Coming in ranked at #22, the FGCU baseball team will face the top team in the country and reigning National Champions Florida Gators tomorrow night.
These two in-state rivals met last season with the Eagles sweeping both games in Gainesville by scores of 7-3 and 3-2. FGCU comes into the game with a 22-5 having won nine straight rcompared to Gators who have played three more games and are 25-5 and have won six straight. They are coming off a sweep of #8 Vanderbilt.
The pitching matchup will feature a pair of right handlers featuring lasts weeks ASUN Pitcher of the Week, Evan Lumbert and Tyler Lace for the Gators. Both pitchers come in without any losses this season, but Lumbert has three more wins and an ERA nearly four runs better.
Offensively, Jonathan India, who is projected to be a second round pick in the upcoming MLB draft, comes in seventh in the nation with a .433 batting average. He ranks tied for eighth with with 11 home runs along with teammate Will Dalton. As a team, they have hit 46 home runs in 30 games and average close to seven runs per game.
Mace has only made on start this season and has come off the bullpen nine times, but has been nowhere has effective than closer Michael Byrne, a former walk-on, who has seven saves and has allowed just one run in 24 innings this season. He has a 12-1 strikeout to walk ratio this season.
For the Eagles, Richie Garcia continues his sensational start as he is definitely a favorite for ASUN Player of the Year. He is batting .384 and driven in a league-high 34 runs batted in. He has connects din four home runs and is tied for second with Eric Gonzalez, three behind Kohl Gilmore for the team lead. FGCU still has eight players hitting over .300 with 27 games have already being played.
Lumbert will be coming off his best start of his career where he defeated Miami in a mid-week game six days ago when he did not allow a run for eight innings and struck out a career-high 12 in a 1-0 win.
Following this game, the Eagles will return home to face NJIT for a weekend home series at Swanson Stadium.