FORT MYERS, Fla. – FGCU baseball redshirt-junior Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) has been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team highlighting his tremendous work on and off the field. As a member of the team, he is now eligible for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors as well.

With his selection, Ellis becomes the first-ever member of the FGCU baseball program to earn the accolade.

"Brian continues to impress with his achievements on and off the field," said head coach Dave Tollett. "This is a tremendous honor for him and he truly deserves it. It just adds to the legacy that he will leave here at FGCU."

Ellis currently carries a 4.0 GPA while pursuing a graduate certificate in Health Services Administration which he is set to earn this summer before starting his Doctor of Physical Therapy program in the fall at FGCU. He also earned his bachelor's degree last May in Exercise Science and had a 3.79 GPA.

On the field, the outfielder has had tremendous success leading the team to a 30-18 overall record. Ellis has started every game in center field while hitting .378 with four home runs, 19 doubles, 40 RBI, and 61 runs scored. He also has an on-base percentage of .519 which has raised his career OBP to .503, fourth-highest in the nation among active players.

Due to his performance on and off the field as well as his high character, Ellis was named the first team captain in program history this season. He has also completed the Eagle Leadership Institute and been the baseball team's representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
 
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COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 666-403-3 overall record (.623) and a 223-125 (.641) 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 92 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 45 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.