After taking almost a full week away from competition to focus on a strong finish to the academic year, the Stetson Hatters baseball team will return to action Friday night, opening a three-game series against ASUN rival Florida Gulf Coast in Ft. Myers.
 
Friday's series opener is set for a 6:30 p.m. start from Swanson Stadium. Saturday's game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start time with Sunday's series finale scheduled for a 1 p.m. start. All three games are scheduled to be streamed on Facebook.
 
The Hatters (37-11, 11-3) come into play this weekend riding a seven-game win streak, the second longest of the year, and have won nine of their last 10 games. But the Stetson players must also block out the noise that comes with talk of national rankings and NCAA Regional hosting. The focus must be locked in on a dangerous FGCU (31-16, 7-8) team that has lost four straight games.
 
Stetson comes into the weekend ranked in all five national polls for the first time since 2011. The Hatters are ranked as high No. 20 in the D1Baseball.com poll and as low as 27 in the Collegiate Baseball poll. Stetson sits at No. 12 in the latest RPI, down two spots from a high of 10 despite not playing this week.
 
The Eagles were swept at home last weekend by UNF and then fell at Miami on Wednesday night and come into the weekend on a four-game losing skid, which equals their longest of the season. FGCU has fallen all the way to No. 72 in the latest RPI, well out of contention for an at large bid to the NCAA Tournament with just seven games left to play.
 
As is normally the case, the series is expected to be about pitching as the Hatters come into the weekend ranked first in the nation in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (6.54), second in WHIP (1.09) and in team ERA (2.64). The Hatters are second in K/9 (10.5) and in total strikeouts (502) and are fourth in K-to-BB ratio (3.20).
 
FGCU also has a base of strong pitching. The Eagles are second in the ASU in ERA (3.93) and strikeouts per nine innings (8.81) and have allowed the fewest home runs (16) of any pitching staff in the league.
 
The Eagles also have the offensive fire-power to back up that pitching. FGCU leads the ASUN in batting average (.287), slugging (.418), on-base percentage (.380), runs scored (295), hits (466), home runs (39) and RBI (273).
 
Stetson will rely on its veteran corps of pitchers to keep the FGCU offense in check this weekend, just as they did last week against FIU and JU. Hatters' hurlers held those teams to a combined two earned runs in three games last week, limiting the teams to a .141 batting average while recording 30 strikeouts and a 0.67 ERA.
 
Senior Brooks Wilson has made three career starts against the Eagles, having allowed just four earned runs in 20.0 innings of work with 11 strikeouts. His 1.80 career ERA against FGCU is third behind Logan Gilbert (1.35) and Jack Perkins (1.28). Perkins allowed one run on five hits over seven innings against FGCU last year with 11 strikeouts.
 
Gilbert has two career starts against the Eagles, including his complete-game two-hit shutout last year that included 18 strikeouts. He took a perfect game into the eighth inning of that game and a no-hitter into the ninth in a 1-0 win. As a freshman he allowed two earned runs in 4.1 innings of work against FGCU.
 
Gilbert (8-1, 2.61) will get the ball for Stetson to open the series. FGCU will counter with senior right-hander Mario Leon (5-4, 2.71), who has never pitched against the Hatters in his career. Leon has taken the loss in each of his last three starts, allowing eight earned runs in 19.2 innings of work.
 
Gilbert goes into the game on Friday just 12 strikeouts away from the Stetson single-season record of 132 set by Lenny DiNardo in 2000.
 
Perkins (8-2, 2.85) will take the ball for the Hatters on Saturday coming off a complete-game performance last weekend against Jacksonville that earned him ASUN Pitcher of the Week honors.
 
He will be opposed by DeLand native Josh Dye (7-3, 2.67). The left-hander has been up and down of late, having allowed eight ER to Jacksonville in just 3.2 innings on April 14 and, last week, allowing five runs, three earned, in 5.1 innings in a loss to UNF. In between, Dye worked 16 shutout innings in two starts against USC Upstate and Kennesaw State.
 
In his career, Dye is 1-1 against Stetson with a 3.17 ERA.
 
Sunday's series finale will pit a well-rested Mitchell Senger (6-2, 2.79) against junior Justin Gill (1-1, 2.49) in a battle of left-handers. Senger, who did not pitch against JU last weekend because of the rain out, is looking to bounce back from consecutive sub-par outings in which he allowed nine earned runs in just 10 innings of work. Gill had back-to-back strong outings against Upstate and KSU before allowing six runs, three earned, in five innings against UNF last week.
 
Following the series at FGCU, the Hatters will stay in south Florida in advance of Tuesday's final non-conference game against Miami in Coral Gables. It will be the first meeting with the Hurricanes since falling to them 4-2 in the 2016 NCAA Regional.
 
Things to Watch For

• Stetson enters the weekend with a magic number of five to clinch the ASUN regular season title. Any combination Stetson wins and Kennesaw State losses that adds up to five will start the celebration.
• Sophomore Jorge Arenas needs three more hits for 100 in his career.
• Gilbert needs 12 strikeouts to break the Stetson season record and is 29 away from joining Brooks Wilson in the 300 club for his career.
• Perkins enters the weekend needing 28 strikeouts to record his second straight 100 K season.
• Senger needs four strikeouts for 100 on the season.
• Wilson needs one save to tie the Stetson season mark of 18 set by Robbie Powell in 2012. His next win will move him into a tie for 7^th on the career list and he needs 27 strikeouts to tie Steve Woide for third on the career list.

 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.