Coming off sweeping the season series from Miami on Wednesday night, FIU hosts Marshall in a three-game Conference USA series beginning Friday night from Infinity Insurance Park.
First pitch for the series opener between the Panthers (19-21, 8-10 Conference USA) and the Thundering Herd (17-21, 5-12 C-USA) is at 7 p.m. The middle game of the series is Saturday at 6 p.m. and the series concludes Sunday at 12 p.m.
PITCHING PROBABLES
Friday, 7 pm: Marshall RHP Brad O'Connor (3-4, 4.50 ERA) vs. FIU RHP Andres Nunez (4-2, 4.19 ERA)
Saturday, 6 pm: Marshall LHP Joshua Shapiro (2-2, 3.89 ERA) vs. FIU RHP Tyler Myrick (1-2, 3.44 ERA)
Sunday, 12 pm: Marshall RHP Zac McNeel (1-3, 6.68 ERA) vs. FIU LHP Logan Allen (4-5, 4.27 ERA)
Currently, FIU (8-10 C-USA) is in eighth place in the tightly-contested Conference USA standings. The Panthers are just one game and a half from fourth place UTSA (9-8). Charlotte, Western Kentucky and UAB are all tied for fifth at 9-9 with 12 conference games remaining.
Southern Miss (13-4) leads the conference. Florida Atlantic, FIU's next conference opponent, is second at 13-4-1 and Louisiana Tech is third at 13-5. The top eight teams qualify for the C-USA Championship on May 24 in Biloxi, Miss.
In its most recent game, FIU defeated UM, 14-6, in Coral Gables Wednesday night. The Panthers swept the two-game season series from the Hurricanes. FIU also won the crosstown series for the second consecutive season after taking three of four games from UM in 2017.
The Panthers hit three home runs Wednesday.
Eddie Silva,
Adan Fernandez and
Javier Valdes all went deep. FIU scored nine runs combined in the fifth and sixth innings to blow open a scoreless game.
With the three long balls, FIU now has 51 home runs on the season to lead Conference USA.
Last time out in league play, FIU won one of three games against UTSA in San Antonio last weekend. Allen's pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning last Friday night made a winner of Nunez and the Panthers, 2-1.
Nunez did his part, throwing seven innings, allowing no earned runs and striking out a season-high nine batters. For his performance, Nunez won the Conference USA Pitcher of the Week award.
Marshall has lost four games in a row entering the weekend. The Thundering Herd dropped its last game to West Virginia, 11-10 in 13 innings, in Charleston, WV on Tuesday.
Last weekend, the Herd was swept by LA Tech in Beckley, WV. Marshall has lost five of its last six conference games dating back to dropping two of three games to WKU, Apr. 13-15.
FIU won two of three games at Marshall last season. After dropping the series opener, the Panthers won the final two games of the series.
FIU leads the all-time series with Marshall, 8-6. The series started in 2014 when the Panthers joined Conference USA.
