FGCU-Florida State box score | 2023 FGCU baseball stats | 2023 FGCU schedule
 
TALLAHSSEE, Fla. – The 2023 FGCU baseball team (10-1) earned its first weekend series victory against a ranked team in 10 years on Saturday, outlasting No. 16 Florida State 11-10 at Dick Howser Stadium.
 
The win builds upon what is already FGCU's best start to a season in the 21-year history of the program. The Green & Blue has now won six straight games. The last time FGCU won a weekend series against a ranked opponent was 2013 – when the Eagles swept No. 13 Florida in Gainesville.
 
FGCU racked up 11 hits against the Seminoles, making the weekend tally 25 so far, and notched six extra-base hits. Junior infielder Edrick Felix (Orlando, Fla./Victory Charter HS/College of Central Florida) belted two home runs, including the decisive solo shot in the ninth, to give him a team-best six home runs in 2023.
 
Senior first baseman Joe Kinker (North Port, Fla./Venice HS) ripped a two-run homer in FGCU's four-run sixth inning Saturday, giving him 46 in his career and tying him with Nick Rivera (2013-17) for FGCU's all-time home run record.
 
Redshirt senior outfielder Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) singled to left in the third inning – increasing his streak of reaching base to a school-record 80 games. The NCAA record is 101 games. Senior pitcher/outfielder Stephen Wilmer (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview HS/Pasco-Hernando State/ECU) also hit a solo homer in the sixth – his third this season.
 
The Seminoles (7-3) vaulted to No. 16 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. FGCU entered the weekend series against the Seminoles receiving votes in the NCBWA poll.
 
"No one knows how good we are, but we know," said FGCU head baseball coach Dave Tollett. "We know we are good. There are 40 of us that know that, and that's all that matters.
 
"It says a lot about what kind of club we have to win this series. We didn't play very well today. We fought like heck, but we didn't play well. The crowd was great, and it was a great situation to put a team in early in the year."
 
FGCU again fell behind FSU early, allowing RBI singles to first baseman Ben Barrett, McGwire Holbrook and Cam Smith in the first inning for a 3-0 deficit. But just like Friday night, the Eagles quickly countered – as Felix hit a solo homer to center field and a throwing error plated FGCU's second run in the second inning.
 
The third inning saw more FGCU offensive fireworks. The Seminoles committed two errors that resulted in two Green & Blue runs, sophomore infielder Jake Mummau (Palm Harbor, Fla./Palm Harbor University HS/St. Petersburg College) drew a bases-loaded walk and Ellis singled in Felix to make it 6-3.
 
FSU battled back with single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to re-take a 7-6 lead before FGCU struck again in the sixth. Wilmer ripped a solo homer to right, senior infielder Alejandro Figueredo (Sucre, Venezuela/West Oaks HS/Seminole State) doubled home sophomore outfielder Harrison Povey (Indian Rocks Beach, Fla./Largo HS) and Kinker followed with his two-run blast to left for a 10-7 lead.
 
The Seminoles answered immediately with a three-run bottom of the sixth – as Barrett singled in a run, FGCU balked home another and the Seminoles scored a third on the final of FGCU's five errors.
 
But it was Felix, and his newly bleach-blonde hair, who made the final difference in the ninth – cranking the first pitch he saw in the at-bat over the right-field fence to stun the 5,038 at Dick Howser Stadium. FGCU senior right-hander LJ McDonough (Blanchard, Okla./Blanchard HS/Wichita State) was called on to close it for the second consecutive night, which he did by getting three tough outs in the ninth for his third save.
 
Junior pitcher Connor O'Hara (Davie, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS) threw a flawless eighth inning to also earn his second win in as many nights. Ryan Denison (0-1) took the loss for Florida State.
 
The two teams close the series at 1 p.m. Sunday, with the game available to view on ACCNX. FGCU is expected to start junior infielder/pitcher Jacob Lojewski (West Palm Beach, Fla./Delray American Heritage HS) on the mound for his third consecutive Sunday start of 2023.
 
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 681-409-3 overall record (.623) 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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