What : FAU (17-9, 4-2 AAC) vs. #12 East Carolina (21-6, 4-2) When : Fri, April 5th @ 6:30 PM Sat, April 6th @ 4:00 PM Sun, April 7th @ 12:00 PM Where : FAU Baseball Stadium Video : ESPN+ Live Stats : Here East Carolina Team Site : Here Series : Both teams are tied 2-2 all-time. This marks the first series since 2014. Projected Starting Pitchers : ECU – RHP Trey Yesavage (5-1, 2.18 ERA) FAU – RHP CJ Williams (4-1, 3.15 ERA) ECU – LHP Zach Root (4-0, 1.98 ERA) FAU – RHP Tyler Murphy (3-0, 3.10 ERA) ECU – TBA FAU – LHP Trey Beard (2-2, 4.67 ERA) Owl Notables FAU has great momentum going their way, winning their first two series in conference play and dominating Miami in a 3-0 shutout. Now they look forward to a strong matchup taking on the 12th-ranked Pirates. It’s the first time both teams faced each other in a series since 2014, where East Carolina prevailed in two of the three games. One batter who’s been in great form for the Owls is outfielder Carter Brady (pictured below). Over the last four games against Memphis and Miami, he hit .455 for four RBI and a home run. Keep an eye on how he performs against the Pirates’ pitching. One could also expect the likes of Christian Adams, Emilio Gonzalez, Andrew McKenna, and John Schroeder to have an impact against the Pirates’ bullpen. The first three combined for six home runs and 15 RBI over their last four games, while Schroeder will look to have a resounding performance during his at-bats after a tough series against Memphis. FAU will need a big performance from C.J. Williams on the mound to set the tone for the series. He has a 1.70 ERA in his last six starts, striking out 36 batters in the last 37 innings and has not allowed more than two earned runs in a game since opening day. Following this series, the Owls will go on the road to Coral Gables for their third matchup against Miami on April 9th at 6:00 PM. The game will be broadcast on ACCNX. The starters (in non-batting order) for game one should be that of the below: RF John Schroeder CF Spencer Rich LF Jake Millan 1B Emilio Gonzalez 2B Christian Adams 3B Daulton Frank or Nick Garagozzo or Skyler Schulz DH Carter Brady SS Brando Leroux C Andrew McKenna P CJ Williams Pirate Notables Named as the preseason favorite to win The American, East Carolina got off to a bumpy start after losing two of three against UTSA to begin league play. They did recover by sweeping UAB at home last week, and after gaining a ranked-win over No. 19 NC State this past Tuesday, the Pirates have an active five-game winning streak. Their strong performances this season have garnered them votes from multiple outlets which have them in the top 20, placing the Pirates from 18th to as high as 12th. Baseball America 16 NCBWA 13 Coaches Poll 13 D1 Baseball 12 Perfect Game 18 To maintain with what their sports information department is showcasing, we’re putting East Carolina at #12 which is where D1 Baseball currently has them in their latest poll. East Carolina ranks fourth in the country in earned run average (3.43), fourth in hits allowed per nine innings (6.97), third in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.40) and second in WHIP (1.13), while Charlotte is third in strikeouts per nine innings (12.1). Trey Yesavage presents himself as a dangerous pitcher that FAU batters will have to handle throughout the course of Friday night. Named the Preseason AAC Pitcher of the Year, he was also recently selected to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watchlist. He enters the weekend with a 5-1 record and has compiled a 2.18 earned run average with 63 strikeouts in 41.1 innings of work. He ranks sixth nationally in strikeouts as well as 10th in victories and 20th in strikeouts per nine innings (13.72). The Owls also have to be careful about Zach Root on Saturday, who was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watchlist as well. He currently owns a 4-0 record and 1.98 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 41.0 frames. He tossed seven scoreless innings against then-No. 15 North Carolina. Root slots among the national leaders in ERA (22nd), strikeouts (25th) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (33rd/6.00). Leading the bats for East Carolina is Carter Cunningham, hitting .406 with seven home runs and 32 RBI. The Pirates also have six players hitting .300 or better, an area that FAU pitchers have to limit for the Owls to pull off a potential series win. After this series, East Carolina will return home to Greenville to host Elon on April 9th at 6:00 PM. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
