BOCA RATON, Fla. — Sports fans are turning their focus to the diamond with baseball season just around the corner.
The Florida Atlantic University Owls are getting ready for the season, holding their first practice Friday.
"This team has really good chemistry, so I think we're in a good position right now," senior pitcher Nicholas Del Prado said. "We gotta a lot of heart, so I think we're going to be just fine."
The Owls are looking forward to the road ahead.
"I think it's a take it day by day type of step. Everyone is showing up and doing the best that they can," senior outfielder Jalen DeBose. "I think, thinking too far in the future or thinking too far in the past is never going to get you where you want to be. So, I think everybody just shows up every day and does the best they can to dominate."
The last time FAU made the regional NCAA tournament was 2019.
However, the team's seniors this year are looking to make a run in the postseason.
"We just couldn't get over the hump," FAU head baseball coach John McCormack said. "This senior class, they really need to put a capper on their group and get into postseason. Hopefully win a regular season title, if not a conference championship."
This year's schedule includes college baseball heavyweights like Vanderbilt and Florida, who both enter the season ranked in the top 10.
But FAU has faced tough opponents in the past, and they'll face them head-on.
"It's cool to see that and play those guys. Those are the top teams in the nation," DeBose said. "But at the end of the day, it's baseball. Anyone can win at any given time. I think we show up on the field and do the best that we can and try to come away with a win."
The Owls' first game is Feb. 16 in Nashville against the No. 6 Commodores.