FIU Baseball released its 2018 schedule Monday which features games against teams from 10 different conferences.

"This schedule will challenge our ballclub throughout the season," said FIU coach Mervyl Melendez. "There are many solid teams on the schedule that will be a good measuring stick for us and help prepare us for the postseason."

FIU opens the season with a 12-game home stand. First pitch of the new season is Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. with a sturdy test against Missouri from the Southeastern Conference. The Panthers and Tigers play a three-game series at the FIU ballpark.

The next eight games in the season-opening home stand present a three-game series against Grambling (Feb. 23-25) and a three-game set versus Jacksonville State (Mar. 2-4).

Sandwiched in between those home series are two midweek games against Florida A&M. The Panthers and Rattlers play Feb. 27-28 with the 28^th being a 3 p.m. matinee.

FIU ends the home stand against Miami on March 7. It's the first of two games against the Hurricanes. The crosstown series concludes April 25 in Coral Gables. FIU took three of four games from Miami last season.

The Panthers hit the road for first time March 9 but they won't have to go too far. FIU will play four games at the Snowbird Baseball Classic in Port Charlotte.

FIU takes on St. Joseph's (Mar. 9) and plays a doubleheader the next day (Mar. 10) against two different teams, Western Michigan and George Mason.

The following day FIU and George Mason travel south for two games at the FIU ballpark (Mar. 11-12). The series finale on Monday, Mar. 12, is an afternoon affair at 1 p.m.

FIU concludes play at the Snowbird Classic on Mar. 14 against Rutgers back in Port Charlotte.

Conference USA play opens for the Panthers on March 16 in Charlotte, North Carolina with a three-game series (Mar. 16-18) against the Charlotte 49ers.

FIU plays home-and-away games against a pair of intrastate rivals in Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson. The Panthers and the Eagles meet Mar. 20 in Miami and May 2 in Fort Myers. The Panthers and the Hatters play Mar. 21 in Deland and May 1 in Miami.

FIU's longest road trip of the season takes place Mar. 29-Apr. 8. The Panthers start the trip at Louisiana Tech in a three-game series that runs Mar. 29-31. The series is Thursday through Saturday because of Easter Sunday being April 1.

The Panthers head to Daytona Beach, Apr. 3, for a single midweek game against Bethune-Cookman and finish the road swing at UAB in Birmingham, Alabama (Apr. 6-8).

FIU ends the regular season with 10 of 14 home games and just three games outside of Florida during the stretch. The Panthers play at Western Kentucky (May 11-13) for the only games away from the Sunshine State during that span.

Defending C-USA champion Rice is the final series of the regular season for FIU. The Panthers host the Owls, May 18-20.

The Conference USA tournament is again in Biloxi, Mississippi at MGM Park. The league championship start date has still yet to be announced by the conference.