Evan Dempsey is returning to play for the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles in 2026. In 2025, he won the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year award, which goes to the best two-way player in college baseball.  

Dempsey was also named both first-team and second-team All-Conference. He was named first-team All-Atlantic Sun for his pitching and second-team All-Atlantic Sun for his hitting.  

Dempsey and his Solid Pitching in 2025 

Dempsey made 15 total appearances on the mound in 2025, and 10 of them were starts. 

He had a 1.97 ERA in 68 2/3 innings of work. Over that stretch, he struck out 75 hitters and allowed an opposing batting average of .225.  

Dempsey led the Atlantic Sun in ERA and was top ten in the conference in strikeouts.  

The two-way player picked up five wins on the mound as well against North Florida twice, Queens University, West Georgia, and Stetson.  

Dempsey played a large role in the Eagles being one of the best pitching teams in the Atlantic Sun. As a team, Florida Gulf Coast had a 4.88 team ERA. The only team in the conference that had a better team ERA was the Stetson Hatters.  

Dempsey and his Great Hitting in 2025 

As good as Dempsey’s pitching was in 2025, he also put up some great hitting numbers with Florida Gulf Coast.  

He had a .315 batting average with 19 doubles, 14 stolen bases, and 30 RBIs. Dempsey also had an on-base percentage of .399. Dempsey was top five in the Atlantic Sun in doubles.  

His season high in hits came against the West Georgia Wolves on May 11. He had four hits in four at-bats along with a run scored, a double, and two RBIs.  

Up Next for Florida Gulf Coast 

Dempsey and the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles will begin the 2026 college baseball season on February 13 against the North Dakota State Bison.  

This will be a home game for the Eagles at Swanson Stadium in Fort Myers, Fla. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST.  

NCAA news: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/

 

PHOTO: Florida Gulf Coast’s Evan Dempsey runs after hitting against Queens during an NCAA baseball game on Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)