Owls Meet 49ers in Season’s Final Home Series

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University baseball team (30-19, 15-9 C-USA) welcomes the Charlotte 49ers (31-17, 14-10 C-USA) to the FAU Baseball Stadium for the final home series of the 2022 season. It will be a battle for a top three position in the conference standings as the Owls are just one game ahead of both UC and Middle Tennessee going into the weekend.

GAME PROMOTIONSWe’re doing fan appreciation all weekend long at the ballpark – literally. We’ll be giving away hand fans to help keep you cool as summer draws near.

On Saturday, we’ll celebrate our eight seniors with a pregame presentation beginning at 3:30 pm.
OWLS IN REVIEWThe Owls were riding high after taking two of three against La. Tech last weekend. Despite a loss to FGCU on Tuesday, FAU has still won six of the last nine. The Owls have been good at home all season. They’ve won seven of eight series. A sweep of Charlotte would bring the win total at the FAU Baseball Stadium to 25. That would match the 2017 and 2011 teams for most in a season under head coach John McCormack.

Hunter Cooley will once again be the starter on Friday night. Cooley went eight innings against La. Tech last week, holding the Bulldogs to two runs and seven hits. The Owls are unbeaten on Sundays this season thanks in large part to Tyler Burnham. The Seton Hall transfer was dominant again versus La. Tech. He struck out seven in six innings with just one run allowed. Burnham has given up one run or fewer in eight of his 11 starts.
THE OWLS’ OPPONENTCharlotte is coming off a three-game sweep of Rice over the weekend. The Niners are the hottest team in Conference USA at the moment having won nine of the last 10. The only loss in that stretch was a 4-3 extra innings defeat at the hands of in-state rival North Carolina on May 3. UC has three straight C-USA sweeps over UAB, Marshall, and the aforementioned Rice.

Freshman outfielder Cam Fisher leads the team with 16 home runs and 55 RBI. Fisher and graduate senior first baseman Josh Madole combined for 12 runs driven in in the weekend sweep of Rice. Sophomore second baseman Nate Furman has also been a tough out at the plate. The 49ers leadoff man is hitting .368 and went 4-for-6 on Saturday.  

On the mound, Friday’s projected starter Hale Sims is the reigning C-USA Pitcher of the Week. Sims has not been a starter for the whole season (15 appearances, only seven starts) but stepped forward for seven shutout innings last Friday. Will Lancaster is the only UC pitcher that has seen a consistent role in the rotation. He’s allowed four runs in each of his last two Saturday starts.
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERSFriday | FAU – Hunter Cooley (LHP) (7-3, 4.13 ERA) vs. Charlotte – Hale Sims (RHP) (3-1, 3.92 ERA)  
Saturday | FAU – TBA vs. Charlotte – Will Lancaster (LHP) (4-1, 4.35 ERA)
Sunday | FAU — Tyler Burnham (LHP) (6-0, 2.82 ERA) vs. Charlotte – TBA

WHO’S HOTOF Dylan Goldstein: 6-for-14, 1 HR, 5 RBI in the last four games
OF Gabriel Rincones, Jr.: 8-for-18, 6 runs scored in the last four games
SP Tyler Burnham: 17 IP, 2.65 ERA, 12 hits, 18 strikeouts in his last three starts
OPPONENT HISTORYFAU holds a 17-8 all-time advantage over Charlotte dating back to 1985. The two teams played five times last season with the 49ers winning the first four in Charlotte. The Owls then eliminated the top-seeded Niners in the C-USA Tournament. FAU led 9-1 at one point in that game before holding off a furious UC comeback for a 9-8 final.

Prior to last season, the Owls had won six in a row against Charlotte in 2018-19.
OWLS’ BASEBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIAFollow along with the team on Twitter @FAUBaseball, on Instagram and “like” FAU baseball on Facebook.

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