It is officially baseball season on the Gulf Coast. MLB Spring Training has returned to our backyard, while college teams are gearing up for the season ahead.
The FGCU baseball team is as excited and hopeful for the 2025 season as ever. The Eagles are locked in on winning the program's second-ever conference championship.
“It feels great, it’s that time of the year,” head coach Dave Tollett said.
“It’s awesome," catcher Mac Moise added. "We can’t wait to get out here. We’re excited to play somebody other than ourselves. Just to get out there and compete, have fun, and win some ballgames this year.”
The Eagles enter the season with sky-high expectations. They were picked to finish second in the ASUN preseason poll. It is a welcome position, but Tollett wants his team to strive for that top spot.
“That’s where we should be," Tollett said. "That’s the expectation for this program — to be at the top and stay at the top.”
To get there, FGCU will rely on its four preseason all-conference selections — Robert Moya, Evan Dempsey, Justin Henschel and Mac Moise.
“I try to come out here and set a good example for the younger guys," Moise said. "Just work hard and help them with anything they need.”
Moise is a Cape Coral native and graduate of Ida Baker High School. He was ranked as the 25th-best catcher in the country according to D1Baseball. Moise was almost drafted to MLB last season but turned it down to return to the nest.
The rest of the all-conference guys also earned spots on D1Baseball's player rankings. Moya earned the number 40 slot for first basemen, Dempsey the number 83 slot for outfielders, and Henschel the number 101 slot for pitchers.
FGCU has a good mix of veteran leaders, like that quartet, and young talent they added from high school and the transfer portal. One name to keep an eye on is utility player Aidan Corn.
“We’re just going 100% in all practices no matter what situation it is," Corn said. "We’re giving it our all and just doing the best we can do.”
Among all of that talent, Tollett says his team's biggest strength is their pitching staff this year, led by Henschel who will be the Eagles' Friday night starter.
“We have more depth on the mound," Tollett said. "It’s going to take five games to win [the ASUN Tournament]. So we have to be stronger on the bump which I think we are.”
FGCU begins its 2025 season this weekend with a three-game series against Fairfield. The first matchup is on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Swanson Stadium.
“I think we can do some things that we haven’t done in a long time," Moise said. "We’re definitely looking to make the NCAA Tournament, make it to a regional this year, and then go from there.”