Upset-Minded FMU Baseball Faces No. 7 St. Thomas In Weekend Series Beginning Friday

AT A GLANCE
FMU Lions (19-15, 7-8) at No. 7 St. Thomas University Bobcats (29-10, 10-5)
When: Friday-Saturday, April 15-16, 2022
Where: St. Thomas University, Miami Gardens, Fla. | Paul Mainieri Field
First Pitch: Friday, 2 p.m. | Saturday, 12 p.m.
Last Meeting: Single Game: March 22, 2022, Loss 9-11 | Series: April 2-3, 2021, Loss 1-2
Live Stream: Link
Live Stats: Link
Tickets: General Admission $13 for 2-day pass (Purchase)

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Most good sports rivalries have three key factors: proximity, a respectful contempt, and true competition.

Florida Memorial University and St. Thomas University have the two former traits in spades, but for the baseball programs, FMU needs to find itself in the top position a bit more – something it hopes to do this weekend when it makes the less-than-a-mile journey to STU's Paul D. Mainieri Field for a three-game series beginning Friday.

The teams are scheduled to play a single game Friday at 2 p.m. then return to the diamond for a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 12 noon.

About The Lions (19-15, 7-8 SUN)

FMU enters the "Battle of Miami Gardens" rested, confident, and riding a season-best seven-game winning streak.
The Lions topped Florida National University in a pair of consecutive single games, swept Thomas University in a weekend series, and took both games of a midweek doubleheader against Edward Waters University back on April 5th to get above .500.
The biggest factor for Florida Memorial's recent run has been an uptick in the pitching performances it has received from the pitching staff.
In the team's 6-3 win over FNU, Florida Memorial recorded 16 strikeouts – setting a new single-game season high.
FMU nearly rallied back to knock off St. Thomas during their non-conference single-game meeting back on March 23, scoring six runs in the ninth before falling 11-9.
The Lions currently sit in fifth place in the SUN standings and could help solidify its postseason prospects with a strong performance this weekend.

Scouting St. Thomas (29-10, 10-5 SUN)

St. Thomas comes into the weekend on a high – having defeated NCAA Division-II Nova Southeastern this past Tuesday – but also humbled after being swept by No. 1 Southeastern University in their weekend series a week ago.
The Bobcats are the No. 3 hitting team and the No. 3 pitching team based off total batting average (.315) and total earned run average (4.40) respectively.
STU rose up the NAIA Baseball National Coaches' Poll recently, moving to No. 7 from No. 10.
Bobcats skipper Jorge Perez recently won his 500th game as the head coach of the program and has lead St. Thomas to nine straight Sun Conference Tournament appearances, six straight NAIA Opening Round appearances, three Avista-NAIA World Series appearances, and two national runner-up finishes.

Series History

Florida Memorial trails STU 3-39 in the all-time series.
The last time the Lions defeated St. Thomas on the road was during the 2009 season (a 14-2 win).
Prior FMU's last win over the Bobcats (a 5-2 win during the 2021 season), St. Thomas had won 35 straight games over the Lions.

Keys To Victory

FMU must capitalize on any defensive breakdowns the Bobcats have – big or small – and convert them into positive plays.
Play confidently – the Lions have shown that they can compete with any team on any given day, and they should enter each game over the weekend with the belief that they can win.

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

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