FGCU-UNA series notes | 2023 FGCU baseball stats | 2023 FGCU schedule
 
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The 19^th-ranked FGCU baseball team (18-4 overall, 2-1 ASUN Conference) returns to conference action Friday with a three-game series at North Alabama. First pitch Friday is set for 2 p.m. CDT, with Saturday's game scheduled for 3 p.m. CDT and Sunday's series finale at noon CDT.
 
The Eagles are one of the hottest teams in baseball, having won four straight and up to No. 32 in the College Baseball RPI – jumping up 12 spots after downing FIU 12-5 on Wednesday night.
 
FGCU pounded three of its 43 home runs against the Panthers, the most by an ASUN team by eight homers and a total that ranks 13^th in the country. Sophomore outfielder Harrison Povey (Indian Rocks Beach, Fla./Largo HS), senior infielder Alejandro Figueredo (Sucre, Venezuela/West Oaks HS/Seminole State) and by junior infielder/pitcher Jacob Lojewski (West Palm Beach, Fla./Delray American Heritage HS) all went deep for the Eagles – which improved to 6-3 against in-state schools.
 
The Eagles sport a gaudy .558 slugging percentage, and are seventh nationally with 49 hits. Figueredo leads the Green & Blue with a .411 batting average, and is tied with junior infielder Edrick Felix (Orlando, Fla./Victory Charter HS/College of Central Florida) with eight home runs.
 
Redshirt senior outfielder Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) went 1-for-3 and was hit by pitches twice against FIU, reaching base in his 91st consecutive game – which is 10 games shy of matching an unofficial NCAA record held by Mark Payton of Texas over the course of the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
 
FGCU is 3-0 all time against North Alabama, sweeping a three-game series against the Lions in 2019 at Swanson Stadium.
 
The Lions (5-14, 0-3), meanwhile, have lost seven straight and 11 of their last 12 under first-year coach Jad Prachniak – including a three-game ASUN road sweep at Central Arkansas last week. Even with the struggles, UNA is 4-3 at Mike D. Lane Field this season.
 
Picked to finish 12th in the 14-team ASUN Conference, UNA is hitting just .241 as a team -- and no Lion is averaging over .300. Sophomore outfielder Jonathan Lane is hitting .288 with six doubles, and graduate infielder Kyle Machado has hit three of his team's 10 homers.
 
Sophomore right-hander Alejandro Valiente (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Florida Southwestern/Bethune-Cookman) earns the Friday night start for FGCU. UNA sends redshirt freshman right-hander Justus Agosto to the mound to begin the series.
 
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 689-412-3 overall record (.625) and a 230-131 (.637) 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 96 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 48 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. Nine FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 20 in 2021-22 and No. 22 in 2022-23), baseball (No. 19 in 2023), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022), and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as five 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 3.66 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2022 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 27 consecutive semesters. The past seven semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 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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