FGCU-FIU box score | 2023 FGCU baseball stats | 2023 FGCU schedule
 
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The 2023 FGCU baseball team (8-1) equaled its best start in program history Tuesday with plenty of power, battering FIU for 17 hits in a 14-7 victory at Swanson Stadium.
 
The start for the 2023 Eagles mirrors the 2008 team's 8-1 start – which ultimately resulted in a 38-15 record and the first of six ASUN Conference regular season titles. A ninth win Friday at Florida State would set a new program record.
 
"There are some things we have to shore up to be where we want to be in the end, like our bullpen has to come in and do a better job. But our offense will keep us in just about every ballgame," said FGCU head baseball coach Dave Tollett. "We have things to work on, but from an offensive end – 14 runs in a mid-week game against some good arms? We'll take that."
 
FGCU racked up four home runs against the Panthers – as sophomore outfielder Harrison Povey (Indian Rocks Beach, Fla./Largo HS), senior first baseman Joe Kinker (North Port, Fla./Venice HS), senior catcher/infielder Alejandro Rodriguez (Cidra, Puerto Rico/Montverde Academy/Eastern Florida State) and senior pitcher/outfielder Stephen Wilmer (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview HS/Pasco-Hernando State/ECU) all went deep. The Green & Blue have hit 16 home runs in its first nine games.
 
Kinker's three-run blast in the eighth was his 44^th in an FGCU uniform, bringing him to within two of Nick Rivera's 46-homer school record set in 2013-17. Redshirt senior outfielder Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) drew a fifth-inning walk Tuesday – increasing his streak of reaching base to a school-record 78 games. The NCAA record is 101 games.
 
Povey got the fireworks started with a towering solo shot to right in the first inning off FIU starter Ryan Cabarcas. Rodriguez did the same in the third, blasting a two-run homer to left for a 3-0 FGCU lead.
 
FIU would power right back, though, as third baseman Henry Waller belted a grand slam in the fifth for a 4-3 Panthers edge. The Eagles would storm back, however, in the bottom of the fifth – sending 11 hitters to the place and scoring six runs. Rodriguez started the outburst with an RBI single, and junior infielder Edrick Felix (Orlando, Fla./Victory Charter HS/College of Central Florida) followed with one of his own to make it 5-4.
 
Two batters later, Wilmer hit a three-run homer that bounced off the top of the right-field wall for an 8-4 lead. Povey, who struck out to begin the inning, would finish the scoring blitz with an RBI single to left-center to make it 9-4.
 
FIU would tack on three runs in the sixth, courtesy of a Wallen RBI single and a two-run double by shortstop Steven Ondina. But FGCU would put the game out of reach in the eighth when Kinker caromed his three-run blast off the left-field light pole and sophomore infielder Jake Mummau (Palm Harbor, Fla./Palm Harbor University HS/St. Petersburg College) chipped in an RBI single.
 
Junior right-hander William Haberstock (Roswell, Ga./Centennial HS/North Alabama) came on in relief of senior right-hander Tyler Tipton (Tampa, Fla./Gaither HS) to earn his second victory of the season. FIU reliever Evan Chenier (0-1) took the loss.
 
FGCU begins a 13-day road trip with a three-game series at Florida State this weekend. First pitch Friday from Dick Howser Stadium is set for 5 p.m., with Saturday's game starting at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. All three games are available to view on ACCNX via the ESPN app. The Seminoles lead the all-time series 11-5, and have won two straight. FGCU's last victory against FSU was in Tallahassee, an 8-7 triumph on May 11, 2021.
 
"If we didn't have this offense, we wouldn't be 8-1. No doubt about it," Tollett said. "Four big flies tonight is huge. We are looking forward to this road trip coming up. Florida State is Florida State. Troy (next Tuesday and Wednesday) is undefeated. It is time to get these boys on the road and see what we are made of – to play some ball."
 
FGCU baseball tickets can be purchased online at www.FGCUTickets.com, at the Alico Arena box office or at Swanson Stadium the day of the game. No pets or emotional support animals are allowed at Swanson Stadium. Only certified service animals are allowed.
 
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.
 
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS, MINI PLANS AVAILABLE  
Tickets for the 2023 FGCU baseball season are on sale now and can be purchased by going online to www.FGCUTickets.com or calling 866-FGCU-TIX. Group tickets can also be purchased for 10 or more people – making a memorable evening for families, businesses, or other organizations.  
 
COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 679-409-3 overall record (.622) and a 228-118 (.659) 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 63 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, two National Freshman All-Americans, 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 (https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/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 https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.  
 
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 94 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 15-plus seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 11-plus seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 47 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. In 2022, the men's golf team became the first program to earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. 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 four of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green & 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 26 consecutive semesters. The past six semesters (Fall 2019 – Spring 2022) saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher cumulative team GPA. 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.
 
---FGCUATHLETICS.COM---