The 30th-ranked FlU baseball team (17-4, 3-3) hosts the Marshall Thundering Herd in a three-game set this weekend from the FlU Baseball Stadium.
WeekendPromotions
-FlU will host in the first game of the three-game set at 6 p.m. on Friday. The first 75 fans in attendance will receive an FlU Baseball throwback t-shirt. Additionally, all FlU students get free pizza prior to the game.
- Saturday's game is slated for a 4 p.m. first pitch. It will be Little League Day at the Ballpark and Dollar Hot Dog Saturday.
- Sunday's series finale will begin at 11:00 a.m. and will feature Grand Slam Sunday. For $20, fans can receive four (4) tickets, four (4) hot dogs, four (4) sodas, and a large popcorn. Purchase your Grand Slam Sunday package by calling 305-FIU-GAME, logging on to FIUSports.com (Promo Code: FAMILY), or visiting the University Credit Union Box Office, located at the R. Kirk Landon Fieldhouse. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Quick Hitters
-With the recent polls released on March 10, the Panthers are ranked 30th in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Poll and are receiving votes in the USA Today and NCBWA Polls.
-As of March 17, FlU ranks in the top 10 nationally in five different statistical categories.
-Junior catcher
Aramis Garcia is currently on a career-best 15-game hitting streak.
- Freshman outfielder
Brandon Gomez is on an 11-game hitting streak and is 11-for-22 in his last five games played.
- Senior outfielder
Tyler Hibbert is on a 10-game hitting streak and is 14 for his last 34 with eight RBI during that span.
-Senior starting pitcher
Mike Franco has allowed just eight hits and one earned run in his last 16 1/3 innings of work.
- Garcia has been named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List, an award that recognizes the nation's top catcher. ·
- Junior third baseman
Josh Anderson is 14th in the country in hits with 34, and 11th in doubles with nine.
Scouting Marshall
-The Thundering Herd enters this weekend with a 6-12 overall record and a 3-3 mark in Conference USA action. In the opening week of C-USA play, Marshall took two of three from East Carolina. The Herd came back the following weekend and dropped two of three contests to Southern Miss.
- Marshall is hitting .211 as a team this season, .219 in C-USA action. The Herd is led by Cory
Garrastazu, who is hitting a team-best .347 with 17 hits. The Herd have hit just two home runs as a team.
-Through 18 games, Marshall pitchers have combined for a team ERA of 3.95. The Herd will throw RHP Josh King on Friday, who has a team-best ERA for starting pitchers, 2.76.
FlU All-Time vs. Marshall
-This will be the first ever matchup between Marshall and FlU.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUBaseball) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUBaseball) for all the latest FlU Baseball news. Follow all of FlU's 18 athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and lnstagram (FIUathletics).
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Season tickets for the FlU baseball season are on sale. Tickets for the 2014 campaign cost just $50 per ticket for all fans this year. Fans can purchase tickets online, over the phone by calling 305-FIU-GAME, or in person at the R. Kirk Landon Fieldhouse Box Office. Student admission is free to all FlU baseball home games.
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About FlU Athletics: FlU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FlU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FlU Arena and Alfonso Field at FlU Stadium.
About FlU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor 1s, master 1s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida 1s anchor institutions, FlU is Worlds Ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FlU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FlU has awarded 200,000 degrees and enrolls 50,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FlU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FlU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FlU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
