FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University baseball head coach Dave Tollett released the Eagles 2010 schedule on Friday and it includes 27 games at Swanson Stadium, 11 games against BCS Conference schools and 15 games against NCAA Regional teams, two of which advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals last season.
The Eagles enter their third year as a member of Division I, and have already claimed two A-Sun regular season titles. This season, the 38th ranked Eagles will be eligible for postseason play for the first time in the program’s history. The Eagles look to defend their back-to-back A-Sun regular season titles as they welcome 13 newcomers to a squad that returns seven position starters and four starting pitchers.
The Eagles’ 55 game slate features six games against ACC competition, four games against Sun Belt teams, three games against the Missouri Valley Conference and the Atlantic 10, two games against the Big 12, along with single games against the SEC, Big East, Big 10.
Head coach Dave Tollett talked about the Eagles’ schedule: “We wanted to play as tough a non-conference schedule as we could, knowing that this will be our first opportunity for postseason play. With games against Wichita State, Florida, Michigan, Clemson, Oklahoma State, and Miami, we think we’ve got one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country. By playing quality teams throughout the season, we expect to be prepared not only for the A-Sun regular season, but also the conference tournament, and hopefully the NCAA tournament as well.”
The Eagles will open the 2010 season at home on Feb. 19-21 with a three-game series against Temple at Swanson Stadium before traveling south to face Miami in their first of two meetings on Feb. 24. The Hurricanes will travel to Fort Myers on Apr. 14 for the second meeting between the schools. Miami earned a berth in the 2009 NCAA Regionals after being ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation, posting a 38-22 record last season.
After their first road trip, the Eagles land back home to host a four-game set with Sacred Heart on Feb. 26-28. The series includes a double-header on Feb. 27.
On Mar. 3, FGCU hosts Michigan in the first meeting between the two schools. After that, the Eagles hit the road to face Wichita State on Mar. 5-7. The Eagles will play a three-game series against the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference champions, who lost two one-run games in the 2009 NCAA Regionals.
The Eagles open A-Sun conference play on the road against USC Upstate on Mar. 12-13. The Eagles have an all-time winning record against nine of the ten A-Sun opponents they face; against Belmont, FGCU is 3-3 all-time.
Following a mid-week game against FIU on Mar. 16 at Swanson Stadium, the Eagles travel to Stetson for a weekend A-Sun matchup on Mar. 19-20. Along with FIU (Mar. 16 and May 18), FGCU will also face Sun Belt foe FAU (Apr. 20 and May 11).
The Eagles stay on the road to face Florida on Mar. 24 in Gainesville, Fla. Florida advanced to the NCAA Super Regional last season but fell to Southern Mississippi in two games. The Eagles have a 1-1 record against the Gators after each team earned road wins last season.
FGCU will host A-Sun foe Kennesaw State on Mar. 26-27 for the first time at Swanson Stadium. In the Eagles first two seasons, FGCU has beat out the Owls to earn back-to-back regular season titles.
On Mar. 30-31, FGCU will travel to Stillwater, Okla. for a two-game, mid-week series against 2009 NCAA Regional participant Oklahoma State.
The Eagles return home Apr. 2-3 for a weekend A-Sun series against Mercer. FGCU has won five of the six meetings between the two schools.
Conference play continues the following weekend as the Blue and Green travel to Buies Creek, NC, for a three-game set with Campbell Apr. 9-10. The Eagles have never lost to the Camels in their previous six meetings.
On April 14 the Miami Hurricanes will make their first trip to Fort Myers. The Eagles have dropped the previous two meetings between the two schools, although the Blue and Green gave Miami a big scare in 2008, falling to the No. 1 ranked Hurricanes 4-2 in 11 innings.
FGCU heads back on the road to face A-Sun foe Lipscomb in a three-game series Apr. 16-18 in Nashville. The Bison earned the No. 2 seed in the A-Sun tournament last season, finishing with a 17-13 conference record.
Following a home game against Florida Atlantic (Apr. 20), the Blue and Green will host Belmont Apr. 23-25. The Bruins finished 29-29 overall last season, 15-15 in A-Sun play.
Beginning Apr. 27 FGCU will play five straight non-conference road games, beginning with a single game at South Florida on Apr. 27. Following that the Eagles will travel to Clemson, SC for their first-ever meeting with the Clemson Tigers. That four-game series starts on May 1 and wraps up May 4.
FGCU resumes conference play with a home series against ETSU on May 7-8, followed by a road game at Florida Atlantic (May 11).
The Eagles will travel to Jacksonville to do battle with last year’s A-Sun tournament No. 1 seed, the Jacksonville Dolphins, May 14-15. The Dolphins took two out of three games from FGCU last year, but the Eagles swept JU in 2008.
After a road game at Florida International (May 18), FGCU returns home to close out the regular season against A-Sun foe North Florida May 20-21. The Eagles swept the Ospreys in Jacksonville last year.
The 2010 A-Sun Championship is set for May 25-29 at Lipscomb’s Dugan Field at Marsh Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., for the Eagles’ first appearance. The 2010 NCAA Championship is set to begin on June 4 with regional play.
