Keeping It Heel
Fansided

2017 NCAA Tournament: Diamond Heels vs Florida Gulf Coast preview

By Bryson Gordon

Jun 28, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; General view of the game between the Arizona Wildcats and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in game two of the College World Series championship series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 28, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; General view of the game between the Arizona Wildcats and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in game two of the College World Series championship series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Diamond Heels will play the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles on Sunday with their season on the line.

When the Diamond Heels take the field on Sunday, it will be in yet another elimination game. This time, they will be facing off against Dunk City.

Ok, well not quite Dunk City, but Florida Gulf Coast will be coming to Chapel Hill on Sunday for the biggest game of the season for these teams.

North Carolina beat Michigan 8-1 on Saturday to stave off elimination. Following that game, Davidson, the four seed in the region, knocked off FGCU to move on to the regional final.

This will be a game between two unfamiliar teams, but let’s learn a little more about the Eagles.

Pitching

One would expect Garrett Anderson to get the nod for the Eagles, and he has been magnificent.

In twelve starts, Anderson has racked up a 7-1 record with a 3.43 ERA. He is also holding his opponents to a .282 batting average on the season.

Anderson has only issued 21 walks all season, so he has great command on the mound.

After Anderson, there are several options for the Eagles to go to.

Kenton Hering is the Eagles best reliever, but he did pitch on Saturday, meaning he may not be available on Sunday. Hering has a 7-3 record in 30 appearances this season. He is doing all this with a 1.96 ERA.

The closer for the Eagles is Sterling Koerner.

Koerner has twelve saves this season, all in 28 appearances. He boasts a 2-3 record with a 5.47 ERA.

At the plate

Everything on offense for the Eagles starts with Julio Gonzales.

Gonzales is hitting a cool .335 this season, with a solid .903 OPS. He also is tied for the team lead in doubles with fifteen this season. Gonzales is not the highest RBI guy, but that is because he normally hits leadoff.

After Gonzales, Gage Morey and Nick Rivera are big time contributors on the team. Both guys are hitting above .300, but it is Rivera who brings the pop.

Rivera leads the team with a stunning 19 homers this season. He also leads the team with 59 RBI’s, which is by far the most. He is also carrying a 1.065 OPS this season.

Despite their low run output on Saturday, FGCU is very much a solid offensive team.

The Eagles were 43-18 this season, and they made it that far with a perfect balance off hitting and great pitching.

What to expect

With the Diamond Heels having already pitched their two aces, things could get dicey on Sunday.

Neither Bukauskas, nor Dalatri will be ready for this game, meaning it will probably be a big bullpen day.

At the plate, one could hope that the Heels have shaken off the cobwebs, and have figured things out during the final stretch against Michigan.

The offense had been sleep walking the last couple of games, but there is no real reason for concern. The Diamond Heels seem to have figured things out.

Related Story: Two Diamond Heels named award finalists

This should be a very good game, but if the Heels really have figured things out on offense they should survive to see another game.

Home/UNC Baseball