Dave Tollett

Dave Tollett
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamFlorida Gulf Coast
ConferenceASUN
Record743–452–3
Biographical details
Born (1966-03-30) March 30, 1966 (age 58)
Alma materTusculum College '88
Playing career
1985–1988Tusculum
Position(s)Third base
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1987–1996Charlotte HS (FL)
1997–2001Edison CC (assistant)
2002–presentFlorida Gulf Coast
Head coaching record
Overall743–452–3 (college)
175–96 (high school)
TournamentsA-Sun: 22–21
NCAA DII: 3–4
NCAA DI: 1–2
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
  • 7× Regular season A-Sun Champions: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2019, 2021, 2024
  • 1x A-Sun Tournament champion: 2017
  • A-Sun South Division 2021
Awards
  • 5× A-Sun Coach of the Year: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2019

David Tollett (born March 30, 1966) is an American college baseball coach who has been the head coach of Florida Gulf Coast since 2002, the program's first season. Under Tollett, the Eagles have appeared in two NCAA Division I Tournaments and won Atlantic Sun Conference (A-Sun) regular season championships in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2019, and 2021.Tollett's 2017 season was the most successful in program history as the Green and Blue won a program record 43 games, claimed the program's first ASUN Tournament championship, and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time. After starting the season 24–3 and defeating then #2 and eventual National Champion Florida, then #1 FSU and Miami in the same season for the first time ever, FGCU rose to as high as #9 in the Collegiate Baseball News poll - marking the highest ranking ever achieved by any athletics program in school history. Following the hot start to the season, Tollett was named the Perfect Game Midseason Coach of the Year. The Green and Blue suffered a number of tough losses in April, but ended the regular season by sweeping its way through its final three conference series and earned the No. 3 seed in the ASUN Tournament. After falling into the loser's bracket following a loss on day two, FGCU won an improbable four elimination games in less than 30 hours and defeated top-seeded Jacksonville twice, including an extra-inning thriller in the winner-take-all championship. With the ASUN's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament in hand, the Eagles earned the No. 2 seed in the Chapel Hill Regional and defeated No. 3 Michigan, 10–6, in its first-ever NCAA tournament game. Tollett was named the A-Sun Coach of the Year in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, and 2019. Worst loss of career came during the 2013 season when Tollett and the Eagles lost to an NAIA school, Ave Maria. Tollett has had 47 players at FGCU drafted or signed as free agents in Major League Baseball including Chris Sale, Casey Coleman, Richard Bleier, Jacob Barnes, Jake Noll, and Kutter Crawford.[1][2][3]

Head coaching record

Below is a table of Tollett's yearly records as a collegiate head baseball coach.[4][5]

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Florida Gulf Coast (Independent – NAIA) (2003)
2003 Florida Gulf Coast 35–15–2
Florida Gulf Coast (Division II independent) (2004–2007)
2004 Florida Gulf Coast 39–17
2005 Florida Gulf Coast 37–18
2006 Florida Gulf Coast 41–17 NCAA Regional
2007 Florida Gulf Coast 40–17 NCAA Regional
Florida Gulf Coast:
Florida Gulf Coast (Atlantic Sun Conference – DI) (2008–present)
2008[a] Florida Gulf Coast 38–15 25–8 1st
2009[a] Florida Gulf Coast 36–18 23–7 1st
2010 Florida Gulf Coast 38–20 25–5 1st
2011 Florida Gulf Coast 27–28 16–14 7th
2012 Florida Gulf Coast 26–31 15–12 T-4th
2013 Florida Gulf Coast 37–20 19–8 2nd
2014 Florida Gulf Coast 39–22 19–8 1st
2015 Florida Gulf Coast 30–26–1 11–9 5th
2016 Florida Gulf Coast 27–32 9–12 T-5th
2017 Florida Gulf Coast 43–20 13–8 3rd NCAA Regional
2018 Florida Gulf Coast 32–21 8–13 7th
2019 Florida Gulf Coast 34–21 16–7 1st ASUN tournament
2020 Florida Gulf Coast 9–7 Season canceled on March 12
due to Coronavirus pandemic[6]
2021 Florida Gulf Coast 28–20 12–6 1st (South) ASUN tournament
2022 Florida Gulf Coast 35–23 17–13 3rd (East) ASUN tournament
2023 Florida Gulf Coast 42–18 20–10 T-2nd ASUN tournament
2024 Florida Gulf Coast 30–26 20–10 T-1st ASUN tournament
Florida Gulf Coast: 743–452–3 268–148
Total: 743–452–3

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Until the 2010 season, FGCU was ineligible for the postseason while it transitioned to Division I.

References

  1. ^ "Dave Tollett". FGCUAthletics.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  2. ^ Soffian, Seth (May 20, 2014). "FGCU Baseball Bags Trio of Top Awards". News-Press.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  3. ^ Caldwell, Dana (May 24, 2010). "College Baseball: Tollett Has Built FGCU into Conference Power, NCAA tournament Contender". NaplesNews.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  4. ^ "2013 Atlantic Sun Conference Baseball Record Book" (PDF). AtlanticSun.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  5. ^ "2009 Florida Gulf Coast Baseball Media Guide". Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  6. ^ "ASUN Conference Cancels Intercollegiate Competitions for Remainder of Academic Year". Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2020.