Upcoming Event: Baseball versus Charlotte on April 25, 2026 at 4 p.m.
4 p.m.
Baseball
vs. Charlotte
Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Friday, April 24
Boca Raton, Fla.
6:30 p.m.
Florida Atlantic
20-21, 7-9
3
vs
1
Charlotte
19-22, 4-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| Florida Atlantic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | X | 3 | 8 | 1 |
James Litman and Ian Collier
Photo by: Jack Storin
Owls Outduel Charlotte in Series Opener
4/24/2026 10:42:00 PM | Baseball
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic baseball (20-21, 7-9) used seven strong innings from starter James Litman and some timely situational hitting to slip past Charlotte (19-22, 4-12) by a 3-1 final on Friday night at home.
THE BEGINNING
Starting pitching dominated the first four innings. Charlotte's Ryan Combs and Litman held both offenses in check until the fifth. Litman was the first to escape trouble. A leadoff walk followed by a double set the 49ers up with a chance to score first. But the Owls' sophomore induced a ground out, a strikeout, and a fly out to elude the damage.
The FAU offense picked their starter up in the ensuing half-inning. John Martinez lined a leadoff double to the gap and eventually scored on a base hit by Brando Leroux. An Eli Small sac fly in the sixth made it 2-0.
THE TURNING POINT
Litman rolled through seven shutout innings and started the eighth, but Charlotte's Todd Hudson launched the first pitch he saw over the right field fence to put the 49ers on the board.
With that, Litman's night ended, and Zach Kilby came on to try for the final six outs. After allowing a single to the first batter he faced, Kilby went strikeout-strikeout-ground out to keep the one-run lead intact.
THE FINISH
The Owls added a crucial insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. Three straight one-out base hits by Michael Perazza, Ian Collier, and Patrick Ward set the table for a Martinez sacrifice fly.
Kilby conceded a leadoff single in the ninth but worked around it with the help of some stellar defense from shortstop Leroux to earn his second save of the season.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach John McCormack
THE BATS
THE ARMS
WHAT'S NEXT
The Owls will look to win the series on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.
FOLLOW THE OWLS
To stay up to date on all things Florida Atlantic baseball, follow us on social media @faubaseball.
THE BEGINNING
Starting pitching dominated the first four innings. Charlotte's Ryan Combs and Litman held both offenses in check until the fifth. Litman was the first to escape trouble. A leadoff walk followed by a double set the 49ers up with a chance to score first. But the Owls' sophomore induced a ground out, a strikeout, and a fly out to elude the damage.
The FAU offense picked their starter up in the ensuing half-inning. John Martinez lined a leadoff double to the gap and eventually scored on a base hit by Brando Leroux. An Eli Small sac fly in the sixth made it 2-0.
THE TURNING POINT
Litman rolled through seven shutout innings and started the eighth, but Charlotte's Todd Hudson launched the first pitch he saw over the right field fence to put the 49ers on the board.
With that, Litman's night ended, and Zach Kilby came on to try for the final six outs. After allowing a single to the first batter he faced, Kilby went strikeout-strikeout-ground out to keep the one-run lead intact.
THE FINISH
The Owls added a crucial insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. Three straight one-out base hits by Michael Perazza, Ian Collier, and Patrick Ward set the table for a Martinez sacrifice fly.
Kilby conceded a leadoff single in the ninth but worked around it with the help of some stellar defense from shortstop Leroux to earn his second save of the season.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach John McCormack
Postgame with @FAUCoachMac #WIP🏝️ pic.twitter.com/uMk3GIuffT
— Florida Atlantic Baseball (@FAUBaseball) April 25, 2026
THE BATS
- Perazza and Kyle Boylston finished with two hits each.
- Martinez's eighth-inning RBI was his team-leading 30th of the season, tying his total from last season.
THE ARMS
- Litman earned the victory and improved to 7-3.
- He allowed one run on five hits and recorded five strikeouts.
- Kilby struck out two in two innings.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Owls will look to win the series on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.
FOLLOW THE OWLS
To stay up to date on all things Florida Atlantic baseball, follow us on social media @faubaseball.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Litman, James (7-3)
L: Combs, Ryan (1-2)
S: Kilby, Zach (2)
Batting:
2B: Sutryk, Johnny 1
HR: Hudson, Todd 1
RBI: Hudson, Todd 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hudson, Todd 1
CS: Hudson, Todd 1
Batting:
2B: Martinez, John 1
RBI: Leroux, Brando 1 ; Martinez, John 1 ; Small, Eli 1
SF: Martinez, John 1 ; Small, Eli 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Perazza, Michael 1 ; Romano, Nick 1 ; Martinez, John 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
1
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballLeroux Backhand Stop
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