By: Tobey Schulman
Following a historic opening game of the FAU and Tulane series last weekend, that featured C.J. Williams tossing the first complete game shutout by an FAU Owl since 2016, Tulane battled back for the series win. They rallied late in games two and three and their ability to put up large amounts of runs in a single inning proved to be the difference-maker in that series. FAU now looks to forget about those losses and get one back tonight in Miami to end their season long series.
Miami’s record up to this point in the season is 17-22 with a 7-14 ACC record. FAU’s record currently sits at 20-17 with a 7-8 AAC record after the series against Tulane. FAU will most likely turn the ball to Brandon Smith for the start yet again versus the Hurricanes. He’ll look to give a solid outing for the Owls after the bullpen was utilized heavily in the final game against Tulane. Miami will start Ashton Crowther who’s 1-4 with a 5.34 ERA.
The Owls on offense will need John Schroeder, Jalen DeBose, and Christian Adams to be sharp at the plate in this game to help secure a win. The three all had a great series at the plate against Tulane and look to keep it going at Miami.
This midweek game in Miami is a great chance for FAU to build momentum heading into their three game series in Tampa this weekend at USF. With both FAU and USF holding 7-8 conference records, this is yet again another chance for FAU to cover some ground in the standings, and stay near teams like UTSA and ECU.
FAU will need to limit large amounts of runs in single innings on the mound. That’s been their downfall recently and if they can avoid that, the bats can provide all the support they need to get a win. With multiple important conference series coming up, a win over a power five program would be huge for team confidence moving forward.