Chris Sale takes batting practice at FGCU
Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale showed off his hitting prowess during a gathering of FGCU baseball alumni on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024.
A year ago, Evan Dempsey stood in left field watching others rise to the moment on the mound.
An injury ended his time pitching for FGCU prematurely. It was far from ideal for the Tampa native, looking to make an impact as a freshman.
With injuries piling up around him this spring, Dempsey decided to return the favor, becoming the arm the Eagles suddenly couldn’t do without. And in the process, his bat remained potent, just like it was a season ago.
Dempsey was named the 2025 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year award winner on May 13. The award presented annually by the College Baseball Foundation recognizes the top player who excelled as a pitcher and position player. Dempsey is the first FGCU player to win the Olerud since its inception in 2010.
Olerud starred as a first basemen and left-handed pitcher at Washington State in the late 1980s, before spending 17 seasons in the big leagues. He was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007 after winning a pair of World Series, along with three gold gloves, two All-Star Game appearances, and a batting title with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993.
“That was a pretty exciting moment because obviously, it’s a great award to win,” Dempsey said. “I mean, being in great company, and, yeah, it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. So, it was a great moment, and I’m excited about it.
“When I go online and I look at who all has won it in the past, I see a bunch of great names that I recognize, and those are guys I grew up watching. So being in the same company as some of these guys is, it’s a good feeling.”
The sophomore joins Paul Skenes, Jac Caglianone, and Brendan McKay among others to win the award. McKay was a three-time winner of the award while at Louisville, while Skenes won it at Air Force before transferring to LSU and being selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. Caglianone is less than a year removed from college, having made his big league debut earlier this month with the Royals after being selected sixth in last year’s draft.
“His stuff is tremendous,” FGCU coach Dave Tollett said. “His curveball has a 3,300 spin rate, which is the best in the country, and his slider is at a 3,100 spin rate, which is elite for major leagues. There’s only a couple of guys in the major leagues that have those types of numbers.
“I went to him and said, ‘Hey man, I need you to start.’ And just in the Evan Dempsey way, he goes, ‘Whatever the team needs.’ We moved him into the rotation, and after two starts, we moved him to Friday night. With us starting 1-8 in the league with all the injuries, he gave us that spark to finish 16-14 and go from where we were to going 17-5 over the last 22. He’s a big reason for that. There’s no question.”
Dempsey was 5-1 this season with a 1.97 ERA. He pitched in 15 games, making 10 starts and finishing with 68 2/3 innings pitched. He struck out 75 and walked 20. Of the 57 hits he allowed this season, just six of them went for extra bases. He held opposing batters to a .225 batting average.
After a start against North Florida on March 29, Dempsey’s confidence continued to grow. He struck out 10 over six shutout innings, helping FGCU score a 3-0 win.
“I believe I went six innings, 10 strikeouts, and after that, that gave me confidence going into the future starts, knowing that I’d have a starting role,” Dempsey said. “I had a lot of confidence going into each start and focusing on each one, just going out there and trying not to give up any runs.”
Pitching deep into games was often routine for the right-hander, pitching six or more innings eight times this season, including four starts where he threw seven innings.
As an outfielder, Dempsey played in all 60 games, starting 59. He posted a .309 batting average with 71 hits, including 18 doubles and three home runs, for a .435 slugging percentage. Dempsey scored 41 runs and racked up 30 RBIs. He was also a perfect 14-for-14 on stolen bases.
In the field, Dempsey committed only one error on 99 chances, earning 86 putouts and two assists. His fielding percentage was .990.
The Olerud caps off an exciting week of awards for Dempsey who on June 10 was named as the Collegiate Two-Way Player of the Year and First Team All-American by Perfect Game and a First Team All-Southeast Region starting pitcher by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
“For him to do what he’s done is one of the most special things that I think a player’s ever done here,” Tollett said. “To do it in a time of need, I think says even more. This wasn’t the plan. The plan for him was to be our closer and play right field and lead off or hit in the two-hole. That’s why I think the award is so special, because it was not scripted this way.
“For him to basically put the team on his back as a sophomore, I mean, this award does not go out to sophomores. It goes out to first-round guys like Cags last year at Florida. That should tell everyone what kind of year it was, and the impact he had on this team.
With the best two-way player in college baseball playing in the Cape Cod League this summer, the mindset doesn’t change when he suits up in 2026 despite the instability and uncertainty thrown his way through two seasons with the Eagles.
“If definitely sets an expectation to perform like the national two-way player of the year,” Dempsey said. “But I also need to stay focused on what I can control and not be worrying about numbers or what the future holds. Just go into each game with a goal of winning, putting up zeros, and getting hits.”
Other finalists for the 2025 Olerud Award included senior Bryce Calloway of New Orleans, junior Ethan Hedges from USC, sophomore Max Knight from Missouri State, and senior Justin Lehman from Army.
John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Winners2025: Evan Dempsey, FGCU2024: Jac Caglianone, Florida2023: Caden Grice, Clemson2022: Paul Skenes, Air Force2021: Spencer Schwellenbach, Nebraska2019: Aaron Schunk, Georgia2018: Brooks Wilson, Stetson2017: Brendan McKay, Louisville2016: Brendan McKay, Louisville2015: Brendan McKay, Louisville2014: A.J. Reed, Kentucky2013: Marco Gonzales, Gonzaga2012: Brian Johnson, Florida2011: Danny Hultzen, Virginia2010: Mike McGee, Florida State
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