FORT MYERS, Fla. – Joe Kinker played hero and sent the FGCU baseball team home happy on Saturday as he delivered a walk-off single to defeat Kennesaw State, 6-5, at Swanson Stadium. The Eagles improve to 19-8 overall and 6-2 in the ASUN while the Owls fall to 18-8 and drop their first conference game of the season to go to 7-1.

"It was a great win," said head coach Dave Tollett. "They're a good baseball team, it's a battle. They are very, very good and so are we and I expect it to be another close game tomorrow. It's always good to get a walk-off and hopefully we can carry this momentum into tomorrow."

The Eagles could not muster much against Kennesaw reliever Luke Torbert, but finally got to him in the ninth. Redshirt-junior Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) hit a one-out single before swapping with sophomore Ian Farrow (Merritt Island, Fla./Merritt Island HS) on a fielder's choice. A wild pitch advanced Farrow to set the stage for Kinker.

After working the count full, Kinker (North Port, Fla./Venice HS) ripped a single to center field allowing Farrow to score easily and bring the Eagles out of the dugout and into a celebration.

Kinker and Farrow had another moment earlier in the game as they hit back-to-back home runs in the third. For Farrow, it was his 10th of the season to lead the team while it was the eighth for Kinker this year. Redshirt-junior Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) also added an RBI double in the game.

Senior Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, Fla./Canterbury HS) was solid for the first six innings, but the Owls got to him for four runs in the seventh to tie the game at five. He got a lot of help from his defense as the Eagles turned five double plays in the game to set a new program record.

After the Owls tied the game, junior Darien Smith (Jacksonville, Fla./University Christian HS/Eastern Florida State College/Jacksonville) and senior Joey Mugavero (Estero, Fla./Estero HS/Florida Southwestern State) made sure the game stayed tied as they struck out three and allowed just one hit in the final 2.1 innings.



The Eagles will look to take the series tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m.

For complete coverage of FGCU baseball, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_Baseball and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign up to have news on FGCU baseball or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
 
COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 655-393-3 overall record (.623) and a 217-117 (.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.
 
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
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 89 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 10 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. 20, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022) 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 25 consecutive semesters. The past five semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 2021) 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.