By: Tobey Schulman
Preview: FAU vs. East Carolina
FAU takes on what could very well be their biggest challenge since taking on Vanderbilt in their opening series. The Owls welcome in conference opponent, and the #12 ranked team in the country: East Carolina Pirates. The two ball clubs both have win streaks on the line going into the series, with FAU sporting a three game win streak compared to ECU’s five game win streak. After taking down Miami for the second time this season, the Owls look to roll their momentum over into this weekend series against the highest ranked team in the conference.
The Pirates are fresh off of a win against #19 North Carolina State. It’s wins like that, that have earned ECU their #12 ranking. They’re a well tested team, battling difficult opponents such as North Carolina and Campbell. The Owls, as previously mentioned, are currently in possession of a three game winning streak, taking the last two in their series at Memphis before taking down Miami in shutout fashion on Tuesday night.
The Owls seem to be playing as a cohesive group again. The pitching has been solid in their last few games, and the bats have shown up when they need to. The Owls have been able to rely consistently on Christian Adams and John Schroeder, who have come up with big hits and RBIs in recent games. Patrick Ward has also been great for the Owls recently. The sophomore tallied an RBI double in their win against Miami on Tuesday. FAU’s biggest advantage offensively may be with their leadoff hitter: Spencer Rich. Rich has been crucial in the Owls success on offense, being their stolen base specialist, going 12-12 on stolen bases so far this season.
For ECU, they bring in a threatening offense. The Pirates currently hold five hitters that hit for an average of .300 or better. Senior Carter Cunningham leads the pack with a .402 average in 106 at bats. Cunningham leads the Pirates in multiple offensive categories including, hits, RBIs, home runs, total bases, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. They’ll look towards Cunningham to lead the offense to a potential series win.
ECU’s pitching staff has put together some impressive statistics throughout the season thus far. Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman through 30.0 innings pitched holds a 0.90 ERA with a 3-1 record. ECU has four more pitchers with a sub-3.00 ERA, including Jackson DiLorenzo (1.35), and Zach Root who possesses a 1.98 ERA through 41 innings pitched.
All the stats point to this series being a battle. Both of these teams hold the same conference record of 4-2, and this series can have implications for results later in the season. The first matchup between these two teams in nearly ten years, is a can’t miss if you’re in the Boca Raton area.