TALLAHASSEE, Fla. ––  Florida A&M baseball starts their 2023 season at home against Eastern Illinois at Moore-Kittles Field, starting on Friday, Feb. 17, and ending on Sunday, Feb. 19. Last season, the Rattlers were 29-30 with a 19-11 record in the SWAC.

Eastern Illinois (0-0, 0-0 OVC) at Florida A&M (0-0, 0-0 SWAC)

Weekend Schedule
Game One | Friday, Feb. 17, 3:00 p.m.
Game Two | Saturday, Feb. 18, 1:00 p.m.
Game Three | Sunday, Feb. 19, 12:00 p.m.

Preseason Rattlers
Hunter Viets earned SWAC Pitcher of the Year and All-SWAC First Team. Last season, he appeared in 15 games for the Rattlers. He had an 8-4 record, pitched in 90 innings, had a WHIP of 1.22, and an ERA of 2.98. He was named to the All-SWAC Second Team for having a tremendous year on the mound. His notable game came against Bethune-Cookman on April 10, where he pitched eight innings to help the Rattlers sweep BCU. Viets only allowed one hit during the series while striking out ten batters. He was awarded SWAC Pitcher of The Week for that performance.

Joseph Pierini and Ty Hanchey earned All-SWAC Second Team. Last season, Pierini played in 59 games for the Rattlers. He had 224 at-bats, 71 hits, 13 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 32 RBIs, and a .317 batting average which was the second-best on the team. He also had a slugging percentage of .478. His notable game came against Mississippi Valley, where he posted three home runs and 7 RBIs.

Hanchey played in 44 games last season as a Rattler. He had 158 at-bats, 56 hits, 29 runs, 15 doubles, a triple, three home runs, 30 RBIs, a batting average of .354, and a slugging percentage of .519. Ty was the Rattlers top performer in the SWAC Tournament, driving in seven runs, three doubles, two home runs, and 12 RBIs. He also had a key RBI single to break the 7-7 tie to help the Rattlers beat Southern in extra innings.

Series History 
The Rattlers are 0-3 against Eastern Illinois and have only played one series in their entire history. Their first meeting came back during the second weekend of the 2020 season before it was canceled due to COVID-19. EIU took all three games three seasons ago.  

----

Follow Florida A&M Athletics 

For complete coverage of Florida A&M athletics, please follow the Rattlers on social media at @FAMUAthletics (Twitter), FAMUAth (Facebook), and @famuathletics (Instagram).