BIRMINGHAM, AL – FIU continues Conference USA play Friday when the Panthers visit UAB for the start of a three-game series from Young Memorial Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The series opener Friday has been moved up to 4 p.m. EDT. due to expected inclement weather later in the day.
PITCHING PROBABLES
Friday, 4 p.m. - FIU LHP
Logan Allen (4-2, 4.05 ERA) vs. UAB RHP Tanner Graham (1-3, 2.21 ERA)
Saturday, 5 p.m. - FIU RHP
Tyler Myrick (1-1, 3.14 ERA) vs. UAB TBA
Sunday, 1 p.m. - FIU RHP
Nick MacDonald (1-2, 4.65 ERA) vs. UAB RHP Ryan Wesson (2-2, 3.57 ERA)
The Panthers (14-16, 4-5 Conference USA) are currently tied for eighth in the conference standings with Western Kentucky. The Blazers (13-14, 5-4 C-USA) are tied for fifth with Middle Tennessee and Charlotte.
FIU is coming off a 12-7 win over Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday. The Panthers hit three home runs against the Wildcats.
Eddie Silva,
Lorenzo Hampton, Jr. and
Michael Harkcom all went deep for FIU.
The Panthers won one of three games against Louisiana Tech last weekend in Ruston, Louisiana. FIU rallied for a 9-7 win last Friday against the Bulldogs.
Juan Teixeira leads FIU with a .365 average.
Austin Shenton is second with a .361 clip. Teixeira is fourth in C-USA in hitting and Shenton is sixth.
Shenton and
Jose Garcia pace the Panthers with eight home runs each, which have them tied for second in the conference. WKU's Jacob Rhinesmith leads with nine round trippers.
FIU leads C-USA with 41 home runs and a .476 slugging percentage.
Hampton and Silva have each hit seven homers. Garcia tops the team with 27 RBI.
UAB defeated Alabama A&M, 6-3, on Wednesday night at Young Memorial Field. Carter Pharis led the Blazers at the plate going 2 for 2 with three RBI.
Tyler Tolbert ranks first in the league, and 15th nationally, in stolen bases with 16.
UAB pitchers have been stingy. Of the 122 runs scored on the Blazers this season just 95 have been earned as UAB holds the third lowest ERA in the league with a 3.49 mark. FIU is seventh with a 4.71 ERA.
FIU hurlers lead C-USA with 297 strikeouts.
The Panthers took two of three from the Blazers last season in Miami. FIU leads the all-time series with UAB, 8-5, including winning the 2015 C-USA Championship game, 8-2, over the Blazers.
