FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team will play its final home series this weekend as the first-place Liberty Flames come to Swanson Stadium. The series gets started Friday evening at 6:30 p.m.

The Eagles are currently 30-18 and 14-10 in the ASUN after defeating FAU, 7-2, Tuesday evening and taking two of three from Kennesaw State over the weekend. Liberty enters the weekend with a 30-17 record and 16-8 mark in league play.

Last Time Out
Against FAU on Tuesday, the Green and Blue took down the Owls, 7-2, thanks to some strong relief pitching from junior Nick Love (Fernandina Beach, Fla./Yulee/Central College of Florida/Jacksonville) and sophomore Mason Miller (Odessa, Fla./Mitchell HS) who combined to pitch 7.0 scoreless innings. Graduate student Bobby Head (Winter Garden, Fla./West Orange HS/Austin Peay) hit his second home run in three games while junior Alejandro Rodriguez (Cidra, Puerto Rico/Montverde Academy/Eastern Florida State) led the team with three hits.

National Leaders
The Eagles are in the top 30 in multiple categories with just a few weeks remaining in the regular season

Team
Base on Balls – 249, 22nd
Hit-by-pitch – 97, 3rd
Hits – 500, 23rd
On-Base Percentage – .410, 22nd
Runs – 411, 14th
Scoring – 8.6, 18th
Shutouts – 4, 21st
 
Individual
Base on Balls – Joe Kinker, 44, 11th
BB/Game – Joe Kinker, 0.92, 19th
Doubles – Brian Ellis, 19, 16th
Games Started – Jason Woodward, 12, 17th
Games Started – Tyler Shuck, 12, 17th
HBP – Brian Ellis, 20, 11th
HBP/Game – Luis Rodriguez, 0.44, 13th
HBP/Game – Brian Ellis, 0.42, 17th
Hits – Alejandro Figueredo, 74, 17th
OBP – Brian Ellis, .519, 8th
Runs – Ian Farrow, 61, 7th
Runs – Brian Ellis, 61, 7th
Runs/game – Ian Farrow, 1.37, 14th
Runs/game – Brian Ellis, 1.27, 14th
RBI – Ian Farrow, 58, 22nd

Ellis Gets CoSIDA Recognition
Redshirt-junior Brian Ellis was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team on Thursday, becoming the first Eagle in program history to earn the accolade. He currently has a 4.00 GPA while pursuing a graduate certificate in Health Services Administration. Ellis was also recently accepted into the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at FGCU.

On-Base Machine
With his single the other day against FAU, Brian Ellis has now reached base in all 48 games this season and 59 straight going back to last year. If he reaches bases in the final seven games of the regular season, he will break Zach Maxfield's FGCU record of 65 set back in 2010-11.

Shuck Dominates
Against Stetson (April 22-24) , FGCU took all three games with the highlight being Tyler Shuck's one-hit complete-game shutout on Saturday, only the second time an Eagle has accomplished that after Chris Sale did so in 2010, also on April 23. For his effort, Shuck was named ASUN Pitcher of the Week, the second time an Eagle has taken home the honor this season and the second time in Shuck's career.

Getting Ahead is Key
The Eagles almost don't have to play a full game to figure out who is going to win. In games in which the Eagles are leading after six innings, FGCU is 28-2. Conversely, in games they are trailing after six innings, the Eagles are 0-16.

Walk-Off City
In the first series of the year against Kennesaw State, the Eagles took two of three against the Owls with both wins coming in walk-off fashion. Joe Kinker hit a walk-off single in the ninth on Saturday before Stephen Wilmer walked it off in the 10th inning on Sunday.

Farrow Named ASUN Player of the Week (2x)
Sophomore Ian Farrow carried the Eagles in the three games at Kennesaw State as he hit .667 with three home runs, 12 RBI, and six runs scored. After splitting a doubleheader on Saturday, Farrow had one of the best and most important performances of the season on Sunday as he went 3-for-3 with two home runs and seven RBI in a 10-9 victory over the Owls. For his efforts, he was named ASUN Player of the Week for the second time this season.

The first time Farrow was named ASUN Baseball Player of the Week came after leding the Eagles to a 4-0 week against North Dakota State and Stetson as he hit .625 (10-for-16) with two home runs, two doubles, six RBI, and 12 runs scored. He also walked five times and was hit by a pitch for a .727 on-base percentage which contributed to an OPS of 1.852.
 
Ellis Picks Up ASUN Weekly Honors
For the first time in his career, redshirt-junior Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) was named ASUN Player of the Week (Feb 28). Including the game against Minnesota, Ellis hit .556 (10-for-18) with four doubles , two home runs, 12 RBI and had an OPS of 1.747.
 
Victor Honored by ASUN
Sophomore Najer Victor (Philadelphia, Pa./East Ridge HS) was named ASUN Pitcher of the Week (Feb. 21) after tossing 5.2 innings, giving up just two hits and one earned run while striking out 10 and walking none against Cincinnati in the season-opening series.. It was just the second start of Victor's career and his 10 strikeouts sets a new career-high. It is also the most strikeouts by an Eagle since Mason Studstill struck out 11 on March 6, 2020 against Saint Joseph's.

D1 Baseball Recognizes Eagles
D1baseball.com released its first set of mid-season positional power rankings and multiple Eagles found themselves ranked.

Alejandro Rodriguez is #29 among catchers which is impressive considering he was not expected to catch before the season started. After a couple of injuries to catchers, Rodriguez went behind the plate and has been hard-pressed to give it up as he is hitting .376 with three home runs, 31 RBI, and 22 runs scored. He's also really hard to strike out as he is among the nation's leaders at 11.6 at-bats per strikeout.

Joe Kinker comes in as the 14th-ranked first baseman after he has been tearing the cover off the ball to begin the season, slashing .311/.479/.633 with 7 HR and 25 RBI. He is also second in the nation in walks with 28 and seventh in runs with 34.

Alejandro Figueredo came in at #27 among third basemen and may have only improved his stock after going 4-for-4 against Miami which raised his batting average to an astounding .436. He has also socked five home runs, five doubles, a triple, and driven in 42 runs.

In the outfield, all three - Ian Farrow, Brian Ellis, and Harrison Povey - were ranked in the top 100, one of just five teams along with Tennessee, Florida, Virginia, and Mercer, to place all three in the rankings. Farrow clocks in at #35, Ellis at #39, and Povey at #91 as they are all hitting above .375 and have combined for 20 home runs, 94 RBI, and 102 runs scored. In the Week 12 update, Ellis remained in the rankings at #67.

Jason Woodward also claimed a spot on the power rankings as he comes in at #83 among starting pitchers, improving 61 spots in from the preseason rankings. He is currently 3-1 on the season with a 1.93 ERA and 37 strikeouts while walking just 11 and holding opposing hitters to a .177 batting average.
 
Preseason All-ASUN Selections
Redshirt-junior Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) and junior Joe Kinker (North Port, Fla./Venice HS) return to the Eagles after being named All-ASUN a season ago. They were both also named to the Preseason All-ASUN team a couple of weeks ago.
 
Ellis, a First-Team All-ASUN selection in 2021, is also on the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List, which takes into consideration performance on the field, in the classroom, and in the community. Ellis hit .361 last season and also led the ASUN with a .489 on-base percentage while collecting 31 RBI and scoring 45 runs. He was also named the 43rd-ranked outfielder in the country by d1baseball.com.
 
Kinker was a second-team All-ASUN selection last season after leading the Green and Blue with 13 home runs. He also led the Eagles with 44 RBI and 87 total bases while hitting .271.
 
Two other Eagles were named to the Preseason All-ASUN team as transfers Luis Rodriguez (Guarenas, Venezuela/Miami Christian HS/Santa Fe College/Dyersburg State) and Bobby Head (Winter Garden, Fla./West Orange HS/Austin Peay) also earned spots. Rodriguez comes from Santa Fe College where he hit .359 with 14 home runs, 78 RBI, and 61 runs scored in two seasons while Head transfers in after playing four years at Austin Peay where he was an All-OVC First-Team selection in 2021.
 
Scouting the Flames
Liberty is currently 30-17 on the season after falling to #5 Virginia Tech in walk-off fashion on Wednesday. In ASUN play, the Flames sit atop the standings with a 16-8 record after taking two of three from Jacksonville over the weekend.

Liberty's strength is on the mound as they are 17th in the country with a 3.84 ERA led by Joe Ademtz III and Garrett Horn who each have ERAs under two. As a team, they are also 11th in the country with a 10.7 K/9 ratio led by Horn who sits 14.03 strikeouts per nine, which is sixth in the nation.

At the plate, Aaron Anderson leads the team with a .296 average while Derek Orndorff has 14 home runs and 16 stolen bases. Brady Gulakowski paces the Flames with 47 runs batted in.

Probable Pitchers
RHP Jason Woodward (6-4, 3.84 ERA, 68 K) vs. RHP Trey Carter (2-0, 2.45 ERA, 37 K)
RHP Tyler Shuck (5-4, 3.82 ERA, 55 K) vs. LHP Joe Adametz III (5-2, 1.92 ERA, 58 K)
RHP Joey Mugavero (3-1, 3.50 ERA, 46 K) vs. TBA

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 666-403-3 overall record (.622) and a 225-125 (.645) 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.