FORT MYERS, Fla. — Sixteen years after Chris Sale set the gold standard for Florida Gulf Coast University baseball, junior two-way star Evan Dempsey has officially joined him on the program’s highest peak.

Dempsey secured his place in the history books when D1Baseball named him a first-team selection on June 25, cementing his status as just the second Unanimous First-Team All-American in program history. The designation requires a clean sweep of first-team honors from all six major national publications: the ABCA, Baseball America, College Baseball Foundation, D1Baseball, the NCBWA, and Perfect Game.

Following the historic sweep, Dempsey is widely expected to be selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, which begins July 11 in Philadelphia, Pa. Evaluators consider the FGCU standout a top-100 draft prospect, with projections indicating he could be selected anywhere from the first through the third rounds.

The national accolades isolate Dempsey on both a regional and national level heading into the draft. He stands as the only Atlantic Sun Conference player to earn All-American honors this season, one of just two players from the state of Florida on D1Baseball’s first team, and one of only two non-Power 4 players nationwide to secure the distinction.

The consensus first-team recognition follows a historic dual-threat campaign that earned Dempsey his second consecutive John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, alongside semifinalist nods for both the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy.

On the mound, the ASUN Pitcher of the Year was virtually unhittable. Over 15 starts, Dempsey compiled a 7-2 record with a 3.15 ERA, holding opposing hitters to a meager .209 average. He paced the ASUN with 126 strikeouts while issuing just 26 walks, turning in a dominant 1.06 WHIP.

When he wasn’t anchoring the pitching staff, he was anchoring the lineup. Dempsey started all 57 games for the Eagles, batting .333 with 79 hits, 18 doubles, 10 home runs, and 46 RBIs. He led the squad with 15 stolen bases on 17 attempts while registering team-best marks in OPS (.948), on-base percentage (.412), and slugging percentage (.512).