Baseball 2/18/2021 6:42:00 PM J.T. Wilcox, Sports Information Director

FMU Hosts Ave Maria For Weekend Series Beginning Friday

AT A GLANCE
FMU Lions (3-3, 1-2) vs. Ave Maria Gyrenes (2-7, 1-2)
When: Friday, February 19, 2021 & Saturday, February 20, 2021
Where: Florida Memorial, Miami Gardens, Fla. | Harry T. Moore Field
First Pitch: Fri. 2 p.m. | Sat. 12 p.m.
Last Meeting: Feb. 22, 2020, Loss 3-8
Live Stream: Link
Live Stats: Link

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – After nearly a week to rest and recuperate from last weekend's tough three-game set, Florida Memorial University's baseball team will return to its home diamond as it hosts Ave Maria University for a three-game weekend series opening Friday.

Friday will be a single game between the teams – with first pitch set for 2 p.m. at Harry T. Moore Field – and Saturday will feature a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. with the second game set to start 30 minutes following the completion of the first.

Also, this weekend's meeting the Gyrenes will be a conference series.

Florida Memorial enters having dropped its weekend series against University of South Carolina-Beaufort last week. The Lions took the opening game of the set thanks to a strong pitching performance from ace Johnaikel Acosta but lost the second and third games.

Juan Hernandez pitched seven full no-hit innings in the third game for FMU (3-3, 1-2 The Sun Conference) in that third game but USC-Beaufort got to Hernandez in the late innings and capitalized on a Lions defensive error to come away with a 4-2 win.

Head coach Florentino Burgos said he remains confident in his bullpen and their ability to get outs, especially as arms like Krystian Negron – who had 26 strikeouts in nine appearances this past season but has been out this year with an undisclosed injury – Dawrin Ruiz return to the lineup.

Sitting in the visiting dugout this weekend will be an Ave Maria team that enters the weekend having recently faced a similar fate as the Lions – taking the opening game of its previous three-game set before dropping the following two.

The Gyrenes knocked off Webber International University, which received votes the last the NAIA National Baseball Poll, by a convincing 6-1margin this past Friday but lost the next two games by a combined score of 21-11.

One thing that has shown itself to be a deficiency for Ave Maria (2-7, 1-2) this season has been its pitching. The Gyrenes have allowed nine or more runs in six of their nine games this season, including surrendering at least 20 runs twice. Their pitching staff has a collective ERA of 10.7, has walked 50 total batters, has thrown 27 wild pitches, and has given up 12 home runs so far this season.

If Burgos goes with a similar batting order against Ave Maria as he did this past week, it would be interesting to see how FMU's potent hitters Yunior Sanchez, Jacquel Perry, Jalen Young, and Axel Gomez do against a struggling pitching staff.

Expected Starting Pitchers:
Friday, Feb. 19
FMU: Not Available
AMU: Not Available

Saturday. Feb. 20
Game One
FMU: Not Available
AMU: Not Available

Game Two
FMU: Not Available
AMU: Not Available

Follow Florida Memorial University Athletics on social media
Instagram: @GoFMULions/@LionsFMUBaseball | Twitter: @GoFMULions/@BaseballFMU | YouTube: Official FMU Lions

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Players Mentioned

#14 Johnaikel Acosta: RHP; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#7 Axel Gomez: INF; 6' 2"; Junior

#37 Juan Hernandez: RHP; 6' 3"; Sophomore

#21 Krystian Negron: RHP; 6' 3"; Senior

#40 Jacquel Perry: 1B; 5' 11"; Junior

#22 Yunior Sanchez: UTL; 5' 10"; Junior

#27 Jalen Young: OF/LHP; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#43 Dawrin Ruiz: RHP; 6' 2"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#14 Johnaikel Acosta
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: RHP

#7 Axel Gomez
: 6' 2"; Junior
: INF

#37 Juan Hernandez
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: RHP

#21 Krystian Negron
: 6' 3"; Senior
: RHP

#40 Jacquel Perry
: 5' 11"; Junior
: 1B

#22 Yunior Sanchez
: 5' 10"; Junior
: UTL

#27 Jalen Young
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: OF/LHP

#43 Dawrin Ruiz
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: RHP

Florida Memorial University Athletics

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned