What : FAU (23-15, 7-8) vs. WKU (19-19, 4-11) When : Fri, April 21st @ 3:00 PM Sat, April 22nd @ 5:00 PM Sun, April 23rd @ 2:00 PM Where : Nick Denes Field Video : None Live Stats : Here Western Kentucky Team Site : Here Series : Owls lead 36-14 all-time against the Hilltoppers. Projected Starting Pitchers : WKU – LHP Lane Diuguid (0-2, 3.13 ERA) FAU – RHP CJ Williams (0-1, 4.18 ERA) WKU – LHP Devyn Terbrak (3-3, 3.22 ERA) FAU – RHP Jacob Josey (4-3, 4.37 ERA) WKU – TBD FAU – TBD FAU Notables After absorbing a tough sweep against Dallas Baptist, FAU bounced back with one of their most inspiring wins this season. Trailing 5-3 to #17 Miami with two innings remaining, FAU found two runs to force extra innings and prevail with a walk-off RBI from sophomore catcher John Schroeder to secure the 7-6 victory and their second win over the Hurricanes this year. The unsung hero to the Owls’ rally was junior center-fielder Jalen DeBose. He launched a home run to left field that turned out to be his first of the season and equalized for FAU to keep them alive and put Miami on the ropes. DeBose is currently batting .234 with 30 hits and six RBI this year. Also in rhythm heading into the series is outfielder Dylan Goldstein. The junior hit a home run in each of his last two games, one of them being a two-run homer to right field to drive himself and outfielder Nolan Schanuel (who also batted a home run to right field for his 15th this year) home against the Hurricanes. Goldstein has the second-best batting average (.331) on the team and is also runner-up in hits (48) and RBI (38) only behind Schanuel. FAU found a great time to get their double plays going. They made three of those plays against Miami, which has them at 31 on the season as they are tied for 32nd in the country. The Owls are undergoing a significant change in their pitching rotation to begin the series against Western Kentucky. With Hunter Cooley appearing for one inning against the Hurricanes, head coach John McCormack is taking a different direction as he will have junior CJ Williams (pictured) take the Friday slot. Williams has played a total of 28 innings for a 4.18 ERA and 23 strikeouts this season. The starters (in non-batting order) for game one should be that of the below: RF John Schroeder CF Jalen DeBose LF Dylan Goldstein 1B Nolan Schanuel 2B Dom Presto 3B Jackson Ross DH Mitchell Hartigan SS Armando Albert C Caleb Pendleton P CJ Williams Hilltopper Notables Western Kentucky is going on an up-and-down curve heading into this series. After winning two out of three against UAB by outscoring the Blazers 19-17 throughout the series, the Hilltoppers lost on the road to Evansville by a 10-8 score in Indiana. The Owls have to keep an eye on Hilltopper infielder Tristin Garcia. He won C-USA’s Hitter of the Week after batting 10 times in 18 at-bats for three doubles, four RBI, and three runs. He leads the team with a .360 average and 50 hits. Limiting his overall production could prove beneficial for FAU in restricting the Hilltopper offense. When it comes to Western Kentucky’s pitching, FAU would need to show patience with their batting against Devyn Terbrak for Saturday. He has the best ERA among the team’s starting pitchers at 3.22 (110th in the country) and is effective at striking out batters for a total of 45 this season. The Hilltoppers will head to Clarksville, Tenn., for a Tuesday matchup against Austin Peay before hosting Charlotte for three games over the weekend.
