The Gators will face their toughest test since opening weekend when Florida Atlantic takes the field at Florida Ballpark Wednesday.
Florida, now 6-2 after five straight wins over North Florida and Samford, found its stride after an unexpected lost series to Miami.
The Gators extended their hot streak at the plate. Jacob Young rides a .395 batting average after a four-hit performance Sunday that included a walk-off to complete the sweep over Samford.
The third-year left fielder will hope to extend his 26-game hit streak, the longest under coach Kevin O’Sullivan and three games short of Tim Olson’s school record.
Star center fielder Jud Fabian connected on four home runs and recorded 11 RBIs the past four games. Catcher Nathan Hickey leads the team with a .688 slugging percentage and 13 RBIs, buoyed by the first grand slam of the year Saturday. All but two Florida starters bat above .300.
Outside ofHunter Barco’s rough outing opening weekend, Florida’s starting pitching excelled the first two weeks. It’s still unknown who will throw the first pitch Wednesday.
However, the bullpen struggles linger. In six of Florida’s eight games this year, its opponents scored three or more runs in the sixth inning or later. The Gators allowed multiple runs in the ninth inning four times, which put unnecessary pressure on an elite offense.
FAU could prove Florida’s most difficult obstacle since Miami.
The Owls are 6-1 for the year, including a series victory over UCF opening weekend. They scored 10 runs in four of their seven games, most notably during a 20-15 victory over UCF that included a 12-run second inning.
A pair of Owls already earned Collegiate Baseball Player of the Week nominations l. Freshman catcher Caleb Pendleton drew the honor after he hit two grand slams in his first two collegiate at-bats in the monster second inning against UCF. A week later, lefty pitcher Matt Sparling secured a nomination after he struck out 10 Seton Hall batters in six innings.
FAU features some studs in the batters box. Freshman first baseman Nolan Schanuel batted .406 through the first seven games with three home runs and 15 RBIs tacked on. Schanuel isn’t the only Owl with a batting average north of .400, with sophomore outfielder Mitchell Hartigan at a team-high .414.
First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Contact Ryan Haley at rhaley@alligator.org or follow him on Twitter @ryan_dhaley
Ryan Haley, a UF journalism senior with a sports & media specialization from Jacksonville, Florida, is Summer 2022's Engagement Managing Editor. He grew up playing a bunch of different sports before settling on golf, following Rory McIlroy and all Philadelphia sports teams. He also loves all things fiction, reading, watching shows and movies and talking about whatever current story or character is in his head.
