Louisiana Tech (22-10, 8-4) will travel to FAU (23-9, 11-1) for a crucial Conference USA series this weekend. The Bulldogs and Owls currently rank third and first respectively in the Conference USA standings with six weekends remaining in the regular season.
Series Info:
Game Times: Friday 5:30 p.m., Saturday 3:00 p.m., and Sunday 11:00 a.m.
Where: FAU Baseball Stadium
TV: CUSA.tv (subscription required)
Radio: KNBB 97.7FM
RPI Watch:
Tech | 38
FAU | 68
Tech Starting Pitchers:
Friday: RHP Matt Miller (4-0, 3.45 ERA, 44.1 IP, 35 hits allowed, 19 BB, and 49 K)
Saturday: LHP Logan Robbins (2-2, 7.32 ERA, 35.2 IP, 51 hits allowed, 18 BB, and 33 K)
Sunday: LHP Logan Bailey (4-3, 6.31 ERA, 41.1 IP, 58 hits allowed, 17 BB, and 39 K)
Huddleston is Hot:
Tanner Huddleston got off to a slow start hitting only .210 through his first 16 games in 2019. However, Huddleston has rebounded in a major way hitting .400 in 13 games since. While the third baseman isn’t hitting for a ton of power, 9 extra base hits in 121 plates appearances, he is now fourth on Tech’s team with a .299 batting average to go along 1 home run and 19 RBI.
Scouting the Owls:
John McCormack is in his 11th season as the head coach at Florida Atlantic, and the program is in great shape. After winning 43 games in 2018, the Owls are off to a 23-9 start in 2019. McCormack’s squad has won seven consecutive games and are atop the Conference USA standings at 11-1 in league play.
Pitching Probables:
Friday: RHP Blake Sanderson (7-0, 3.29 ERA, 52 IP, 54 hits allowed, 11 BB, and 42 K)
Saturday: RHP Mike Ruff (4-0, 5.44 ERA, 44.2 IP, 47 hits allowed, 16 BB, and 51 K)
Sunday: TBA
Key Relievers:
RHP Michael Schuler (2-0, 0.89 ERA, 20.1 IP, 20 hits allowed, 5 BB, and 11 K)
RHP Vince Coletti (1-2, 2.97 ERA, 33.1 IP, 35 hits allowed, 9 BB, and 38 K)
RHP Dylan Carter (1-0, 4.00 ERA, 27 IP, 23 hits allowed, 12 BB, and 9 K)
Owls Offense Continues to Roll Along:
After losing stud middle-infielder Tyler Frank to the MLB Draft last summer, many expected FAU to take a step back offensively. After all, Frank hit .300 a season ago with 13 home runs. However, replacing Frank has not been an issue at all. The Owls are averaging seven runs per game, led by Franciso Urbaez. Urbaez, a JC transfer from Chipola College, is hitting .361 with 7 home runs and 27 RBI. Last weekend in FAU’s sweep of Charlotte, Urbaez went 7/15 (.467) at the plate with 5 RBI.
Statistical Comparison (Tech | FAU):
Batting Average: .292 | .301
Slugging Percentage: .444 | .456
On-Base Percentage: .379 | .384
Home Runs: 31 | 32
Runs per Game: 7.0 | 7.0
ERA: 4.58 | 4.12
WHIP: 1.45 | 1.47
Strikeout to Walk Ratio: 2.43 | 2.31
Fielding Percentage: .971 | .972
SB per Game: 1.3 | 0.2
FAU ended Louisiana Tech’s season in 2018 with an 8-6 win in the Conference USA Tournament. The Bulldogs will look to get some revenge this weekend.
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