Blue Raiders take on Florida Atlantic

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee begins a five-game home stand when it welcomes Florida Atlantic for a crucial series at Blue Raider Field this weekend.

The Blue Raiders (11-30, 3-15 Sun Belt) are sitting four games behind seventh-place Louisiana-Monroe for the final spot in the Sun Belt Conference tournament. They must win at least five of their next six contests as well as hope the Warhawks to drop their remaining six to qualify for postseason play.

"We need to continue the momentum from our recent non-conference success into this weekend," said head coach Sue Nevar. "These are obviously three very important games and our players need to focus and leave it all on the field."

The Owls (25-25, 10-8 Sun Belt) are sitting sixth in the conference standings after winning their last five contests, including a sweep of Western Kentucky earlier this week.

Florida Atlantic and the Blue Raiders are matching up for the 11th time in program history with the Owls holding a 9-1 advantage. The last meeting between the teams occurred on April 27 of last season when FAU won 8-6 in Boca Raton, Fla.

"Florida Atlantic is a good team and they have had some great results in the past couple of weeks," Nevar said. "Our team has prepared well and we need each of our players to step up and have big-time performances."

Lone senior Martha Davis will be honored in a pre-game ceremony before the opening pitch. The festivities are tentatively scheduled to begin at 12:45 p.m.

Live Statistics and video coverage are available by selecting the appropriate links on GoBlueRaiders.com.

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