Ft. Myers, Fla. – For the first time since the 2018 season, the Stetson baseball team will visit Swanson Stadium this weekend for a three-game ASUN South Division series against FGCU.
 
The Hatters (20-13, 6-3) and Eagles (21-12, 7-2), not only in a battle for the top spot in the South Division, are also deadlocked in the all-time series between the programs with 21 wins each. Game times this weekend are set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. All three games will be broadcast on the FGCU YouTube Channel.
 
Stetson's last visit to Swanson Stadium was during the Hatters' historic 18-game win-streak that ended in the Super Regional. The Hatters clinched the ASUN regular season title as a result of the sweep of the Eagles in 2018. Each of the last four series between Stetson and FGCU in Ft. Myers has ended in a sweep with both teams breaking out the brooms twice.
 
The Hatters will have to find a way to get their groove back, having lost three of four games since missing 10-days of practice and games due to a Covid outbreak on the team. The Hatters have hit .306 as a team since returning, but 16 of the 26 runs and 18 of the teams' 44 hits came in one game.
 
Stetson pitching has also struggled since returning, allowing a 5.40 ERA.
 
Redshirt freshman right-hander Nick Durgin (5-1, 2.66) will try to get things off on the right foot when he takes the mound on Friday night. His start last week was cut short, to one inning, by an almost two-hour weather delay. He came back to pitch in relief on Sunday, but allowed five hits in an inning and two-thirds.
 
Durgin will square off against FGCU senior right-hander Mason Studstill (5-2, 3.27) for the second time this year in the series opener. Since pitching against Stetson, Studstill has been the beneficiary of a potent FGCU offensive attack that has scored 43 runs in its last three Friday night games.
 
Redshirt sophomore outfielder Brian Ellis, who had two of his three hits in the previous series opener off Durgin, leads the Eagles' attack with a .383 batting average. He has produced multiple hits for FGCU in seven of the last eight games. Senior shortstop Richie Garcia, who had six hits against Stetson in the middle game of the earlier series, is just 4-for-19 (.210) in the last six games, but is still hitting .336 on the season.
 
The Hatters enter the weekend with a pair of hot hitters of their own. Redshirt junior shortstop Kyle Ball enters play this weekend with a 13-game hitting streak , a stretch that started at FIU on March 23. During the streak, Ball is hitting .370 (20-of-54) with 10 runs scored and 13 RBI.
 
In addition to the hit streak, Ball has reached base in 25 consecutive games. His hit streak is the longest for a Stetson player since Jacob Koos hit in 15 straight games during the 2017 season and his on-base streak is the longest since Vance Vizcaino reached in 27 straight during the 2016 campaign.
 
Remarkably, Ball is not the Hatters' leading hitter during his hit streak. During that same stretch, Hernen Sardinas is batting .373 (19-of-51) while also scoring 10 runs and driving in 15. Sardinas enters play this weekend sixth in the ASUN in batting average (.350), eighth in on-base percentage (.439) and first in slugging (.600). He is eighth in hits (42) and second in doubles (13). He is tied with UNF's Alex Kachler for the active career doubles leader in Division I with 65. He is also fourth in the NCAA in career total bases (386) among active players.
 
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.