Florida Atlantic baseball opened their 2026 season this past weekend with a three-game series against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, finishing 1-2 at the FAU Baseball Stadium. After an exciting Friday opener, the Owls struggled to keep up in the following two games.
The Owls started the season strong on Friday, defeating the Fighting Irish 7-1. Notre Dame scored first in the second inning, but infielder John Martinez quickly responded with a three-run home run that put FAU ahead. Catcher Ian Collier added a two-run homer later in the game, and infielder Patrick Ward contributed an RBI single.
Sophomore pitcher James Litman set a new career high with nine strikeouts over four dominant innings, while pitchers Kide Adetuyi, Carson Kimball, and Bryan Boully combined to hold Notre Dame scoreless in relief. FAU finished with 11 hits, led by Martinez’s four RBIs, and out-hit the Irish 11-5.
Saturday was a difficult afternoon for the Owls, as Notre Dame beat FAU 14-1. The Owls scored just two hits, including an inside-the-park home run by outfielder Michael Perazza in the fourth inning.
Errors, walks, and timely hits allowed the Irish to break the game open early, and pitchers out of the bullpen helped shut down the Owls’ offense. Right-handed pitcher Tyler Murphy was given the loss after allowing five runs in three innings.
“We gave them too many opportunities. We didn’t throw enough strikes and didn’t make enough plays to get out of innings,” FAU head coach John McCormack said postgame.
In the series finale on Sunday, Notre Dame clinched the series with a 7-1 victory. Freshman Garrett Grant pitched four solid innings, but the Owls again struggled to find momentum offensively, leaving runners stranded on base in the first four innings.
Notre Dame broke through against the bullpen and eventually scored seven runs, while Martinez added an RBI single in the ninth, marking his fifth RBI of the series. FAU totaled seven hits, with Collier and Brett Patten each recording two, but the Owls could not mount a comeback.
FAU will look to be back in the win column Tuesday, Feb. 17, to host the University of Missouri at FAU Baseball Stadium, hoping to get back on track in the early stages of the 2026 season.
Sophia Rodriguez is a Contributing Writer for the University Press. Email her at [email protected] for more information on this or other stories.
