FORT MYERS, Fla. – FGCU baseball standout
Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) has been named an Academic All-American as announced by CoSIDA, Wednesday afternoon. He earns a spot on the third team and is just the sixth Eagle in FGCU history to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America status, and is the first from the baseball program.
"What an outstanding achievement for our baseball program and for Brian," said head coach
Dave Tollett. "To be our first Academic All-American is tremendous and well-deserved. We are just so proud of him in so many ways."
Ellis currently carries a 3.94 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 had a tremendous season as he led the Eagles to a 35-23 overall record and 17-13 mark in ASUN play. Ellis started all 58 games for the Green and Blue and hit .379 with six home runs, 44 RBI, and 74 runs scored, which is currently 8
th most in the country. He also hit 25 doubles on the season which is fourth in the nation even after NCAA regionals.
One of Ellis' most impressive feats is his ability to get on base as he led the ASUN and is 10
th in the nation with a .505 on-base percentage. He also reached base in all 58 games this season and extending back to 2021 has reached base in 69 straight games, a new FGCU record. His career .498 OBP is also sixth in the country among active players and the highest in FGCU history.
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.
FGCU All-Time CoSIDA Academic All-Americans
| Year |
Sport |
Student-Athlete |
Team |
| 2007 |
Men's Basketball |
Beau Bauer |
1st |
| 2013 |
Women's Basketball |
Sarah Hansen |
2nd |
| 2018 |
Women's Soccer |
Holly Fritz |
1st |
| 2019 |
Women's Soccer |
Opal Curless |
2nd |
| 2020 |
Volleyball |
Dana Axner |
3rd |
| 2022 |
Baseball |
Brian Ellis |
3rd |
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COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 671-407-3 overall record (.623) and a 226-128 (.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.
