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| COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION |
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M (14-22, 10-8 MEAC) travels to Boston, Mass., this weekend to face North Carolina Central (19-22, 12-8 MEAC) in yet another huge MEAC Southern Division series. It will be the first time two HBCU programs will play in a major league venue. The two teams are in a four-way battle for first place in the division, which is big since only the top three teams in each division advance to the MEAC tournament. Originally this was to be the final home series of the season for the Rattlers in Tallahassee before being moved to Boston. FAMU is coming off a tough 3-2 loss at Auburn on Tuesday where the Rattlers out-hit the Tigers 11-4. NCCU has lost four straight, including a pair of mid-week games against UNC Asheville and High Point this week.
Friday’s doubleheader will begin at 11:00 AM ET and will be played at Jim Rice Field in Roxbury, Mass., before the series finale moves to FenwayPark on Saturday. Saturday’s game will be broadcasted on the New England Sports Network (NESN) at 2:00 PM ET.
The New England Sports Network (NESN) can be found on Direct TV channel 628 as well as on Dish Network channels 434 and 5434 (NESN HD). Check with your local cable provider to see if NESN is offered in your area.
This series is apart the first ever Historically Black College and Universities Legacy Weekend Celebration being brought to you by the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Area Church League, Inc. In addition to the games being played, other events over the weekend include a reception on Thursday, a debate hosted by HarvardUniversity on Friday, April 24, and a college career fair hosted by the Boston Red Sox at FenwayPark on Saturday, April 25.
In the first meeting of the season, the Rattlers were swept in the three-game series played at the Durham Athletic Park in Durham, N.C. FAMU was held to just two runs on 13 hits over the three games.
FAMU is 6-3 in their last nine conference games and is led by Alec Wong’s .364 batting average in those games. In the last nine MEAC games, Wong has three home runs, one double, eight runs scored, seven RBI, a .667 SLG%, 22 total bases and was walked nine times. Jared Walker (.316), Ryan Kennedy (.296), Jeremy Barlow (.296), Brian Davis (.296) and Michael Birdsong (.286) have also each hit well in the last nine MEAC games.
The Rattlers lead the MEAC with a .962 fielding percentage, second in walks (159) and is fourth with a 4.92 team ERA. The Rattler pitching staff is tied for third in the MEAC with six saves this season.
Who’s Hot the Last 5 Games
In the last five games 1B Michael Birdsong is hitting .471 (8-17) with two runs and two RBI. 2B Alec Wong hit .450 (9-20) with a home run, four runs scored, three RBI, 12 total bases, 3 walks and a .600 SLG%.
Bullpen Holding Down the MEAC
The Rattlers are 10-8 in the MEAC and the FAMU bullpen has been extremely strong against the MEAC with an ERA of 2.02 in conference games. The Florida A&M bullpen has allowed 17 earned runs against conference opponents.
Record Breaking MEAC Wins
Under head coach Jamey Shouppe in his first two seasons, Florida A&M has won 24 games against MEAC opponents. The 24 conference wins are the most over any two consecutive seasons in program history.
Ricky Page Working Out Well as a Starter
Since moving into a starting role against Troy on March 25, Ricky Page has seemed to have found his niche. Page has a 2.12 ERA as a starter with a 4/1 strikeout to walk ratio. Page has worked 12.1 innings in four appearances, which includes a 2.2 inning, rain shortened, outing against Bethune-Cookman on April 4. In the rain shortened start against B-CU, Page had a then season-high four strikeouts in just 2.2 innings. Page recorded his season-high five strikeouts in his very next start at Savannah State on April 12.
As always, fans can follow FAMU Baseball via Live Stats on FAMUAthletics.com and on Twitter at @FAMUAthletics.
COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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