI. McFadden was 3-for-7 with two RBI against Polk State.
Holcomb is batting .261 with a home run and 16 RBI despite going 1-for-6 with two RBI against Polk State.
Following Nunez's footsteps in speed, Bostwick is batting .276 with 13 RBI and 18 stolen bases. Bostwick was 4-for-7 with two doubles and an RBI against Polk State.
Proving effective on the field, Long has a .833 fielding percentage while batting .357 with two home runs and 32 RBI. Long was 4-for-7 against Polk State with three RBI and three runs.
LoCastro is 7-2 with a 1.61 ERA and 34 strikeouts on the mound while batting .330 with five home runs and 22 RBI at the plate. LoCastro was 0-for-2 against Polk State but earned the win in game two after throwing a complete game with three strikeouts
Benavidez is batting .380 with 30 hits, five RBI, 21 runs scored and nine stolen bases. Benavidez was 2-for-6 against Polk State with two runs scored and a stolen base.
Like LoCastro, Christian also continues her role on the mound as well as the plate with consistency. Christian is 16-2 with a 1.68 ERA and 156 strikeouts while batting .324 with 33 hits and 24 RBI. Christian threw her 12th complete game in the win over Polk State while striking out nine batters.
The Titans enter the doubleheader with a five-game winning streak in conference. In their last doubleheader, the Titans swept HCC 7-0 in game one and 8-0 via mercy rule in game two.
Sophomore Sydney Tulin and freshman Valerie Colimodio lead the team with three home runs each at the plate with freshman Hannah Barnes leading the team in RBI (30) and freshman Isabella Huff leading in batting average (.434), hits (56) and stolen bases (16).
Meanwhile on the mound, Tulin is 7-4 with a 4.49 ERA and 47 strikeouts while freshman Ashley Smith is 5-2 with a 2.59 ERA and 46 strikeouts.
Series History (2012-Present):
The Manatees are 16-14 against the Titans. Last season, the Manatees lost the overall series 3-1 with their only win that season was on March 8, 2018.
Follow Along:
Livestats will be available (account needed) and fan can follow both teams on Twitter:
SCF: @SCFSoftball
SPC: @spcsoftball
Livestats Link: https://gc.com/t/spring-2019/state-college-of-florida-softball-5c4617fc03d69700218c16d3
SCF Tennis vs St. Catherine Recap
The SCF tennis team (5-5, 3-4 Region 8) wrapped up their non-conference slate at home as they defeated NCAA DIII St. Catherine (5-4, 2-3 MIAC) 9-0. This was the Manatees' first shutout of the season and the first since March 19, 2017 (vs Florida State College-Jacksonville).
"It was a good match for the girls, which was nice," said head coach Chloe Murphy. "We really focused on getting the job done."
Beginning in doubles, the team of sophomore Sara Jamal and freshman Sara Ramirez-Goncalves (4-5) quickly defeated juniors Bri Dorr and Alisha Wiedmeier 8-1 at #1 doubles. The team of sophomore Diarra Thomas and freshman Britain Botsford (5-4) would follow with an 8-4 win over freshman Reilee Schepper and sophomore Ella Graham at #3 doubles before the duo of freshman Zeba Jamal and sophomore Camille Portalier (4-5) defeated juniors Aubrey Eckstrom and Maddy Knoll 8-6, thus SCF claimed all three doubles points.
Meanwhile for an exhibition doubles match, the team of freshman Mackenzie Vraspir and sophomore Laura Illanes-Rodriguez would fall 8-1 to seniors Ruth Rike and Leah Obert.
Heading into singles, Ramirez-Goncalves (8-0) pulled away with a quick 6-0, 6-1 win over Eckstrom at #3 singles before Botsford (6-4) sealed the deal for the Manatees with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Obert at #5 singles.
"I did what I had to do in my singles match and play smart," said Ramirez-Goncalves. "It really showed on my part on the scoreboard."
In the final four matches, Zeba Jamal (3-6) would win with a 6-0 pair decision over Dorr at #1 singles while her sister, Sara (5-5), followed with 6-1 pair decision over Wiedmeier at #2 singles. Illanes-Rodriguez (5-4) would then pull away at #6 singles with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Graham before Portalier (4-6) pulled away with a 6-4 pair decision over Knoll for the final match.
Thomas and Vraspir also played in one set exhibition matches with Thomas defeating Schepper 8-0, while Vraspir fell 8-0 against Rike.
Up Next:
The Manatees open with their final home match of the season in conference play as they welcome Hillsborough Community College (7-1, 6-1 Region 8) to the SCF Tennis Complex. The final home matchup will be listed as senior day for Laura Illanes-Rodriguez, Sara Jamal, Camille Portalier, Diarra Thomas.
"It was a good match for the girls, which was nice," said head coach Chloe Murphy. "We really focused on getting the job done."
Beginning in doubles, the team of sophomore Sara Jamal and freshman Sara Ramirez-Goncalves (4-5) quickly defeated juniors Bri Dorr and Alisha Wiedmeier 8-1 at #1 doubles. The team of sophomore Diarra Thomas and freshman Britain Botsford (5-4) would follow with an 8-4 win over freshman Reilee Schepper and sophomore Ella Graham at #3 doubles before the duo of freshman Zeba Jamal and sophomore Camille Portalier (4-5) defeated juniors Aubrey Eckstrom and Maddy Knoll 8-6, thus SCF claimed all three doubles points.
Meanwhile for an exhibition doubles match, the team of freshman Mackenzie Vraspir and sophomore Laura Illanes-Rodriguez would fall 8-1 to seniors Ruth Rike and Leah Obert.
Heading into singles, Ramirez-Goncalves (8-0) pulled away with a quick 6-0, 6-1 win over Eckstrom at #3 singles before Botsford (6-4) sealed the deal for the Manatees with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Obert at #5 singles.
"I did what I had to do in my singles match and play smart," said Ramirez-Goncalves. "It really showed on my part on the scoreboard."
In the final four matches, Zeba Jamal (3-6) would win with a 6-0 pair decision over Dorr at #1 singles while her sister, Sara (5-5), followed with 6-1 pair decision over Wiedmeier at #2 singles. Illanes-Rodriguez (5-4) would then pull away at #6 singles with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Graham before Portalier (4-6) pulled away with a 6-4 pair decision over Knoll for the final match.
Thomas and Vraspir also played in one set exhibition matches with Thomas defeating Schepper 8-0, while Vraspir fell 8-0 against Rike.
Up Next:
The Manatees open with their final home match of the season in conference play as they welcome Hillsborough Community College (7-1, 6-1 Region 8) to the SCF Tennis Complex. The final home matchup will be listed as senior day for Laura Illanes-Rodriguez, Sara Jamal, Camille Portalier, Diarra Thomas.
FGCU Baseball @ FIU Recap
The FGCU baseball team (16-8, 1-2 A-SUN) swept a midweek series against FIU (11-14, 2-4 C-USA) after claiming an 11-6 victory at the Panthers' baseball stadium Wednesday night.
"We had a great start from Trey Vickery," head coach Dave Tollett said. "He had a no-hitter through five innings and just did an outstanding job. I thought our offense did a great job tonight and our bats really came through for us. We need to be able to close games out as the season goes on and tonight we did that. All in all, it was a great two days."
The Eagles' offense got off to an early start and scored eight unanswered runs in the first six innings. Junior Richie Garcia, freshman Joe Kinker and senior Jay Hayes each scored one run for the Green and Blue in the first few frames. Junior Alex Brait came around twice for FGCU in the spree.
Senior Keith Stevens capped off the Eagles' unanswered push with an RBI double that scored junior Kohl Gilmore and Hayes, putting the Eagles up 8-0.
Junior Trey Vickery pitched the strongest game of his career as an Eagle so far. The southpaw started the game and pitched a career-high five innings, struck out a career-high six batters and gave up two hits. He faced just two over the minimum and did not allow any Panther baserunners until his final inning of work.
Sophomore Nikolas Bitner and junior Keegan Collett each made relief appearances for the Eagles. Bitner was charged with two earned runs and Collett was charged with one.
Freshman Cody Woodring made his first appearance as an Eagle when he was brought out from the bullpen in the bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded and no outs. Woodring got out of the frame after a fielder's choice and a double play. He finished the day after allowing two runs that cut FGCU's lead to 10-5.
Juniors Sebastian Gruszecki and Hunter McGarry combined to toss the final two frames for the Green and Blue. McGarry allowed one run and ended the game with a strikeout.
Eight different Eagles finished with hits in tonight's well-balanced attack. Kinker and Stevens led the offense with three RBIs apiece. Gonzalez tacked on two and junior Elijah Eusebio and freshman Jalen Townsend added one each.
The last time the Eagles swept the Panthers in a series was in 2013. Tonight's win marks the Eagles' eighth time putting up double-digit runs this season.
Up Next:
The Eagles will return to Swanson Stadium to host Towson in a non-conference weekend series. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 29. The teams will face off at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 30 before capping off the series with a noon game on Sunday, March 31. This will be the second-ever meeting between the two teams.
"We had a great start from Trey Vickery," head coach Dave Tollett said. "He had a no-hitter through five innings and just did an outstanding job. I thought our offense did a great job tonight and our bats really came through for us. We need to be able to close games out as the season goes on and tonight we did that. All in all, it was a great two days."
The Eagles' offense got off to an early start and scored eight unanswered runs in the first six innings. Junior Richie Garcia, freshman Joe Kinker and senior Jay Hayes each scored one run for the Green and Blue in the first few frames. Junior Alex Brait came around twice for FGCU in the spree.
Senior Keith Stevens capped off the Eagles' unanswered push with an RBI double that scored junior Kohl Gilmore and Hayes, putting the Eagles up 8-0.
Junior Trey Vickery pitched the strongest game of his career as an Eagle so far. The southpaw started the game and pitched a career-high five innings, struck out a career-high six batters and gave up two hits. He faced just two over the minimum and did not allow any Panther baserunners until his final inning of work.
Sophomore Nikolas Bitner and junior Keegan Collett each made relief appearances for the Eagles. Bitner was charged with two earned runs and Collett was charged with one.
Freshman Cody Woodring made his first appearance as an Eagle when he was brought out from the bullpen in the bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded and no outs. Woodring got out of the frame after a fielder's choice and a double play. He finished the day after allowing two runs that cut FGCU's lead to 10-5.
Juniors Sebastian Gruszecki and Hunter McGarry combined to toss the final two frames for the Green and Blue. McGarry allowed one run and ended the game with a strikeout.
Eight different Eagles finished with hits in tonight's well-balanced attack. Kinker and Stevens led the offense with three RBIs apiece. Gonzalez tacked on two and junior Elijah Eusebio and freshman Jalen Townsend added one each.
The last time the Eagles swept the Panthers in a series was in 2013. Tonight's win marks the Eagles' eighth time putting up double-digit runs this season.
Up Next:
The Eagles will return to Swanson Stadium to host Towson in a non-conference weekend series. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 29. The teams will face off at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 30 before capping off the series with a noon game on Sunday, March 31. This will be the second-ever meeting between the two teams.
FGCU Baseball vs FIU Recap
The FGCU baseball team (15-8, 1-2 A-SUN) shut out in-state rival FIU (11-13, 2-4 C-USA) 3-0 in the first game of a home-and-home series Tuesday night at Swanson Stadium.
"I was really excited to see how the program came back tonight after a tough conference loss on Sunday," head coach Dave Tollett said. "Tyler Shuck was really, really good tonight in a time where we need to find a third or fourth starter. He's definitely earned that. Our upperclassmen stepped up tonight, too. Gilmore had a big RBI for us, Richie had two hits and Brait had two hits. They're our guys. We've been patient, they've been patient, but they are starting to heat up."
Three different pitchers made appearances in tonight's shutout. Sophomore Tyler Shuck (4-0) started on the bump for the Green and Blue and earned his fourth win of the season. Through six innings of work, he allowed one hit, one walk and faced just one batter over the minimum. Shuck matched his career high with six strikeouts, four of which were back-to-back.
After giving up his second hit of the night, Shuck was relieved by junior Sebastian Gruszecki who tossed the next 1.1 frames. Gruszecki entered the game with a runner on third, but struck out a Panther to end the inning. He faced five batters and recorded two Ks before handing the mound over to junior Hunter McGarry. McGarry recorded the final three outs of the game and picked up his third save of the season.
FGCU outhit its opponent, 7-2. Juniors Alex Brait and Richie Garcia led the Green and Blue with two hits apiece. Juniors Marc Coffers and Kohl Gilmore, as well as senior Keith Stevens each tacked on one hit.
Coffers recorded his first run of the night when he was plated on a groundout by Gilmore in the first inning. Senior Eric Gonzalez was brought in by Brait in the fourth inning, giving the Green and Blue a 2-0 edge. Coffers scored again two plays later and awarded FGCU with its final 3-0 lead.
Tonight's game marks the fourth time this season that the Eagles have held an opponent to two hits or fewer. In the past four years combined, the team has only achieved this feat three times.
Up Next:
The Eagles will cross Alligator Alley tomorrow to take on the Panthers at their home stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in Miami.
"I was really excited to see how the program came back tonight after a tough conference loss on Sunday," head coach Dave Tollett said. "Tyler Shuck was really, really good tonight in a time where we need to find a third or fourth starter. He's definitely earned that. Our upperclassmen stepped up tonight, too. Gilmore had a big RBI for us, Richie had two hits and Brait had two hits. They're our guys. We've been patient, they've been patient, but they are starting to heat up."
Three different pitchers made appearances in tonight's shutout. Sophomore Tyler Shuck (4-0) started on the bump for the Green and Blue and earned his fourth win of the season. Through six innings of work, he allowed one hit, one walk and faced just one batter over the minimum. Shuck matched his career high with six strikeouts, four of which were back-to-back.
After giving up his second hit of the night, Shuck was relieved by junior Sebastian Gruszecki who tossed the next 1.1 frames. Gruszecki entered the game with a runner on third, but struck out a Panther to end the inning. He faced five batters and recorded two Ks before handing the mound over to junior Hunter McGarry. McGarry recorded the final three outs of the game and picked up his third save of the season.
FGCU outhit its opponent, 7-2. Juniors Alex Brait and Richie Garcia led the Green and Blue with two hits apiece. Juniors Marc Coffers and Kohl Gilmore, as well as senior Keith Stevens each tacked on one hit.
Coffers recorded his first run of the night when he was plated on a groundout by Gilmore in the first inning. Senior Eric Gonzalez was brought in by Brait in the fourth inning, giving the Green and Blue a 2-0 edge. Coffers scored again two plays later and awarded FGCU with its final 3-0 lead.
Tonight's game marks the fourth time this season that the Eagles have held an opponent to two hits or fewer. In the past four years combined, the team has only achieved this feat three times.
Up Next:
The Eagles will cross Alligator Alley tomorrow to take on the Panthers at their home stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in Miami.
Nunez' Speed Sets Record for SCF Sweep over Polk State
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"In game one, we didn't do a good job making adjustments at the plate, but we did good enough to make the win happen," said head coach Mandy Schuerman. "We did however do a good job of executing bunts, being able to move around runners and some key strikeouts when we needed them. We're always working out the kinks, despite making a few errors per game, which we're trying to work out, but that's what the game is about, improvement, and I think we're getting there."
Game One:
For game one, Schuerman sent freshman Kailey Christian to the mound while Polk State head coach Donna Byars sent freshman Alayna Carranco to counter.
After both teams went scoreless in the first two innings, the Manatees would get on the board first in the bottom of the third. After a one out double by freshman Lauren Bostwick, which was followed by fellow classmate Makalya Benevidez reaching on a fielder's choice before stealing second, sophomore Megan Seeds would send Bostwick home with a bloop single to give the Manatees a 1-0 lead. But at the top of the fourth, the Eagles would then take the lead after back-to-back home runs from sophomore Victoria Perry (fourth of the season) and Destinee Jackson (eighth of the season), but despite that, Christian managed to keep in line and get out of the inning.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Manatees took matters into their own hands to take the lead. Beginning with a leadoff double off the bat of Bostwick before she moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Benavidez, Seeds would tie the game at 2-2 with a sacrifice fly to left to send Bostwick home. After a single from sophomore Cheyenne Nunez, sophomore Haley McFadden would hit a single to center before advancing to third on a fielding error in which Nunez scored to give the Manatees a 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, the Manatees would add an insurance run after Bostwick sent freshman Sabrina Long home with an RBI single to make it 4-2 SCF.
At the top of the seventh, the Eagles would attempt to tie the game after Jackson scored on a fielding error, but Christian would brush it off and finish the inning and SCF would take game one.
Christian would earn her 16th win of the season after throwing a complete game while giving up all three runs (two earned) on four hits and striking out nine batters. She was also 1-for-3 at the plate.
"I thought I pitched pretty well, but I still have to fine tune a couple of pitches," said Christian. "I am a pitcher that pitches up in the zone and a little bit faster, so obviously if you miss a little bit, it can go a long way, so I'm still trying to fine tune those pitches to make me a better pitcher."
"Kailey is a rise ball power pitcher," said Schuerman on Christian. "She'll give up a big hit from time-to-time because the faster it goes in, the harder it comes out, but we're willing to give that up for the amount of strikeouts she gets."
Carranco would be credited with the loss after throwing 5.1 innings, giving up all four runs on nine hits while walking two batters and striking out one. Freshman Megan Wilder would throw two-thirds of the final inning in relief.
Bostwick would be the only Manatee in game one with a multi-hit game as she finished 3-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored while Seeds would be the only Manatee in game one with a multi-RBI game as she finished 1-for-2 with two RBI.
For Polk State, Jackson was the only Eagle with a multi-hit game in game one as she finished 2-for-3 with the home run.
Game Two:
Schuerman sent freshman Madi LoCastro to the mound while Byars sent Wilder to counter.
It didn't take long for the Manatees to get on the board first in the bottom of the first. Beginning with a Benavidez leadoff single before Seeds moved her to second on a sacrifice bunt, McFadden would bring Benavidez in for the first run with a single to left. This was then followed by an RBI single from Long to make it 2-0 SCF.
In the bottom of the second, the Manatees continued to pound the scoreboard with runs. After sophomore Madison Yoder led the inning off with a single before stealing second, Benavidez would reach on an error while Yoder scored to make it 3-0. With Benevidez on second, Seeds would make it her time to shine on a full count as she cracked her first collegiate home run that gave the Manatees a 5-0 lead, which signaled the end for Wilder as Byars would send freshman Sarah Grindrod to the mound.
"I kept battling with a full count after constantly fouling the ball," said Seeds on her home run. "I kept telling myself 'Win this battle, stay focused, you can do this' and then I just put the bat to the ball and then it just went over."
Nunez would then hit a single and steal second for her 25th steal of the season as she tied the program record for most steals in a single season before the inning ended.
The Eagles would then get on the board at the top of the third from RBI singles off the bats of freshman Anizya Vargas and Perry, but the Manatees would answer back in the bottom of the third from a sacrifice by sophomore Kyria Holcomb that sent Long home.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Manatees continued to add to their lead beginning with a one-out single from Nunez. Just then, the Okeechobee native made history as she stole second for her 26th steal to set the program record for most steals in a single season.
"Just going into the game, I don't really focus on stealing bases, but instead I focus on getting hits and making things when the opportunity is in front of me, which obviously I will take," said Nunez on breaking the record. "But setting the record has been my goal since the beginning of this year."
Nunez did try to break the record last season, but was cut short at 23 due to a broken wrist, which took away a month and a half of her season away.
"I was so determined to make it happen and now that I finally did, I'm ecstatic and super stoked about it because I made my goal from where I started," Nunez continued. "The fact that I'm not finished yet make me even more happy despite this being the first round of conference. I'm gonna try and get more than I can, but most importantly I'm trying to get on base and make it work for my team."
"It's great that Shy (Nunez) broke the record," said Schuerman on Nunez's milestone. "She's done a lot of growing up as a part of this program and has matured into quite a young lady and athlete, so she is quite entertaining to watch. 'Speed kills' as what I like to say and she definitely does a good job of it."
After McFadden struck out, Long didn't have any trouble at the plate as she sent Nunez home with a single to center to give the Manatees a 7-2 lead. Holcomb would then follow with an RBI single of her own, sending Long home to make it 8-2.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Manatees would add one more run to the scoreboard after another RBI single from Long that sent Seeds home before the Manatees finished with the win.
LoCastro would earn her seventh win of the season after throwing a complete game while giving up two runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Wilder would earn the loss after throwing 1.2 innings while giving up five runs (two earned) on six hits.
Grindrod would give up four runs (three earned) on six hit with two walks and two strikeouts in 4.1 innings.
Long finished 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored in game two and 4-for-7 in the series. Nunez and McFadden would finish 2-for-4 each. Nunez had two steals and a run, while McFadden had an RBI and a run. Seeds would finish 1-for-2 with a home run in game two and 2-for-4 with four RBI.
For Polk State, Vargas and sophomore Lauren Estrada would finish 2-for-4 each.
"I thought in the first game we struggled a little bit," said Seeds. "But we definitely had Kailey and Madi Lo's backs. They both pitched great games and everything. There were more errors than we hoped there would be, but we bounced back in the second game and we just strung hits together in that moment. I thought it was great, but I just think we need to continue to work on playing together as a team."
Other Scores in the Suncoast:
1.St. Pete College (23-14, 5-3 Suncoast) swept Hillsborough (13-20, 3-7 Suncoast) 7-0 and 8-0. SPC sit in third while HCC moves to fifth.
2. #1 FSW (41-1, 8-1 Suncoast) swept South Florida State College (22-16, 2-8 Suncoast) 10-1 and 14-1 via mercy rule. FSW remains in first, while SFSC remains in sixth.
Up Next:
The Manatees head to St. Petersburg for a series against St. Pete College as a rescheduled makeup from March 19.
"St. Pete is not a team you want to underestimate because they are a good opponent," said Schuerman on SPC. "Our biggest thing is we don't worry about who's sitting on the other side of the dugout. We are going to try to compete and play our game each and every pitch and as long as we continue to do that, I really think it doesn't matter who's on the other side."
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