FGCU-FAU game notes | 2023 FGCU baseball stats | 2023 FGCU schedule
FORT MYERS, Fla. – All eyes Tuesday night will be on FGCU's
Brian Ellis, who has the chance to etch his name into college baseball history every time he steps into the batter's box.
Ellis and the 15
th-ranked FGCU baseball team (26-6) take on FAU (21-12) at 6:30 p.m. at Swanson Stadium, and the unassuming graduate from Oviedo, Fla., just one successful at-bat away from setting the national record for consecutive games safely reaching base.
Ellis has reached base safely – either with a hit, a walk or by being hit by a pitch – in 101 straight games. Only former Texas standout Mark Payton has gotten to 101 games before in the recorded history of the game at the Division I level. Ellis' streak began on April 30, 2021, reaching base safely in the first of the final 11 games of that season, then going unblemished in all 58 games of the 2022 season, and all 32 games so far in 2023.
Ellis has compiled a .501 on-base percentage, with 143 hits, 77 walks and 39 hit-by-pitch in 400 at-bats during the streak. The Eagles are 67-34 during Ellis' streak, which has exclusively come from him hitting in the leadoff spot. Ellis tied the national record Friday with his 101
st straight game reaching base – drawing a third-inning walk against Queens (N.C.)
Although Ellis' at-bats will be must-see baseball, the Eagles are also wanting to add a quality mid-week victory to what is already the best start in program history. FAU edged the Green & Blue 8-4 on a ninth-inning grand slam last week, but FGCU owns a 15-14 all-time edge against the Owls.
FGCU's offense leads the nation in three categories – runs (327), on base percentage (.451) and slugging percentage (.602) – and is second in the country in hits (377), hit by pitch (79), home runs (75) and home runs per game (2.34).
Senior infielder
Alejandro Figueredo (
Sucre, Venezuela/West Oaks HS/Seminole State) leads the Eagles with a .402 batting average – one of seven every-day FGCU position players hitting over .300 for a unit that is fourth in the country with a .332 batting average. Figueredo, senior designated hitter
Joe Kinker (
North Port, Fla. Venice HS) and junior infielder
Edrick Felix (
Orlando, Fla./Victory Charter HS/College of Central Florida) each have 12 home runs – with junior infielder
Jacob Lojewski (
West Palm Beach, Fla./Delray American Heritage HS) leading the way with 13 homers.
Kinker has a team-best 45 RBIs, just ahead of Lojewski (44), Felix (42) and Figueredo (40). Felix has a team-best 16 doubles, with sophomore outfielder
Harrison Povey (
Indian Rocks Beach, Fla./Largo HS) at 11 doubles and Kinker at 10.
Playing its fifth game in seven days, FGCU will send freshman left-hander
Chase Kriebel (
Shippenville, Pa./Clarion Area HS) to the mound Tuesday night. FAU will oppose Kriebel with junior right-hander Danny Trehey.
FAU's offense boasts one of the hottest hitters in the country. Nolan Schnauel is third in the country with a .482 batting average, and he has a team-best 13 homers and 40 RBIs. The Owls saw their five-game losing streak fall Saturday via a 16-2, seven-inning loss to FIU.
The Eagles remain at home Wednesday night, hosting FIU at 6:30 p.m. Both Tuesday's game against FAU and Wednesday's game against FIU will be streamed on ESPN+. FGCU then travels to Eastern Kentucky this weekend for a three-game ASUN set.
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 697-414-3 overall record (.627) and a 238-131 (.645) 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 97 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. 15 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.
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