FGCU-Florida A&M live stats | 2023 FGCU baseball stats | 2023 FGCU schedule
 
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – One of the hottest teams in America, No. 24 FGCU baseball team returns to the state capital in search of more offensive dominance – as the Eagles begin a three-game weekend series against Florida A&M at 5 p.m. Friday at Moore-Kittles Field.

Saturday's game is scheduled for 2 p.m., and Sunday's first pitch is set for noon. The games will not be available for viewing.
 
FGCU has won eight of its last nine games, including a series victory at then-No. 16 Florida State last weekend and a mid-week sweep of Troy on Tuesday and Wednesday. The success against the Seminoles earned the Green & Blue its first national ranking since 2017.
 
SWAC member Florida A&M is 5-9 after losing its series finale 20-16 at Grambling State and falling at home 11-9 Tuesday against Ball State. Senior left fielder Ty Hanchey is hitting a team-best .378 for the Rattlers, and junior second baseman Joseph Pierini is close behind at .373. Hanchey and senior third baseman Jared Weber are tied with four homers apiece.
 
FGCU is 12-3 against Florida A&M throughout history, having won the final two games of a four-game series in Tallahassee in 2021. The Eagles average 8.67 runs per game against the Rattlers in their all-time series.
 
The Green & Blue is even more impressive this season in the batter's box, piling up 11.9 hits and 9.4 runs per game in 2023. Four FGCU hitters are averaging .400-plus, led by senior first baseman Joe Kinker (North Port, Fla./Venice HS) – who is hitting .441 with seven doubles, seven homers, 25 RBIs, and a gaudy .915 slugging percentage.
 
Kinker has bashed three homers in his last two games, including a two-run blast Tuesday against Troy that gave him 47 in his illustrious Green & Blue career and broke the school record of 46 formerly held by Nick Rivera (2013-17).
 
FGCU is quickly becoming Dinger City, having homered in all but one game in 2023 and piling up 31 through 13 outings. The Eagles have smacked multiple homers in 10 of 13 games, including four against both FIU and in last Saturday's FSU victory.
 
Senior catcher/infielder Alejandro Rodriguez (Cidra, Puerto Rico/Montverde Academy/Eastern Florida State) is hitting .415 with a team-best .530 on-base percentage. Senior infielder Alejandro Figueredo (Sucre, Venezuela/West Oaks HS/Seminole State) is hitting .407 with five doubles and 36 RBIs, and junior infielder Edrick Felix (Orlando, Fla./Victory Charter HS/College of Central Florida) is hitting .400 with six homers and an .800 slugging percentage.
 
Redshirt senior outfielder Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) went 2-for-4 with three runs scored Wednesday at Troy, extending his streak of reaching base to a school-record 83 games – 18 games shy of the 101-game NCAA record.
 
After this weekend's series at Florida A&M, FGCU is back at Swanson Stadium on March 17-19 for its ASUN Conference-opening series against Liberty.
 
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 683-410-3 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. 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. 23 in 2022-23), baseball (No. 24 in 2023), 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 3.66 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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