By: Tobey Schulman
Following their matchup against Florida on Tuesday getting canceled, FAU had the week to get prepared for their weekend set against FIU. The Owls come into the series with a 6-5 record while FIU holds an 8-5 record. With games being played both in Boca and Miami, it should be an entertaining series between two historic rivals.
FAU’s offense remains highlighted by shortstop Brando Leroux.
Through the Owls 11 games so far this season, he’s hit for a .364 average and a .949 OPS. Spencer Rich has also been arguably the biggest spark for the Owls offensively. The Owls leadoff hitter has hit for a .360 average with six stolen bases. The Owls will also look to John Schroeder and Emilio Gonzalez, who have continued to consistently hit, to contribute in this series.
For FIU, they look to continue to keep up their offensive production as well. Brylan West comes into the series with a .419 batting average and a 1.313 OPS. FIU also has four batters in their lineup that hit for an average of .300 or better. On the mound, they’ll look to continue to limit runs, and maintain their three game winning streak.
The Owls will give the ball to C.J. Williams to start game one of the series yet again. Williams is coming off of back to back seven inning performances, and will look to continue to strikeout batters and attack the counts early. Trey Beard and Tyler Murphy will get their starts in games two and three as well.
Out of the bullpen for FAU, Danny Trehey has been dominant. Through 9.1 innings pitched, he’s tallied 16 strikeouts in just four appearances. He’ll no doubt be put in big spots this series against FIU, and will look to continue to be the Owls most reliable reliever.
From conference rivals to now non-conference opponents, the matchup may not mean the same on the schedule, but it will still feel the same in both dugouts. With games at both teams’ fields, it’ll be crucial for FAU to get ahead and take games at home to win the series.
