Tuesday, March 13, 2012

FAU Baseball Limping Into Conference Play



The FAU Owls baseball team (11-7) started off the season hot winning six of their first seven games, but since then cooled off drastically winning just five of their last eleven.

FAU went to Alabama and swept the Crimson tide in their three game series opener.  ESPN took notice, ranking FAU #15 in the nation in their power rankings at the time.

The Owls returned home winning three of a four game set against the Manhattan Jaspers, who were in the Gainesville regional of the College World Series last postseason.

Then FAU traveled to Miami losing 10-5.  FAU looks for revenge against the Hurricanes next Wednesday night, March 21, at FAU Baseball Stadium.

Princeton then traveled to town for a four game series and the Owls looked like they had a Hurricane hangover as they lost 11-4 in the opener.  Saturday was slated for a double header where FAU won the first game 9-1.  In that first game the Owls top player, senior right fielder Alex Hudak (the player's name I love announcing most), ran down a foul ball in the top of the ninth with the team up 9-1, slamming into the fence, flipping over it, and breaking his ankle.  FAU tied the series 2-2 with Princeton, but lost their leader for 4-6 weeks.

Next the Owls traveled to Gainseville to play the Florida Gators and were annihilated 16-1.  In the mean time they lost their number 2 hitter Robert Buckley to an injury for 4-6 weeks, found out Junior pitcher Jeremy Strawn was done for the season, and that last year's closer and this year's professional prospect Senior Hugh Adams is done for the season as well.

FAU bounced back to demolish Boston College at FAU Baseball Stadium 13-4 the night after their embarrassing loss to the Gators, but if they only knew what a wacky weekend they had in store coming up against the boys from New Jersey, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

FAU owned the Rutgers in their all time series 16-5 coming into it, but the Scarlet Knights ended up taking two of three from the Owls in Boca Raton, Florida.  The Owls lost their normal lead off man and starting center fielder Junior Nathan Pittman indefinitely due to a hamstring injury on a bunt for a base hit attempt during the weekend.  The weekend also included the Owls third baseman going 3-4 in a game while making three errors, a Rutgers player scoring with every base he reached being because of an error by the Owls third baseman, a 6-2-3 ground out for a Rutgers player on an overthrow from the Owls shortstop being backed up by the catcher who caught the Rutgers player turning for second at first base, and finally Rutgers catcher Jeff Melillo throwing a bat over his team's dugout while on deck, then losing his bat twice during a 15 pitch at bat before striking out with the bases loaded.  If anyone would have caught Melillo's bat toss while on deck it would have made Sportscenter's Not Top Ten plays for sure.  Melillo wore brand new batting gloves the next game.  Whew, what a weekend.

Finally there was tonight's game, where FAU defeated the Fordham Rams 8-5 and luckily had no injuries. Fordham still has their third basemen Brian Kownacki, who was on Sportscenter's Top Ten highlights two years ago because of his amazing front flip to score a run over an Iona catcher.  


Now the Owls are getting ready for the beginning of the games that matter.  Their conference schedule begins Friday night at 7pm with a trip a few miles down south to face their arch rival, the FIU Golden Panthers, in a three game series.


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