Florida Atlantic University Athletics

Photo by: ©JC Ridley/Florida Atlantic
Owls Head Out for Final Regular Season Road Trip
5/6/2021 9:14:00 AM | Baseball
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BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University baseball, winners of seven of their last nine and eight of 11, travels this weekend to take on the team they are currently tied with for third place in the Conference USA East Division standings, WKU. The Owls and Hilltoppers are both 13-11 in C-USA play, with just eight such league games remaining in 2021.
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NOTE: There will be no video streaming of this series in Bowling Green. You can tune in to free FAU audio at the links above.
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Owls' Weekend in Review
For the second straight weekend, this time in Boca Raton, the Owls (24-20, 13-11 C-USA) took three of four from FIU. And as they did on the road against the Panthers, Mitchell Hartigan (.444) and Steven Loden (.429) led the way. All told against FIU pitching, Loden hit .517 (15-for-29) in eight games, and Hartigan .500 (13-for-26) in seven. Furthermore for Loden, over his last three weekends, in 12 games, he is 20-for-40, with 14 runs scored, 12 RBI, five extra base hits, and an OBP of .533 and slugging of .725, for OPS of 1.258.
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Not to be outdone, FAU's bulk pitchers last weekend – Hunter Cooley, Sam Drumheller, Javi Rivera and Matt Sparling – combined to pitch to a 1.52 ERA (four earned runs in 23 2/3 innings), and a .181 batting average against (only 15 hits in 83 at-bats). Cooley earned his team-high sixth win, and Rivera's second complete game moved him out to a 5-0 record.
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Owls' Weekend in Preview
WKU (23-21, 13-11 C-USA) has the longest current winning streak among C-USA teams, at five, taking last weekend's four-game road sweep at Marshall. Justin Carlin is the league's reigning Player of the Week after a career day at the plate in game three of the series, with three home runs and eight RBI, including a grand slam. He leads the Hilltoppers, and would pace the league if he qualified, in batting average at .390. He and Ray Zuberer III tie for the team high with six home runs, and Zuberer has 30 RBI to Matthew Meyer's 26 and Carlin's 25 (in just 26 games and 20 starts).
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Weekend Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday DH
Game 1: FAU – Hunter Cooley, LHP (6-3, 3.81) vs. WKU – Jake Kates, RHP (3-2, 3.53)
Game 2: FAU – Matt Sparling, LHP (2-4, 3.71) vs. WKU – Sean Bergeron, RHP (3-5, 3.95)
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Saturday DH
Game 1: FAU – Javi Rivera, RHP (5-0, 4.98) vs. WKU – Devyn Terbrak, LHP (2-2, 3.62)
Game 2: FAU – TBA vs. WKU – TBA
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Opponent History
The Owls lead the all-time series, 30-13, having paired off against WKU in both Sun Belt Conference and C-USA play. Since FAU joined C-USA, they hold an 11-3 advantage. In 2019, in Bowling Green, the Owls won two of three, and also took a matchup at that season's C-USA Championship in Biloxi, 6-1.
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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
The final series of the regular season will take place May 14-16, at FAU Baseball Stadium, hosting Southern Miss. Senior Day will precede in the middle date, the doubleheader on Saturday, May 15, honoring the 2021 class. Get tickets for FAU vs. USM now by calling 1-866-FAU-OWLS, or visiting FAU's baseball tickets website.
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 Florida Atlantic Baseball at WKU | ||
Series Details |  Bowling Green, Ky. | Nick Denes Field  Friday, May 7 | 2 p.m. Eastern (DH)  Saturday, May 8 | 2 p.m. Eastern (DH) |
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 Game Coverage |  NO Live Streaming  Friday: Free FAU Radio | Live Stats  Saturday: Free FAU Radio | Live Stats  Twitter: @FAU_Baseball |
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 Florida Atlantic Links |  News | Roster | Schedule | Game Notes | |
 WKU Links |  News | Roster | Schedule | Game Notes |
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University baseball, winners of seven of their last nine and eight of 11, travels this weekend to take on the team they are currently tied with for third place in the Conference USA East Division standings, WKU. The Owls and Hilltoppers are both 13-11 in C-USA play, with just eight such league games remaining in 2021.
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NOTE: There will be no video streaming of this series in Bowling Green. You can tune in to free FAU audio at the links above.
Â
Owls' Weekend in Review
For the second straight weekend, this time in Boca Raton, the Owls (24-20, 13-11 C-USA) took three of four from FIU. And as they did on the road against the Panthers, Mitchell Hartigan (.444) and Steven Loden (.429) led the way. All told against FIU pitching, Loden hit .517 (15-for-29) in eight games, and Hartigan .500 (13-for-26) in seven. Furthermore for Loden, over his last three weekends, in 12 games, he is 20-for-40, with 14 runs scored, 12 RBI, five extra base hits, and an OBP of .533 and slugging of .725, for OPS of 1.258.
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Not to be outdone, FAU's bulk pitchers last weekend – Hunter Cooley, Sam Drumheller, Javi Rivera and Matt Sparling – combined to pitch to a 1.52 ERA (four earned runs in 23 2/3 innings), and a .181 batting average against (only 15 hits in 83 at-bats). Cooley earned his team-high sixth win, and Rivera's second complete game moved him out to a 5-0 record.
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Owls' Weekend in Preview
WKU (23-21, 13-11 C-USA) has the longest current winning streak among C-USA teams, at five, taking last weekend's four-game road sweep at Marshall. Justin Carlin is the league's reigning Player of the Week after a career day at the plate in game three of the series, with three home runs and eight RBI, including a grand slam. He leads the Hilltoppers, and would pace the league if he qualified, in batting average at .390. He and Ray Zuberer III tie for the team high with six home runs, and Zuberer has 30 RBI to Matthew Meyer's 26 and Carlin's 25 (in just 26 games and 20 starts).
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Weekend Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday DH
Game 1: FAU – Hunter Cooley, LHP (6-3, 3.81) vs. WKU – Jake Kates, RHP (3-2, 3.53)
Game 2: FAU – Matt Sparling, LHP (2-4, 3.71) vs. WKU – Sean Bergeron, RHP (3-5, 3.95)
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Saturday DH
Game 1: FAU – Javi Rivera, RHP (5-0, 4.98) vs. WKU – Devyn Terbrak, LHP (2-2, 3.62)
Game 2: FAU – TBA vs. WKU – TBA
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Opponent History
The Owls lead the all-time series, 30-13, having paired off against WKU in both Sun Belt Conference and C-USA play. Since FAU joined C-USA, they hold an 11-3 advantage. In 2019, in Bowling Green, the Owls won two of three, and also took a matchup at that season's C-USA Championship in Biloxi, 6-1.
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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
The final series of the regular season will take place May 14-16, at FAU Baseball Stadium, hosting Southern Miss. Senior Day will precede in the middle date, the doubleheader on Saturday, May 15, honoring the 2021 class. Get tickets for FAU vs. USM now by calling 1-866-FAU-OWLS, or visiting FAU's baseball tickets website.
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Players Mentioned
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2025 Florida Atlantic Hall of Fame Ceremony
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Inside the Owls Burrow 2025-26 #7
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