The Stetson Hatters will open pursuit of an ASUN Conference championship on Friday with the opening game of a three game series against FGCU at Melching Field.

Games against the Eagles (13-4) are scheduled for Friday and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Evan Weston and Messod Bendayan on the call of the action. Saturday's game will also be the annual "Bark in the Park" Game.

Stetson (12-5) comes into the game riding a seven game win streak and will have redshirt sophomore right-hander Nick Durgin on the mound for his second start. Durgin threw four scoreless innings against Florida A&M last weekend in his first appearance of the year. 

Stetson owns a slim, 23-22, all-time series lead against FGCU in a series that dates back to 2008 when the Eagles first joined the ASUN. The teams have split the 24 games played in DeLand, 12-12, and the Hatters have a 10-8 lead in games played in Ft. Myers, where the Eagles will host the Hatters From April 22-24.

FGCU will also serve as the host for the ASUN Championship, which is scheduled for May 25-28.

Stetson won four of the six meetings between the teams last year, taking both series 2-1. The Hatters are also 10-2 against FGCU since Steve Trimper became the Stetson head coach. Overall, Trimper is 11-3 in his career against FGCU.

Former Hatter Hernen Sardinas was an Eagle-killer last year, batting .595 in the six games against FGCU. Among returning Hatters, redshirt sophomore catcher Christian Pregent (.316) and redshirt junior Banks Griffith (.269) had the best offensive performances against FGCU.

The Eagles were led by current sophomore Ian Farrow, who hit .478 in the series last year. Junior Stephen Wilmer hit .316 in that series while current junior Alejandro Figueredo hit .304.

This spring the Eagles got off to a sluggish start, dropping their first two games of the year to Cincinnati. After those losses, FGCU rattled of 10 straight wins before dropping a game at Florida State. They have won 3 of 4 since.

The Hatters are hitting .350 as a team during their current win streak. Sophomore Anthony DeFabbia continues to swing a hot bat, hitting .373 for the year and .454 during the win streak. In addition to swinging hot bats, the Hatters have swiped 24 bases during the win streak and have stolen 40 bags already this season, which is more than the team stole all of last year.

Injuries have been an issue for the Hatters already this year. Regular starters Nick DiPonzio, Yohann Dessureault, Christian Pregent and Andrew Estrella have all missed time with injuries and, other than a pair of pinch-hit appearances, redshirt sophomore Brandon Hylton has yet to see any action.

Durgin is expected to be opposed in the series opener by sophomore RHP Jason Woodward, who is 3-1 on the season with a 1.82 ERA in four starts. He has recorded 30 strikeouts against just four walks in 24.2 innings of work.

The Hatters are expected to send sophomore left-hander Jonathan Gonzalez (2-2) out to start Saturday's game with sophomore RHP Cole Stallings (3-0) set to pitch the series finale.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS. Get in on the conversation on social media by following Stetson Athletics on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channels: Stetson Hatters, Stetson Athletics and, for live events, Hatter Vision.