Preview: Florida Gulf Coast Eagles at Bethune-Cookman Wildcats

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Interstat) — Two of the state’s hottest mid-major baseball teams will open a weekend series Friday when the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles visit the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats.

The Eagles (10-3) and Wildcats (9-4) each carry winning momentum into the three-game set, though both are coming off midweek road losses to in-state power conference opponents. Florida Gulf Coast fell 12-5 at UCF on Wednesday, while Bethune-Cookman lost 5-2 at Miami.

A key matchup could feature the bullpens, with both clubs boasting a reliever on a dominant run. Florida Gulf Coast’s Sebastian Lippman has been nearly untouchable, allowing just two hits and one earned run over his last 9 1/3 innings across four appearances, striking out 11. He threw 2 2/3 hitless innings with four strikeouts in the loss to UCF.

Bethune-Cookman will counter with its own reliable arm in David Morrissey. The reliever has not allowed a hit in his last five innings of work over three outings, including three scoreless frames at Miami on Wednesday. He has surrendered just one earned run in that stretch.

The Eagles’ offense, which averages over eight runs per game, is led by designated hitter Javier Gorostola, who homered in the UCF loss. The Wildcats swept a four-game set from Delaware State last weekend, outscoring the Hornets 57-15.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a high-scoring affair, predicting an 8-7 victory for Florida Gulf Coast. The service’s ELO ratings give the Eagles a 67.5% probability to win Friday’s opener.

The series continues with games Saturday and Sunday at Bethune-Cookman’s Jackie Robinson Ballpark.