FGCU baseball’s big league opportunity

Writer: Sylvie Sparks
Published: Updated:
FGCU Eagles CoolToday Park

Young athletes dream of playing in the pros all their lives.

Wednesday night the FGCU baseball team got to experience how it feels to be a Brave when they played Indiana State in CoolToday Park, Atlanta’s spring training facility.

Eagles’ senior pitcher Matt Kavanaugh has dreamed of playing in the major leagues since he first picked up a baseball.

“As soon as I stepped foot in a major league stadium I said I wanted to do this,” Kavanaugh said.

When he took the mound for the Eagles on Wednesday he got a taste of how it feels.

“It’s definitely super cool with the stands and everything and the aesthetic. It’s always awesome.”

Chilly fans watched from blankets in the stands as the young team played like pros.

This isn’t the last time fans will see an Eagle on the mound in CoolToday Park.

The Braves recently added FGCU product Chris Sale to their rotation encouraging Kavanaugh that one day he’ll be playing in major league parks on a regular basis.

“It tells us that we can definitely do it as well. He’s a big league performer and he came from FGCU so it gives us like, in the back of our head, that we can do it as well.”

The Eagles didn’t get the turnout they’d hoped for falling to the Sycamores 5-2, but it may not be the last we’ll see of them on a big league diamond.

FGCU looks to get in the win column in their home opener against Bethune-Cookman on Friday at 6:30 p.m.

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