FGCU’s Dempsey garners more baseball All-America honors
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Headlined by two-time national award winner Evan Dempsey of Florida Gulf Coast, the College Baseball Foundation unveiled its 2026 All-America team Wednesday.
Dempsey won the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award for the second consecutive year after another record-setting season for the Eagles. The team also includes Georgia’s Daniel Jackson, winner of the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year, the Dick Howser Trophy and the Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award; Brooks Wallace Award winner Dylan Carey of Nebraska and Pitcher of the Year Jackson Flora from UCSB.
Of the 33 players recognized by the College Baseball Foundation, Dempsey is the only Atlantic Sun Conference player to be named All-America and is just one of five players from non-Power 4 conferences to be recognized. He is also just one of three players from the state of Florida to be honored.
This is the seventh consecutive year that the CBF has selected an All-America team. The team is selected by members of the CBF award committees.
“This tremendous group of players exemplifies the highest level of ball played this season,” CBF National Awards Chairman Chris Snead said. “This All-America team is littered with award winners and finalists as well and it speaks to how impressive the group is.”
The Atlantic Sun Conference’s Pitcher of the Year, Dempsey turned in another spectacular campaign in 2026. He also earned first-team all-conference honors as a pitcher and an outfielder. In addition to winning the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award for the second consecutive year, Dempsey was also named a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award.
Dempsey started all 57 of his team’s games, sporting a .333 batting average, 79 hits, including 18 doubles and 10 home runs, scored 57 runs and tallied 46 RBI. His OPS (.948), on-base percentage (.412) and slugging percentage (.512) ranked among his squad’s best. He led his squad with 15 stolen bases on 17 attempts. On the mound, he was simply outstanding. In 15 starts, he posted a 7-2 record with a 3.15 ERA, a league-leading 126 strikeouts, while only walking 26. He netted a 1.06 WHIP and allowed opposing hitters to hit only .209.
He has already claimed Consensus All-American for the second straight year as the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), Baseball America, the NCBWA and Perfect Game have all listed him on their 2026 All-America First Teams.
The CBF All-America Team is part of an extensive awards program celebrating college baseball. Other winners of 2026 College Baseball Foundation affiliated awards include John Savage, UCLA (Skip Bertman Coach of the Year, presented by Marucci) and Gene Stephenson, Wichita State (Wayne Graham Award for Teaching Excellence).