MIAMI (May 2, 2019) – To polish off the longest homestand of the season, the FIU baseball team (19-25, 8-13 C-USA) plays host to the UAB Blazers (20-30, 6-15 C-USA) for a three-game weekend set.
 
First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday, followed by a 6 p.m. ET start time on Saturday and a 12 p.m. ET matinee to close out the home swing on Sunday.
 
All three games will be streamed on CUSA.tv, while live stats for each game can be found here. FIU's game notes for the weekend can be found here.
 
Tickets to all home games can be purchased online at tickets.fiusports.com or by phone at 305-FIU-GAME.
 
PROMOTIONS 
If you like promotions, this is the weekend for you. Saturday (May 4th) is Star Wars Night at the ballpark to celebrate "May The Fourth Be With You". The first 200 fans will receive a free light saber. On Sunday, Cinco De Mayo will be celebrated with the entirety of the public address announcements being in Spanish. 
 
ON THE BUMP
Friday: Logan Allen (4-4, 2.70 ERA) vs Riley Davis (4-1, 5.35 ERA)
Saturday: Nick MacDonald (3-3, 3.92 ERA) vs Tyler Gates (2-0, 4.55 ERA)
Sunday: Franco Aleman (2-4, 3.62 ERA) vs Tanner Graham (3-4, 5.29 ERA)

AT THE PLATE 
The FIU bats have come alive since the calendar change from March to April. The Panthers are averaging 6.8 runs-per-game, which is a full run and half higher than the season average. Austin Shenton has led the great awakening with a .485 batting average and 23 RBIs during the stretch. Jose Garcia has clubbed eight homers since the first of the month to go along with 23 of his own RBIs.

LAST TIME OUT
Wednesday night's 2-0 victory against Bethune-Cookman was a game filled with history and career nights. Christian Santana pitched eight shutout innings with a career-best 10 strikeouts. Christian Dearman pitched a clean ninth inning for his first-career save in a Panther uniform. At the dish, Austin Shenton extended his career-best hit streak to 17 games. The streak is the longest for a Panther batter since FIU joined C-USA in 2014.

UP NEXT
The Panthers leave for the final road trip that starts with a doubleheader at Texas Tech on Tuesday, May 7 before heading to Middle Tennessee for three-game weekend series. The final road game of the season is slated for May 14 at Stetson.  

SOCIAL MEDIA
Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIUBaseball on Facebook and @FIUBaseball on Twitter and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.