FAMU baseball and softball searching for momentum in challenging home weekend series

Florida A&M baseball is looking for arms as Florida Gulf Coast comes to town for a three-game, three-day series beginning on Friday.

After going 2-1 against Grambling State in Atlanta's Ralph Garr-Bill Lucas HBCU Classic, the Rattlers (5-9) returned to Moore-Kittles Field and fell, 11-9 to the visiting Ball State on Tuesday.

The Rattlers struggled to pitch the ball, walking a dozen batters as the team searches for relief pitchers to help starter Hunter Viets on the mound.

"We got to pitch better ― plain and simple," FAMU head coach Jamey Shouppe said. "We have zero chance to win like we're accustomed to if we're walking 12 guys every game.

"We got too many nice guys and there needs to be a transformation when they cross the line to attack somebody and get outs because we're not going to out-hit everybody."

Second baseman and Rickards High School alumnus Will Brown has been a constant at bat.

He's tied for first on the Rattlers along with Joseph Pierini with six doubles. Brown is also tied with Sebastian Greico in batting average at .333 which is fourth on FAMU's roster.

"I started off pretty slow this season," Brown said. "But now, I'm seeing the ball pretty well and hopefully I'm able to come up in some big spots some more and get those big hits to score some runs for the team."

Luckily for the Rattlers, they will be able to get back on track on their home field when FGCU travels from Fort Myers.

The Eagles are 12-2 and beat No. 21 Florida State 2-1 in a three-game series in Tallahassee last weekend.

"Who you play doesn't matter ― it's how you play," Shouppe said. "We have to play the game of baseball better to have any chance against Florida Gulf Coast."

Florida A&M vs. Florida Gulf Coast Baseball Series Information

When: Friday, March 10 at 5 p.m.; Saturday, March 11 at 2 p.m.; Sunday, March 12 at noon

Where: Moore-Kittles Field, Tallahassee, Florida

MORE RATTLERNEWS COVERAGE

Spring Practice Day Two:FAMU football's intensity rises as temperature drops

Working Ahead:FAMU recruiting 11-year-old phenom 'Blaze' Ingram, who broke ESPN 100m dash record at age 7

85 to the Hill:Chad 'Ochocinco' Johnson, who 'fell in love with FAMU' decades ago, now on Rattlers staff

FAMU softball enters SWAC play against the visiting Jackson State Tigers

FAMU softball should feel confident as it enters the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) schedule as it faces Jackson State in a three-game, three-day series from March 10-12.

The Rattlers (6-10) are 4-1 in their last five games after losing their last game to Southeastern Louisiana on March 1 at home.

Infielder Jane'a Mobley has been reliable from the plate. She currently leads FAMU with a .368 batting average.

"Game-by-game, we find things that we're improving on, so we're on a constant incline," Mobley said. "We still haven't peaked yet, so that's one thing to keep looking forward to."

FAMU's contests against conference rival Jackson State will be at the University Softball Complex in Tallahassee.

"It feels really good to be back in front of our fans because we love them so much," Mobley said. "The energy that they bring helps us thrive and we use it as a gas tank."

The JSU Tigers are 11-2 and only two losses came against Southern and Southeastern Louisiana.

"Our biggest thing is playing FAMU softball, so as long as we stay locked in, we can compete with anybody. Do what we do and no worries," Mobley said.

Florida A&M vs. Jackson State SWAC Softball Series Information

When: Friday, March 10 at 5 p.m.; Saturday, March 11 at 3 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m.

Where: University Softball Complex, 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.

Follow the Tallahassee Democrat on social media at Tallahassee Democrat (Facebook), TallahasseeDemocrat (Instagram), and @TDOnline (Twitter)

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Baseball, Softball: Rattlers ready for weekend series in Tallahassee