FAMU baseball and softball riding high into tests against Auburn, Southeastern Louisiana
Florida A&M baseball fared well in last weekend's Andre Dawson Classic in New Orleans, going 2-1 to respond to being swept in the season opener against Eastern Illinois followed by two disappointing losses to Mercer.
The Rattlers (3-6) returned to Moore-Kittles Field on Tuesday to play against North Florida, defeating the Ospreys, 12-6 powered by five homeruns led by two from outfielder Ty Hanchey.
"That's how I expected us to hit the whole year," FAMU head coach Jamey Shouppe said. "It was good to see the offense come alive and I think we're going to be able to swing the bat."
The Rattlers (3-6) will be back on the road until next week. First, they will head west to challenge the Auburn Tigers (5-1-1) at Plainsman Park on Wednesday.
"I really love going to the big schools," Hanchey said. "The pressure's on them because we're the underdog in the situation, but if we play good baseball, we can take a game from anybody."
Following Auburn, FAMU will travel to Atlanta, Georgia to play Grambling State three times in two days in the Ralph Garr-Bill Lucas HBCU Baseball Classic from March 3-4.
"I'm happy with where we are right now," Shouppe said. "We've got to win three out of four now, so we got dwell on that and continue to improve and play good baseball.
"We've got to do the little things to be successful."
FAMU at Auburn will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Plainsman Park. The game will be broadcasted on SEC Network+.
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FAMU softball opens up home schedule against Southeastern Louisiana
After a tough eight day stretch that included seven consecutive losses ― including two from No. 6 Florida State, FAMU softball immediately hit its stride to stack some wins.
The Rattlers (6-9) went to the HBCU Softball Tournament in Montgomery, Alabama over the weekend and went perfect to start a four-game winning streak. It includes two wins over Southern, a win over Alabama A&M, and a comeback victory against South Carolina State.
Outfielder Melkayla Irvis led FAMU at the plate as one of five hitters to bat over .300 with her .636 average last week. On the mound, the Rattlers combined for a 1.80 ERA and had 21 strikeouts led by pitcher Cris'Deona Beasley.
"We like to play a harder pre-conference schedule, so we're ready for our HBCU and conference games," FAMU head coach Camise Patterson said. "It just helps us make sure our bats are ready and that our fielding is on point."
After 13 games, the Rattlers will finally host a game at the University Softball Complex on Wednesday.
Southeastern Louisiana will be in town to pose some stiff competition for FAMU in its final game before the SWAC schedule begins.
The Lions are 12-2 with their only losses coming from No. 11 Alabama. The Rattlers and the Lions met earlier in the season where SELU won, 9-0 at the Mardi Gras Mambo in Youngsville, Louisiana.
"We've been playing on a lot of dirt lately, so to have our homefield advantage with our fans out there to support is exciting," Patterson said. "We had some things to clean up when we played (SELU), so I'm hoping that those things take into full effect of the caliber team we are once we seem them."
FAMU versus SELU will begin at 5 p.m. on Wednesday at the University Softball Complex in Tallahassee, Florida.
Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@gannett.com or on Twitter @3peatgee.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Baseball, Softball: Rattlers facing stiff competition Wednesday
