FGCU’s Evan Dempsey just made history — and not just for the Eagles.
The sophomore right-hander and outfielder was named the 2025 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year this week, the highest national honor given to college baseball’s top dual threat.
He was also named Perfect Game’s National Two-Way Player of the Year, a Perfect Game First-Team All-American. The American Baseball Coaches Association selected him to the First Team All-Southeast Region as a starting pitcher. He was named to the All-Atlantic Sun Conference First Team as a starting pitcher and Second Team as an outfielder.
"I feel like it shows like this year, it's paying off a little bit," Dempsey said.
He pitched on Friday nights and played the outfield the rest of the weekend — racking up 60 appearances in 60 games, including 59 starts. At the plate, he batted .309 with 71 hits. On the mound, he went 5-1 with a 1.97 ERA, which ranked second in the nation, and 75 strikeouts.
"It's really cool to be recognized. Especially coming from FGCU and being able to represent FGCU and at a bigger level," Dempsey said.
Dempsey didn’t even become a starting pitcher until April, after the team was forced to reshuffle due to injuries.
"We were put in a tough spot early on in the season with losing a couple guys to injury," he said. "Coach [Tollett] had a talk with our team and he basically said that some guys are going to need to step up if we're going to make a comeback "
He did — and FGCU did. The Eagles turned a 1-7 start in ASUN play into a run to the conference title game, finishing as tournament co-champions.
"That shows that he is so versatile and that he's a tremendous athlete, that he can excel at the Division One level on both sides," said FGCU head coach Dave Tollett.
"There's not another player in the country that will pitch a hundred pitches on Friday night and then go play the outfield Saturday and Sunday," said teammate Jake McKee.
"We thought he deserved it halfway through the season, so we knew that this was coming," said fellow pitcher Justin Henschel.
Tollett said the recognition confirms what the program already knew.
"He is the best two-way player in the country. He's just incredible. I mean, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a guy like this," Tollett said.
Dempsey, a sophomore from Tampa, now adds his name to the list of national greats, with two of college baseball’s most prestigious two-way awards in one season.
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