FGCU-Florida State box score | 2023 FGCU baseball stats | 2023 FGCU schedule
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team (10-2) absorbed only its second loss in the season Sunday, falling 14-8 to No. 16 Florida State. But the Green & Blue departed Dick Howser Stadium with something fairly rare: a non-Power 5 series victory against one of the nation's storied programs on the Seminoles' home turf.
Florida State has not lost a non-Power 5 series in Tallahassee since Cal State-Fullerton came to Dick Howser Stadium and took two of three games in February 1993 – a span of 30 years. FGCU saw its six-game winning streak come to a close, but won its first weekend series against a ranked opponent since 2013 – when the Eagles swept No. 13 Florida in Gainesville.
The Green & Blue didn't go down without a fight Sunday, swatting three more home runs to make 10 for the weekend series. Sophomore outfielder
Harrison Povey (
Indian Rocks Beach, Fla./Largo HS) hit a solo shot, senior pitcher/outfielder
Stephen Wilmer (
Sarasota, Fla./Riverview HS/Pasco-Hernando State/ECU) ripped a two-run homer, and redshirt senior outfielder
Brian Ellis (
Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) belted a three-run shot.
Ellis went 2-for-4 to increase his streak of reaching base to a school-record 81 games – 20 games shy of the 101-game NCAA record. Wilmer, senior catcher/infielder
Alejandro Rodriguez (
Cidra, Puerto Rico/Montverde Academy/Eastern Florida State) and senior infielder
Alejandro Figueredo (
Sucre, Venezuela/West Oaks HS/Seminole State) each finished with two hits.
"We are very happy with the series win. It hasn't happened much, that's for sure," said FGCU head baseball coach
Dave Tollett. "We just couldn't get out of the first couple innings. They hit everything we threw up there. Once we settled in, we were ok and had a chance to fight back."
Unlike the previous two games, FGCU managed to get on the scoreboard first – as Povey launched the first pitch he saw over the center-field wall in the first for a 1-0 lead. FSU responded in kind, though, scoring three runs in the bottom of the inning for a 3-1 advantage.
Ellis changed that with one swing in the second, hitting the first pitch he saw in the at-bat deep over the right-field fence to make it 3-3.
FSU's offense exploded in the bottom of the second – scoring seven runs via a Nick De Sedas two-run homer, a three-run homer by Jaime Ferrer, a Cam Smith RBI single, and a sacrifice fly.
FGCU's offense wasn't ready to quit, however. The Green & Blue cut the deficit to 10-7 in the top of the third when Wilmer deposited another baseball over the right-field fence and Ellis doubled home junior catcher
Mac Moise (
Cape Coral, Fla./Ida Baker HS).
After the series-long scoring barrage from both teams, neither team could muster a run for the ensuing five innings. FGCU managed to keep FSU in check due to stellar work out of the bullpen by freshman right-hander
Justin Henschel (
Plantation, Fla./South Plantation HS), who scattered four hits over 5 2/3 innings.
Florida State tacked on insurance runs in the eighth via a bases-loaded walk and a Colton Vincent three-run double. FGCU added its final run when Povey drew a bases-loaded walk in the ninth, but could draw no closer.
FGCU junior starter
Jacob Lojewski (
West Palm Beach, Fla./Delray American Heritage HS) took the loss. FSU's Wyatt Crowell earned the victory.
The Eagles remain on the road this week, playing at Troy on Tuesday and Wednesday – first pitch is 6 p.m. both days. The Green & Blue return to Tallahassee on Friday for a three-game series at Florida A&M.
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 681-410-3 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.
---FGCUATHLETICS.COM---
