FGCU-Jacksonville State box score | 2023 FGCU baseball stats | 2023 FGCU schedule | ASUN scoreboard/schedule | ASUN standings
 
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Still dripping from two oversized buckets of ice-cold water Sunday afternoon and standing alone at alongside third base Saturday afternoon as his current team and a throng of well-wishers dating back to kindergarten applauded, Dave Tollett had to hold back tears.
 
Few coaches in the country, in any sport, can reach the 700-win plateau. And Tollett – the only coach FGCU baseball has ever known – had just gotten there in what is standard 2023 FGCU fashion.
 
The Eagles earned their venerable coach his latest signature victory with yet another display of raw power, breaking their single-season home run record and cranking out 15 hits to upend Jacksonville State 12-5.
 
The victory kept FGCU (29-11 overall, 13-5 ASUN) in a tie for first place in the conference along with Lipscomb. Jacksonville State fell to 18-20 overall, 11-7 in the ASUN and into fifth in the league standings.
 
Tollett's .625 winning percentage (700-419-3) ranks 31st among active Division-I coaches -- with only nine coaches on that list earning more victories. Tollett is also 35th among active Division-I coaches in victories.
 
"This really means two things: We have had a lot of great kids, and I've had a lot of great coaches," Tollett said. "It isn't about me. It goes all the way back to 2003 to now. I want to thank all those guys who played for me, and all my coaches. It really does mean something that they were a part of this program along the way."
 
Tollett's 700^th career win followed what has become a familiar routine this season. Senior designated hitter Joe Kinker (North Port, Fla./Venice HS) and junior infielder/pitcher Jacob Lojewski (West Palm Beach, Fla./Delray American Heritage HS) each launched home runs – giving FGCU a record-setting 95 for the season. That broke last year's single-season record of 94 homers set in 57 games. At FGCU's current 2.35 homers-per-game pace, the Eagles are on track to hit 130 homers this season.
 
Junior infielder Edrick Felix (Orlando, Fla./Victory Charter HS/College of Central Florida) went 5-for-5 with two doubles, a triple, two RBIs, and two runs scored. Felix had two chances to hit for the cycle – but settled for a single and his second double. And all but two Eagles in the starting lineup drove in at least one run to earn the series victory against the Gamecocks.
 
Redshirt sophomore Connor O'Hara (Davie, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS) took over in the third from freshman starter Chase Kriebel (Shippenville, Pa. Clarion Area HS) and pitched seven near-flawless innings to earn his fourth victory. O'Hara scattered four hits, struck out five, and allowed only a ninth-inning run over 87 effective pitches.
 
"Connor was very special, Edrick was awesome – and we needed it on a special day all the way around," Tollett said. "We needed this win to stay on top, and they came out and played.
 
"Last night was a rough one for us, and I thought about all the guys who started this program and who have been through here. This 700 thing, I know I get the credit for it, but it is really about them. It feels good, I'm glad we are past it, and this is a big win for this ballclub."
 
Kinker saw immediate dividends from a self-described Saturday's date night with his girlfriend that consisted of her feeding the Swanson Stadium pitching machine for him during a late-night hitting session – belting a three-run homer to left in the first inning for a 3-0 FGCU lead.
 
Jacksonville State grabbed a 4-3 edge with two-run innings in the second and third, but FGCU tied it in the third on a Kinker sacrifice fly to the track and then blew it open in the fourth.  
 
Senior outfielder Stephen Wilmer (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview HS/Pasco-Hernando State/ECU) and graduate outfielder Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) each hit RBI singles to make it 6-4, sophomore outfielder Harrison Povey (Indian Rocks Beach, Fla. Largo HS) doubled home another run, and senior infielder Alejandro Figueredo (Sucre, Venezuela/West Oaks HS/Seminole State) added a sacrifice fly to stake O'Hara to an 8-4 lead.
 
FGCU added three more runs in the eighth via Felix's RBI double and Lojewski's no-doubt two-run homer to left. The Green & Blue has scored at least 10 runs in 21 of its 40 games this season, and has recorded at least 10 hits in 29 of those outings. Ellis extended his unofficial NCAA record for consecutive games safely reaching base to 109 games.
 
The Eagles hit the road for a four-game road trip beginning Tuesday afternoon against USF. First pitch from USF Baseball Stadium is set for 3 p.m. The Green & Blue then play at Austin Peay in a three-game ASUN series beginning Friday night.
 
For complete coverage of FGCU baseball, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_Baseball and online at http://www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign up to have news on FGCU baseball or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting http://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 700-419-3 overall record (.625) and a 241-134 (.643) 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 98 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.
 
---FGCUATHLETICS.COM---