FIU (31-25) vs. Old Dominion (36-19) 1:30 p.m. EDT, Wed. May 24
Conference USA Tournament 1st round game, MGM Park, Biloxi, Miss.
FIU RHP
Tyler Myrick (6-2, 3.97 ERA) vs. ODU RHP Sam Sinnen (4-4, 4.69 ERA) [ESPN3; Follow on Twitter: @FIUBaseball]
Series History: Old Dominion leads 10-4
First meeting: ODU won 2-1 in Miami, Fla. (April 4, 2014)
Last meeting: ODU won 11-10 in Norfolk, Va. (May 14, 2017)
C-USA Tournament Preview
-- FIU won five of its final seven conference games and enters the C-USA tournament with its highest regular season win total (31) since 2012.
-- FIU is the No. 7 seed. Two years ago the Panthers were the first No. 8 seed to win the tournament.
-- FIU first baseman
JC Escarra enters the C-USA Championship batting a career-high .309 and leading the team in home runs (15) and RBI (49). Center fielder
Kenny Meimerstorf is batting .332 to lead FIU.
Irving Lopez leads the team with 24 multiple-hit games.
-- Myrick defeated ODU earlier this season. The right-hander pitched six innings, allowed 10 hits, six runs in a 10-9 win.
-- Old Dominion is the No. 2 seed. The Monarchs 36-19 overall record marks the school's best regular season finish since 2006. Old Dominion won eight of 10 Conference USA series' this season.
-- ODU second baseman Jared Young batted .433 in conference games, the highest batting average in league play since 2011. He is hitting .374 overall (third in C-USA).
-- Sam Sinnen pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings to defeat FIU back on May 13. The Monarchs took two of three games from FIU in Norfolk earlier this month.
-- FIU is 1-1 against Old Dominion in C-USA tournament play. The Monarchs eliminated the Panthers in 2014. FIU returned the favor eliminating ODU last season in the conference tournament.
-- The other teams in the Panthers and Monarchs' bracket are No. 3 Florida Atlantic and No. 6 Rice. FAU and Rice play at 10 a.m. EDT Wednesday to open the 2017 Conference USA tournament. The winner of that game will play the winner of FIU and ODU Thursday at 5 p.m. EDT. The losers of each game play each other in an elimination game Thursday at 10 a.m. EDT.
2017 Leaders
FIU
Team stats:
Average: .278
ERA: 5.47
Fielding pct.: .970
Individual leaders:
Average:
Kenny Meimerstorf .332
Home runs:
JC Escarra 15
RBI:
JC Escarra 49
Stolen bases:
Jack Schaaf 12
Wins:
Nick MacDonald 7
ERA:
Nick MacDonald 3.84
Strikeouts:
Robert Garcia 80
Saves:
Dominic LoBrutto 5
Old Dominion
Team stats:
Average: .294
ERA: 4.72
Fielding pct.: .976
Individual leaders:
Average: Jared Young .374
Home runs: Jared Young 7
RBI: Zach Rutherford 55
Stolen bases: Nick Walker, Jared Young 9
Wins: Adam Bainbridge 7
ERA: John Wilson 3.41
Strikeouts: Adam Bainbridge 67
Saves: Corey Klak 5
