FIU opens its 46^th season of baseball Friday night when the Panthers host the Missouri Tigers in a three-game series. The first pitch on Opening Day is at 7 p.m. from the FIU ballpark.

Sophomore right-hander Tyler Myrick (6-2, 3.73 ERA in 2017) gets the Opening Day nod for FIU against Missouri junior right-hander Bryce Montes De Oca (4-5, 4.28 ERA).

The series continues Saturday at 6 p.m. and the weekend finale is Sunday at 12 p.m.

Missouri vs. FIU pitching probables

7 p.m. Friday: RHP Bryce Montes De Oca (4-5, 4.28 ERA) vs. RHP Tyler Myrick (6-2, 3.73 ERA)
6 p.m. Saturday: LHP Michael Plassmeyer (5-1, 4.83 ERA) vs. LHP Logan Allen (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
12 p.m. Sunday: RHP Andy Toelken (5-3, 2.82 ERA) vs. RHP Nick MacDonald (7-3, 4.29 ERA)

SERIES PREVIEW

Missouri leads the all-time series with FIU, 4-0. The last meeting between the teams occurred in 2016. In a single mid-week game, the Tigers edged the Panthers 7-6 in Miami. The first time the Tigers and Panthers met was in an early 2007 three-game series at FIU where Missouri swept the series. The last two games between Missouri and FIU have been decided by a run: 3-2 in 2007 and 7-6 in 2016.

FIU finished 31-27 last season in its first year under head coach Mervyl Melendez. The Panthers went 15-15 in Conference USA play.

Missouri was 36-23 in 2017. It was the Tigers best season since 2008 and their first season under new head coach Steve Bieser.

FIU is 30-15 all-time on Opening Day. The Panthers defeated Jacksonville State, 5-0, in the season's first game last year. FIU has won four of its last five Opening Day games. The only loss in that stretch was on Opening Day 2016 when the Panthers lost 9-2 at then-No. 24 Ole Miss.

Missouri begins its 124^th season of baseball. The Tigers are 76-39-2 in season openers all time (seven years have incomplete game-by-game records). The Tigers have won 10 of the last 15 season openers. Missouri lost to Eastern Michigan, 6-2, in last year's opener.

Missouri was picked to finish sixth in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference by the league's coaches.

FIU welcomes 17 new players to its team this season. More than three-fourths of the Panthers roster is comprised of underclassmen. FIU features 15 freshmen and 11 sophomores among the team's 34 players. The Panthers have just three seniors in pitchers Andrew George and Chandler Raiden, and outfielder Christian Khawam.

The Panthers top two starters from a year ago, Myrick and MacDonald, return. The returning leading hitter for FIU is sophomore Javier Valdes (.287, 5 HR, 36 RBI), who has moved to catcher. All three players: Myrick, MacDonald and Valdes were named Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper last season. It was the most Freshman All-Americans that FIU had in one season.

Missouri hit 52 homers last season, its most in a season since 2011. The Tigers return 39 of those 52 homers, including team-leaders Trey Harris (12) and Brett Bond (10).

PRESEASON ACCOLADES

MacDonald and Myrick were named among the Top 100 College Baseball Sophomores last month by Perfect Game. Myrick was ranked No. 42. MacDonald was ranked No. 65.

MacDonald was named to the Preseason 2018 All-Conference USA team. The Panthers were picked to finish fifth by the league's coaches. Southern Miss was picked to finish first.

Allen was named the preseason Conference USA Freshman of the Year by two publications: Baseball America and D1Baseball.

Allen and pitcher Christian Santana were named Impact Freshmen by D1Baseball.

Also honored by D1Baseball was redshirt junior pitcher Andres Nunez as one of C-USA's 2018 Top Draft Prospects. MacDonald and Myrick, third baseman Austin Shenton and Valdes were listed among the 2019 Top Draft Prospects.

Baseball America named Allen, Santana and catcher Jose Garcia among its Top 10 Newcomers in Conference USA. Allen was ranked No. 1 on the list with Santana at No. 2 and Garcia at No. 4.

Baseball America named MacDonald and Myrick among the Top 10 2019 MLB Draft Prospects in C-USA.

D1Baseball named Melendez one of The Five Most Interesting Coaches to Watch this season in college baseball.

SCHEDULE NOTES

FIU plays two opponents for the first time in the program's 46-year history. The first-time foes in 2018 are Grambling and George Mason.

FIU's longest running series is with crosstown Miami. The Panthers and Hurricanes have played 121 games with Miami holding a 95-26 series lead. FIU won the crosstown series last season taking three of four games from Miami. The Panthers and Hurricanes meet twice this season in a home-and-home series. FIU hosts March 7. Miami hosts April 25.

FIU starts the season with 12 straight home games and plays its first 18 games in Florida. The Panthers play 14 of their first 18 games at home.

The only games away from the FIU ballpark early on are four games at the Snowbird Baseball Classic in Port Charlotte (Mar. 9-10 & 14). FIU plays St. Joseph's on Mar. 9. The Panthers play a doubleheader against two teams on Mar. 10: Western Michigan and George Mason. The Panthers and Patriots play a wraparound three-game series on that weekend with the final two games of the series at the FIU ballpark on Sunday, Mar. 11 and Monday afternoon, Mar. 12.

The Panthers travel outside the Sunshine State for the first time on March 16 for a three-game series at Charlotte, which also marks the start of Conference USA play.

FIU's three-game series at LA Tech runs from Thursday, Mar. 29 to Saturday, Mar. 31 due to Easter Sunday.
 
EYE FOR TALENT

In coach Melendez and his staff's two years at FIU, the Panthers have hauled in two Top 5 signing classes. FIU had the No. 1 signing class in the nation in 2017 and the No. 5 signing class in 2018 according to Perfect Game. Of that No. 1 signing class, FIU had 14 signees drafted by Major League Baseball.

In 2017, FIU tied for the second most Major League Baseball draftees in the program's 46-year history. The Panthers had six players drafted last summer equaling the 1993 FIU team. The 1989 FIU team had seven players drafted to establish the program record. The six Panthers drafted last summer were: catcher/1B JC Escarra (Orioles), catcher Zack Soria (Braves), pitcher Dominic LoBrutto (Red Sox), shortstop Irving Lopez (Cardinals), pitcher Franklin Van Gurp (Giants) and pitcher Michael Agis (Rockies).

In addition to the six MLB draftees, FIU had right-hander Robert Garcia drafted by the Hermosillo Naranjeros in the first round of the Mexican Pacific League Draft. Garcia led the FIU pitching staff with 81 strikeouts in 2017, including 14 strikeouts in a 3-1 victory over Bethune-Cookman.