Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Baseball Starting Three-Game Series against Rutgers on Friday
3/8/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Boca Raton, FL - Fresh off scoring a season-high 13 runs for its ninth victory of the spring, the Florida Atlantic University baseball team returns to the FAU Baseball Stadium on Friday, March 9, at 6:30 p.m. to begin a three-game series against Rutgers University of the Big East Conference.
The Owls' bats woke up to collect 12 hits - five of them extra-base efforts - in a decisive 13-4 victory over Boston College of the Atlantic Coast Conference on March 7. The team scored seven runs in the third inning and added four more in the eighth frame to break a two-game losing streak.
FAU stands 9-5 on the season and plays its final three-game, non-conference weekend series before opening Sun Belt Conference action against South Florida rival FIU from March 16-18.
Senior infielder Mike Albaladejoranks second on the team with a .411 batting average. He has recorded five three-hit performances this season.
Junior catcher Mike Spano is hitting at .344 clip and had two hits against Boston College. Fellow junior Mark Nelsonscored three runs in the win over the Eagles and is one of five players hitting .300 or better.
Freshman infielder Ricky Santiagohas legged out three doubles and connected on his first career home run on March 7. He has started four games this season and posted a team-best .438 batting average (7-of-16).
Junior outfielder Corey Keller drove home a career-high six runs with two hits, including a grand slam home run in the seven-run third inning against Boston College. In the pitching department, senior right hander Ryan Gartonanchors the starting rotation with a 2-1 record and a 2.89 earned run average. He has posted victories over the University of Alabama and Manhattan College so far this season.
Freshman left hander Bo Logan is also expected to be in the Owls' starting rotation this weekend. He has a 1-0 record after defeating Princeton University on March 3. Junior reliever R.J. Alvarezleads FAU's strong relief pitching unit, picking up two victories in seven appearances. He has recorded 12 strikeouts and has yet to allow an earned run.
Senior reliever Ahmed Garciatossed two scoreless innings in relief to pick up the victory on March 7. The left hander has compiled an impressive 1.08 ERA in 8.1 innings.
Rutgers comes to South Florida looking to snap a three-game losing skid. The Scarlet Knights stand 3-6 on the season after being swept last weekend at Georgia Tech. In fact, the team has been a part of three sweeps this season: at the University of Miami to open the season before sweeping Old Dominion University on February 24-26 before facing Georgia Tech. The Scarlet Knights have five players hitting .300 or better in the lineup, led by third baseman Patrick Kivlehan with a .348 batting average in six games. First baseman Bill Hoermann is at .316 in all nine games, while shortstop Nick Favatella has driven in a team-best 10 runs. Rutgers has only hit three home runs this season, compared to 12 homers by its opposition. Friday night's starting pitcher is expected to be right hander Ryan Fasano, who has a 0-1 record, 4.91 earned run average and 10 strikeouts in three appearances this spring.
FAU has won 16 of its previous 21 meetings with Rutgers.
The series will be played at the FAU Baseball Stadium, located at 777 Glades Road on the Boca Raton campus.
Live audio and statistics of all three games in the series can be found at www.fausports.com. For season tickets, contact the FAU Ticket Office at 1-866-FAU-OWLS
