FGCU's Felix, Kinker & Figueredo Named NCBWA All-Americans
2023 NCBWA All-America Teams
FORT MYERS, Fla. (fgcuathletics.com) – Three Florida Gulf Coast University Baseball standouts were named All-Americans by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Wednesday.
Sophomore infielder Edrick Felix landed on the second team, while senior infielder Alejandro Figueredo and senior infielder Joe Kinker made the third team.
"Wow," FGCU Baseball Head Coach Dave Tollett said. "Three All-Americans on the same team. This is unprecedented. It is amazing to have one, so to have three is just so incredible. All three of these guys are so deserving of the honor. I don't know if any mid-majors have ever had such an honor. This just represents how great of a team we had with 42 wins."
Wednesday's honors marked the second career All-American distinction for Felix and Figueredo and the first for Kinker. Felix was also named a Second Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball this season.
They join seven other Eagles who achieved All-American honors in program history — Chris Sale, Michael Murray, Nick Rivera, Jake Noll, Richie Garcia, Harrison Povey and Brian Ellis.
Felix, Figueredo and Kinker rewrote the Eagles' record book in 2023. The trio hit a combined 67 home runs, fueling one of the most potent offensives in all of college Baseball by vaulting the Eagles to the national lead in home runs, runs scored and slugging percentage heading into the College World Series' regional action.
They also spearheaded the Eagles to a 42-win campaign for the first time since 2017, a ranked road series win over in-state foe Florida State University and catapulted FGCU to a No. 15 national ranking and to an ASUN Tournament championship game appearance.
Felix, the program's first-ever ASUN Player of the Year, smashed a single-season record of 25 home runs. ASUN First Team honoree Figueredo sent 23 balls over the wall, and ASUN First Team Kinker added 19 to the Eagles' cause. Kinker's 61 career home runs broke Rivera's (2013-17) record of 46.
Felix led the ASUN in home runs and in RBIs (83). Figueredo's homer tally of 23 tied for second. Kinker was second across conference in RBIs with 77, helping the Green & Blue snap its single-season record of runs scored (578).
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The ASUN, a Division I conference member of the NCAA, boasts a membership of institutions that share visionary leadership, bold ambition and creative innovation. As a nimble adaptive conference, unafraid to blaze a national pathway for better service to our student-athletes, teams, and institutions, the ASUN has a proud history of firsts, national academic and athletic achievements and a conference culture that walks the walk with its four ASUN Beams. Students First! Rise. Connect. Impact. #ASUNBuilt by Austin Peay (Clarksville, Tenn.), Bellarmine (Louisville, Ky.), Central Arkansas (Conway, Ark.), EKU (Richmond, Ky.), FGCU (Fort Myers, Fla.), Jacksonville (Fla.), Jacksonville State (Jacksonville, Ala.), Kennesaw State (Ga.), Liberty (Lynchburg, Va.), Lipscomb (Nashville, Tenn.), North Alabama (Florence, Ala.), North Florida (Jacksonville, Fla.), Queens (Charlotte, N.C.) and Stetson (DeLand, Fla.).