FGCU-Florida State game notes | 2023 FGCU baseball stats | 2023 FGCU schedule

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The 2023 FGCU baseball team (8-1) has the chance for the best start to a season in program history, but standing in the Eagles' way this weekend is No. 16 Florida State. The 16^th-ranked Seminoles host the Green & Blue in a three-game series starting at 5 p.m. Friday at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla.
 
FGCU has never started a season 9-1 in its 21-year history, and there is certainly precedence to winning in Tallahassee. The Eagles have won four games at Dick Howser Stadium all-time, including an 8-7 victory at FSU on May 11, 2021. FSU owns an 11-5 record against FGCU, including two straight.
 
The Seminoles vaulted into the top 25 in both the Baseball America and D1Baseball.com rankings after defeating No. 8 TCU in two out of three games in Fort Worth, Texas, last weekend. FSU needed extra innings to outlast South Florida at home Wednesday night, finally edging the visiting Bulls 7-6 in 13 innings.
 
Junior infielder Jordan Carrion leads Florida State in hitting with a .424 batting average, and has notched a team-high five doubles, two triples and 14 RBIs. Freshman outfielder DeAmez Ross is hitting .423, and freshman infielder Cam Smith has hit six of the Seminoles' 10 home runs this season.
 
Florida State is expected to start sophomore right-hander Jackson Baumeister (0-0, 2.25 ERA) Friday night. FGCU will counter with junior right-hander Jason Woodward (Titusville, Fla./Titusville HS) -- who is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, has struck out 15 batters and allowed just four hits so far in 2023.
 
FGCU is led offensively by Senior first baseman Joe Kinker (North Port, Fla./Venice HS), who is hitting .500 this season with five doubles, two home runs and 12 RBIs. Kinker has 44 home runs in his career at FGCU, just two awa from 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.
 
Junior infielder Edrick Felix (Orlando, Fla./Victory Charter HS/College of Central Florida) has belted four of FGCU's 16 home runs this season, and his hitting .457 with a. 886 slugging percentage. Senior catcher/infielder Alejandro Rodriguez (Cidra, Puerto Rico/Montverde Academy/Eastern Florida State) leads FGCU with 13 RBIs.
 
FGCU smacked four home runs and tallied 17 runs in a 14-7 victory over FIU on Tuesday night, running its record at Swanson Stadium to 8-0 this season. The Eagles are hitting .350 as a team with a .462 on-base percentage.
 
After the weekend set at Florida State, FGCU travels to Alabama to take on Troy on Tuesday and Wednesday night, then returns to Tallahassee for a weekend series against Florida A&M on March 10-12.
 
FGCU baseball tickets can be purchased online at www.FGCUTickets.com or at the Alico Arena box office. 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 95 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.
 
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