{"id":239448,"date":"2026-04-20T21:10:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T21:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/239448\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T21:10:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T21:10:09","slug":"baseball-heads-to-fort-myers-for-matchup-at-fgcu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/239448\/","title":{"rendered":"Baseball Heads to Fort Myers for Matchup at FGCU"},"content":{"rendered":"\n


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MIAMI \u2013 FIU’s baseball program travels to Fort Myers, Florida, for a midweek contest against FGCU on Tuesday evening at Swanson Stadium.<\/p>\n

Tuesday, April 21 at FGCU (23-15)<\/p>\n


\n\tTime \/ Site: 6:30 p.m.\u00a0ET at Swanson Stadium
\n\tStarters:\u00a0FIU RHP Mason Koczwara<\/a>\u00a0(1-1, 6.62 ERA) vs FGCU TBA <\/p>\n

FIU (13-26) looks to bounce back after a road sweep at Jacksonville State this past weekend. The Panthers fell 4-2 on Friday before dropping a 13-1 decision on Saturday and a 7-2 contest on Sunday.
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\nTuesday marks the second of three meetings between FIU and FGCU this season. The Eagles took the first matchup, 11-6 in extra innings, on March 10 in Miami. FIU will return home for the final meeting on May 6. Offensively, FIU has totaled 294 hits and 41 home runs, ranking fifth in Conference USA, while also drawing 77 hit-by-pitches this season.
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\nAndrew Ildefonso<\/a> leads the Panthers with 43 hits, batting .276 with nine doubles, five home runs, and 25 RBI across 39 games. Cooper Rasmussen<\/a> has been a key presence at the top of the lineup, reaching base in 23 of his last 24 games. He is tied for the team lead with nine home runs and has driven in 18 RBI.
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\nMario Trivella<\/a> paces the team with 33 RBI and is tied for the team lead with nine home runs, ranking among the top 10 in CUSA. He drove in four runs over the weekend at Jacksonville State, including a solo home run in Sunday’s finale.
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\nSamuel Fischer<\/a> has started all 39 games, hitting .268 with 21 RBI and seven doubles. He leads the team with 34 walks and 14 hit-by-pitches, continuing to be a consistent on-base presence.
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\nCaden Sammler<\/a> has been hot behind the plate, recording eight hits over his last five games, including three multi-hit performances. He tallied a hit in each game at Jacksonville State, highlighted by a two-hit effort in Sunday’s finale.
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\nCole Cleveland<\/a> has appeared in 33 games, totaling 15 RBI and three home runs. The sophomore has collected 11 hits over his last eight games, including a two-hit performance over the weekend.
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\nOn the mound, FIU has logged 335.2 innings with 296 strikeouts. Preston Prince<\/a> leads the team with 33 strikeouts in 31.1 innings and is coming off a strong outing, tossing six scoreless innings with four strikeouts. He has now recorded back-to-back starts of six or more innings, totaling 13.1 innings in that span.
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\nTyrus Riley<\/a> owns a 3.30 ERA over 30 innings with 31 strikeouts, while Julian Mlodzinski<\/a> leads the team with 44.2 innings pitched across nine starts. He is coming off a six-inning performance with four strikeouts in Sunday’s outing.<\/p>\n

HISTORY WITH THE EAGLES

\nTuesday’s game marks the 30th all-time meeting between the two programs, with FGCU holding a 20-9 advantage in the series since it began in 2009. The Eagles won all three matchups last season.<\/p>\n

SCOUTING FGCU

\nFGCU enters with a 23-15 record, coming off a weekend series loss in which it secured a 5-0 victory in the finale.

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\nOffensively, Javier Gorostola leads the team with 65 hits, 12 home runs, and 48 RBI. Jon Embury paces the Eagles with 50 RBI and 13 home runs while batting .371. Two-way standout Evan Dempsey is hitting .369 with six home runs, 29 RBI, and a team-high 16 doubles. Wilfred Gonzalez has added 51 hits and 18 RBI this season.

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\nOn the mound, Dempsey has also been dominant, posting 83 strikeouts over 60.2 innings with a 3-1 record. Hunter Possehl holds a 3.92 ERA across 43.2 innings, while Chris Diaz owns a 4.13 ERA in 48 innings. Ashton Pocol leads the team with two saves in 19.1 innings, with Sebastian Lippman and Preston Rogers providing depth out of the bullpen.<\/p>\n

UP NEXT

\nFIU hosts the Dallas Baptist Patriots this weekend from April 24-26 from FIU Baseball Stadium.<\/p>\n

TICKETS

\nFor more information on FIU tickets to FIU home games, including student ticketing, call 305-FIU-GAME or visit\u00a0HERE<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

BAPTIST HEALTH

\nThe 2026 FIU baseball season is presented by Baptist Health, The Official Sports Medicine Provider of FIU Athletics<\/p>\n

SOCIAL MEDIA

\nGet all the latest information on the team by following\u00a0@FIUBaseball<\/a>\u00a0on Facebook and\u00a0@FIUBaseball<\/a>\u00a0on X and\u00a0@FIU.Baseball<\/a>\u00a0on Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at\u00a0@FIUAthletics<\/a>\u00a0on X and Instagram

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