Nearing the halfway point of the Conference USA season, FIU hosts No. 12 Southern Miss in a three-game series beginning Friday night from Infinity Insurance Park.
The series opener is at 7 p.m. Friday. The series continues Saturday at 6 p.m. and concludes Sunday at 12 p.m.
The Panthers (16-17, 6-6 Conference USA) are currently tied with UAB for fifth place in the league standings. The top eight teams earn a berth in the Conference USA tournament at the end of May in Biloxi, Mississippi. FIU just took two of three games from the Blazers last weekend. The Golden Eagles (22-10, 8-3 C-USA) enter the weekend in third place, one-half game behind first place Florida Atlantic and Louisiana Tech.
PITCHING PROBABLES
Friday, 7 pm: USM LHP Stevie Powers (2-1, 4.14 ERA) vs. FIU LHP Logan Allen (4-3, 3.83 ERA) C-USA TV ; LIVE STATS
Saturday, 6 pm: USM RHP Walker Powell (3-1, 3.13 ERA) vs. FIU RHP Tyler Myrick (1-1, 3.41 ERA) LIVE STATS
Sunday, 12 pm: USM TBA vs. FIU RHP Nick MacDonald (2-2, 3.79 ERA) C-USA TV ; LIVE STATS
Southern Miss took two of three games from FIU last year in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The Panthers won the series finale behind two home runs from
JC Escarra and one homer by
Zack Soria. MacDonald tossed six innings and allowed three runs to pick up the win.
FIU leads the all-time series with USM, 5-4.
After losing the first game of the series versus UAB last week, FIU won a doubleheader last Sunday, defeating the Blazers, 6-4 and 3-0. The teams played two seven-inning games Sunday after Saturday's game was postponed due to rain.
In the first game on Sunday,
Will Saxton's two-run single in the top of the seventh inning snapped a 3-3 tie and put FIU ahead to stay. MacDonald pitched a shutout in the series finale. The sophomore went seven innings, allowed four hits and struck out four.
Juan Teixeira and
Austin Shenton continue to lead the FIU offense. Teixeira is the team's top hitter at .359 and Shenton is second at .346.
Shenton,
Eddie Silva and
Jose Garcia each have eight home runs, tops on the team. Silva has hit four home runs in the last seven games to take over the top spot in slugging percentage (.708) in C-USA.
FIU leads C-USA in home runs (43), slugging percentage (.461) and total bases (509).
Southern Miss took two of three games from WKU last weekend in Hattiesburg. The Golden Eagles have won their last eight C-USA series and four of their last six C-USA games. USM lost to No. 4 Ole Miss, 11-3, last Tuesday in Pearl, Miss.
The Golden Eagles feature three players hitting .350 or better in their lineup. Hunter Slater (.357), Matt Wallner (.357) and Luke Reynolds (.355) pace the USM bats in both average and power. Wallner has hit a team-leading eight home runs. Slater and Reynolds each have seven dingers.
Southern Miss leads C-USA with 265 runs scored. FIU is third with 206. The Golden Eagles are third in C-USA with 36 home runs and second to FIU in slugging percentage with a .445 clip.
FIU is second in batting (.288) in C-USA to Charlotte's .292. USM is third with a .287 average.
