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FGCU Jacksonville preview
Jessica Piland

Baseball David Wasson

No. 16 Eagles Face Jacksonville in Key Home ASUN Series

FGCU-Jacksonville game notes | FGCU-Jacksonville on ESPN+ | FGCU-Jacksonville live stats |
2023 FGCU baseball stats | 2023 FGCU scheduleASUN scoreboard/schedule | ASUN standings
 
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The 16th-ranked FGCU baseball team faces one of the sternest tests of the 2023 season this weekend, as ASUN Conference foe Jacksonville visits for a three-game series beginning Friday night at Swanson Stadium.
 
First pitch Friday is set for 6:30 p.m., with Saturday's game scheduled for 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. The series will be broadcast on ESPN+. 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.
 
The Eagles (21-4 overall, 5-1 ASUN Conference) enter this weekend as one of the hottest offensive teams in the country – ranked in the top five nationally in seven different categories. FGCU is second in the country in being hit by pitches (73), third in on-base percentage (.452), fourth in home runs (56), and fifth in home runs per game (2.24), scoring (10.2 runs per game) and slugging percentage (.589).
 
FGCU crushed North Alabama last weekend by a combined 56-17 score – including a 28-7 victory Friday in just seven innings and a 14-3 seven-inning triumph Sunday. The Green & Blue hit seven home runs in Friday's game, and 13 in the three-game series.
 
Jacksonville (18-8, 4-2) is riding a five-game winning streak that includes a sweep last weekend of Central Arkansas by a combined 33-6 score. The Dolphins' ASUN sweep also had two seven-inning outcomes – a 17-2 Saturday victory and a 12-2 Sunday win.
 
Only one Dolphin is hitting over .300 – as graduate infielder Kris Armstrong is at .358 with an ASUN-best 16 home runs and 46 RBIs.
 
FGCU, meanwhile, sports six players over the .300 mark, led by senior infielder Alejandro Figueredo (Sucre, Venezuela/West Oaks HS/Seminole State) – who is second in the ASUN at .408. Figueredo is third behind Armstrong and senior designated hitter Joe Kinker (North Port, Fla./Venice HS) with 33 RBIs.
 
Kinker has driven in 34 runs, junior infielder/pitcher Jacob Lojewski (West Palm Beach, Fla./Delray American Heritage HS) is fourth with 31 RBIs, and junior infielder Edrick Felix (Orlando, Fla./Victory Charter HS/College of Central Florida) is fifth with 30 runs batted in.
 
Lojewski, Felix, and Figueredo are tied for third in the conference with nine home runs each. Senior reliever LJ McDonough (Blanchard, Okla./Blanchard HS/Wichita State) is fourth in the conference with five saves.
 
Redshirt senior outfielder Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) reached base in all three games against UNA – extending his school-record streak to 94 games. The unofficial NCAA record for consecutive games reaching base is 101, held by former Texas standout Mark Payton.
 
The Eagles lead the all-time series vs. Jacksonville 32-22, but have lost two straight to the Dolphins – the most recent via a 9-8 setback in 10 innings on May 1, 2022 in Jacksonville, Fla. FGCU is 18-10 against Jacksonville at Swanson Stadium.
 
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 692-412-3 overall record (.626) and a 233-131 (.639) 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 in 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 3.67 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.
 
---FGCUATHLETICS.COM---
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Players Mentioned

Brian Ellis

#13 Brian Ellis

OF
6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
L/R
Alejandro Figueredo

#34 Alejandro Figueredo

INF
6' 3"
Senior
R/R
Joe Kinker

#44 Joe Kinker

1B
6' 3"
Senior
R/R
Jacob Lojewski

#4 Jacob Lojewski

RHP/INF
5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
Edrick Felix

#2 Edrick Felix

INF
6' 0"
Sophomore
R/R
LJ McDonough

#24 LJ McDonough

RHP
6' 4"
Senior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Brian Ellis

#13 Brian Ellis

6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
L/R
OF
Alejandro Figueredo

#34 Alejandro Figueredo

6' 3"
Senior
R/R
INF
Joe Kinker

#44 Joe Kinker

6' 3"
Senior
R/R
1B
Jacob Lojewski

#4 Jacob Lojewski

5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
RHP/INF
Edrick Felix

#2 Edrick Felix

6' 0"
Sophomore
R/R
INF
LJ McDonough

#24 LJ McDonough

6' 4"
Senior
R/R
RHP