Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Wednesday, March 3
Gainesville, Fla.
6 PM
Florida Atlantic
at
Florida
Photo by: Jim Rassol/Owlpix.com
No. 21 Owls Off to Gainesville in Battle of Ranked Squads
3/2/2021 2:59:00 PM | Baseball
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BOCA RATON, Fla. – Off to a 6-1 start and a national ranking as high as No. 21, the Florida Atlantic University baseball team will play another top-25 squad on Wednesday night, the Florida Gators, at 6 p.m. in Gainesville.
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The Owls (6-1) are ranked in three polls, and just two slots (and only 14 votes by the coaches) out of another. In the six polls below, UF (6-2) is rated as high as No. 2, and as low as No. 7.
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Owls' Weekend in Review
The Owls swept past Seton Hall, and now have a four-game winning streak after the midweek win over FGCU. Nolan Schanuel leads Conference USA and ranks No. 3 among all Division I hitters with 15 RBI through his first seven collegiate games, and is No. 2 and No. 10 (league and country) with 25 total bases. He and Mitchell Hartigan rank 1-2 in C-USA with 13 and 12 hits (with those totals good enough for 14th and 27th in the country), while Hartigan is seventh in the league with a .414 average and Schanuel ninth at .406.
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The Owls' top of the lineup features the league's top two players in walks drawn, B.J. Murray (eight) and Wilfredo Alvarez (seven), placing 16th and 36th in the country, respectively. Alvarez ties for the league's most runs scored at 11, and Murray is tied for third with 10. Those totals place them No. 10 and No. 20 nationally.
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After being named one of Collegiate Baseball's National Players of the Week, Matt Sparling slots among C-USA leaders at No. 6 in strikeouts (16), No. 11 in K/BB ratio (5.33), No. 12 in opposing batting average (.154) and No. 13 in WHIP (0.82).
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Owls' Midweek in Preview
Florida has won five straight after falling twice in the opening weekend three-game set when they hosted Miami. Since, it has been a midweek sweep of North Florida and a three straight wins over Samford. The top two run producers in the Gator lineup have been Nathan Hickey (.313, 3 HR, 13 RBI) and Jud Fabian (.257, 4 HR, 12 RBI), while Jacob Young tops the squad in average at .395 and is already 6-for-6 on stolen bases.
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Midweek Probable Starting Pitching Matchup
Wednesday: FAU – TJ Stuart, RHP (First start as an Owl) vs. UF – Garrett Milchin, RHP (0-0, 0.00 in a 2-IP start)
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Opponent History
All-time, Florida holds a 22-9 series edge. Last year in West Palm Beach, the then-No. 1 Gators took a 7-3 victory. The last time the teams played in Gainesville, the Owls came away with a 13-11 slugfest win on April 23, 2019, highlighted by a Bobby Morgensen grand slam. In the 2018 Gainesville Regional, FAU forced an immediate winner-take-all final game against the top overall seeded Gators in the entire NCAA Tournament, winning 7-4, but UFÂ survived with a 5-2 victory.
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Owls' Baseball on Social Media
Follow along with the team on Twitter @FAUBaseball, on Instagram, and "like" FAU Baseball on Facebook.
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After This
This upcoming weekend, the Owls have a home-away-home series against FGCU. Friday is in Boca Raton, Saturday in Fort Myers, and the Sunday finale back at FAU Baseball Stadium. Single-game tickets (only, for the remainder of the season, with the exception of the sold-out March 23 game vs. Miami) are available by calling 1-866-FAU-OWLS or by visiting FAU's baseball tickets website.
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| Â Florida Atlantic Baseball at Florida | ||
| Matchup Details | Gainesville, Fla. | Florida Ballpark Wednesday, March 3 | 6 p.m. |
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| Game Coverage | Live Streaming - SEC Network+ Live Stats Twitter: @FAU_Baseball |
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| Florida Atlantic Links | News | Roster | Schedule | Game Notes | Record Book | |
| Florida Links | News | Roster | Schedule | Game Notes | |
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Off to a 6-1 start and a national ranking as high as No. 21, the Florida Atlantic University baseball team will play another top-25 squad on Wednesday night, the Florida Gators, at 6 p.m. in Gainesville.
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The Owls (6-1) are ranked in three polls, and just two slots (and only 14 votes by the coaches) out of another. In the six polls below, UF (6-2) is rated as high as No. 2, and as low as No. 7.
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| Â Poll | Â FAU | Â Florida |
| Â D1Baseball | Â #21 | Â #6 |
| Â Perfect Game | Â #25 | Â #2 |
| Â NCBWA | Â #26 | Â #4 |
| Â USA TODAY Coaches | Â ARV (27th) | Â #5 |
| Â Collegiate Baseball | Â NR | Â #3 |
| Â Baseball America | Â NR | Â #7 |
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Owls' Weekend in Review
The Owls swept past Seton Hall, and now have a four-game winning streak after the midweek win over FGCU. Nolan Schanuel leads Conference USA and ranks No. 3 among all Division I hitters with 15 RBI through his first seven collegiate games, and is No. 2 and No. 10 (league and country) with 25 total bases. He and Mitchell Hartigan rank 1-2 in C-USA with 13 and 12 hits (with those totals good enough for 14th and 27th in the country), while Hartigan is seventh in the league with a .414 average and Schanuel ninth at .406.
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The Owls' top of the lineup features the league's top two players in walks drawn, B.J. Murray (eight) and Wilfredo Alvarez (seven), placing 16th and 36th in the country, respectively. Alvarez ties for the league's most runs scored at 11, and Murray is tied for third with 10. Those totals place them No. 10 and No. 20 nationally.
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After being named one of Collegiate Baseball's National Players of the Week, Matt Sparling slots among C-USA leaders at No. 6 in strikeouts (16), No. 11 in K/BB ratio (5.33), No. 12 in opposing batting average (.154) and No. 13 in WHIP (0.82).
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Owls' Midweek in Preview
Florida has won five straight after falling twice in the opening weekend three-game set when they hosted Miami. Since, it has been a midweek sweep of North Florida and a three straight wins over Samford. The top two run producers in the Gator lineup have been Nathan Hickey (.313, 3 HR, 13 RBI) and Jud Fabian (.257, 4 HR, 12 RBI), while Jacob Young tops the squad in average at .395 and is already 6-for-6 on stolen bases.
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Midweek Probable Starting Pitching Matchup
Wednesday: FAU – TJ Stuart, RHP (First start as an Owl) vs. UF – Garrett Milchin, RHP (0-0, 0.00 in a 2-IP start)
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Opponent History
All-time, Florida holds a 22-9 series edge. Last year in West Palm Beach, the then-No. 1 Gators took a 7-3 victory. The last time the teams played in Gainesville, the Owls came away with a 13-11 slugfest win on April 23, 2019, highlighted by a Bobby Morgensen grand slam. In the 2018 Gainesville Regional, FAU forced an immediate winner-take-all final game against the top overall seeded Gators in the entire NCAA Tournament, winning 7-4, but UFÂ survived with a 5-2 victory.
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Owls' Baseball on Social Media
Follow along with the team on Twitter @FAUBaseball, on Instagram, and "like" FAU Baseball on Facebook.
Â
After This
This upcoming weekend, the Owls have a home-away-home series against FGCU. Friday is in Boca Raton, Saturday in Fort Myers, and the Sunday finale back at FAU Baseball Stadium. Single-game tickets (only, for the remainder of the season, with the exception of the sold-out March 23 game vs. Miami) are available by calling 1-866-FAU-OWLS or by visiting FAU's baseball tickets website.
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Players Mentioned
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