FGCU Baseball: A-SUN Conference Tournament Preview

With the regular season over, the FGCU baseball team (34-19) prepare for their next hurdle, the A-SUN Conference Tournament from May 22-25 at Melching Field at Conrad Park in Deland, Florida, hosted by Stetson.

Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off of winning their final home series against A-SUN newcomer Liberty at Swanson Stadium. The Eagles would defeat the Flames 7-4 in the first before falling 4-2 in the second game. In the rubber match, which was also FGCU's senior day, the Eagles claimed the series in a nail biter as they won 10-9.

The Standings for the tournament are the order of the seeds by overall and conference record:
1. #1 FGCU (34-19, 16-7 A-SUN)*^
2. #2 Liberty (37-18, 15-9 A-SUN)*
3. #3 Lipscomb (30-23, 14-10 A-SUN)*
4. #4 Jacksonville (30-25, 13-11 A-SUN)*
5. #5 UNF (31-23, 12-11 A-SUN)*
6. #6 Stetson (24-30, 11-12 A-SUN)*

Kennesaw (27-29, 11-13 A-SUN), North Alabama (16-38, 7-16 A-SUN) and NJIT (17-27-1, 7-17 A-SUN) were not eligible to be in the tournament due to their conference records.

For North Alabama, this is their first year with the A-SUN, so regardless if they went to the A-SUN Tournament, they would not be able to play in the national tournament per the four-year transitional period and if they would win the tournament, the same rules would be implied and FGCU would go to the national tournament as the regular season champions.

A-SUN Tournament Breakdown:
The A-SUN Conference Baseball Tournament is a double elimination tournament. Once a team loses a game, they will get sent down to a losers bracket. Once a team get two losses, they are eliminated from the tournament.

What's at stake? The winner of the A-SUN Conference Tournament will earn an automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA National Tournament. Any of the other teams will await for an at-large bid.

FGCU will face Stetson in the opening round of the conference tournament.

A-SUN Awards and Accolades:
Before the tournament began, the A-SUN released awards for the players mentioned.

A-SUN Player of the Year:
In their first year in the A-SUN, Liberty would be the one to take A-SUN Player of the Year as it was claimed by redshirt-junior Jonathan Embry. Embry finished with a .296 batting average, nine home runs and 37 RBI.

A-SUN Pitcher of the Year:
For the A-SUN Pitcher of the Year award, it belonged to UNF's redshirt senior Brad Deppermann. Deppermann went 6-4 with a conference leading 2.09 ERA and 101 strikeouts.

A-SUN Coach of the Year:
FGCU was able to get one of the big awards as head coach Dave Tollett was named A-SUN Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career. Tollett currently has 599 career wins and a win in the conference tournament will earn his 600th career win as head coach.

A-SUN Defensive Player of the Year:
For the A-SUN Defensive Player of the Year, it was awarded to Jacksonville's redshirt junior Dakota Julylia. Julylia posted a .983 fielding percentage while batting .305 with a home run and 25 RBI.

A-SUN Freshman of the Year:
For the A-SUN Freshman of the Year, Stetson's Daniel Paret would earn the title. Paret was 5-3 with a 3.47 ERA and 97 strikeouts.

A-SUN All-Conference First Team:
Junior Mason Studstill would be the only Eagle to make the A-SUN All-Conference First Team after putting up a 5-2 record with a 2.31 ERA (2nd in the A-SUN) and 91 strikeouts. Studstill, a double transfer from Miami and Eastern Florida State (NJCAA), has posted the lowest opponent batting average (.164) in a single season in FGCU history, while allowing an average of 5.18 hits per nine innings, good for eighth in the national standings. Studstill pitched a no-decision against Liberty after throwing five innings with no strikeouts.

Other members that joined the A-SUN All-Conference First Team are as listed:
UNF: Deppermann, senior Jay Prather and junior Tanner Murphy

Lipscomb: seniors Chris Kachmar and Tevin Symonette

Jacksonville: Julylia and senior Angel Camacho

Liberty: Embry, senior Evan Brabrand and sophomore Will Wagner

Kennesaw State: senior Jake Franklin and juniors Terence Norman and Justin Russell

A-SUN All-Conference Second Team:
For the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team, four Eagles were named: senior Keith Stevens and Jay Hayes and junior Alex Brait and Hunter McGarry.

A double transfer from FAMU and Hillsborough Community College (HCC) (NJCAA), Stevens, who was named FGCU's Scholar-Athlete of the Month, is currently batting .345 with three home runs and 28 RBI. In fact, in conference play, Stevens is batting .411 with 15 RBI. Against Liberty, the Miami native was 6-for-10 with two RBI.

Hayes earned his first accolade with the Eagles as he led the team with nine home runs and 47 RBI. Against Liberty, Hayes was 3-for-11 with a home run and three RBI.

Brait is batting .328 with four home runs and 30 RBI. He leads the conference with 75 hits and is a perfect 10-10 on stolen bases this season. He has caught 24 runners stealing throughout his career, including 11 this season, which is good for fifth all-time in the Eagle record book. He leads the team this season with 22 multi-hit games and is currently on a 10-game hitting streak. Brait was 5-for-13 against Liberty with a home run and two RBI.

McGarry, a Bradenton native and transfer from State College of Florida (SCF) (NJCAA), is 6-1 with a 2.57 ERA, 41 strikeouts and nine saves, which ties for second on the single season record list and ties for fifth on the career records list. Against Liberty, McGarry threw 3.2 innings in two games with six strikeouts.

Other members that joined the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team are as listed:
UNF: senior Nick Marchese and junior David Maberry

NJIT: sophomore Julio Marcano

Jacksonville: senior John Cassala and juniors Zach Byrant and Scott Dubrule

Liberty: junior Andrew McInvale,

Kennesaw State: sophomore Tyler Simon

Stetson: senior Jacob Koos

A-SUN All-Freshman Team:
Freshman Joe Kinker was named the lone member of the A-SUN All-Freshman Team. Kinker has appeared in every game for FGCU this season and started all but one. The Venice native is batting .318 with seven home runs and 38 RBI. Kinker was 4-for-10 against Liberty with a home run.

Other members that joined the A-SUN All-Freshman Team are as listed:
Lipscomb: Tyler Guilfoil

Jacksonville: Nick Love,

Liberty: Joseph Adametz, Gray Betts and Jaylen Guy

Kennesaw State: Tyler Tolve and Jared Rine

NJIT: Brett Helmkamp

Stetson: Paret, Danny Garcia, Noah Dickerson and Mark Townsend

A-SUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year:
For the A-SUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year, UNF's Murphy earned the award. Murphy, who was named a member of the A-SUN All-Conference First Team, is batting .297 with six home runs and 35 RBI while holding a 3.90 GPA

A-SUN All-Academic Team:
Along with Stevens, who had a 3.68 GPA, senior Kohl Gilmore was named a member of the A-SUN All-Academic Team. Gilmore is currently batting .278 with four home runs and 41 RBI while maintaining a 3.68 GPA. Against Liberty, Gilmore was 2-for-10 with three RBI.

Other members that joined the A-SUN All-Academic Team are as listed with their GPA:
UNF: Murphy (3.90)

Jacksonville: Camacho (3.58) and senior Reagan Wright (3.81),

Liberty: Embry (3.58)

Kennesaw State: sophomore Monty Horn (4.0)

NJIT: senior Sean Lubreski (4.0) and Marcano (3.67)

North Alabama: junior Bryant Claunch (3.64) and senior Josh Stillman (3.93)

Stetson: sophomore Chris Gonzalez (3.86) and junior Andrew MacNeil (4.0)

Scouting Stetson:
Stetson clinched its spot in the A-SUN Tournament after taking two-of-three from UNF at Melching Field last weekend. The Hatters were on the bubble of making the postseason entering the final weekend of regular season play. After winning the 2018 AS-UN Championship and advancing to a Super Regional, the Hatters were at the top of the preseason conference poll.

Senior Vlad Nunez leads the conference with 12 saves this season. He owns a 3.30 ERA through 43.2 innings of work. Freshman Daniel Paret leads the Hatters' pitching staff with a 3.47 ERA. The southpaw has 97 Ks on the season, the second-most in the league.

Senior Jacob Koos paces the Hatters with a .274 batting average. The outfielder has scored a team-high 32 runs and leads the team with 18 stolen bases.

Junior Jorge Arenas has cranked out a team-high 17 extra-base hits and has driven in 37 runs. The shortstop also leads the defense with 122 assists.

The Hatters own a 19-14 mark at Melching Field this season.

Series History:

The Hatters claimed the series against the Green and Blue at their home ballpark in DeLand earlier this month. In the opening game of the series, Stetson defeated the Eagles 2-1. The reigning A-SUN Champions earned a 5-3 triumph during game two. The third game was cancelled due to weather.

With the pair of wins, the Hatters have now won the last six meetings between the two teams. FGCU still holds an 18-17 advantage in the history between the programs, which includes an 11-9 mark at Melching Field.

The Eagles own a 2-1 edge over the Hatters in head to head championship play.

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be available for all the games in the tournament and will air on ESPN+. Fans can also keep up to date on Twitter: @FGCU_Baseball

ESPN+:

The A-SUN will air on the new, subscription-based digital platform ESPN+, which will be the new home for select FGCU and A-SUN games and event broadcasts. Subscribers can try the new app for free for 30 days, which follows to $4.99 a month fee afterwards or can pay $39.99 per-year based on the viewers subscription choice.

Livestats Link: https://statbroadcast.com/events/tournament.php?tid=790

ESPN+ Link: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/725e567f-d574-4a22-8c86-f28e8d286982/asun-baseball-tournament

FGCU Baseball vs Liberty Game Three Recap

Champs, champs, champs. One of the only words that describe the feeling as the FGCU baseball team (34-19, 16-7 A-SUN) went on to the milestone as they claimed a nail-biting rubber match against Liberty (37-18, 15-9 A-SUN) by a score of 10-9 in the final A-SUN regular season game. With the win, several moments happened in FGCU's favor:
1. The Eagles claimed the #1 seed in the A-SUN Conference Tournament
2. The Eagles finished the A-SUN in first place
3. The Eagles became the A-SUN Regular Season Champions for the first time since 2014.

"All we wanted was to make it permanent," head coach Dave Tollett said. "We wanted to be A-SUN champs. This is such a special group of guys. There isn't one guy that makes the team complete. We have a group of guys that work hard. And I know that they are still hungry for more."

Before the game went underway, the Eagles recognized six seniors as part of their senior day: Justin Gill, Eric Gonzalez, Evan Lumbert, Kohl Gilmore, Keith Stevens and Jay Hayes for their accomplishments and their futures ahead of them.

After the lineups were announced, Lumbert's mother, Cathi, performed the national anthem and I have to say that she has some pipes. I was really amazed.

Back to the game, Tollett sent Lumbert to the mound while Liberty head coach Scott Jackson sent sophomore Noah Skirrow to counter.

In the bottom of the first, the Eagles would get on the board as quick as a hiccup. It all started with junior Richie Garcia at the plate.

Before I get to Garcia's at-bat, I'll start by saying this: Garcia has one of the catchiest walk-up songs in college baseball, "Bailar" by Derorro ft Elvis Crespo. When he was up to the plate, he had a new walk-up song by a classic artist, "Smooth" by Carlos Santana ft Rob Thomas. Fans were wondering where it went and why he changed it and he told me after the game that he wanted to "spice things up". Now I was a little questionable about it, but I did let him off the hook on it because it helped the team.

Back to the at-bat, on a full count, Garcia would send a deep shot to left for a solo home run. This was Garcia's sixth home run of the season and second of the series.

Following a single by junior Alex Brait, Hayes would come alive on a 0-2 count and send a shot to left for a two-run home run. This was Hayes' ninth home run of the season. Following walks drawn by Gonzalez and Gilmore, Jackson would pull Skirrow and send sophomore Mason Meyer to the mound for relief. After sophomore Christian Proffitt drew a walk load the bases, freshman Jalen Townsend would send a single to center to send Gonzalez home for a 4-0 lead. The Eagles would bat around as Garcia drew a walk that send Gilmore home to make it 5-0 FGCU before the inning ended.

The Flames would get their first run on the board at the top of the fourth from sophomore Logan Mathieu scoring on a fielding error, but the Eagles would respond back immediately in the bottom half beginning with a lead-off walk by Garcia. Brait would then try to bring in Garcia with a double, but to no success. Hayes would then avenge the run opportunity by bringing in Brait on a double of his own. After Stevens hit a single, Jackson would make another call to the bullpen and sent sophomore Logan Barker to the mound. After the pitching change, Gonzalez would hit a sacrifice fly to send Hayes home for a 6-1 lead. This would bring freshman Joe Kinker to the plate, and on the first pitch, the North Port native sent a shot to left center for a home run and and 9-1 FGCU lead. This was Kinker's seventh home run of the season.

At the top of the fifth, the Flames add two more runs to the board as sophomore Will Wagner hit a two-run blast for his sixth home run of the season, but the Eagles would add another run in the bottom of the sixth as Gilmore sent Gonzalez home on a sacrifice fly.

At the top of the eighth, the Flames began to cut the deficit to 10-7 after RBI singles by Mathieu, freshman Gray Betts, redshirt junior Jonathan Embry.

At the top of the ninth, with junior Hunter McGarry on the mound for the Eagles, the Flames cut the deficit to one run after an RBI single by Betts and a fielder's choice by Embry. With determination still in his grasp and a full count, the Bradenton native locked in and got junior Cam Locklear to strikeout and end the game and the A-SUN Regular Season Championship.

Lumbert would earn his sixth win of the season, putting him at 6-2 on the year. Lumbert gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits, walking six and striking out four in 5.2 innings.

Junior Nick Bitner threw 1.2 innings of relief, giving up three runs on three hits with one strikeout.

McGarry gave up three runs on three hits with three strikeouts.

Skirrow would earn his sixth loss, putting him at 4-6 after giving up five runs on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning.

In relief for the Flames, Meyer gave up three runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 2.2 innings, Barker gave up one run on three hits with a strikeout in two-thirds of an inning, sophomore Landon Riley gave up one run on two hits with three strikeouts in three innings, freshman Cole Garrett gave up a walk on 10 pitches and junior Garret Price struck out two batters in a scoreless inning.

Brait, Hayes, Stevens and Kinker finished with two hits apiece with Hayes and Kinker with a multi-RBI game.

Garcia, Gonzalez, Gilmore and Townsend had one hit and at least one RBI each. Proffitt also had a hit.

For the Flames, Betts, Mathieu, Wagner, freshman Jaylen Guy, senior Tyler Galazin and sophomore Brandon Rohrer had two hits each with Betts, Mathieu and Wagner with two RBI each.

A-SUN Standings:
1. #1 FGCU (34-19, 16-7 A-SUN)*^
2. #2 Liberty (37-18, 15-9 A-SUN)*
3. #3 Lipscomb (30-23, 14-10 A-SUN)*
4. #4 Jacksonville (30-25, 13-11 A-SUN)*
5. #5 UNF (31-23, 12-11 A-SUN)*
6. #6 Stetson (24-30, 11-12 A-SUN)*
7. Kennesaw (27-29, 11-13 A-SUN)
8. North Alabama (16-38, 7-16 A-SUN)
9. NJIT (17-27-1, 7-17 A-SUN)

*Clinched a spot in A-SUN Tournament
^ Regular Season Champions

Up Next:
With the results set in stone, the seeding for the A-SUN Tournament are locked in for May 22-25. The tournament will take place at Stetson's Melching Field at Conrad Park in Deland, Florida.

#1 FGCU vs #6 Stetson (11 am)
#2 Liberty vs #5 UNF (3 pm)
#3 Lipcomb vs #4 JU (7 pm)

FGCU Baseball vs Liberty Game Two Recap

 The FGCU baseball team (33-19, 15-7 A-SUN) fell to Liberty (37-17, 15-8 A-SUN) by a score of 4-2 on Friday night in one of the tightest matchups seen at Swanson Stadium this season. With the loss, the series between the Eagles and the Flames that decides the 2019 A-SUN Regular Season Champion is now knotted up at 1-1.

"The game was decided in the first," head coach Dave Tollett said. "We made a couple of plays that they capitalized on and we weren't very sharp. They got the big hit, whereas we had them all last night. We needed one today. Gus Carter did an absolutely fabulous job, by far his best performance. Nikolas Bitner did a great job coming in and keeping the game close. We had a lot of chances and we left plenty of runners on, so we will have to do a better job. That being said, if you told me in August that we could come in and play one game for the conference championship, I would've taken it. So we're going to wipe our bruises away and be ready to go tomorrow."

The Flames' offense got to work early, tagging senior starter Justin Gill with three runs in the opening frame. Sophomore Gus Carter relieved Gill to start the second inning. Liberty used a sac fly to make it a 4-0 game, but a diving catch by freshman Jalen Townsend prevented any more scoring.

The initial 4-0 edge was the team's largest over the Eagles so far, as they never led by more than two during Thursday night's game.

Senior Keith Stevens was FGCU's first base runner of the night after reaching with an infield single to start the bottom of the second. Freshman Joe Kinker and junior Kohl Gilmore got on to load up the bases, but all three were stranded at the end of the frame.

After three scoreless innings, the Eagles got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Eric Gonzalez and Kinker cranked out back-to-back hits and were pushed across by Gilmore's single through the right side, trimming the lead down to 4-2.

While the Green and Blue offense tried to rally, Carter kept the visitors away from home plate. Coming into tonight's game, his longest outing was 1.2 innings and the most strikeouts he had recorded was three. After six innings of work, he was relieved at the start of the eighth by sophomore Nikolas Bitner. Carter finished his night with a career-high seven strikeouts and at one point retired nine straight Flames.

Bitner cruised through the final six outs of the night and struck out four but did not receive any run support. Liberty's closer Evan Brabrand stifled the Eagles' offense as sophomore Christian Proffitt cranked out the team's only hit over the last three innings.

This was FGCU's first loss in A-SUN Conference play at Swanson Stadium this season. The Eagles entered this series having swept Lipscomb, Jacksonville and North Alabama on their home field.

Up Next:
The teams will be back in action tomorrow at 1 p.m. for the series finale. The winner of the rubber match will determine the 2019 Regular Season Champion. The Eagles will be going for their fifth title, having taken home the trophy in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2014. Beginning at 12:30 p.m., head coach Dave Tollett will honor the six members of the class of 2019: Justin Gill, Eric Gonzalez, Kohl Gilmore, Jay Hayes, Evan Lumbert and Keith Stevens.

FGCU Baseball vs Liberty Game One Recap

The FGCU baseball team (33-18, 15-6 A-SUN) came out on top of a 7-4 clash against Liberty (36-17, 14-8 A-SUN) Thursday night at Swanson Stadium.

"It was a great win against a team that was as good as we anticipated," head coach Dave Tollett said. "A come-from-behind win is always special. We got some big hits in some key situations and we got the ball to leave the park. When we turned the ball over to our bullpen, they were really good at ending the game."

Senior Keith Stevens, who is the reigning A-SUN Player of the Week, broke open a tight ballgame in the bottom of the seventh with a two-run shot that brought in junior Alex Brait and put the Eagles on top 6-4. From there, FGCU held on to its lead for the win.

The battle for the 2019 regular season title proved to be just that as neither team earned more than a two-run lead through the first seven innings.

In the opening frame, Brait stepped into the batter's box and sailed his fourth home run of the season over the left field wall to give the home team an early 1-0 lead. The Flames responded with a two-run push in the following inning after a single up the middle that made it a 2-1 game.

Liberty struck again in the top of the fourth, sending its third run of the night across after a single to left field. Ahead 3-1, the Flames managed to load up the bases later that inning, but the Eagles' junior starter Mason Studstill worked out of the jam.

Junior Richie Garcia tied the game up at three apiece after a long shot to left field that plated freshman Jalen Townsend in the bottom of the fourth. Liberty's Logan Mathieu answered in the following inning with a homer of his own that put Liberty back on top 4-3.

After five innings of work, Studstill was relieved by sophomore Tyler Shuck who started the top of the sixth. The starter left the game with a no-decision after allowing four earned runs on seven hits.

Over the next few innings, the Green and Blue led a three-run attack to regain the lead. After starting off the bottom of the sixth with a triple, senior Eric Gonzalez came in on a wild pitch and tied the game up at 4-4. Stevens capped off the spree with his two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh.

FGCU called junior Hunter McGarry out from the Green and Blue bullpen to start the eighth inning. Liberty put runners on the corners, but sophomore Christian Proffitt, Gonzalez and junior Kohl Gilmore ended the inning with a double play.

The Eagles loaded up the bases in the bottom of the eighth and Brait capitalized on the opportunity with a sac fly that brought in junior pinch runner Marc Coffers, putting the home team up 7-4. After allowing the first two runners on, McGarry closed out the game with three back-to-back Ks.

Shuck was awarded the win for his two scoreless innings of relief work and improved to 7-1 on the season. McGarry picked up his ninth save of the year, which ties for the second-most of any Eagle arm in program history. He needs three more to tie Sterling Koerner who holds the record with 12 (2017). Tonight's three home runs are the most in a single game since March 22 against UNF.

Up Next:
The teams will return to Swanson Stadium at 6:30 p.m. on Friday for game two of the series. The finale is slated for 1 p.m. on Saturday. Prior to first pitch of game three, head coach Dave Tollett will honor all six members of the Class of 2019 – Justin Gill, Kohl Gilmore, Eric Gonzalez, Jay Hayes, Evan Lumbert and Keith Stevens. With one more win in the series, the Eagles will claim the 2019 A-SUN Regular Season Championship.

FGCU Baseball vs Liberty Preview

The FGCU baseball team (32-18, 14-6 A-SUN) will close out the regular season at home as they welcome A-SUN newcomer Liberty (35-16, 14-7) to Swanson Stadium from May 16-18. On May 16 and 17, first pitch is at 6:30 pm while for the 18th, it will be at 1 pm with a delay for senior day.

Last Time Out:
The Eagles wrapped up their last conference road trip against NJIT where they took the series 2-1, losing the first game (8-4) before winning the second and the rubber game (6-1, 4-3) to claim the season.

ASUN Standings:
1. FGCU (32-18, 14-6 A-SUN) *
2. Liberty (36-16, 14-7 A-SUN) *
3. Jacksonville (29-23, 12-9 A-SUN) *
4. UNF (30-21, 11-9 A-SUN)
5. Lipscomb (27-23, 11-10 A-SUN)
6. Stetson (22-29, 9-11 A-SUN)
7. Kennesaw State (25-28, 9-12 A-SUN)
8. North Alabama (16-35, 7-13 A-SUN)
9. NJIT (17-27-1, 7-17 A-SUN)
* - Clinched a spot in A-SUN Championship

What's at Stake:
For this series, the Eagles need to win at least two out of three games to win at least a share of the A-SUN Regular Season Championship. If they sweep Liberty, then they will be named A-SUN Regular Season Champions for the first time since 2014. In addition, the Eagles would also be the #1 seed in the Suncoast Conference Tournament and earn a first round bye.

Senior Sound Off:
For the final regular season game, the Eagles will recognize their six seniors: Justin Gill, Kohl Gilmore, Eric Gonzalez, Evan Lumbert, Keith Stevens and Jay Hayes. Gill, Gilmore, Gonzalez, Lumbert and Stevens all came to FGCU as transfers with Gonzalez and Stevens being double transfers. They will be recognized prior to the first pitch.

Justin Gill:
A native of Winter Haven, Florida, Gill joined FGCU fall 2017 as a junior after spending his first two seasons at Polk State College (NJCAA). There, Gill produced a 6-5 overall record with a 87 career strikeouts with the Eagles while earning a spot on the All-Suncoast First Team as a sophomore.

Gill was 1-3 his junior with FGCU with a 3.38 ERA and 43 strikeouts and is currently 1-4 with a 5.22 ERA and 39 strikeouts. In his last game against NJIT, Gill threw five innings with four strikeouts.

Kohl Gilmore:
Gilmore, a native of Fort Pierce, joined FGCU fall 2017 after playing only one season at Indian River State (NJCAA). While at IRS, Gilmore batted .364 with eight home runs and 42 RBI in 42 games.

Upon arrival to FGCU his junior year, Gilmore became an immediate impact as he batted .282 with 11 home runs and 43 RBI. As a result, Gilmore was named a member of the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team.

Currently, Gilmore is batting .279 with four home runs and 37 RBI. In his last series against NJIT, Gilmore was 4-for-12 with four RBI.

Eric Gonzalez:
Coming from Miami, Gonzalez joined FGCU fall 2017 as a double JUCO transfer after spending his freshman year at Palm Beach State (NJCAA) before transferring to ASA Miami (NJCAA) for his sophomore year.

At PBSC, Gonzalez played in 10 games batting .333 with two RBI before transferring to ASA Miami. After sitting out the 2015-16 season per the NJCAA transfer rule, Gonzalez finished the 2016-17 season batting .277 with 16 RBI and 32 stolen bases before transferring to FGCU. Gonzalez ended his junior campaign with the Eagles batting .242 with five home runs and 20 RBI.

Currently, Gonzalez is batting .292 with 50 hits, four home runs, 30 RBI and a .949 fielding percentage. Against NJIT, Gonzalez was 4-for-14 with three runs scored.

Evan Lumbert:
One of the main starting pitchers for the Eagles, Lumbert joined FGCU fall 2017 after spending his first two seasons at South Florida State (NJCAA). There, the Orlando native made 29 appearances on the mound with a 3-4 career record and 107 career strikeouts before transferring to FGCU.

As a junior at FGCU, Lumbert went 6-3 with a 3.11 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 14 appearances (10 starts). Currently, Lumbert is 5-2 with a 3.64 ERA and 57 strikeouts. In his last start against NJIT, Lumbert pitched 8.1 innings with three strikeouts.

Keith Stevens:
Stevens joined FGCU fall 2017 after spending his freshman year at Florida A&M (FAMU) before transferring his sophomore year to Hillsborough Community College (HCC) (NJCAA).

At FAMU, the Miami native batted .083 with two runs scored in 16 games before transferring to HCC his sophomore year. At HCC, Stevens ranked second on the team with a .345 average, two home runs and 36 RBI before transferring to FGCU for his junior year, despite batting only .100 with three runs scored.

Currently, Steven has improved drastically and is currently batting a team-leading .329 with two home runs and 26 RBI. He was recently named A-SUN Player of the Week for his performance against NJIT where he went 7-for-14 with five RBI.

"We're extremely happy for Keith and we know how hard he's been working," head coach Dave Tollett said. "He's been paying attention during film and taking his preparation very seriously. It's been paying off for him because he's been performing well each weekend."

Jay Hayes:
Out of all the seniors, Hayes is the only one that has played for the Eagles all four years.

After beginning his freshman year redshirting to maintain all four years, Hayes opened the season as a redshirt freshman batting .222 with a home run and 11 RBI.

After being removed from the team for the 2017 season due to disciplinary reasons, Hayes was reinstated and increased his hitting as he batted .279 with four home runs and 32 RBI.

Currently, the Altamonte Springs native leads the team with a .322 batting average, a team-leading eight home runs and 42 RBI. In his last series against NJIT, Hayes was 3-for-9 with two RBI.

Meet the Other Eagles:
Along with the seniors, key players for the Eagles include juniors Richie Garcia, Alex Brait, Mason Studstill and Hunter McGarry and freshmen Joe Kinker and Jalen Townsend.

Garcia is batting .295 with four home runs, 25 RBI and a .935 fielding percentage. Garcia was 3-for-13 with two doubles against NJIT.

Brait is batting .324 with three home runs and 28 RBI. Brait was 4-for-13 with an RBI against NJIT.

Studstill has been a main work force on the mound. The Titusville native is 5-2 with a 2.00 ERA and 91 strikeouts (10.7 strikeouts per game). Studstill did lose in his last start against NJIT where he threw three innings and struck out one batter.

McGarry, who took over as the closer, is 6-1 with a 2.11 ERA, 35 strikeouts and eight saves. In his last game, McGarry threw four scoreless and hitless innings with five strikeouts against NJIT.

Kinker is batting .313 with six home runs and 36 RBI. Kinker was 3-for-10 with two RBI against NJIT.

Mainly as a pinch runner, Townsend has earned some more playing time as we speak. Townsend is batting .222 with seven RBI and 10 stolen bases. Townsend was 3-for-8 with an RBI against NJIT.

Scouting Liberty:
The Flames are coming off of taking two-of-three against Lipscomb in an A-SUN conference series last weekend. The Flames dropped Friday night's game 9-1, but claimed back-to-back 5-3, 11-0 victories to win the series. The Flames enter the weekend with just one conference sweep under their belt (vs. UNF March 29-31) and a split 3-3 record in A-SUN road games.

The Liberty pitching staff is one of the best in the nation. The team ERA of 3.35 leads the league and checks in at 10th in the national standings. The Flames have combined for seven shutouts, the fourth-most of any staff in the nation, and allow an average of 7.58 hits per nine innings, which checks in at 16th in the national ranks. Redshirt senior Evan Brabrand ranks as one of the nation's top closers. He has picked up 10 saves this season, the most of any A-SUN arm, and sits at 24th in the national standings.

Sophomore Will Wagner leads the team with a .326 batting average and has started all but one game for the Flames. The infielder has cranked out 19 extra-base hits. Redshirt-junior Jonathan Embry has been credited with a team-high 100 total bases, which is good for second in the league. He is the only player that has played in all 52 of Liberty's games this season. Freshman Jaylen Guy has established himself as a threat on the base path. The rookie has stolen 11 bags and only been thrown out once.

Expected Starters:
Game One- Studstill vs Andrew McInvale (8-2, 3.04 ERA)
Game Two- Gill vs Joseph Adametz (6-2, 3.84 ERA)
Game Three- Lumbert vs Noah Skirrow (4-5, 3.54 ERA)

How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available for all three games and will air on FGCU's YouTube page.

Livestats Links:
Game One- http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=252517
Game Two- http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=252518
Game Three- http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=252519

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_1ISjt5aVZZLdGCQqVAPGw?view_as=subscriber

FGCU Baseball @ NJIT Doubleheader Recap

The FGCU baseball team (32-18, 14-6 A-SUN) swept a doubleheader on Saturday against NJIT (17-27-1, 7-17 A-SUN) to capture the overall series against the Highlanders. The Eagles earned 6-1, 4-3 victories over NJIT and became the first team to clinch a spot in the 2019 A-SUN Conference Tournament.

"It was good to see the guys come out and grab these two wins," head coach Dave Tollett said. "I thought our pitching was much better all-around and I thought that we did a good job of hanging in during the second game when things got tight."

FGCU 6, NJIT 1
Energized by one of senior starter Evan Lumbert's strongest outings this season, the FGCU baseball team rebounded from its Friday night loss to take game two of the series.

The Highlanders were the first to get on the board, pushing a run across in the second inning, but Lumbert kept them off the boards from there as the Eagles' offense got to work.

Freshman Joe Kinker evened the score up at 1-1 with an RBI groundout in the fourth inning that sent senior Eric Gonzalez across and the Eagles took over the game from there.

The Green and Blue used a three-spot in the fifth to extend the lead. Senior Jay Hayes started the spree with a double down the left field line that pushed junior Richie Garcia across, which was followed up by a two-RBI single off the bat of senior Keith Stevens. Junior Kohl Gilmore rounded out the scoring with a bases-clearing double that plated Gonzalez and Stevens.

Freshman Jalen Townsend came in as the final run of the ballgame after Stevens drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth.

Lumbert (5-2) made it through 8.1 innings of the game, the longest outing of any FGCU arm this season. He allowed one earned run on six hits, while fanning three. Freshman Cody Woodring relieved Lumbert in the bottom of the ninth and made a brief appearance before handing the game over to sophomore Tyler Shuck.

The Highlanders had managed to load up the bases, but Shuck ended the game with a strikeout and a flyout, earning his first save of the season. With the win, the Eagles became the first team to clinch a spot in the 2019 A-SUN Tournament and knotted up the overall series at 1-1.

FGCU 4, NJIT 3
In the opening inning of game three, the Green and Blue jumped out to a 2-0 lead, as Stevens and Gilmore each pushed a runner across. The Highlanders responded to the early push with a run of their own, but Gilmore, Gonzalez and sophomore Christian Proffitt ended the first with a rundown.

Senior Justin Gill started on the mound for FGCU and kept NJIT off the board for the next few frames. The Eagles' offense struck again in the top of the fifth when Gilmore sent Gonzalez in with a double, making it a 3-1 ballgame. The Highlanders pushed one of their own runners across and sent another one in after a miscue by the Green and Blue defense to even things up at 3-3.

Gill left the game with a no-decision after being relieved by junior Hunter McGarry to start the sixth. The starter finished his day after facing 22 batters, fanning four and allowing six hits.

FGCU had a solid chance to put the game away in the seventh inning. Gonzalez, Kinker, and Proffitt all reached with walks to load up the bases, but NJIT battled back and shut down the inning before the Green and Blue could plate anyone.

Finally, the Eagles were able to string something together in the top of the ninth. Gilmore led off the inning with a double and was replaced by junior pinch runner Marc Coffers. A sac bunt via junior pinch hitter Cameron Krzeminski sent Coffers over to third and Townsend plated the winning run with a sac fly to left field.

McGarry kept NJIT from coming back in the bottom of the ninth and improved to 6-1 on the season.

Up Next:
The Eagles will return to Swanson Stadium to host Liberty (33-16, 12-7 A-SUN) May 16-18. Thursday's game will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs, as the Flames are new to the A-SUN this year. Prior to the game on Saturday, May 18, head coach Dave Tollett and his staff will honor the six graduating seniors: Justin Gill, Kohl Gilmore, Eric Gonzalez, Jay Hayes, Evan Lumbert and Keith Stevens. First pitch both Thursday and Friday is slated for 6:30 p.m. and Saturday's game will be played at 1 p.m..

FGCU Baseball @ NJIT Game One Recap

The FGCU baseball team (30-18, 12-6 A-SUN) came out on the losing side of an 8-4 battle against NJIT (17-25-1, 7-15 A-SUN) on Friday afternoon at Skylands Stadium.

"Obviously, we wanted to come out here and earn that Friday win," head coach Dave Tollett said. "But it's hard to do that when you play the way that we did today. We have adjustments to make before we come back here tomorrow. This team knows how to bounce back."

The Highlanders' bats got hot early in the game as they eventually put up their most runs in a conference match-up since a 9-2 victory over Liberty back in March.

In the opening frame, NJIT tagged the Eagles' junior starter Mason Studstill with three runs and never relinquished their lead from there. Studstill and classmate Sebastian Gruszecki finished the game tagged with four earned runs apiece and gave up a combined total of 10 hits.

After relieving Studstill to start the fourth, Gruszecki ended up tossing the final five frames, which stands as the longest outing of his career.

Despite trailing the whole game, the Eagles did have a few chances to close in on NJIT. In the second inning, freshman Joe Kinker cut the game down to 3-1 with a single that pushed senior Keith Stevens across. A two-out scoring spree brought the Green and Blue up to 7-4 in the fifth, but the Highlanders held on to their lead.

The trio of Stevens, junior Alex Brait and senior Jay Hayes accounted for the three RBIs in FGCU's scoring spurt and combined for seven hits.

This was just the fourth Friday-night loss for the Green and Blue and the second for Studstill (5-2) so far this season. Overall, the Eagles are 8-4 in Friday games.

Up Next:
The teams will return to Skylands Stadium tomorrow at 11 a.m. for a doubleheader. The teams will wrap up the series approximately 30 minutes after the completion of the first game.

FGCU Baseball @ NJIT Preview

 The FGCU baseball team (30-17, 12-5 A-SUN) will wrap up its conference road swing with a series at NJIT (16-25-1, 6-15 A-SUN) May 10-12 at the Skylands Stadium in Augustana, N.J.

Last Time Out:
The Eagles dropped two close games to Stetson at the Hatters' home stadium in DeLand. The series finale was cancelled due to weather.

Junior Richie Garcia scored the first run of the series after being pushed across by senior Eric Gonzalez in the opening frame of Friday night's game. The initial 1-0 lead was the Eagles' only advantage of the weekend.

Junior Mason Studstill (5-1) was charged with his first loss of the season as the Eagles eventually fell to the reigning A-SUN champs by a score of 2-1.

The Hatters posted a 5-0 edge over FGCU in game two before senior Jay Hayes got the team on the board by driving in Garcia.

Junior Kohl Gilmore made it a two-run ballgame with a single that sent Garcia and Gonzalez home, but it was the closest the team ever got.

The series loss was the first for the Eagles since dropping two-of-three to UNF back in March.

A Look at FGCU:
Studstill has established himself as one of the best arms in the nation. His average of 4.40 hits allowed per nine innings is the second-lowest in the nation and his earned run average (1.59) checks in at 13th. Studstill leads the A-SUN with 90 strikeouts so far, which stands alone as the sixth-most dealt by an Eagle in single-season history.

As a team, the Green and Blue sit at the top of the league standings. They pace the conference in runs (314), RBIs (279) and on-base percentage (.387).

Junior Alex Brait leads the team in the batter's box. The catcher owns a .325 batting average and has cranked out 66 hits, the most by any player in the A-SUN. Brait has caught 11 runners stealing so far, which ties for tenth on the FGCU single-season list. He needs just four more to check into the top five. He is also a perfect 10-10 on stolen bases and is one of two players in the league to have stolen at least 10 bags without being caught.

With 289 career assists, Garcia is currently tied for ninth in the Eagles' record book. He and Gonzalez have combined for 200 assists and 35 double plays this season.

Junior Hunter McGarry has been a force in the back end of the FGCU bullpen. He has already picked up eight saves this season, which ties for the third-most in Green and Blue single-season history. McGarry's eight saves are more than Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale, Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Barnes and former Chicago Cubs pitcher Casey Coleman accumulated in their careers as Eagles.

Scouting NJIT:
Last weekend, NJIT faced off against conference newcomer North Alabama. The Highlanders and the Lions split the first two games, but North Alabama claimed the series after winning Sunday's rubber match 8-3.

Sophomore Paul Franzoni finished the three-game series 5-for-12 with seven RBIs, three runs, two doubles and two home runs.

On Tuesday night, the Highlanders rallied to an 18-11 win over St. Peter's. After scoring just two runs, the Highlanders posted a combined total of 16 over the last two frames of the night.

Freshman Brett Helmkamp finished the night 4-for-6 with three RBI and two runs. On the season, Helmkamp leads the team with a .329 batting average, the highest of any freshman in the A-SUN.

Sophomore Julio Marcano has cranked out a team-high eight home runs and paces the Highlanders with 81 total bases. His twin brother, David Marcano, has stolen nine bags and turned in 10 extra-base hits.

The Highlanders' starting rotation of junior Tyler Stafflinger, redshirt-senior Sean Lubreski and junior Jared Kasco have a combined ERA of 5.39. The trio has given up 264 hits and been charged with 128 earned runs.

Freshman Joe Georgini has made a team-high 18 appearances. He and Kasco have each picked up one save so far this season.

Series History:
The Eagles are 5-1 against the Highlanders with their lone loss on April 8, 2018 where the Eagles fell 4-3 in the series finale.

A-SUN Standings:
1. FGCU (30-17, 12-5 A-SUN)
2. Liberty (33-15, 12-6 A-SUN)
3. Lipscomb (26-21, 10-8 A-SUN)
4. UNF (28-20, 9-8 A-SUN)
4. Stetson (21-16, 9-8 A-SUN)
6. Jacksonville (26-23, 9-9 A-SUN)
7. Kennesaw State (23-26, 8-10 A-SUN)
8. North Alabama (15-33, 7-13 A-SUN)
9. NJIT (16-25-1, 6-15 A-SUN)

How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be provided for all three games and will air on Highlanders Sports Network. It will cost $6 per game. Is it worth it?

Fans can also keep updated with FGCU baseball on Twitter @FGCU_Baseball

Livestats Link:
Game One- https://www.njithighlanders.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
Game Two- https://www.njithighlanders.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
Game Three- https://www.njithighlanders.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary

Livestream Link ($): https://www.njithighlanders.com/watch/?Live=353&type=Live

FGCU Baseball vs North Alabama Game Three Recap

Freshman Corey Clement had a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth that gave the FGCU baseball team (30-14, 12-3 A-SUN) a 6-5 win over North Alabama (11-32, 5-12 A-SUN) to complete the series sweep on Sunday afternoon at Swanson Stadium. The win marks the third time this season that the Eagles have swept an A-SUN opponent.

"This was a great weekend," head coach Dave Tollett said. "North Alabama is tough and they did some things that we haven't seen this season, but we were able to overcome it. Today's win was an awesome way to get the sweep. We hung in when we were down and then Clement had that game-ending hit for us which was huge."

With two outs, Clement, who had entered the game as a defensive sub in the eighth and only had two previous at-bats on the season, laced a single through the left side that scored junior pinch runner Cameron Krzeminski.

With the win, the Eagles stand alone at the top of the A-SUN standings. The team has already earned the most conference wins since two seasons ago when the Green and Blue won the 2017 A-SUN Championship. The team went 13-8 during the regular season.

The Lions, who had been held to just three earned runs entering the final game of the series, tagged the Eagles' senior starter Evan Lumbert with a pair of runs in the opening frame and added a third in the second. The early 3-0 lead was the visiting team's largest of the weekend.

In the fourth inning, senior Keith Stevens took UNA's starter deep to center field with a two-run shot that plated junior Richie Garcia. The Lions threatened to re-extend their lead after working the bases loaded in the following inning, but senior Eric Gonzalez, Garcia and junior Elijah Eusebio turned a double play to get out of the jam.

The Eagles responded with a bases-loaded push of their own in the bottom of the fifth inning. With two outs on the board, junior Kohl Gilmore fisted the ball into center field for an two-run single that pushed Garcia and junior Alex Brait across, giving FGCU its first lead of the afternoon.

After his rocky start, Lumber settled into a productive rhythm and allowed just one hit over the next four frames. He was relieved by junior Trey Vickery in the top of the seventh. Lumbert finished six innings of work with five Ks and three walks.

Vickery allowed two Lion baserunners, but managed to record two outs before handing the mound over to junior Brenden Heiss. UNA capitalized on the pitching change and brought two runs in with an RBI single that handed the team a 5-4 lead. Junior Hunter McGarry was called from the bullpen to end the inning, doing so with a swinging K.

Freshman Joe Kinker tied the game in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI single that plated Stevens, which would set the stage for Clement's heroics in the ninth.

McGarry was awarded the win for keeping the Lions off the board while FGCU took its final lead and improved to 5-1 on the season.

Up Next
The Eagles will head to FAU (29-14, 15-6 C-USA) for their last scheduled midweek game of the season. The game against the Owls is set for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30 in Boca Raton. FGCU holds a 12-7 advantage in the history between the two programs, including a 6-3 edge at the Owls' home stadium. FAU is currently ranked at #52 in the RPI standings. 

FGCU Baseball vs North Alabama Game Two Recap

The FGCU baseball team (29-14, 11-3 A-SUN) took game two against North Alabama (11-31, 5-11 A-SUN) with a 7-2 win Saturday afternoon at Swanson Stadium. The Green and Blue triumph marks the fourth series win in conference play.

"I thought it was a good, complete game all the way around," head coach Dave Tollett said. "We pitched a better game and were able to string together some timely hits. We were able to extend a few innings and (Richie) Garcia had a big hit for us. We played much better today than we did yesterday and we are looking forward to tomorrow."

Senior Keith Stevens handed the Eagles an early lead after he cranked out a two-RBI single in the bottom of the first. Juniors Marc Coffers and Alex Brait scored on the play.

Senior Justin Gill started on the hill for the Green and Blue and kept the Lions off the board until the third inning, when the visiting team used a sac fly to make it a 2-1 ballgame.

Freshman Joe Kinker pushed Stevens across with an RBI double one inning later to re-extend the team's edge to 3-1.

The Lions worked the tying run on in the following frame. After recording two outs, Gill was relieved by sophomore Nikolas Bitner. A fielding error brought in one of the starter's baserunners, but the run was unearned. Through 4.2 innings of work, the southpaw fanned four and was charged with just one run on as many hits.

Over the next four innings, the Eagles put up four unanswered runs. Senior Eric Gonzalez and Coffers were each credited with an RBI in the spree and junior Richie Garcia racked up two after his home run to left field that scored senior Jay Hayes.

Junior Sebastian Gruszecki and sophomore Gus Carter combined from the mound for the final nine outs. Gruszecki tossed 1.2 frames and did not let up any hits. Carter closed out the game, allowing one hit but fanning two Lions.

All but one of the Eagles' scoring plays were generated with two outs on the board. Hayes was able to extend two innings and was credited with a game-high two runs. Coffers, Brait, Garcia, Stevens and freshman Jalen Townsend tacked on one apiece. Townsend, who entered as a pinch runner, became the fourth Eagle to steal two bags in a single game.

Bitner was awarded the win for his scoreless relief work and improved to 3-2 on the season.

The victory marks the fourth time this season that the Eagles have won an A-SUN series. In 2017, a flagship year for the Green and Blue, the team also won four A-SUN weekend matchups. The last time FGCU won at least five conference series was 2014 when the team claimed seven weekend battles.

Up Next:
The teams will wrap up the series at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Eagles, who swept Lipscomb three weekends ago, will be looking to complete their second conference sweep of the season.

FGCU Baseball vs North Alabama Game One Recap

 A pair of home runs off the bats of junior Kohl Gilmore and freshman Joe Kinker helped power the FGCU baseball team (28-14, 10-3 A-SUN) towards a 6-3 win over North Alabama (11-30, 5-10 A-SUN) Friday night at Swanson Stadium.

"It's a Friday night win and we'll take it," head coach Dave Tollett said. "It was not pretty for either team, but a win on Friday night makes me happy. We need to improve across the board before we come back tomorrow. From an offensive standpoint, we came through when we needed to and played some small ball which we haven't done in a while."

Gilmore put the Eagles up 1-0 in the bottom of the second after his solo shot out to right field. The home run was his third of the season.

The Lions responded with a two-run homer of their own in the next frame via leadoff man Davis Elliott. After a few miscues by the Green and Blue, UNA managed to send another runner home and took a 3-1 lead by the end of the inning.

Senior Jay Hayes chipped away at the lead in the next frame with a sac fly that plated senior Marc Coffers and trimmed the Lion advantage down to 3-2.

Things were quiet over the next three innings, as Kinker was the only batter from either side to record a hit.

Gilmore got the offense going again with a leadoff double in the bottom of the seventh and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Junior Anthony Gonnella drew a walk to put runners on the corners. After coming in as a pinch runner for Gilmore, freshman Jalen Townsend scored the tying run on a fielder's choice.

Junior Mason Studstill pitched a quality start through seven innings of work. He fanned six and allowed just two earned runs on as many hits. He was relieved by sophomore Nikolas Bitner at the start of the eighth inning, ending his night with a no-decision.

Bitner faced three batters and recorded two outs before handing the mound over to junior Hunter McGarry (4-1), who ended the inning with a swinging K.

The Eagles' offense struck in the bottom of the eighth as Kinker hit a three-run homer, scoring senior Eric Gonzalez and junior pinch hitter Cameron Krzeminski, who hit for senior Keith Stevens. Kinker's sixth home run of the year handed the Green and Blue the final 6-3 advantage.

McGarry was awarded the win for keeping the Lions off the board while FGCU took the lead. Coffers, Gilmore and Kinker led the Green and Blue offense with two hits apiece and combined for five RBIs. Though the Eagles were able to come away with the win, a string of errors almost prevented them from doing so. The six miscues tied for the fourth-most in a single game in FGCU history.

Up Next:
The teams will return to Swanson Stadium on Saturday for a 2 p.m. game and the series will wrap up with a 1 p.m. finale on Sunday.

FGCU Baseball vs USF Recap

The FGCU baseball team (27-14, 9-3 A-SUN) fell 6-1 to USF (19-20, 2-10 American) in a midweek battle at Swanson Stadium Wednesday night.

"We have to play better," head coach Dave Tollett said. "From a pitching standpoint, we walked a bunch of guys. On the offense side, we struggled in the top of our lineup. It's tough to win ballgames when both parts of the game aren't going well for you. We didn't swing the bats well and we didn't pitch well, so we will have to put it behind us."

The Bulls got on the board quickly, tagging one run up against the Eagles' starting arm in each of the first two frames. Junior Sebastian Gruszecki (0-3) started today's Green and Blue staff day. In his second start of the season, Gruszecki made it through 3.0 innings of work and fanned three.

Sophomore Tyler Shuck took over the mound in the top of the fourth, but USF kept attacking the Eagle pitching and tacked on another two runs to its lead, making it a 4-0 ballgame. After facing five batters, junior Brenden Heiss relieved Shuck and ended the inning with a strikeout and a play at home plate.

FGCU put up its first run of the day in the bottom of the fourth inning. Senior Eric Gonzalez led off the inning with a double down the right field line and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch.

The Bulls responded to the push by sending another two runs across in the top of the fifth to extend their advantage to 6-1. They threatened to score again when they worked runners onto the corners in the sixth, but sophomore Gus Carter was called out from the bullpen and closed out the frame with a swinging K.

Carter cruised through a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh – the first, and only, of the night against USF. Juniors Trey Vickery and Keegan Collett combined to toss the final six outs of the night.

Throughout the course of the game, the Green and Blue left 14 on base compared to the visitors' 11. Gonzalez led the offense with two hits, while junior Richie Garcia and freshman Joe Kinker tallied one apiece. Tonight's game marked just the fifth time this season that the team has finished a game without recording an RBI.

Up Next
FGCU will host North Alabama (11-29, 5-9 A-SUN) for an A-SUN Conference series April 26-28 at Swanson Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday, and 1 p.m. on Sunday. These will be the first meetings between the two teams. The Lions are new to the conference and in the midst of a reclassifying period as they just jumped up to DI.

FGCU Baseball vs USF Preview

Fresh off its second conference sweep of the season, the FGCU baseball team (27-13, 9-3 A-SUN) will host USF (18-20, 2-10 American) for a 6:30 p.m. game on Wednesday, April 24 at Swanson Stadium. This will be the second meeting between the programs this season. The Bulls claimed a 15-4 victory up in Tampa on April 2. The game will be streamed on YouTube Live, but there will be no scheduled commentary.

Junior Mason Studstill has proven to be one of the strongest arms in all of DI baseball so far this season and was recently named to the College Baseball Foundations' 2019 Pitcher of the Year Award Watch List. He ranks seventh nationally in earned run average (1.31) and eighth in hits allowed per nine innings (4.52). The junior is currently 5-0, one of just two pitchers in the A-SUN's top 10 that have undefeated records. The only Eagle to ever finish on the single-season top-10 wins list with a perfect record was current Red Sox pitcher and 7-time MLB All-Star Chris Sale (11-0) in 2010.
Studstill has struck out a league-high 78 batters. With five more, he will tie for ninth on the

Junior Hunter McGarry made history this past weekend when he converted two save chances on the same day. He now has eight saves on the season, the third-most of any arm in Eagle history. He has already made 20 appearances.

Junior Alex Brait leads the Green and Blue with a .347 batting average. The catcher has cranked out a team- and conference-high 60 hits and is one of just two players that have started all 40 games for FGCU. Classmate Richie Garcia has also started every game.

Senior Jay Hayes sits at the top of the league with a .621 slugging percentage and 87 total bases. He checks in at second in RBIs (40) and home runs (8). Hayes (.472) and freshman Joe Kinker (.458) check in at first and second, respectively, on the A-SUN's top-10 list for on-base percentage. Kinker's batting average (.325) is the second-highest of all A-SUN freshmen and good for 11th in the conference.

Last Time Out:
Last weekend, the Eagles swept Jacksonville for just the third time in the history between the two teams.

Led by senior Justin Gill, the Green and Blue held Jacksonville to just one run during Thursday's 12-1 victory over the Dolphins. The only run of the night for JU was unearned.

Brait led the offense in the explosive triumph, going 4-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs and three runs. He and junior Anthony Gonnella both launched two-run home runs in the fifth inning.

The teams won both games (3-1, 2-1) of Saturday's doubleheader against the Dolphins. Senior Keith Stevens accounted for all three runs when he cranked out a bases-clearing double in the bottom of the sixth.

Sophomore Nikolas Bitner (2-2) earned the win after two innings of scoreless relief work. McGarry entered in the final 1.1 frames and earned his first save of the day.

Gonnella and junior Marc Coffers notched a pair of one-RBI doubles that put the team up 2-0 in the fifth.

The Dolphins managed to push one across but senior starter Evan Lumbert (4-2) and McGarry prevented them from tying things up. McGarry, who recorded the final four outs of the game, picked up his second save of the day and Lumbert was awarded the win.

The three runs conceded over the series tied FGCU's record for fewest runs allowed in a three-game series in school history.

Scouting USF:
Last weekend, the Bulls swept the Citadel in a three-game non-conference series. The Bulls outscored their competitor 28-12.

Senior Joe Genord leads the Bulls with a .346 batting average, .699 slugging percentage and 12 home runs. He and classmate Kyle Phillips are the only two players that have started all 38 games for USF. Phillips leads the team with seven stolen bases and 54 hits.

In each of their last three midweek games, the Bulls have thrown five pitchers. Of those three games, the longest a USF arm has gone is 4.2 innings.

Junior lefty Logan Lyle and senior right-hander Richie Cruz lead the USF bullpen with 17 appearances each. Each have started one game.

Junior Nelson Alvarez leads the Bull relievers with 28 Ks. He has been charged with nine runs through 22.0 innings and has 5 saves.

Series History:
The Eagles hold an 11-6 advantage in the history between the two teams and a split 4-4 mark at Swanson Stadium. The Bulls have won the last two meetings, both of which have been played at their home park in Tampa. In both of those wins, USF has put up double-digit runs. FGCU has never lost to the Bulls twice in a single season. They have, however, swept USF in home-and-home midweeks twice.

Junior Sebastian Gruszecki will get the nod to start in the game, while for USF it is to be determined.

Livestats Link: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=252513

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_1ISjt5aVZZLdGCQqVAPGw?view_as=subscriber

FGCU Baseball vs Jacksonville Day Two Recap

The FGCU baseball team (27-13, 9-3 A-SUN) swept Jacksonville (21-19, 7-8 A-SUN) after winning both games of Saturday's doubleheader by scores of 3-1 and 2-1 at Swanson Stadium.

"Both of these wins today were absolutely awesome," head coach Dave Tollett said. "Jacksonville is a very good team and, on paper, we are very equal across the board. It could've gone either way, but we're happy to close out this weekend with a sweep."

FGCU 3, JU 1
The Dolphins battled against junior Eagle starter Mason Studstill from the first at-bat of the game, getting two baserunners on in the opening frame. Studstill managed to get out of that jam, but Jacksonville was able to push a runner across after a fielding error in the bottom of the second to take an early 1-0 lead.

It took the Green and Blue a few innings to figure out the Dolphins' starting arm, but junior Kohl Gilmore eventually cranked out the first hit of the day when he singled up the middle in the bottom of the third. The team was unable to advance him farther than first base before the frame ended.

Jacksonville loaded the bases in the top of the fifth. With two outs on the board, FGCU recalled sophomore Nikolas Bitner (2-2) from the bullpen, who ended the frame via groundout. After 5.1 innings of work, Studstill finished the day with six strikeouts and let up five hits.

The Eagles' offense struck hard against the Dolphins in the bottom of the sixth. Junior Anthony Gonnella and senior Marc Coffers reached in consecutive at-bats, and senior Jay Hayes was intentionally walked to load the bases. With two outs on the board, senior Keith Stevens stepped into the batter's box and doubled down the right field line to score all three baserunners, as well as put the team up 3-1.

Bitner cruised through the next two innings, allowing just one hit. He was relieved in the top of the eighth by junior closer Hunter McGarry. Bitner finished his outing with three strikeouts and faced just two over the minimum. McGarry entered the game with two outs on the board and ended the inning with a strikeout.

Jacksonville managed to work the tying run into the batter's box in the top of the ninth, but McGarry ended the game with his third K. The closer picked up his seventh save of the season but wasn't done yet for the day. Bitner earned the win for his scoreless relief work.

With the win, the Eagles claimed their third A-SUN series win of the season.

FGCU 2, JU 1
Both sides started off slowly in the second game. Between the two teams, only six baserunners were allowed in the first three frames. Each team managed to advance a runner as far as third, but FGCU senior starter Evan Lumbert and Dolphin starter Austin Temple kept their opposition off the boards.

FGCU was the first team to get on the board, as the Eagles launched a well-balanced attack in the bottom of the fifth. Gilmore led off the inning with a single after poking a ball through the left side. He was replaced by freshman pinch runner Jalen Townsend, who moved over to second after a sacrifice bunt by junior pinch hitter Cameron Krzeminski. Gonnella and Coffers launched back-to-back doubles that put the team up 2-0 for the first runs of the day.

The Dolphins responded with a run of their own in the top of the sixth, using an RBI single to cut the Green and Blue's lead down to 2-1. Lumbert battled back and recorded a swinging strikeout for the second out of the inning before being relieved by McGarry who ended the frame. The starter finished his outing after 5.2 innings of work, tallying five Ks.

McGarry recorded the final four outs of the game for the Eagles and earned his second save of the day. The junior now has eight on the season and is tied for third place in the FGCU single-season standings. With five more, he will hold the Eagle record. He became just the second Eagle in the D-I era to earn two saves on the same day. The first was Sterling Koerner, who accomplished the feat in a pair of close victories over Lipscomb on May 13, 2017.

With the win, FGCU swept Jacksonville for the third time in the history between the two teams (2008, 2013) and earned its second A-SUN sweep of the season. The Green and Blue won all three against Lipscomb at Swanson Stadium three weeks ago, making this the longest home conference win streak since 2013-14 when FGCU won 11-straight across the end of the 2013 season and beginning of the 2014 campaign.

The three runs throughout the weekend are the fewest the Eagles have ever conceded in a series against the Dolphins. They also tie the fewest runs ever allowed in school history in a three-game conference series (Kennesaw State, 2012).

This was Jacksonville's first time getting swept by a conference opponent since the 2014 season. That year, they got swept by Mercer.

Up Next:
The Eagles will be back in action at Swanson Stadium this Wednesday, April 24 to host USF (18-20, 2-10 American) for a midweek game. The matchup against the Bulls is set for 6:30 p.m. and will be the second meeting between the two teams this season. USF earned a 15-4 victory over the Green and Blue up in Tampa on April 2. Overall, the Eagles own the series between the programs 11-6.

FGCU Baseball vs Jacksonville Day One Recap

The FGCU baseball team (25-13, 7-3 A-SUN) cruised to a 12-1 victory over Jacksonville (21-17, 7-6 A-SUN) on Thursday night under the lights at Swanson Stadium. This marks the third-straight year that the Eagles have won the opening game in a series between the two teams.

"This was a great Thursday night win for us against a solid club," head coach Dave Tollett said. "We got a great start from Gill and we had two big innings on offense that really set the tone for us. This was a good way to start the series but we have to put it behind us and be ready to go early in the morning tomorrow."

The Dolphins got to work quickly in their opening frame, using a single and a pair of walks to load the bases. Senior Justin Gill (1-3), who started on the hill for the Green and Blue, worked himself out of the jam and eventually ended the frame with a groundout.

Junior Richie Garcia was the first to put the Eagles on the board when he doubled down the right field line in the bottom of the first. Senior Jay Hayes and junior Alex Brait came in on the play to give the Green and Blue an early 2-0 lead.

FGCU blew up its lead with a five-spot in the third frame. Senior Keith Stevens began the spree by drawing a bases-loaded walk that plated Brait. A fielder's choice one at-bat later sent Hayes home and junior Kohl Gilmore joined in on the spurt with a double that brought in senior Eric Gonzalez and Garcia. Freshman Joe Kinker wrapped up the scoring with an RBI single that scored Gilmore.

Gill kept the Dolphins off the board until the fourth inning, when they tagged up an unearned run to make the score 7-1.

The Eagles' bats got hot once again in the fifth inning as they used another five-spot to extend their lead. Kinker notched his second RBI of the night with a sac fly that pushed Stevens across and the long ball took over from there. Junior Anthony Gonnella launched a two-run shot to right center that brought Gilmore home and Brait added a two-run shot of his own that scored senior Marc Coffers. The homers put FGCU up 12-1. This was Brait's and Gonnella's third home runs of the season.

Gill was retired in the top of the sixth by junior Brenden Heiss after his second-longest outing of the season. The starter gave up just four hits, fanned three and was not charged with any earned runs through 5.1 frames of work. The Dolphins worked the bases loaded in that inning, but Heiss wrapped things up with a swinging strikeout.

Heiss tossed the next full inning and fanned four batters without giving up any hits. He handed over the mound to freshman Cody Woodring, who was tasked with recording the final six outs. Woodring notched first three collegiate strikeouts and faced the minimum number in the longest outing of his freshman campaign. Gill earned his first win of the season.

Tonight's offensive showing was well-balanced; it was the 11th game of the season that the team has finished with double-digit runs and the 19th with double-digit hits. Eight different Eagles recorded hits and seven finished the night with at least one RBI. FGCU tagged Jacksonville's starter with a season-high 11 runs. As a team, only five were left on base compared to the opponent's 11. Hayes led the defense with five assists.

Up Next:
The Eagles and the Dolphins will return to Swanson Stadium tomorrow at noon for the second game of the series. Game two was originally scheduled for 6:30 p.m., but got bumped up due to inclement weather. The finale is still slated for 2 p.m. on Saturday.

FGCU Baseball vs Jacksonville Preview

The FGCU baseball team (24-13, 6-3 A-SUN) will return to Swanson Stadium to host Jacksonville (21-16, 7-5 A-SUN) April 18-20 for an A-SUN Conference series. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. both Thursday and Friday and the teams will wrap up the weekend at 2 p.m. on Saturday. All three games will be streamed on YouTube Live and Saturday's game will have live play-by-play commentary. The series will be a battle of two of the best teams in the conference, as the Eagles sit at second and the Dolphins are tied for third in the standings.

FGCU:
The Green and Blue's 6-3 start in A-SUN play is the best record through the opening nine games since the 2015 season.

Senior Eric Gonzalez  earned his first A-SUN Player of the Week (April 15) accolade for his offensive effort in FGCU's series win over Kennesaw State last weekend. The senior batted .455 with a pair of home runs and six RBIs.

FGCU leads the league in batting average (.284), hits (362), home runs (31), on-base percentage (.394), runs (268), scoring (7.2) and slugging percentage (.418).

Senior Jay Hayes leads the offense with a .356 batting average, 15 doubles, eight home runs, .476 on-base percentage, and a .652 slugging percentage. Hayes has been credited with a whopping 86 total bases, the highest of any A-SUN player so far.

Three of the top 10 batting averages in the A-SUN belong to FGCU players: Hayes (.357 – fourth), junior Alex Brait (.340 - sixth) and freshman Joe Kinker (.331 - ninth). The most any other team has in the top 10 is two.

The Eagles have been hit by pitches 73 times so far this season. In both the 2005 and 2006 seasons, FGCU batters were hit 85 times, which is currently the most in program history. Junior Mason Studstill is currently fifth in the nation in hits allowed per nine innings (4.18). He leads the conference with 72 Ks, which is 11 shy of registering on the FGCU single-season top 10 list.

Opponents are currently batting .239 off the FGCU pitching staff, which is the lowest in program history. The Eagles finished the 2013 season holding opponents to just .243, which is the current all-time record.

Last Time Out:
The team wrapped up its series against No. 22 Miami last night, falling 13-4 at Mark Light Field. The Hurricanes currently have an RPI of No. 20 and are nationally ranked in multiple polls after sweeping ACC foe Virginia last weekend.

Junior Sebastian Gruszecki (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional HS) started his first game for the Green and Blue. He finished the night after his longest outing, 4.2 innings, and fanned a career-high five batters.

Junior Marc Coffers (Naples, FL/Barron Collier HS) led the offensive effort with two hits and a pair of RBIs.

Freshman Hunter Fornari (Daytona Beach, FL/Spruce Creek HS) entered the game as a pinch runner and scored his first run as an Eagle. He stayed in for the last few innings at third base.

Scouting The Dolphins:
Last season, Jacksonville competed in an NCAA Regional for the 15th time in program history. They entered the Gainesville Regional as the No. 2 seed after receiving an at-large bid. The No. 2 seed was the highest in program history and the bid was the first for the team since 2011.

Senior Angel Camacho was selected to the All-Tournament team at the Gainesville Regional. The infielder was also named to the A-SUN All-Conference First Team, A-SUN All-Academic Team and the A-SUN All-Tournament team. Camacho is currently batting .371, good for second in the league, and has cranked out a conference-high nine home runs.

Junior AJ Jones (5-2) and sophomore Trent Palmer (3-4) have each struck out 51 batters. Both have started nine games for the Dolphins. Palmer pitched a complete game in the 15-0 victory over Brown on March 9. He only had to throw 7.0 innings, as the game ended due to the 10-run rule.

Series History:
The first game of the weekend will mark the 37th meeting between the two teams. FGCU currently leads the series 20-16 and holds a 9-7 edge at Swanson Stadium. In both 2017 and 2018's regular-season meetings, the Eagles won on Friday night but dropped both Saturday and Sunday's games.

The Dolphins have not dropped a series to the Green and Blue since 2015. In 2017, Jacksonville earned the No. 1 seed in the A-SUN Championship but was swept by the Eagles in a doubleheader, who went on to claim the title.


This is my 800th blog post I've done so far

FGCU Baseball @ Miami Recap

The FGCU baseball team (24-13, 6-3 A-SUN) fell 13-4 to No. 22 Miami (26-12, 10-8 ACC) on Tuesday night at Mark Light Field. The Hurricanes currently have an RPI of 20 and are nationally ranked in multiple polls after their sweep over Virginia last weekend.

"I thought we got a good start from Sebastian in his first-ever start," head coach Dave Tollett said. "Our bullpen was not good after that. We gave up eight runs and that's hard to come back from. This was definitely one of the best Miami teams that we've faced. On the offensive side, we did have 11 hits but we left 12 guys on. We could've made the game interesting if we could've pitched a little bit better."

The Hurricanes put up a pair of runs in their opening at-bats to take an early 2-0 lead over the Green and Blue. Senior Jay Hayes responded for the Eagles two frames later with sac fly that plated junior Marc Coffers and trimmed the deficit down to 2-1.

Junior Sebastian Gruszecki (0-2) made his first start of the season in tonight's game. After the initial two runs, Gruszecki kept the Hurricanes off the board for the next three frames and fanned a career-high five batters in his longest outing as an Eagle (4.2 innings). He was relieved by sophomore Tyler Shuck in the bottom of the fifth after letting up three runs that extended the Hurricanes' lead to 5-1.  Those three runs were the only ones charged to the starter.

FGCU acted on the push with three runs of its own in the top of the sixth. Freshman Joe Kinker and senior Eric Gonzalez reached on a walk and a single and were moved into scoring position after a sacrifice bunt by junior Cameron Krzeminski. Coffers brought both in with a double that made it a two-run ballgame at 5-3.

The Canes got to work quickly in the bottom of the sixth and tagged a run against Shuck within the first three at-bats. Sophomore Gus Carter and junior Brenden Heiss each made relief appearances during the frame. Both were charged in Miami's eventual scoring spree that put the team up 13-3.

Juniors Kohl Gilmore and Richie Garcia reached one after the other in the seventh, forcing the Canes to make a pitching change. Freshman Hunter Fornari, who pinch ran for Gilmore, was brought in on an RBI single off the bat of Gonzalez for the Eagles' fourth run of the night. The run was the first of Fornari's career and the last of the night for both teams.

Up Next:
The Green and Blue will return to Swanson Stadium to host Jacksonville (21-16, 7-5 A-SUN) for an A-SUN conference series April 18-20. The teams will face off at 6:30 p.m. both Thursday and Friday night before the series finale at 2 p.m. on Saturday. FGCU currently leads the all-time series between the two teams 20-16 and holds a 9-7 edge at the Nest. Jacksonville was 64 in the RPI last week and is currently third in the A-SUN Conference standings behind FGCU (second) and Liberty (first), making this weekend a battle between two of the best teams in the league.

FGCU Baseball @ Miami Preview

The FGCU baseball team (24-12, 6-3 A-SUN) return to Alligator Alley on Wednesday night, April 17 at 6:30 pm as they face Miami (21-12, 10-8 ACC).

Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off of a series win over Kennesaw State winning two-of-three games.

On Friday, the Eagles earned an 8-4 win over the Owls at Stillwell Stadium. Studstill pitched seven innings and fanned eight en route to earning his fifth win of the season. Both junior Richie Garcia and senior Eric Gonzalez notched home runs in the victory.

The teams faced off in a doubleheader on Saturday. The Green and Blue won the first game 6-4. Gonzalez led the scoring effort with three hits, three RBIs and two runs. Junior Hunter McGarry earned his sixth save of the season and is now tied for the sixth-most by an Eagle pitcher in a single season.

The offense struggled during the 4-0 loss in game two, finishing the night with just three hits. The team's current 6-3 mark in A-SUN play is the best through the opening nine games since the 2015 season.

The Eagles are currently second in the A-SUN Conference standings, behind Liberty (27-8, 9-3 A-SUN) and ahead of Jacksonville (21-15, 7-5 A-SUN).

Gonzalez was named A-SUN Player of the Week on Monday afternoon for his offensive effort in the Green and Blue's series win over Kennesaw State. Gonzalez is batting .283 with four home runs and 25 RBI.

"We're really excited for Eric. He's worked really hard," head coach Dave Tollett said. "He's totally committed to the team and he has spent a lot of time over the past 12-15 days watching film and learning about his swing, which has resuled in him making some good adjustments. He had some big hits for us in the last week and we hope he continues to keep learning and keep getting better, but we're really pleased with him."

The team has one of the best offenses in the A-SUN and sits at the top league in batting average (.284), hits (351), home runs (31), on-base percentage (.395), runs (264), scoring (7.3) and slugging percentage (.420).

Senior Jay Hayes leads the league in on-base percentage (.478), RBIs (39), home runs (8), and total bases (84).

Junior Alex Brait leads the team in both hits (53) and runs (36). The catcher has caught nine runners stealing so far this season. With two more, he will tie for 10th in the FGCU single-season standings.

Garcia and Gonzalez have combined for a total of 143 defensive assists through 36 games. Garcia is nine career assists away from registering on the FGCU top 10 list.

Opponents are currently batting .238 against the Green and Blue pitching staff. The lowest opponent batting average in program history is .243 (2013).

Junior Mason Studstill has struck out a league-high 72 batters. With 11 more Ks, he will tie for the ninth-most in a single season by an Eagle pitcher.

Scouting The Hurricanes:
This week, Miami cracked into the top 25 for the first time under first-year head coach Gino DiMare. The Hurricanes came in at No. 22 in Collegiate Baseball's NCAA Div. 1 Poll and No. 23 in the D1Baseball Top 25. They also check in at No. 20 in the most-recent RPI rankings.

The Hurricanes went 5-0 last week after winning both midweek games against FGCU and sweeping the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. for an ACC matchup.  It was the first time in program history that Miami swept Virginia.

Sophomore Raymond Gil is batting a team-high .372 and has a .651 slugging percentage. Classmate Alex Toral leads the team with 14 home runs. Overall, the Hurricanes have cranked out 50 home runs which is good for sixth in the nation.

Freshman Jordan Lala has stolen 17 bases, the third-most of any freshman in the nation. Miami's pitching staff has a 3.69 ERA, which is second in the ACC behind No. 7 Louisville's 3.14.

Series History:
Tuesday's meeting will be the third between the two teams this season. The Eagles and the Hurricanes faced off in a home-and-home series last week. On Tuesday night, the Green and Blue traveled to Mark Light Field for the first game. FGCU jumped out to an early 3-0 lead before the game was halted due to weather.  The Hurricanes spread nine runs over four frames to take a 9-3 lead.

The Eagles had chances to regain their lead, but Miami ultimately held on and earned a 13-9 victory.

The Hurricanes traveled to Swanson Stadium last Wednesday to complete the midweek series. Miami's starter Slade Cecconi threw five innings and did not give up any hits. The score was 10-0 Miami heading into the bottom of the ninth, but sophomore Christian Proffitt prevented the Eagles from being shutout with a pinch-hit double that scored junior pinch hitter Cameron Krzeminski.

Overall, the Hurricanes lead the series between the two teams 21-5 and have a 3-1 edge when they are ranked.

FGCU Baseball @ Kennnesaw State Doubleheader Recap

The FGCU baseball team (24-12, 6-3 A-SUN) won the first game of today's doubleheader against Kennesaw State (17-20, 4-5 A-SUN) but dropped the second. The Eagles claimed a 6-4 win in game one to win the overall series before falling 4-0 in the second game at Stillwell Stadium.

"We're happy winning the series," head coach Dave Tollett said. "We played really well in game one and came from behind to win the series. Game two we didn't hit well but I feel like that was only the second game this year that we've had that problem. We know how tough it is to sweep but we wish we could've finished the weekend."

FGCU 6, KSU 4
In the first game of today's doubleheader, the Eagles struck first and took an early lead. Junior Kohl Gilmore led the second inning off with a double to right field and came around to score after an RBI single off the bat of freshman Joe Kinker.

Senior Eric Gonzalez tacked onto the lead in the top of the fourth when he launched his second home run in as many days. Kinker, who had reached on a throwing error by the Owls' third baseman, scored on the play. The homer put the Eagles up 3-0.

Senior Evan Lumbert started on the stripe for FGCU and kept Kennesaw State off the board until the fifth inning. The Owls, who had not recorded a hit until the fifth inning, used an RBI single of their own to cut the Eagles' lead down to 4-1.

KSU charged two more runs to Lumbert in the sixth frame to tie the game. Sophomore Gus Carter (2-0) came out of the Eagle bullpen to relieve Lumbert and the southpaw finished the frame allowing just one more of the starter's runners to score. That gave the home team a 4-3 edge.

The Eagles threw up a three-spot of their own in the top of the eighth to swing momentum back in their favor. Gonzalez got the scoring started with a single that pushed freshman pinch runner Jalen Townsend across. Junior Alex Brait made it 6-4 with a two-RBI single that plated Gonzalez and junior pinch hitter Cameron Krzeminski.

Junior Hunter McGarry pitched for the final six outs of the night. Since he kept the Owls from scoring in the two-run ballgame, he was awarded his sixth save of the season and is now in a three-way tie for the sixth-most by an Eagle pitcher in a single season. One of the pitchers in the tie is former Chicago Cub Casey Coleman (2006). Carter was awarded the win for being on the mound when FGCU took the lead for good.

With the win, the Eagles claimed their second A-SUN Conference series win of the season. The Green and Blue dropped the A-SUN opener at North Florida but swept Lipscomb at Swanson Stadium last weekend.

KSU 4, FGCU 0
The Green and Blue struggled offensively in the series finale. The team finished nine innings of play with just three hits. Junior Richie Garcia accounted for two of them and junior Marc Coffers tallied the third. The Eagles had a few good chances to score, but they couldn't push anyone across. The team finished the night leaving 11 on base.

One of the Owls cranked out a home run in the bottom of the third to give the team its initial lead. It was the first one that any player has hit off sophomore Tyler Shuck (6-1), who started for the Eagles.

Kennesaw State added to its advantage in the fourth frame with a bases-clearing double that scored three runs and awarded the team its final 4-0 margin of victory.

Sophomore Nikolas Bitner relieved Shuck in the fourth inning and tossed the next 4.1 frames. The starter finished the night tagged with his first loss of the season. Bitner let up just two hits and struck out four of the 19 batters that he faced.

Senior Justin Gill faced the last batter of the night and threw four pitches before the Owl popped up to senior Jay Hayes at third base.

The three hits tie for the lowest cranked out by FGCU in a game this season and the shutout was just the third so far.

Up Next:
The Eagles will cross Alligator Alley once again to take on the University of Miami Hurricanes at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16. This will be the third midweek game between the two teams, as they played once at Mark Light Field and once at Swanson Stadium last week. The Hurricanes claimed victories in both of those meetings.

FGCU Baseball @ Kennnesaw State Game One Recap

The FGCU baseball team (23-11, 5-2 A-SUN) picked up an 8-4 Friday night win over Kennesaw State (16-19, 3-4 A-SUN) at Stillwell Stadium.
Both teams got on the board early, as the Eagles and the Owls tallied a run apiece in the first frame. Senior Jay Hayes plated classmate Marc Coffers with an RBI groundout for the Green and Blue's first run of the night. KSU responded with an RBI single of its own to even things up at 1-1.

Junior Richie Garcia regained FGCU's lead with a solo shot to right center in the top of the second. The homer was his third of the season.

Junior Mason Studstill (5-0) started on the hill for the Eagles and, aside from the one early run, kept Kennesaw State off the board for 7.0 innings of work, earning his fifth win of the season. He finished the night with eight strikeouts, while conceding three walks and five hits.

While Studstill kept the Owl offense away from home plate, senior Eric Gonzalez tacked on three insurance runs for the Green and Blue. In the fourth inning, he launched his fourth home run of the season when he sent a two-run shot out to left field. Freshman Joe Kinker scored on the play. The senior was credited with another RBI in the top of the sixth when he snuck a single through the right side that plated Garcia.

KSU capitalized on the FGCU pitching changes in the eighth and made it a two-run ball game. Juniors Sebastian Gruszecki and Hunter McGarry each threw for the Eagles in the frame. Kennesaw State cranked out four singles and managed to get the tying run as far as second base, but the inning ended before the team could score again.

The Eagles put the game out of reach with a three-spot in the top of the ninth. Freshman Jalen Townsend, who entered the game as a pinch runner, stole two bases before scoring on a wild pitch to give the team a 6-3 lead. Junior Elijah Eusebio was credited with a pair of runs after he doubled to left field, scoring Hayes and junior Alex Brait. 

Freshman Chris Seymour and sophomore Nikolas Bitner teamed up to record the final three outs of the night. Seymour recorded the first and, after allowing two runners to reach, was relieved by Bitner. Bitner took an Owl down swinging before he was charged with a balk, giving Kennesaw its final run of the game. The sophomore closed things out with a flyout to Coffers in center field.

Garcia finished the night with a team-high three hits, just ahead of Coffers and Gonzalez who each added a pair. Brait, Hayes, Eusebio, senior Keith Stevens and junior Anthony Gonnella added one apiece in the Eagles' well-balanced attack.

"Tonight we had another great start by Studstill," head coach Dave Tollett said. "I thought we played solid all the way around. It was a good Friday night win with some key hits and a pair of home runs. We ran the bases well and played good defense. It was nice to see Richie have three hits, Eusebio have a big hit to open the game up a little bit and Coffers have some great hits in the leadoff spot."

Up Next:
Originally, the Eagles and the Owls were scheduled to play on Saturday at 2 p.m. and at 1 p.m. on Sunday, but the teams will face off in a doubleheader tomorrow instead. The first game will still be played at 2 p.m. and the series finale will follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.