Owls Host No. 19 USM in Final C-USA Series, and on Senior Weekend

Florida Atlantic Baseball vs. No. 19 Southern Miss
Series Details	Boca Raton, Fla. \| FAU Baseball Stadium Friday, May 14 \| 5 p.m. Saturday, May 15 \| 2 p.m. doubleheader *SENIOR DAY* Sunday, May 16 \| Noon
Game Coverage	Streaming: Friday \| Saturday - Game 1 \| Saturday - Game 2 \| Sunday Live Stats Twitter: @FAU_Baseball
Florida Atlantic Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Game Notes
USM Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Game Notes

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University baseball team has one more Conference USA weekend set on the docket, and it's at home beginning Friday night, against No. 19 Southern Miss. Among the festivities for the series will be Senior Day prior to Saturday's doubleheader. The Owls come in having won 10 of 13 and 12 of 15, arguably the team's hottest stretch of the season.

The Saturday ceremony will honor 11 Owls: LHP Brycen Allen, SS Wilfredo Alvarez, INF/DH Jared DeSantolo, RHP Mike Entenza, RF Bobby Morgensen, LHP Dylan O'Connell, LHP Adrien Reese, LHP Matt Sparling, RHP TJ Stuart, RHP Jackson Vescelus and CF Jackson Wenstrom.

Owls' Weekend in Review
The Owls (27-21, 16-12 C-USA) not only won three of four games on the road versus WKU, but clinched a spot in the C-USA Championship in the process. Currently, FAU is third in the East and fifth overall. Steven Loden earned league Hitter of the Week honors by batting .529 against the Hilltoppers, and dating back to April 16, is 29-of-57, or .509, raising his season average to its current .391.

FAU leads C-USA in walks and fielding percentage, and is second in conference in home runs (No. 16 nationally). Nolan Schanuel is hitting .341 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI. His RBI total is third in C-USA and 21st nationally, while B.J. Murray is second in C-USA with 12 home runs (No. 34 in DI) and fifth in RBI with 47 (No. 33 in the country). And starters Hunter Cooley (7-3) and Javi Rivera (6-0) have combined for 13 wins with two complete games apiece.

Owls' Weekend in Preview
USM (33-15, 20-7 C-USA) currently sits in first place in the league's West Division by mere percentage points over Louisiana Tech, after sweeping Middle Tennessee last weekend. The Golden Eagles' 1-2 pitching punch of Hunter Stanley and Walker Powell shared C-USA Pitcher of the Week honors, as Stanley struck out 16 Blue Raiders in the opener, and Powell threw a Saturday no-hitter. Respectively, the duo is 7-3 and 8-2 on the year, and Stanley ties for the league lead among hurlers with 96 strikeouts.

Offensively, DH Charlie Fisher tops the team in average at .344, and he leads all C-USA hitters with a .515 on-base percentage, while Reed Trimble paces the team with 10 home runs and 45 RBI. The USM bullpen also features the top closer in the league, saves-wise, in Garrett Ramsey with nine.

Weekend Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday: FAU – Hunter Cooley, LHP (7-3, 3.82) vs. USM – Hunter Stanley, RHP (5-2, 2.42)

Saturday DH
Game 1: FAU – Matt Sparling, LHP (2-4, 3.76) vs. USM – Walker Powell, RHP (8-2, 2.69)
Game 2: FAU – RHP Brock Helverson (2.1 hitless IP in only start) vs. USM – Ben Ethridge, RHP (6-1, 2.25)

Sunday: FAU – Javi Rivera, RHP (6-0, 4.78) vs. USM – Drew Boyd, LHP (4-2, 3.63)

Opponent History
USM holds a slim edge all-time, 12-9. In the regular season in 2019, in Hattiesburg, the Owls took two of three games, including an 18-9 romp in the middle matchup. The Golden Eagles exacted a bit of revenge in the C-USA title game in Biloxi at the end of the month, winning 4-0 behind five pitchers, with Powell starting it and Stanley ending it.

Owls' Baseball on Social Media
Follow along with the team on Twitter @FAUBaseball, on Instagram, and "like" FAU Baseball on Facebook.

After This
Only one more game remains before postseason play, as the Owls travel south next Tuesday to Coral Gables to face Miami. The 2021 C-USA Championship begins in Ruston, Louisiana, on Wednesday, May 26.

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