By Pete Pelegrin
Twitter: @Petepelegrin

With more than half of its roster comprised of new players the FIU baseball team has such a different look this coming season that you might need to hand out "Hello, My Name is" stickers at the FIU ballpark. Since there are so many new faces, from now until Opening Day on Feb. 16 when Missouri comes to town for a three-game series, we'll profile the newest Panthers as well as the returning FIU ballplayers.
 
Christian Khawam, OF, Redshirt Senior

What can you say about last season?

CK: Last year we had our ups and downs. This year we have a closer team. We have a bunch of new guys that are eager to start playing college baseball. I think our chemistry is so good this year that despite having a bunch of young guys we'll pick each other up and have a good season.

What is your best baseball experience?

CK: I would say hitting two home runs when I was at the College of Central Florida at the state tournament against Chipola College, who was ranked No. 1. My second home run was a three-run homer that put us ahead to stay.

Give me an example of a game or a moment that makes baseball such a great game.

CK: Seeing Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies go yard to finish hitting for the cycle. He got the triple first, which is the hardest part of the cycle, then the double and single. I got goose bumps when I saw that. He and Miguel Cabrera are a couple of my favorite players.



Tell me something away from baseball about you that someone might find interesting?

CK: I'm very creative when it comes to creating graphics with computers. I love technology. That's my favorite. I'm a digital marketing major. I've created flyers for people to use on social media to sell stuff. I've helped people create logos for their companies.

FIU coach Mervyl Melendez says about Khawam:

"Christian will play the outfield and DH. He is one of our better hitters. We look for him to hit at the top of the lineup somewhere."

2018 FIU PANTHERS
Logan Allen
Diandre Amion
Derek Cartaya
Adan Fernandez
Jose Garcia
Kobe Lopez
Nick MacDonald
Tyler Myrick
Andres Nunez
Chandler Raiden
Eddie Silva
Javier Valdes