May 2, 2006

The Florida Atlantic University baseball team will host Lipscomb University in a three-game conference series this weekend starting on Friday at 7 p.m. The series is pivotal in the race for the conference tournament as the Bisons sit one game ahead of the Owls and are currently sitting as the no. 6 seed in the tournament.

The Owls enter the weekend with a 22-22, 8-13 A-Sun record and are led by designated hitter, Tyler Stevens. The junior holds a .337 batting average and is followed by Jordan Hafer with a .329 batting average. Hafer leads the team with seven home runs, while Ovy Ramirez holds the team lead with 31 RBI.

Mickey Storey (5-7) is expected to make the start on Friday night in his 14th start of the season. The sophomore carries a 3.86 ERA in 88 2/3 innings and has struck out 100 batters. He is one of eight pitchers in FAU's history to reach the century mark. The record for most strikeouts in a season was set in 1999 by Todd Moser when he record 130 strikeouts.

In the first game of the 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, Brandon Cooney is projected to start. The junior right hander holds a 2-6 record in 56 2/3 innings and is holing opponents to a .270 batting average. The starter for game three of the series for FAU has yet to be determined.

Lipscomb is 2-8 in its last 10 games and stand at 18-25, 9-12 A-Sun. Zac Miller and Ryan Mitchell lead the team with .381 and .326 batting averages, respectively. Miller leads the team with six home runs, 25 RBI and 13 doubles.

Matt Schnelly, Josh Smith and Paul Piennette have made the majority of the starts this season for the Bisons. Schnelly and Smith have both made 11 starts this season. With 77 innings of work, Schnelly holds the lowest ERA among the starters at 4.44 with a 3-5 record. Smith's 5.59 ERA and 3-5 record are products of his 67 2/3 innings and 57 strikeouts. Piennette has made nine starts and holds a 6.70 ERA with a 2-4 record in 48 1/3 innings.

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