| BOCA RATON, Fla. – For the second straight week, a member of the Florida Atlantic University baseball team has been named as a National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball. This latest honor has been bestowed to lefthander Matt Sparling after his dominant pitching performance in Sunday’s win over Seton Hall. Sparling’s gem on Sunday helped the Owls finish off a weekend sweep, as part of a 6-1 start to the season. After pitching five innings the previous three years coming in (two in 2018, none in 2019, three in 2020), his second start of 2021 was by far his best in an FAU uniform. He gave up just a first-inning run, then retired 16 of the final 18 batters he faced. In fact, in the midst of that span, he was struck by a line drive in the third, walked the next batter, and recovered to only have one more baserunner reach the rest of his outing. He would total 10 strikeouts over six innings, allow only three hits and a run, and earn his first victory as an Owl. The newly-ranked Owls will face another top-25 squad, Florida, on Wednesday night in Gainesville. This upcoming weekend, FAU and FGCU tangle in a three-game split set, with Friday and Sunday in Boca Raton, and Saturday night in Fort Myers. Limited tickets are available for Friday/Sunday, and can be purchased by visiting FAU’s baseball tickets website or by calling 1-866-FAU-OWLS. |
