Good morning.  FAU head football Coach Tom Herman used his time following Thursday morning's practice to remind the squad of the importance of Saturday's scrimmage, as it was the final one leading up to the 2024 Spring Game. The Owls used Thursday to work through individual improvement and fundamental work, continuing with a steady rotation and snaps for the entire depth chart.

"I am just looking forward to the future and what's to come,” said Redshirt Senior QB Michael Johnson Jr. “Every day is a grind, obviously, but you have to really love the process. That just makes everything worth it in the end."

What else can you find mixed into today’s Brew?

⚾️ FAU welcomes No. 12-ranked East Carolina to town for a weekend series
🏝 Beach Volleyball heads to Tallahassee for the Unconquered Invitational
🦉 And much, much more

📈 STOCK UP

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🔼 Pirates in Paradise. Florida Atlantic baseball welcomes preseason American Conference favorite and No. 12-ranked East Carolina to town for a weekend series beginning tonight. The teams have not met since they were both members of Conference USA back in 2014.

The Owls have won each of the first two conference series – first against Charlotte at home and last weekend against Memphis on the road. A non-conference 3-0 shutout of Miami on Tuesday equated to wins in 10 of the last 13 games overall.

🔼 Time To Conquer. The no. 16 Florida Atlantic beach volleyball (12-11, 2-2 CUSA) team heads to Tallahassee this weekend as the Sandy Owls prepare to compete at the Unconquered Invitational today (Friday, April 5) and tomorrow (Saturday, April 6).
 
Along with the Sandy Owls, the tournament field features No. 20 Texas A&M - Corpus Christi (23-4, 7-0 SLC), No. 10 LMU (17-8), North Alabama (14-5, 4-2 ASUN), and North Florida (15-7).

🔼 Dynamic Duo. No. 16 Florida Atlantic Beach Volleyball Ashleigh Adams and Julie Honzovicova were named Conference USA Pair of the Week after going 2-2 during the high-profile Death Volley Invitational this past weekend and earning two huge wins over No. 2 UCLA and No. 6 Cal.
 
The weekly honor marks the second career selection for Adams and the third weekly honor for Honzovicova.

🔼 “Channelling” Some Good Energy. Freshman infielder Kiley Channell was named in the 2024 Softball America Shortstop rankings for April.

Channell leads the Owls in doubles and is ranked No. 2 in the nation with 17 on the season. She has registered a .380 in 108 at-bats thus far. Channell has totaled 41 hits, 26 runs, 27 RBI, and 19 walks with a .583 slugging percentage. 

With a .981 fielding percentage, she has recorded 52 putouts. On March 25, Channell was also named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll. 

🔼 To the Max. Florida Atlantic senior Max Sturdza has been named the American Athletic Conference Men's Golfer of the Week. This is his second career weekly conference honor. He was previously named C-USA Men's Golfer of the Week as a freshman back in 2020.
 
Sturdza added another chapter to a historic season on Tuesday when he captured the individual title at the Southern Invitational in nearby Lake Worth. It was his first career victory after five runner-up finishes. In the process of earning his elusive first win, the native of Geneva, Switzerland, shattered several records. After tying the Florida Atlantic program record with a 64 in Monday's first round, he claimed the 18-hole record for himself with a final round 63 (-8) on Tuesday. His 54-hole total of 197 was also a new record.

🔼 New Commish. The American Athletic Conference Board of Directors today announced that Tim Pernetti has been named the second commissioner of the American Athletic Conference. His tenure will begin in June. He succeeds Mike Aresco, who has served as commissioner of the American Athletic Conference since the reconstitution of the conference in 2013.

Pernetti is a respected leader who brings over three decades of sports, business, and media leadership to the American Athletic Conference. He served as president of IMG Academy, executive vice president of the global sports and entertainment company Endeavor, president of IMG College, and executive vice president of content of CBS College Sports.

🔼 A Bit of Everything in the Burrow. This week, Inside the Owls' Burrow, hosted by Florida Atlantic's Frank Forte and airing weekly on Bally Sports Florida, features a one-on-one sit-down with newly hired Head Men's Basketball Coach John Jakus. Freshman softball shortstop Kiley Channell is also a guest, while baseball assistant coach Rickey Santiago is "wired for sound." The show will also examine the football team's search for four new starters.

🔼 Mac and His Yanks. This week on Mac’s Musings, they give Coach a chance to bask in the Yankees’ incredible start before discussing the 10 former Owls starting the season in pro ball. They highlight a recent signee with big potential and finally answer some fun questions from the mailbag.

Have a question for Coach Mac? Tweet at or DM the crew on Instagram or email at [email protected], and it will be answered on the next week’s pod.

😬 TRUST YOUR SMILE

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🦉PARADISE TRIVIA

Paradise Trivia is presented by the PowerOwls Club, an exclusive community dedicated to connecting FAU fans and student-athletes. Stay in the know about all they’re doing here.

What is the collective ERA for the Owls’ bullpen heading into tonight’s baseball game against East Carolina?

Think you know? Scroll to the bottom to find out!

🦉 ONE BIG THING

🔼 More J-Squared. Head here to go behind the scenes with newly hired FAU men’s basketball coach John Jakus.

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📅 THE WEEK AHEAD

Friday 4/5

👟 Women’s X-Country/Track & Field @ Hurricane Alumni Invitational

🏝 Beach Volleyball vs. Texas A&M @ FSU Unconquered Invitational @ 10:15am ET

🏝 Beach Volleyball vs. LMU @ FSU Unconquered Invitational @ 2:45pm ET

🥎 Softball @ Charlotte @ 6pm ET | Live Video | Live Stats

⚾️ Baseball vs. No. 12 ECU @ 6:30pm ET | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets

Saturday 4/6

👟 Women’s X-Country/Track & Field @ Hurricane Alumni Invitational

⚽️ Women’s Soccer @ Florida Spring Cup Final - Time TBD

🏝 Beach Volleyball North Alabama @ FSU Unconquered Invitational @ 8:00am ET

🏝 Beach Volleyball vs. North Florida @ FSU Unconquered Invitational @ 12:30pm ET

🥎 Softball @ Charlotte @ 2pm ET | Live Video | Live Stats

🏐 Volleyball vs. UCF @ 3pm ET

⚾️ Baseball vs. No. 12 ECU @ 4:00pm ET | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets

🦉 Go here for the full Florida Atlantic University Athletics Calendar

🎉 Trivia Answer

Answer: The Owls' bullpen holds a collective 3.74 ERA in 122.2 innings.

After starter Brandon Smith went five shutout innings on Tuesday, the relievers took over and combined to limit Miami to just two hits in the final four frames. Seniors Danny Trehey, Sam Drumheller, and Braden Ostrander and juniors Steven Andrews and Max Martzolf have led the way.

🦉 Have a great Friday, y’all