FGCU-North Florida box score | 2023 FGCU baseball stats | 2023 FGCU schedule | ASUN standings | ASUN schedule
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team (37-14 overall, 19-8 ASUN) did what it does best again Sunday, crashing three more homers en route to a 10-2 victory over North Florida in the weekend series finale at Harmon Stadium.
The win kept FGCU – which has locked down a spot in the ASUN Championship starting May 23 – within a game of conference-leading Lipscomb (30-22, 20-7) in the standings with one weekend of play remaining. At 28-24 overall and 13-14 in the ASUN, North Florida currently is a game out of eighth and on the outside looking in on qualifying for the eight-team ASUN Championship in DeLand, Fla.
The Eagles now have hit 120 home runs in a record-breaking season – eclipsing the old single-season school record of 94 homers – to lead the nation. For the second consecutive day, the Green & Blue belted a grand slam, as sophomore infielder
Edrick Felix (
Orlando, Fla./Victory Charter HS/College of Central Florida) went deep with the bases loaded as part of a five-run fifth inning. Felix broke FGCU's single-season home run record earlier in the UNF series, and now has 23 homers this season.
Senior catcher/infielder
Alejandro Rodriguez (
Cidra, Puerto Rico/Montverde Academy/Eastern Florida State) hit a solo homer Sunday in the second inning, and sophomore outfielder
Harrison Povey (Indian Rocks Beach, Fla./Largo HS) added a two-run blast in the third.
More importantly, FGCU's pitching staff kept North Florida from going punch-for-punch with the Eagles offense for the first time all weekend. Senior
Stephen Wilmer (
Sarasota, Fla./Riverview HS/Pasco-Hernando State/ECU) scattered four hits and struck out four Opsreys over 4 1/3 innings. Junior
Alejandro Valiente (
Bayamon, Puerto Rico/FSW/Bethune-Cookman) added three strikeouts over 1 1/3 innings to earn the victory.
Graduate
Max Rippl (
Fort Myers, Fla./Southwest Florida Christian Academy/Kent State), junior
William Haberstock (
Roswell, Ga./Centennial HS/North Alabama), and senior
LJ McDonough (
Blanchard, Okla./Blanchard HS/Wichita State) each contributed a flawless inning in relief roles.
"We got back into a better groove, that's for sure," said FGCU head baseball coach
Dave Tollett. "We got a great start from Wilmer to get where we need to be, then a great hit from Edrick to separate us. It is good to get back on the winning path for sure.
"We had a great message for them after our game (Saturday night), which basically was that pressure is a privilege. It is earned, and we need to be ready for it."
Senior outfielder
Joe Kinker (
North Port, Fla./Venice HS) and redshirt sophomore infielder
Trevor Kole (
Parkland, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons HS) each added sacrifice flies for FGCU on Sunday, and Wilmer also scored via a wild pitch in the seventh. Rodriguez, Kinker, and graduate outfielder
Brian Ellis (
Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) each had two of the Eagles' 11 hits.
FGCU remains on the road Tuesday, taking on FAU at 6:30 p.m. in Boca Raton. The Eagles conclude the 2023 regular season with a three-game home series against Kennesaw State (23-27, 12-15) beginning at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
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 708-422-3 overall record (.627) and a 247-138 (.642) 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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