Two times Franzen has been honored by the coaches as an all-conference selection as a reliever and his move to the starting rotation is paying immediate dividends after handcuffing Florida Tech and Saginaw Valley State.
The senior righty touched double-digit strikeout totals for the second time this season, whiffing 13 hitters in a complete game effort vs. Saginaw Valley State. He gave up just one run on four hits and walked a pair.
Franzen also had 10 K’s earlier this spring vs. Wayne State – both opponents are from the Midwest Region.
He also had the start for a winning decision against Florida Tech to start the perfect week for the Panthers, going 6.2 innings and striking out five in an 8-2 win.
Franzen’s 13 punchouts against SVSU are tied for the fourth most in league history; it is the fourth time a pitcher has hit the lucky 13 number – Lake Erie southpaw Evan Layne did it last season.
Through four starts, Franzen is 2-1 with a 3.28 ERA. He also has 30 strikeouts in 24.2 IP.