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NJOWL said

Why does gulf coast’s baseball stadium put ours to shame? https://fgcuathletics.com/facilities/swanson-stadium/3

That is down right pathetic.

Great performance by the Owls tonight though!

Posted On: Apr 11th 2023, 10:08 PM #414037

Because we did the following to finance a football stadium that we have 10k at games for.

FAU will borrow $44.6M at a fixed rate over 30 years.

We are still working on the following, a note from 2010.  Its worth noting, I dont think a single AAC school is without naming rights for their football stadium.  Its astounding how difficult this has been to secure in the heart of Boca Raton in good economic times.  $1m a year is more than a fair price comparatively.  If we had that in place for the previous 12 years...I imagine a new/improved baseball stadium would be more feasible.

The school also is “working on finding a sponsor for naming rights to its stadium, a necessity to help reduce the debt”

… but didn't the baseball team receive some donations like 2 or 3 years ago?
Can't they only expand seating a bit more, build the bathrooms and a concession stand?
FAU does not need to re build a state of the art facility; FAU just needs to improve it a bit more. That's all we need.

It is the same story with the BBall arena, we don't need something huge, just expand it to 5k or 6K, that's all.

NITE-OWL said

… but didn't the baseball team receive some donations like 2 or 3 years ago?
Can't they only expand seating a bit more, build the bathrooms and a concession stand?
FAU does not need to re build a state of the art facility; FAU just needs to improve it a bit more. That's all we need.

It is the same story with the BBall arena, we don't need something huge, just expand it to 5k or 6K, that's all.

Posted On: Apr 12th 2023, 3:00 PM #414041

I believe we got a donation of $1m over 2 years ago.

Not sure where that money is now or what $1m does in 2023 for facility renovations.

You'll know pretty soon…

We're working on a piece that will cover that and more just as soon as Spring Football is over.

What: FAU (28-20, 12-12) vs FGCU (35-12, 18-6)

When: May 9th @ 6:30 PM

Where: Swanson Stadium        

Video: ESPN+

FGCU Team Site: Here

Series: Both teams are tied 15-15 all-time. Owls have a 2-0 lead this season.

Projected Starting Pitchers:

FAU - RHP Brandon Smith (2-0, 6.05 ERA)
FGCU - LHP Stephen Wilmer (1-0, 3.00 ERA)


Owl Notables

FAU has gained momentum after winning two out of three games on the road against Charlotte, and they have outfielder Spencer Rich and pitcher Robert Wegielnik to thank.

Rich had his most clutch performances of the season against the 49ers, getting the game-winning run due to a throwing error from Charlotte in the series opener and a two-run homer to complete the rally Saturday evening. To top it off, Wegielnik was composed on the mound with five strikeouts and no hits allowed in 3.2 innings to close out both victories as it earned him C-USA Pitcher of the Week.

Winning the first two games against FGCU earlier this season, the Owls have a chance to take the all-time series lead over the Eagles for the first time in the matchup's history.

Brandon Smith will be making his first career start as an Owl. The redshirt junior has appeared 14 times this year as a relieving pitcher, striking out 11 batters and allowing 19 hits in 19.1 innings. Going against an offensively talented FGCU squad will be a good test for Smith once he steps onto the mound.


Eagle Notables

Florida Gulf Coast is in great rhythm having won seven of their last eight against Jacksonville State, USF, Austin Peay, and Stetson.

Home runs continue to be the Eagles' specialty this season, leading the country in that category with 113 (in comparison, FAU is tied for 86th with 61 homers). Six batters are in double-figures for home runs with Edrick Felix topping the team with 21 home runs, which ranks him in the top 10 of the nation. Preventing them from hitting the ball out of the park will be key for the FAU bullpen Tuesday night.

With FGCU possessing the fifth-best batting average in the country with .327, other batters the Owls will need to be careful with are infielders Joe Kinker and Alejandro Figueredo. Kinker leads the Eagles in RBI with 66 and Figueredo has the third-most hits with 69.

The Owls might need to be wary of Eagle pitcher Stephen Wilmer, making his second start on the mound this season. He has been used sparingly throughout the year as he played in just six innings, but has a good tendency in getting strikeouts with nine on the year. Not only that, he also has a .053 batting average allowed, so FAU needs to be precise on their swings if they are going to rack up some hits against him.

FGCU will stick around in Florida as they play three games on the road against North Florida in Jacksonville over the weekend.

The Owls strike first with Schanuel scoring an unearned run due to an error from the Eagles! FAU is up 1-0 entering the bottom of the 1st!

Owls and Eagles are tied at one apiece after two innings. An RBI groundout scored the tying run for FGCU, as FAU looks to find more holes in the opposing defense.

FAU retakes the lead with an excellent home run to right field from Armando Albert for his third this season! Owls up 2-1 entering the bottom of the 3rd!

Maybe the camera operator will figure out that it has a focus wheel at some point in the contest...