FORT MYERS, Fla. - FGCU baseball standout Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) has been named to the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award (BBCSA) Watch List, as announced Tuesday by the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation. The BBCSA is based on performance at the plate, academics and personal integrity.

This year's watch list consists of 44 players representing 18 conferences around the country. The list includes 13 seniors, 17 juniors and 14 sophomores.

"Brian is one of the best players we've ever had on and off the field at FGCU," said head coach Dave Tollett. "His success on the field, classroom and community has left an impact on the baseball program and the entire FGCU Athletics department for years to come. I could not be prouder of him and he deserves all the recognition that comes his way."

Ellis, first team captain in FGCU history, is coming off an outstanding 2021 season in which he was named to the All-ASUN First Team after slashing .361/.489/.475 with 31 RBI and 45 runs scored. He started every game in the outfield and hit leadoff, setting the tone for every contest, getting on-base in nearly half his at-bats as he is currently the active leader in the NCAA in on-base percentage at .494. He also used his speed to steal seven bases and roam the outfield to the tune of a .983 fielding percentage.

Starting his career as walk-on, the redshirt-junior has turned himself into one of the top-palyers not only in the ASUN but also the nation. Ellis also is always willing to help the community as he has volunteered over 80 hours of community service with multiple organizations. He is a SAAC representative and is also a part of the E.A.G.L.E. Leadership Institute.

In the classroom, Ellis excels as well, having already earned his undergraduate degree in Health Science with a GPA of 3.79. He is currently pursuing a graduate certificate in Health Services Administration where he has a 4.0 GPA.

The BBCSA originally started out in 2017 as an honor going to the top college hitter in Texas.  In 2019, the BBCSA expanded becoming a regional award covering Division I programs in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma. The BBCSA became a national award in 2020; however, no winner was announced due to the Covid-19 virus which cut the 2020 college baseball season short.

The winner of the BBCSA will be announced in June and honored at a gala in the fall at the Fort Worth Club. Texas Tech's Hunter Hargrove won the initial BBCSA in 2017.  Dallas Baptist's Devlin Granberg took home the honor in 2018 with Texas Tech's Josh Jung winning the award in 2019. Last year's winner was Connor Norby from East Carolina University.

Full Watch List
Dylan Beavers, JR, Cal
Brock Jones, JR, Stanford
Chandler Castleberry, SR, Towson
Jace Jung, SO, Texas Tech
Sebastian Coria, JR, Prairie View A&M
Josh Kasevich, SO, Oregon
Andrew Cossetti, SR, St. Joseph's
Ben Klutts, SR, Arkansas St
Tanner Craig, SR, Evansville
Kyle Landers, SR, New Mexico
Dylan Crews, SO, LSU
Tyler Locklear, SO, VCU
Danny Crossen, JR, Northeastern
Jared McKenzie, SO, Baylor
Gabe Denton, JR, Eastern Michigan
Ivan Melendez, JR, Texas
Zane Denton, JR, Alabama
Santi Montiel, JR, South Alabama
Elijah Dickerson, JR, Towson
Yohandy Morales, SO, Miami
Brian Ellis, JR, Florida Gulf Coast
Josh Moylan, SO, East Caroliina
Cole Elvis, SR, Cal
Marcos Pujols, SR, Dayton
Kendal Ewell, SO, Eastern Kentucky
Ryan Ritter, JR, Kentucky
Andrew Eyster, SR, South Carolina
Maxwell Romero, Jr, JR, Miami
Jace Grady, SO, Dallas Baptist
R.J. Schreck, SR, Duke
Jackson Gray, JR, Western Kentucky
Tanner Smith, JR, Oregon
LuJames Groover lll, SO, NC St.
Daunte Stuart, SO, Northwestern St.
Ryan Hernandez, SR, Houston
Daniel Susac, SO, Arizona
Anthony Herron, JR, U New Orleans
Ronnie Sweeny, SR, Minnesota
Pearce Howard, SR, U New Orleans
Brayden Taylor, SO, TCU
Trenton Jamison, JR, Alabama St
Brock Wilken, SO, Wake Forest
Logan Jarvis, SR, Belmont
Hogan Windish, JR, UNC - Greensboro

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COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 636-385-3 overall record (.623) and a 211-115 (.647) record in the ASUN. He is the only head coach in the program's history and led the program to its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2017. He is a five-time ASUN Coach of the Year and has guided the Green and Blue to five ASUN Regular Season Championships and one ASUN Tournament Championship. His team has been ranked nationally on several occasions, including as high as No. 9 in the country in 2017, and has coached 58 all-conference selections, 33 draft picks, three current major leaguers, 13 current minor leaguers, four ASUN Pitchers of the Year, four All-Americans, three ASUN Players of the Year, one National Freshman Player of the Year, one National Player of the Year and one seven-time MLB All-Star.
 
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IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
 
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 87 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 43 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 25, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 24 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, 2020 Fall, and 2021 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA in each. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 - being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.