FGCU-North Florida game notes | FGCU-North Florida live stats | Watch FGCU-North Florida | 2023 FGCU baseball stats | 2023 FGCU schedule
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team begins the penultimate weekend of the regular season with a stern road test Friday night, as the Eagles travel to take on North Florida in the first of a three-game series. First pitch from Dusty Rhodes Field is set for 6:05 p.m., and each of the weekend games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
FGCU is 36-12 overall and 18-6 in the ASUN Conference – which is tied with Lipscomb for the league lead. The Eagles have won eight of their last nine games, including two of three last weekend against Stetson and an 8-7 triumph Tuesday against FAU.
North Florida (26-23, 11-13) is in a different situation, as the Ospreys are battling to earn one of eight spots in the ASUN Tournament that is set to begin May 23. Currently 11
th in the ASUN standings, North Florida is just two victories behind a three-way logjam for fifth with Jacksonville, Eastern Kentucky, and Austin Peay.
Although FGCU has a share of the ASUN lead, North Florida also has a healthy dose of momentum after earning an 8-5 road victory Tuesday night against No. 6 South Carolina – its first win against a Top-10 team since defeating No. 3 Florida, 7-1, on Feb. 20, 2019.
The Ospreys pounded the Gamecocks for 14 hits to earn their second Power Five victory of the season – as South Carolina stranded 16 baserunners and surely wasn't helped by an over two-hour weather delay. Cherokee Nichols and Matthew Clements each drove in two runs, and the UNF pitching staff combined to allow just two earned runs and record 13 strikeouts.
Austin Brinling leads the Ospreys with a .376 batting average, and Alex Lodise is hitting .320 with 16 homers and 59 RBIs. UNF hits .293 as a team with 82 doubles and 68 homers – but also uses speed on the basepaths to the tune of 68 stolen bases this season.
FGCU owns one of the most potent offenses in the nation, leading the nation with 114 homers and with a .601 slugging percentage. With 110 doubles, the Green & Blue is the only team in the country with at least 110 doubles and 110 homers, and join Campbell and Maryland as the only teams with at 100-plus homers and 100-plus doubles.
Sixth nationally with a .327 batting average, FGCU has seven every-day players hitting at least .300 – led by sophomore infielder
Edrick Felix (
Orlando, Fla./Victory Charter HS/College of Central Florida), who is hitting .382 with 20 doubles, 21 homers, and 65 RBIs. Felix is tied with
Ian Farrow's single-season home run record set in 2022, and his 161 total bases has already broken the single-season FGCU record of 159 set by Tim Roberson in 2009.
Arguably the hottest Eagle at the plate, though, is senior designated hitter
Joe Kinker (
North Port, Fla./Venice HS). The reigning ASUN Player of the Week, Kinker is hitting .380 with 14 doubles, 17 homers and a team-best 67 RBIs. Kinker smashed FGCU's all-time home run record earlier this year, and stands at 59 homers in his storied career.
Four more Eagles -- senior infielder
Alejandro Figueredo (
Sucre, Venezuela/West Oaks HS/Seminole State), junior infielder/pitcher
Jacob Lojewski (
West Palm Beach, Fla./Delray American Heritage HS), sophomore outfielder
Harrison Povey (
Indian Rocks Beach, Fla./Largo HS), senior pitcher/outfielder
Stephen Wilmer (
Sarasota, Fla./Riverview HS/Pasco-Hernando State/ECU) – have hit at least 13 home runs in 2023.
Graduate outfielder
Brian Ellis (
Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) reached base safely against FAU on Tuesday -- extending his national record streak to 117 games.
FGCU expects to send senior right-hander
Tyler Tipton (
Tampa, Fla./Gaither HS/South Florida State) to the mound Friday, and North Florida will counter with southpaw Peter Holden.
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 707-420-3 overall record (.627) and a 246-136 (.644) 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.
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