The Stetson University baseball program will take time out prior to Friday night's series opener against Jacksonville at Melching Field to honor its graduating seniors for their contributions to the Hatters program.
 
A total of 20 Stetson players, including a pair of seniors from the 2020 squad who did not return for the 2021 season, will be recognized during ceremonies beginning at 6 p.m. First pitch in the series opener against JU is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
 
Each of the three games in the weekend series will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Evan Weston and Kenny Schierlinger on the call for the games. The series is an important one for the Hatters (22-15, 8-4 in ASUN), who are in a three-way tie for the lead in the South Division of the ASUN. The other division co leaders, Florida Gulf Coast and North Florida, will face off against each other in Ft. Myers this weekend.
 
The top two teams in the division will host the ASUN Divisional Play-In series the weekend of May 21-23.
 
But, before play begins, there will be a ceremony to honor the Hatters' graduates. There are currently 18 players on the Stetson roster who have either already received their undergraduate degrees, or will graduate in the coming days.
 
In addition to the 18 seniors, the Stetson baseball program will also recognize two senior members of the 2020 team who, because of the Covid pandemic, didn't get a chance to have a Senior Day. Those two former Hatters are Robbie Peto and Jonathan Meola. Peto will not be in attendance because he is in Arizona for spring training as part of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. Meola will be on the field with his former teammates.
 
The other 18 seniors for the Hatters who will be recognized are: Jorge Arenas, Kyle Ball, Josh Bates, Nick Cardieri, Nick Chiseri, Nick DiPonzio, Eric Foggo, Chris Gonzalez, Nick Long, Giovany Lorenzo, Andrew MacNeil, Danny Martin, Jake Murphy, Jackson Olson, Joshua Plummer, Hernen Sardinas, Garner Spoljaric and Austin Wood.
 
Once play begins, the Hatters will look to extend a modest four-game win-streak against the rival JU Dolphins (7-27, 0-12), who are still in search of their first ASUN victory of the year.
 
When Stetson played at Jacksonville four weeks ago, the Hatters posted their first series sweep of the Dolphins since the 2001 season. The sweep gave Stetson a 94-86-2 all-time series lead against JU. The Hatters have won 13 of the last 20 series against JU overall.
 
During that series, the Hatters were led by Ball, who hit .583, and Foggo, who hit .500 with a home run and six RBI, a performance that earned Foggo ASUN Player of the Week honors. As a team, the Hatters hit .304 that weekend.
 
The pitching matchup on Friday will be a rematch from the first series, with Stetson redshirt freshman Nick Durgin (5-2, 3.06) squaring off against Jacksonville senior Tyler Santana (3-3, 3.26). Durgin threw six shutout innings against the Dolphins the first time the two faced off to get the win. Santana allowed seven runs on eight hits over 6.2 innings of work.
 
Saturday's game is scheduled to pit Stetson left-hander Chris Gonzalez (5-1, 5.14) against JU redshirt sophomore Mason Adams (1-2, 5.31) in another rematch from the first series. Gonzalez surrendered five runs on eight hits over six innings against JU in the first meeting while Adams held the Hatters to three runs on seven hits over five frames.
 
Stetson will send freshman right-hander Jovan Gill (4-2, 4.08) to the mound for the series finale. Gill's last start came on March 14 at Alabama. He has appeared in nine games in relief since then, including twice in the series against JU when he worked a combined 5.0 innings, allowing one run on four hits. He earned the victory in relief in the series finale. Gill earned a win and a save last weekend in the series against FGCU. He has allowed just four earned runs in his last eight relief appearances, covering 18.2 innings.
 
JU has not yet announced a starter for the series finale. The Dolphins used redshirt sophomore Christian Graham (0-2, 8.76) in the Sunday game during the first series, but he pitched Tuesday night against Georgia Southern. Senior Mike Cassala (1-4, 8.16) started last Sunday for Jacksonville in the series finale against UNF.
 
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.